The last thing he expected to find on the snowy mountain was an angel in a wedding dress…

One lost woman in a wedding gown and a snowy road change everything for ex-Navy SEAL and Ghost Hawk, Gray Carlisle. Life for him was all about catching bad guys, but on an assignment on the blustery mountain he found more than a terrorist, and she was far more dangerous.

Runaway bride…headlights…hitting her head. Those were the things Stormy West remembered when she woke up, naked with a bandaged head, in the small cabin on Whispering Mountain. And she wasn’t alone. Is her new roommate a hero or enemy? Logic and body at war, she can’t fight the feelings he erupts in her.

Sparks are flying between Gray and Stormy, but an enemy is closing in on the hideaway cabin, and a surprising connection will test everything she believes…

Rhonda Lee Carver, has entered the realm of former military with a bang!

Stormy ran away from her wedding, finally listening to all the warnings she’s been receiving, not only from her sister but also in the form anonymous letters. She is given a key to a cabin by her wedding planner, who assures her she will be safe there for a while. Little did she know she would end up stuck in a blizzard.

Former Navy SEAL, Gray Carlisle is now a member of an elite law enforcement group, Ghost Hawks. These men operate with a little more leeway and investigate where others have reached a limit.

When a lead comes in on Phantom, a terrorist that has been extremely elusive,  Gray jumps on it. Perhaps a bit impulsively as he decides not to wait  for more of his team to arrive.  He starts up the mountain as a blizzard reaches full force. Instead of reaching his destination, he almost hits a car sticking out in the road and nearly runs over a woman in a wedding gown.

Going to the kitchen, he poured himself coffee and spread out a map he’d found in the drawer. He had Rock Ridge circled in red, his target location. From his calculations, he was about ten miles from where he figured Phantom was hiding. Rubbing his brow, Gray might as well be a hundred miles because without snow gear and a vehicle, he wouldn’t make it two miles without feeling the effects of the weather. Not to mention, he couldn’t leave the mystery woman alone—at least not until she woke up. What he could hope for was that if the roads were closed, Phantom would stay put. Gray had heard on the radio that all roads had been shut down due to weather conditions. No cars could pass.

Gray dropped his fist on the table, sloshing coffee onto the map. “Shit!” He glanced across the room at the couch. She was still sound asleep.

He cursed himself for not having any gear with him. Every single survival apparatus was back at the office. Hell, in his favor, he hadn’t expected to be searching for a criminal in a blizzard. Still, he was usually better prepared than he was now. When the sun came up, he could access the situation, but without a vehicle how far would he get?

Hearing a soft moan from Sleeping Beauty, Gray hurried into the next room and found her thrashing around. He knelt beside her and gently held her arms down so she couldn’t hurt herself. “Hey,sweetheart. You’re okay. Can you hear me?”

Her eyes opened into slits. “Wh-where am I?” she asked in a croaked voice.

“You’re at the cabin. What’s your name?” He removed his hands from her slender wrists.

“Stormy. West,” she muttered. “Wh-who are you?”

“Nice to meet you Stormy West. I’m Grayson Carlisle. Or Gray. That’s what everyone calls me.” Some relief spread over him. He’d been starting to get worried that she needed medical attention, but her waking up was a sign that she was getting better. He needed to ask her some questions and get a good idea how she was feeling…and hopefully some answers on what the hell she was doing out here. Her eyes came open wide and she had amazing, ice blue eyes.

“Do I know you?”

“No. We’ve never met. I came upon you while you were walking in the snow. Do you remember?”

She blinked as if she was attempting to piece the memories together. “I-I remember walking, it was cold, then headlights…I jumped to miss a vehicle.”

“Yeah, you remember.” He’d wait to fill her in on the fact that he’d swerved to miss her and hit the mountainside. “Are you warm enough?”

“Yes.”

“Are you hurting?”

“A little.” She lifted her hand and touched her forehead, squinting. “Ouch.”

“You have a small cut that I treated with ointment and bandaged. You didn’t need stitches.”
“Are you a doctor?”

