Sunday Series Spotlight: The Division Chronicles & Author Interview

Today, I am pleased to spotlight author Connie L. Smith and her YA urban fantasy/paranormal romance trilogy, The Division Chronicles.  Today’s post features an interview with Ms. Smith and an excerpt from the third book, Enscrolled, which was just released in  mid- October.

Essenced (book 1)

Publication Date:  July 2013

Years ago, demons were forced out of the earth’s realm by a band of supernatural fighters, banished from the place and its people in the aftermath of a horrific war. It should’ve ended there – would’ve – if not for the final demon’s claw snagging on the open portal. What felt like victory became only a reprieve, the winning warriors understanding that the tear would spread, and the demons eventually would escape exile. It was only a matter of time, and a need for future defense – a question of genetics and essences, magic and power.

Now, centuries later, a new army must bind together – one of teenagers with inhuman potentials and abilities…

AJ went to bed Sunday night an average teenage girl, clumsy and athletically lacking. So when she wakes up Monday morning with super-strength, she does what any rational person would do: She goes into denial. When a smoking hot guy in a suit shows up, rambling about the end of the war and demons spilling through some kind of rift, she refuses to listen, telling herself he’s insane. Except weird things just won’t quit happening, and the guy keeps popping up in her life, trying to explain the changes suddenly happening within her. Is she crazy, or is this guy… not so crazy after all?

Available from Amazon: Essenced: The Division Chronicles: Book One (Volume 1)

Sunday Series Spotlight: The Aftertime Trilogy

 

The Aftertime Trilogy by Sophie Littlefield

Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Horror, Paranormal (Zombies)

This is a provocative series featuring Cass Dollar, a young woman who is carrying around a lot of emotional baggage and struggling to rebuild her life which had fallen into shambles even before the zombie apocalypse consumed the world. For Cass the only good thing to come out of this mass horror is that she’s finally able to regain custody of her young daughter, Ruthie, until horrifying events separate them again. Later Cass finds herself hundreds of miles away from her daughter, awakening bewildered, physically scarred, and with no idea how she got there. That’s how the first  book opens, and it grabbed my attention right from the start and, figuratively speaking, I was glued to the pages until the end.

 

Aftertime (Aftertime # 1)

Publication Date: February 22, 2011

 Awakening in a bleak landscape as scarred as her body, Cass Dollar vaguely recalls surviving something terrible. Having no idea how many weeks have passed, she slowly realizes the horrifying truth: Ruthie has vanished.

And with her, nearly all of civilization.

Where once-lush hills carried cars and commerce, the roads today see only cannibalistic Beaters — people turned hungry for human flesh by a government experiment gone wrong.

In a broken, barren California, Cass will undergo a harrowing quest to get Ruthie back. Few people trust an outsider, let alone a woman who became a zombie and somehow turned back, but she finds help from an enigmatic outlaw, Smoke. Smoke is her savior, and her safety.

For the Beaters are out there.

And the humans grip at survival with their trigger fingers. Especially when they learn that she and Ruthie have become the most feared, and desired, of weapons in a brave new world….

Aftertime is my favorite book in the trilogy because it focuses on Cass’s journey to find Ruthie and to be different from the kind of woman she once was not too long ago. She’s such a complex, complicated, and flawed character. Littlefield has done an amazing job in creating a three-dimensional characters, like Cass, that you might meet in real life. Cassie’s not a black and white, good or bad character. In fact, none of the main characters you meet and follow in the series are. Survival becomes the number one motive that drives them. In this first book, though, survival without Ruthie is meaningless to Cassie. She may have failed her daughter in the pre-zombie world, but she’s determined to be a better mother to her daughter, and she must go to great lengths to try to get her daughter out of the clutches of a female religious cult whose beliefs and lifestyle made gave me chill bumps as I read about their influence on the women who are just seeking safety and shelter from the hordes of “Beaters,” infected humans who’ve become cannibalistic creatures who feast upon the flesh and blood of survivors.

