The Path to Freedom by Lisa Pietsch

Title: The Path to Freedom

Author: Lisa Pietsch

Publisher: Sapphire Blue Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-93465-06-5

Genre/Theme: Suspense/Contemporary

Length: 263 pages

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Review:

Sarah Stephens truly didn’t think her life could get any worse. She had spent her life fighting to get to where she was now, and in the blink of an eye everything was gone. Dealt one blow after another she realized she had finally hit rock bottom. Her Air Force career was over, all because she’d failed one to many weigh-in’s. Her relationship, history for reason’s she’d much rather forget. Thinking she had no other choice she enrolled in a mysterious ‘boot camp’ for over weight, hoping to loose the pounds, and hopefully to get her life back on track.

Sarah got more than she’d bargained for, she got a second chance. Recruited a special ‘black ops’ group spins her life in a new direction, and she finds her self-having to make a choice between two things she really loves. Her job or the man she loves, who just happens to be her boss.

This is an awesome story; I instantly felt a kinship with Sarah. She has a solid determination to make her life her own. She’s a strong woman with views I respect; I love her ‘I belong to no one but myself attitude’. Lisa Pietsch does a wonderful job keeping her readers entertained. She writes with a wit that will have you laughing at the antics and begging to know more. She makes her character believable. I absolutely loved the characters, every one of them carried their own personality, Sarah is someone many can connect with and the bad girl in us would like to be. Vince, whew, all I could think is ‘I want one’. This one had me feeling protective and protected at the same time. The over all story is truly a work of art. It was defiantly worth reading and gives it two smacks. While I would add it to my read again pile, in the end I felt a little let down. I was hoping in that all that built up sexual frustration would blow the top off. I would defiantly recommend this book to someone, the story line is great and it is full of a wonderful cast of characters, and I can’t wait to read the next one.

Rating: 2 smacks
Heat Level: Sweet/some spice
Reviewer: Stephanie Mayfield

Ashton's Secret by Liana Laverentz

Title: Ashton's Secret
Author: Liana Laverentz
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published date: June 26, 2009
ISBN: 1-60154-482-0
Genre/Theme: Mystery/suspense Crimson Rose
Length: 260 pages
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Review:

Meghan Edwards goes to the town of Ashton to solve the mystery of her sister's death. Fiver years earlier her sister died of an apparent suicide. The report was that she died of an overdose of drugs. Five years later Meghan finds a letter from her sister to her that she had never received. This letter leads her to believe that her sister was murdered. Meghan goes to Ashton in search of answers, but finds out that it is a lot harder than she expected. Nobody in the town of Ashton wants to talk to her. She meets the black sheep of the town Nick Hawkinson. Almost the whole town is against him and he is blamed for her sister death. This makes Meghan want to know more about him. She finds out that there is much more to him that the town knows. He may not be all-bad after all. Meghan went to Ashton in search for answers to her sister's death, but instead she finds love. She is determined to prove that Nick is innocent and find the real killer.

This book held my interest through the entire book. Through the whole book I had guessed who the killer was and in the end I was right, but it did leave you second-guessing yourself a couple of times. Ashton's Secret was very well written and the story flowed perfectly. I never found a part in the book that bored me. When I started reading this book, I planned on only reading a couple of pages. I started reading it at work and before the day was out, I hadn't done any work. I read the book straight through. Ashton's Secret will pull you into the town of Ashton making you understand and love the characters. The whirlwind romance of Meghan and Nick kept me wanting to read. This is a book that you won't regret reading.


Rating: 5 Smacks
Heat Level: Spicy
Reviewer: Melissa

Under His Protection by Denise A. Agnew

Title: Under His Protection

Author: Denise A. Agnew

Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Published date: June 15, 2009

ISBN: 9781-1-59578-5480

Genre/Theme: Suspense/Romance

Length: 170 pages

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Review:

Olivia Scoot had hoped that living a full continent away from her over-protective father and over- emotional mother, would allow her to live her life as she wanted. A quiet and well-reserved librarian from Huntingdon, England, Olivia led a quiet buttoned live. The last thing she expected was to be caught up in a whirlwind that would change her quiet life forever.

SWAT Officer Trey MacGilvary led life as a confirmed bachelor. He thought he knew what he wanted in a woman. He never looked beyond a night of hot sex, he choose women that could care less about a relationship. What he hadn’t expected was the sudden unrelenting attraction he would find in the small mousy librarian, whose life he’d saved.

Both with shadows lurking in their past they’d like to forget about they are thrown into a downward spiral of events guaranteed to change both of their lives forever. A madman from his past has targeted Trey, hell bent on exacting a slow revenge. He determined to take everyone Trey loves away from him. Payment he says for Trey taking away the people ‘he’ had moved most.

I love how this story starts; it has a slow yet addicting hook that pulls you in. Olivia and Trey are two characters’ that are easy to connect to. They come across as normal everyday people, just living the hand life has dealt them. The emotion is portrayed evenly through out the story, and the author has done a great job in keeping the tension strung enough to keep you intrigued, but not strung out so thin that you get bored. She has a wonderfully teasing way of righting that makes you want to yell ‘OH! Don’t you dare let him/her walk away!’. I love Trey and Olivia; they are a great mix of two opposite personalities. This over all to me is a great story; it’s down to earth and easy to get lost in. Its show’s events that could happen to just about anyone on any given day. I give this book four smacks, it truly is an awesome read, and a definite re-read for me.

If you’re looking for a book with characters that you can relate to, this is a book for you. It’s a great read if you want to loose yourself for a few moments, and have that little adventure most long for.

Rating: 4 smacks

Heat Level: sweet/some spice

Reviewer: Stephanie Mayfield