“No but feel safe enough knowing I’ve patched up a lot worse. Anything else hurting?”

“I’m sore all over.”

“That’s about to be expected.”

“I’m so thirsty. Can I have something to drink?”

He smiled. “Let me take a close look at you for injuries now that you’re awake and then I’ll grab you a bottle of water. Okay?”

“I thought you said you aren’t a doctor?” Her thin brows came together.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I’m certified in first aid.” He took her hands into his, seeing how small they were mixed with the finger marks on her skin lit his protective side. “Can you squeeze my fingers?” She did. “Good job.” He turned her hand over and swallowed. There he found another bruise, probably from a thumb, and about the size of one too. Acid rose in his throat and it took him a good three seconds to drag his head back on track. It wasn’t any of his business.

“I think I’m okay.” Her soft voice brought him fully back to the situation. “Right?”

“You have some bruising and you’ll be sore for a while, but nothing’s broken. I couldn’t find any pain meds here. How about I grab you that water now?” He stood, not waiting for her answer and stomped to the refrigerator, all the while gritting his teeth. Sure, it was none of his business how she got the marks on her wrist, but he sure as hell hoped the jilted groom didn’t show up pounding on the door because it might become Gray’s business right quick.

Having no clue about the situation, he felt relief that she had backed out. Instinct warned him that she’d been in trouble and things would have been far worse if she’d gone through with the marriage. Uncapping the lid to the bottle, he handed it over and she sipped. “Not too much. It’s possible you have a concussion.”
Rhonda Lee Carver. SEAL by Fate (Kindle Locations 520-557). Kindle Edition.

All of Gray’s protective instincts come into play and even though he truly wasn’t prepared for his assignment he manages the extreme weather and Stormy.

Even dealing with her feelings or rather non feelings for her ex, Stormy pulls it together. I absolutely loved the stray dog she names Lola.

The slow build up of both the intrigue and the romance kept me turning the pages. A great start to a new series.

5 Contented Purrs for Rhonda!

Rhonda Lee Carver

Rhonda Lee Carver is a published book writer with a collection of print and eBooks under her wing. She is also a freelance editor. Her first book was published with Wild Rose Press in 2010.

She writes everything from contemporary to steamy to paranormal to suspense…you name it, she’s written it. Her specialty is writing men who love to get their hands dirty—hardworking, blue collar, heroes in everyday life.

When Rhonda isn’t crafting edge-of-your-seat, sizzling novels, you’ll find her with her children and husband watching soccer, watching a breathtaking movie, traveling to exotic places (with Bora Bora on her bucket list), doing (or trying) yoga, saving cats and dogs, and finding new ways to keep life interesting.

Rhonda thrives on making her readers happy. She believes life can be a challenge, but reading is a place where fantasy comes to life. Her motto: “Everyone deserves romance—one page at a time.“

Blythe Coopman never imagined she’d be homeless, but a series of events has landed her on San Antonio’s streets…hungry, tired, and scared. She clings to her most precious possession, a phone accidentally swiped from a local firefighter, who, instead of canceling the number, starts texting her. Soon, the man’s calls and texts are the highlight of her days, but she declines his frequent offers of help. Blythe refuses to be his burden—until a vicious attack takes the decision out of her hands.

When the woman he’s already begun to care for ends up in the ER, Sawyer “Squirrel” McClay is livid—and ashamed. He should have insisted she accept his help long ago. Now, he’s not taking no for an answer. While his friends rally round Blythe, Squirrel’s bond with her grows stronger by the day, until he realizes he’ll do anything to keep her safe, healthy, and happy…even as his own lifelong insecurities work against him.

But despite leaving the streets behind, Blythe and Sawyer discover old dangers still linger, threatening to end the couple’s new bliss before it’s barely begun.