Sunday Spotlight Series: Alpha Ops

Attention romantic suspense readers, I’ve recently learned about a new author, Emmy Curtis,  who has released the first installment in her brand new Alpha Ops series this month, a novella called Dangerous Territory. I already have so many RS series I follow, I can barely keep up, but the early reviews I’ve read have been positive, so I’m adding it to my reading list and looking forward to seeing what you think as well.

Dangerous Territory (Alpha Ops #.0.5) 

Publication Date: August 5, 2014 / Novella (100 pgs.) 

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing’s Forever Yours Line

Genre: Romantic Suspense

A SEXY STRANGER

Flirting with danger is reporter Grace Grainger’s modus operandi. But she’s learned the hard way not to grow attached to the soldiers she’s embedded with in Afghanistan. To escape from her pain and loneliness, she fantasizes about the hot night she spent with a gorgeous stranger three years before in D.C. Grace never thought she’d see him again—let alone need him to rescue her . . .

AN EXPLOSIVE NIGHT

Air Force Master Sergeant Josh Travers knows journalists are nothing but trouble

Grace. He needs her—even in an Afghan cave with a sandstorm and enemy troops closing in. This might be the end for both of them—or one hell of a beginning.

Available from Amazon: Dangerous Territory: An Alpha Ops novella

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Over the Line (Alpha Ops  # 1)

The last time James Walker saw Beth Garcia, he was carrying her off the battlefield. A year later, he runs into her as she’s completing her last physical therapy appointment before she can be deployed again. She’s still sexy as hell, but just as prickly and hard-headed as she was when they first met.

An arranged rock climbing weekend together quickly turns into a nightmare family wedding after a panicked phone call from his sister about mysterious and ominous emails she’s been receiving.

Beth, thinking she’s going rock climbing for the weekend, is surprised when she realizes the biggest rock she’ll be facing is the one James needs her to wear. And while trying to protect James’s sister, she’ll also have to lie to James’s father, the Director of the CIA, about who she iS jeopardizing her carefully planned career. And while she does owe James her life, he’s in for a wild ride if he thinks he can get away with this deception unscathed…

Expected Release Date: October 7, 2014

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Pushing the Limit (Alpha Ops # 2) 

Fasten your seatbelt–Emmy Curtis returns with the third book in her high-octane Alpha Ops romantic suspense series. If you love authors like Suzanne Brockmann, Pamela Clare, Julie Ann Walker or Cindy Gerard, you won’t want to miss this one.

Expected Date of Publication: November 11, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

Emmy Curtis is an editor and a romance writer. An ex-pat Brit, she quells her homesickness with Cadbury Flakes and Fray Bentos pies. She’s lived in London, Paris and New York, and has settled for the time being, in North Carolina. When not writing, Emmy loves to travel with her military husband and take long walks with their Lab. All things considered, her life is chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny. And if you get that reference…well, she already considers you kin. Emmy Curtis is a pen name.

(bio taken from Goodreads Profile and author’s website)

Author Links

Website: http://emmycurtis.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmycurtis19

A special shout out to Straight Shootin Book Reviews  where I discovered this new series.

Are you looking forward to the release of a new series or books in a series that you enjoy and follow? I’d love to find out what you’re excited about reading this year. 

Sunday Series Spotlight: Southern Fraud Thrillers by Jennifer Becton

If you don’t think insurance fraud is interesting, then you haven’t read Jennifer Becton’s Southern Fraud Thrillers. Becton revs up the mystery and suspense when she takes us behind the scenes of this engrossing occupation with the heroes of the series,  State Fraud Investigators, Julia Jackson and her partner, Mark Vincent.  Set in fictional Mercer, Georgia, you can follow Julia and Mark as they identify and track down the culprits behind some perplexing insurance fraud cases that will easily keep you engaged and sometimes dumbfounded at the lengths some people will go to to in trying to deceive their insurance companies.

Here is how Becton defines the series:

“The Southern Fraud series is essentially a crime dramedy like Castle or The Mentalist. Add to that some action, a dash of Southern charm and a hint of romance, and you’ve got the Southern Fraud Series. If you like comedic mystery novels similar to those by Janet Evanovich (without as much slapstick humor) or crime dramedy TV shows, you’ll probably enjoy Southern Fraud.” (from: http://www.jwbecton.com/#!about)

In each novel, Julia and Mark are given a potential fraud case to investigate and solve over the course of the book. Interwoven into each plot are the ongoing story threads that take us into the personal lives of the hero and heroine both revealing their motivations for working in this field and exposing their vulnerabilities. Both of these characters are well-rounded, flawed, just as people we may know in real life, and it didn’t take me long to connect with them and want to know more about their backstories.  Both Julia and Mark are focused on the job they are hired to do, but the subtle chemistry between them had me keeping my fingers crossed from the end of the first book, hoping something stronger than friendship might form between them, and at this point, well I’m beginning to smile.

I’ve read the first three installments, and Becton has recently released Moral Hazard, the fourth book in this great series with a dynamic hero/heroine, baffling cases, and storylines that include a cast of dangerous and quirky characters who add a touch of humor, all factors I appreciate in a good mystery.

Absolute Liability (Southern Fraud Thriller # 1)

Publication Date June 2011

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

Meet Julia Jackson. Apparently, she’s been abducted…. 

A woman is taken at gunpoint from the downtown office of Southeastern Insurance, and the police believe the victim is Special Agent Julia Jackson. Only it isn’t true. 

Now, with the help of her new partner Mark Vincent, state fraud investigator Julia Jackson must find justice for the woman who was taken in her place. 

As Vincent and Julia begin to unravel the multimillion-dollar frauds that led to the abduction, they encounter a cast of quirky characters, one of whom will go to desperate lengths to hide a deadly secret. 

Things only become more dangerous as bodies begin accumulating around town, and Julia must discover the truth before the abductor comes to rectify his mistake.

Absolute Liability is the first in the six-book Southern Fraud Thriller series, which blends suspense, humor, and Southern charm with just a touch of romance. If you enjoy reading humorous mysteries or watching TV crime dramedies like Castle or The Mentalist, you should like Absolute Liability.

Sunday Series Spotlight: SEAL Team Six Outcasts

Today, I’m spotlighting a Military Suspense/Thriller series co-authored by two former Navy SEALs, Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin.  I haven’t had the chance to read the series, but it’s now on my reading list. In fact, all four of their books listed below look like excellent reads.

About the Series

A group of outcasts who take on those who threaten U.S. security but without the support of the government. (from Goodreads)

Genres: Military Suspense, Thriller

SEAL Team Six Outcasts ( #1)

Published May 29, 2012

Publisher: Gallery Books/ 352 pgs

They are the Outcasts. Because people don’t want to know what they do. 

Alex Brandenburg: SEAL Chief Petty Officer and Outcasts Team Leader. Disobeyed direct orders by refusing to let a deadly terrorist live to kill another day. Francisco “Pancho” Rodriguez and John Landry: SEAL Petty Officers First Class. Took the pursuit of justice into their own hands with explosive results. Catherine “Cat” Fares. Navy Petty Officer. Holds an unbeatable record for pissing off the top brass with her strongly stated opinions on the combat readiness of women. 

The team’s mission: Take out the seven terror merchants vying to take Bin Laden’s place. The team’s status: Expendable. 

When America’s controversial Phoenix Program was buried during the Vietnam War, a new program rose from its ashes. A top-secret Special Operations unit, with a core mission to combat terror wherever they find it, Bitter Ash grew ever more necessary in a new world of Islamic fanaticism. Now, Bitter Ash is forming a special team, a SEAL Team Six with a difference. It is Tier One, on par with SEAL Team Six and Delta, but it will report directly to Bitter Ash, and its fight will take place under the cover of dark. 

With Bin Laden dead, the petty leaders within al Qaeda struggle to assume his role at the top. The president of the United States doesn’t want any of them left to dominate . . . and that means he has only one choice. But doing what’s needed without political repercussions will take a small team flying under the radar. A team capable of finessing the U.N.’s distinctions on national sovereignty and acts of war. A team like the Outcasts. 

With no official support from their government and no one to rely on but themselves, the Outcasts must track down each target. Hot on the tail of the third, Brandenburg and the team start to realize that they are closing in on a larger plot, one that puts the security of the United States in dangerous jeopardy. The terrorists are threatening American territory once again, and the Outcasts will have to do what SEALs do best. Whatever it takes to keep their country safe.

Buy from Amazon: Outcasts: A SEAL Team Six Novel

Sunday Series Spotlight: Experiment in Terror Series by Karina Halle

About the Series

I started reading ebooks in 2012 after received an e-reader for Christmas. Although I love technology, I always preferred reading a print copy of the book and having the rich sensory experience of touching and turning the pages. So, I avoided reading online until I realized that Amazon had lots of books available for free downloads, lol and I could get any book I wanted to read instantly without having to wait for shipping.

Moreover, one of the best benefits has been the discovery of some excellent reads from talented independent authors that I, otherwise, probably would never have encountered. Karina Halle’s work is one of those rare gems that I have come to treasure.  I downloaded Darkhouse, the first book in this series when it was offered for free, and from that point, I was hooked on Perry Palomino and Dex Foray’s  journey together into the world of the supernatural where they explore haunted places to capture paranormal evidence for their Internet ghost hunter series, and along the way they must each grapple with literal and figurative demons that have continually tested their sanity.

Here is an overview of the series from Goodreads:

In a large, flaky nut­shell, the Exper­i­ment in Ter­ror Series is an nine-part sci-fi/fantasy/horror series that revolves around a pair of ghost hunters. Well, aspir­ing ghost hunters, any­way. After film­ing a creepy expe­ri­ence in her uncle’s dilap­i­dated light­house, 22-year old Perry Palomino becomes a YouTube and inter­net star overnight. She attracts the atten­tion of Dex Foray, a pro­ducer and cam­era­man for a site that spe­cial­izes in var­i­ous webisodes, who con­vinces her to be a host for a low-budget ghost hunt­ing series. The only prob­lem is, nei­ther Perry or Dex are entirely “with it” — I mean, they see ghosts, after all. And when the duo isn’t wrestling with their very notion of real­ity, they’re grap­pling with a work­ing rela­tion­ship that’s deep-cut with sex­ual ten­sion. As the series moves on, lead­ing Perry and Dex to new locales and super­nat­ural sit­u­a­tions, their lives become more and more inter­twined, where they dis­cover that ghosts aren’t the only things that can haunt them.

This is a series that must be read in order, and for all of you paranormal fans out there, I think you’ll find it to be worth your time. Although romance does eventually become a significant aspect of the plot as the series unfolds, the scary, chilling, and downright creepy scenes from Perry and Dex’s adventures will be more than enough to satisfy your paranormal cravings. In fact, I should warn you, this series can be addictive!

The series is comprised of full length novels as well as several novellas. I have highlighted the main books in the series and the novellas I read.

Darkhouse #1

With all the vampire, werewolf and faerie books out there, it’s easy to become numb to all things supernatural. The antidote? Darkhouse introduces two real and unforgettable characters, Perry Palomino & Dex Foray, amateur ghost hunters who are “attractive, relatable and oddly heroic,” “flawed but loveable,” “slightly crazy” and just the most endearing pair to ever tackle the paranormal…just don’t call them normal.

Darkhouse is a thrilling and sexy new take on concepts like Supernatural and The X-Files, bringing a breath of fresh air to a genre that has been inundated with the dead.

***Darkhouse and the Experiment in Terror series is a horror/romance for mature audiences only. Readers who are easily offended by harsh language should think twice about reading it.

Published March 10, 2012

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11356211-darkhouse

Favorite Quotes from the book: 

“Somehow by dealing with the dead, I had never felt so alive.” 

***

“Because sometimes I lie, Perry. We all lie, even you, but not everyone is brave enough to admit it.”  -Dex

***

“If there was a moment that determined the course of my future, I’m pretty sure this was it. I had two somewhat simple choices. I could make a run for it and go back to Uncle Al’s. Back to the bonfire where my cousins and dear sister would be drinking and revel in the normalcy of a Saturday night and forget I ever went to this horrid place and ran into this weirdo. Or I could go with said weirdo up the stairs in this decrepit old lighthouse, which was most likely condemned and unsafe, towards some unknown person (or thing) that was walking around, potentially waiting to murder us in horrific ways. 

It didn’t seem like a very hard decision to make. In fact, I think 99.7% of people in the right frame of mind would have picked from column A and gone on with their merry lives. But for some freaking crazy reason, I thought that maybe, just maybe I should go with this stranger up those kelp-ridden stairs and toward the lair of unimaginable horror. You know, because it was the more interesting alternative.” -Perry

Sunday Spotlight Series: Review of Sins Brothers by Rebecca Zanetti

With the latest release of the second book in the Sins Brothers Series, Sweet Revenge, this week, I wanted to showcase the series because after reading these first two books, I absolutely love it!

Zanetti immerses you into the world of four brothers who have been genetically engineered as part of a covert military experiment whose purpose is to create an elite force of government assassins. Conceived in test tubes and genetically altered to give them superhuman traits, the brothers grew up and trained in a military facility under the supervision of a maleficent, ruthless Commander whose sole mission has been to make them killing machines.

When the series begins, the brothers have escaped the Commander and have all gone undercover to expose and dismantle the operation of these monsters who created and held them captive since birth.  Success is crucial if the brothers plan to survive because all of these super soldiers have been surgically implanted with a kill chip set to detonate every five years unless the chip is updated with a top secret access code.  With three months left until the chip explodes, the clock is ticking and time is of the essence.

Each novel’s storyline is fully developed, well-executed, and adds depth to the increasing complexity of the major plot. Zanetti has done an amazing job in creating rich, multi-dimensional characters that are easy to connect with and care about.  The concept of family and its importance as well as loyalty, and trust are prominent themes that emerge from the series. Furthermore, even though the series is fictional, the author subtly delves into some of the physical and psychological ramifications involved with genetic engineering.

Forgotten Sins (Sins Brothers #1)

Release Date: July 2013

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333872-forgotten-sins?from_search=true

Purchase from Amazon: Forgotten Sins

His Secrets Can Destroy Her

From the moment Josie laid eyes on sexy, mysterious Shane Dean, she was in love. Their desire ignited a passionate affair, and within weeks, Shane had slipped a ring on her finger. It seemed her every fantasy was coming true . . . until her new husband disappeared without a trace. Now, two years and one broken heart later, Josie is shocked by the hospital calls: Shane has been found . . . at a crime scene with no memory of how he got there.

Her Love Can Save Him

Shane can’t remember the blue-eyed angel at his bedside—or who he even is—but he knows something isn’t right. His hearing is razor sharp, his physical strength incredible, and the urge to protect Josie overwhelming. For powerful enemies are hunting him, and Josie is the key to discovering why. As Shane struggles to unravel his past, dangerous new truths come to light. Can he protect the only woman he’s ever loved? And can Josie trust a man she thought she knew—one who carries such a deadly secret?

Sunday Series Spotlight: Titanium Security Series by Kaylea Cross

Kaylea Cross is one of my favorite military romantic suspense authors and she has recently released Extinguished, the fourth book in her exciting  Titanium Security series, which I have been following this year.    If you are a fan of this genre but haven’t yet read any of Cross’s work, this is a good series to check out and one I highly recommend!

Although I’ve only read the first two books in this series, I have been very impressed!  Ignited and Singed are both sexy page-turners with a fantastic blend of sizzling romance and heart-pounding action that will keep you riveted until the very end and eager for more.

Ignited ( #1)

Published 2013

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17911638-ignited?from_search=true

Purchase from Amazon: Ignited (Titanium Security Series)

When her father is murdered by a Taliban cell in the tribal regions of Pakistan, Khalia Patterson reluctantly steps into his shoes to carry on the legacy of Fair Start Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to furthering the education of girls. There she meets Hunter Phillips, the ex-SEAL and head of her Titanium security team, and quickly learns that coming to Pakistan might prove to be a deadly decision. 

Battling demons of his own, Hunter grudgingly leads Khalia’s protective detail as a favor to his boss. From their first meeting it’s clear she’s going to be trouble, and that the cell that killed her father is hell bent on taking her out as well. Keeping her alive is one of the toughest assignments he’s ever faced, yet through one harrowing situation after another she continually impresses him with her strength and inner courage. Even though he fights his feelings for her, it’s a losing battle. And when the job is over, he doesn’t know how he’ll let her go.

Ignited shows Kaylea Cross at her best. She has created an engaging storyline  that grabs you right from the start with an intense, adrenaline-pumping opening that I literally could not put down. Both Hunter and Khalia are great, realistic protagonists grounded in their dedication to their joint mission.  I appreciate Cross’s attention to detail, and really developing the emotions and thoughts of the characters to bring them life.  Cross provides the POVs of not only Hunter and Khalia but also to the antagonists so you understand their motivation and fears regarding their involvement in this complex plot as it continues to unfold.  Each rising crisis gets more intense as the danger escalates and the outcome isn’t always pretty or safe.  This was an absorbing and deliciously thrilling read!

Source for book: I purchased a copy of this book for my personal library.

Sunday Series Spotlight: SEAL TEAM Heartbreakers by Teresa Reasor

Teresa Reasor rocks when it comes to writing military romantic suspense, and I am a huge fan of her SEAL TEAM Heartbreaker series. Since the third installment will be released soon, I’m showcasing her series to prepare for the upcoming release of Breaking Away. 

Breaking Free (Seal Team Heartbreakers #1)

Published June 2011

Purchase from Amazon:  Breaking Free

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11827874-breaking-free

Zoe Weaver is determined never to get involved with a man in uniform. Her father was killed during the Gulf War. Her brother Brett, is in a coma. If that isn’t enough, Zoe has scars both physical and emotional from a hit and run accident that almost cost her a leg. She refuses to lay her fragile self-esteem, or her heart, on the line for a man who puts his military career ahead of his family. But her brother’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Adam “Hawk” Yazzie, triggers a passion beyond her experience. Is she strong enough to love Hawk and, when the time comes, watch him go to war? 

Lieutenant “Hawk” Yazzie, is a SEAL. The Navy is his life, and his family. He’s learned the hard way he can’t be there for anyone. He finds Zoe’s combination of feisty femininity hard to resist, but the guilt he carries prevents him from offering a commitment to anyone —but the Navy. Will he love Zoe and leave her? 

When Zoe and Hawk investigate the events surrounding her brother’s injuries, they grow suspicious of three members of Hawk’s team. Hawk is torn between loyalty to his men and his need to see justice done. But when he tries to save a troubled teammate’s career he unwittingly puts Zoe’s life in danger. Can he lead the rest of the team in a rescue operation to save her? Or will one of Hawk’s brothers in arms destroy the woman he loves?

Sunday Series Spotlight for The Astral Ordinance Series

Author: Meltem Y.K.

Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance

The Astral Ordinance Book 1

Jayna is about to graduate from high school and embark on an exciting journey in higher education – or so she thinks. In the wee hours of one fateful night she finds herself in the middle of a battle with demons. She assumes it’s a nightmare; a young warrior, Ethan Wells, convinces her otherwise. Jayna discovers that she is an evolved human who can travel between dimensions and is also capable of extinguishing demons. She is a prime candidate for the Astral army. An innocent first-love blossoms between Jayna and Ethan. They become partners in the Astral army against demons and other forms of evil. Ethan is in charge of her training; they spend the next few years as carefree college students by day, demon fighters by night. However, there is a small glitch in their happiness: They are forbidden by the Astral Masters to see each other on Earth. As much as they love one another, they cannot be together in their physical forms. However, the Astral Plane is about to have a first. 

Published December 22, 2012

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17164733-the-astral-ordinance?ac=1

 

 

Sunday Series Spotlight: Bagram Special Ops by Kaylea Cross

This Sunday,  I’m featuring one of my favorite military romance series by Kaylea Cross: Bragram Special Ops.

I have read and loved the first two books, and I wanted to showcase the series since the third installment, Lethal Pursuit, was released this week.  

Deadly Descent (Bagram Special Ops # 1)

Published September 5, 2011

Purchase on Amazon: Deadly Descent

Devon Crawford is an officer; Air Force Pararescueman Cam Munro is enlisted. Dev flies medical evacuations; Cam jumps into danger zones to save lives. Dev wants to return home from Afghanistan with her heart untouched; Cam will do anything to win the woman he loves.

Reaching for happiness in a war zone is the last thing Captain Devon Crawford plans, but she can’t ignore the feelings she’s hidden for so long. Cam’s sexy charm and wicked kisses weaken her resistance, but she’s too afraid of losing him to give in. When Dev’s helicopter and crew are shot down and set up as bait by a notorious warlord, Cam risks all to save the team. What he doesn’t know is that the trap is set for him….

This is a great start to a series that focuses on a branch of the military that doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves: pararescuemen.  Cam is a swoonworthy  hero and his loyalty and love for Dev is wonderful!  A suspenseful read! Source: Purchased from Amazon

Tactical Strike (Bagram Special Ops #2)

Published March 11, 2013

Purchase on Amazon: Tactical Strike

Gunship pilot Captain Candace Bradford has worked long and hard to earn her rank and position within the male-dominated world of Air Force Special Operations. She’s not about to let anything or anyone jeopardize that, let alone one sinfully tempting man who seems determined to cause her nothing but trouble. Even if she’s starting to fall for him.

As an elite Combat Controller, Staff Sergeant Ryan Wentworth is used to overcoming adversity in order to complete a mission. Breaking through Candace’s prickly exterior and into her heart is a challenge he can’t let go. But just when he’s begun to gain her trust, they’re thrown together in the field facing an overwhelming enemy force. Candace and Ryan find themselves on the run, searching the skies for an emergency extraction. But one dangerous enemy has an agenda in mind and he’ll use whatever means necessary to achieve it, including using American forces to do his dirty work…..

This book picks up where Deadly Descent ends, and the sexual tension between Candace and Ryan sparks from the moment they first meet, even though Candace has zero interest in any type of relationship with Ryan. I loved watching their relationship evolve into a scorching hot romance that is smoothly integrated into the larger ongoing plot that started with the first book. Ryan is both swoon and drool worthy in the romantic hero category! Although I suppose you can read each book as a stand alone, I highly recommend starting at the beginning so you can fully appreciate the storyline and get to know the main characters much better.  An excellent read!

Source; Purchased from Amazon

Lethal Pursuit (Bagram Special Ops #3)

Published September  16, 2013

Purchase on Amazon: Lethal Pursuit

Security Forces Lieutenant Maya Lopez is right at home in a war zone: she’s been fighting all her life. A hard-won commission in the air force has brought her to Afghanistan, and if she plays her cards right, she could end up with an FBI job. It won’t be easy, but that just makes her more determined.

Jackson Thatcher is a protector in all senses of the word. A pararescue jumper with Southern-boy charm, he easily captures Maya’s interest, but her trust is another story. He’s sexy, strong and caring, but she makes it clear she’s no damsel in distress. She’s never relied on any man, and she’s not about to start now. When Maya and Jackson become pawns in a radical warlord’s deadly game, they find themselves on the run and must depend on each other if they want to make it out alive.

I was so excited about this book, I puchased my copy on its release day, even though I know it will be awhile until I have a chance to read it. That’s okay. I’m content for now to just know I have my copy waiting close by, ready  to be devoured! Based on the quality of the romance, action, and suspense within the first two books, I have a feeling Lethal Pursuit will be an enthralling read!

If you like military romantic suspense and haven’t read Kaylea Cross’s work yet, I high recommend the series. I’ve read most of her books, and she is one of the best writers in this genre!  Her knowledge of military tactics, attention to details, and her ability to create  smexy heroes and heroines make her one of my favorite authors!