** Shelter for Blythe is the 11th book in the Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.

We got our first glimpse of Blythe in Shelter for Sophie. Elusive and mysterious, she hides away from any kind of help. Her one valuable possession, a phone. She found it in the sweatshirt Squirrel ‘Sawyer’ gave her to wear the night of the fire. The one that demolished the building she was staying in with Louise and Todd.  However, before they could get her to go with that couple,  she vanished and Squirrel did the most unpredictable thing in her mind, he didn’t cancel the phone, he started texting her.

It’s because of that phone that Squirrel was finally able to put his sort of plan in place. He was able to convince her to stay at Sophie’s house, like Todd and Louise had, after she was injured helping others.

This is a favorite scene as they arrive at the house.

He eased his door open and grabbed the bag of meds he’d stopped to pick up on the way home and her backpack. Shrugging it onto his back, he walked around his Jeep and opened her door. Blythe’s head was bent at an awkward angle and she seemed to be fast asleep. He unbuckled her seat belt and scooped her up into his arms.

She woke up enough to mumble, “My bag?”

“I’ve got it, baby. Relax.”

“Mmmkay.”

Squirrel shut the door with a foot and headed for the house. Sophie had told him earlier that she’d left the front door unlocked when she’d left for the hospital, making their entrance easy. He strode toward the back hallway once they were inside.

He went straight into the master bedroom and to the attached bath. He settled Blythe on the counter and held her upright as he woke her.

“Blythe? Wake up, baby. We’re home.” It took her a moment, but finally her eyes opened all the way and she stared at him.

“We are?”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s okay. I bet you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time.”

“You’d win that bet,” she told him.

“I would’ve let you sleep, but I’m guessing you want to shower.”

“Oh, God, yes.”

“I need to get a plastic bag for your hand and also cover those other wounds before you get in though.”

“I can do it,” she told him.

“I know. But today you don’t have to. Let me help you.” Squirrel saw her hesitation. “I already saw them when the doctor stitched you up, remember? Besides, I’m a paramedic. I’ve seen more naked torsos than the most successful porn star.”

She smiled at that.

Pressing his advantage and not giving her a chance to come up with an excuse for him not to help, Squirrel ordered, “Stay there. I’ll be right back.” He removed her backpack and placed it on the floor next to the counter she was sitting on, then hurried out of the room.

It took him longer than he would’ve liked to find the plastic wrap and tape, but when he got back to the bathroom, Blythe was still sitting right where he’d left her. She’d kicked off her shoes, and seeing her sitting there, vulnerable and uneasy in her socks, hit him hard.

He helped her stand, making sure she was steady before he let go. Then, trying to ignore anything but the task at hand, he got to work taping the plastic wrap over her stitches. When he was done, he made the mistake of looking at Blythe’s face.

Her eyes were closed, and she was clinging to the counter behind her as if her life depended on it.

He didn’t see pain in her expression but had to ask. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” she answered immediately.

Squirrel took hold of her uninjured hand clutching the edge of the counter. “Are you sure? It’s okay to be in pain. I’m not going to think less of you.”

“It’s been so long since anyone’s touched me,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I can’t remember how long. Your fingers on me…” Her eyes opened and she pinned him with her gaze. “They make me feel human for the first time in a really long time.”

“Oh, baby…” And with that, Squirrel folded her carefully into his embrace.

What she didn’t know was that she made him feel like a man, a true man, for the first time in a really long time too.
Susan Stoker. Shelter for Blythe: Badge of Honor, Book 11 (Kindle Locations 815-846). Stoker Aces Production, LLC.

Oh the sniffles! This was only the first of many times I found myself tearing up.

This is a very emotional story, and Blythe has gone through so much. Sawyer has some issues as well, and they both learn from each other.

I love the women in these books, they have endured and come back even stronger. Banding together to be with Blythe.

Oh and the donkey!!! So dang cute and had me giggling.

So much happens in this book, a heartrending, inspiring, hold your breath, page turner.

5 Contented Purrs for Susan!

Susan Stoker

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives, but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Indiana. She’s married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.

She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed that up with the SEAL of Protection Series, which solidified her love of writing and creating stories readers can get lost in.

It’s been ten years…

For Ryan it’s been the longest ten years of his life.

For Emily it’s been days.

He spent those ten years developing a cure for the virus she contracted.

She spent those ten years in a cryostat, her life suspended.

She’s not the only one to be reanimated, but she is the first.

The media is surrounding the compound.

The religious zealots are picketing.

But people have lives to live, and somehow they have to move forward.

Ryan still has work to do. People to revive. A disease to cure.

Emily has a blank slate. She can go anywhere. Do anything.

She can’t stay in the bunker. It casts a pall over everyone.

Now is not the time for distractions.

Now is not the time to fall in love.

I have to say when Becca Jameson goes in a new direction, she goes big!

This series centers on a group of researchers who had been infected by a sample and cryogenically frozen until a cure could be found.

The doctor who finds this cure and puts together a team to ‘thaw’ the subjects is the son of two of the researchers, Ryan Arnand.

Now the first person to go through this process is not one of his parents. Emily Zorich, a hemotologist, was close to a cure when she was taken down by the disease. It was decided that she would be an asset to their team, and she could also evaluate the work Ryan has done that led to the cure. Even though his work has cured many, there was concern that the disease might have mutated over the years and might not be effective on those scientists originally infected.

This is a favorite scene two weeks after Emily is revived.

He took the water bottle from her shaky hand. “You sure you’re not overdoing it? You need to take it slow.”

She lifted a brow. “You say that like I have all the time in the world.”

He scrunched up his face. “Good point. I realize the clock is ticking, but you’re not in any danger so far. The total blood replacement and the drugs we administered to minimize the effects are buying you time. You’re not even showing symptoms yet.”

“Yet. The operative word.”

He leaned back against the couch next to her, having left enough space between them that they weren’t touching. His palms were on his thighs, gripping. When he tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling, she felt the tension coming from his body.

“You must be anxious to bring your parents back,” she whispered, reaching out to set her hand on top of his. What possessed her to touch him like this? She glanced at their connected hands, unwilling to release him. It felt good. Human.

He didn’t pull away. He turned his head slightly in her direction and smiled. He looked tired. As though he’d spent the better part of the last decade working his ass off. And she knew he had. “I’ve waited ten years. Another few weeks or months won’t kill me. We need to be sure we’re doing everything right before we revive the next person.”

She nodded, feeling awkward about touching him so intimately. As she started to remove her hand, however, he flipped his over and threaded their fingers together, holding on to her. When he lifted her hand to his cheek and closed his eyes, she stopped breathing.

His touch was welcome. She was living in another dimension. She hardly understood the world around her or even who she was or what her place would be in this new universe. It was nice to have this connection. Ryan was kind. Caring. Concerned.

She stared at him, learning his features, the way his nose tipped up slightly at the end, the way he licked his full lips often as if he either had a serious need for lip balm or was always about to say something he held back.

He sighed as he pressed her knuckles against his face, blinking his eyes open to meet her gaze. “You ground me. You give me hope.”
Jameson, Becca. Reviving Emily (Project DEEP Book 1) (Kindle Locations 448-467). Becca Jameson Publishing. Kindle Edition.

In spite of all the secrecy involved as it has always been a government facility, things leak. There had been other attempts at revival of people that had be cryogenically frozen that were unsuccessful, due to the different circumstances of the patients.

Life changes rapidly for Emily, for everyone it’s been ten years but for her it feels like just yesterday. Ryan and her have a spark that can’t be denied and even as the powers that be want to send her into hiding for her own protection, the relationship blooms hot and heavy.

Plenty of suspense as the protesters and press come out in full force and some crazies too.

I can’t wait for the next ‘revival’!

5 Contented Purrs for Becca!

Becca Jameson

Becca Jameson currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two kids, and the various pets that wander through.

After editing for about five years she recently started writing. She is loving the journey, dabbling in various genres.

When not writing or editing she can usually be found taxiing kids to and from their activities, scrapbooking, and reading!

Late at night she can usually be found sequestered in her office creating fantasy with a glass of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate.