Rescuing Moira: Guardian Hostage Rescue Specialists (Book 3) by Ellie Masters

Moira is a young woman that has gone through life the hard way, scraping for everything and every day she’s been given. She’s chronologically 22 but much wiser than her age reveals. She knows secrets and tells like a blackjack dealer knows a hot hand. It’s her superpower.

Four is a Guardian. He and his team rescue people from sex trafficking around the globe. She was a job, a rescue mission. That’s all she was ever supposed to be. He’s worked hard to maintain those professional boundaries while teaching her how to become a true survivor. She hasn’t made it easy for him but her strength and determination have always impressed him.

When she is taken, along with another girl from the Facility, the Guardians kick into high gear to find her and save her but in the meantime, she has to survive. She has to be wily, manipulative, and cold.

Can she do it? Will the team make it in time?


I liked Moira immensely. She’s hard, tough, and won’t die easy. She has a sarcastic streak a mile wide and a chip on her shoulder. She has survived on her strength and wits. She has no quit in her DNA. I love a strong heroine. She might trade on her looks but it’s all she’s been given in this life so she uses them to her advantage every time.

Four (Petty Alert) I didn’t love. Why? Because I didn’t like the look of the cover model for him. He isn’t the Four in my head and I had real trouble pushing the cover model out of my head long enough to like Four. I liked him, but it was hard. I loved his qualities. I loved his friends. I just couldn’t make the two pictures of him mesh in my head. I know!! That’s a stupid reason not to like an imaginary character! But I’m stupid that way!

Another very petty issue I had with this book was instalove. Oh, where have you been? Here, in this book, waiting for me! There is a year-long history with the two mains, but we didn’t get more than a few peeks and it ended up feeling rushed. Of course, this ISN’T book one and it’s possible they had appearances in the other books but I picked this one based on a recommendation. This is book three of a six book series so…maybe read them in order, if you’re curious. Each are however complete standalone books with various characters from the other books popping in.

Spoiler alert!!
The ending is so far out that the James Webb Telescope hasn’t seen it yet. Thinking that any reader could accept that this 22-year-old girl could make it into a well-oiled, fully functioning soldier in 2 weeks made me laugh out loud. Thank goodness it doesn’t come down to her somehow saving the day or this review would be completely different. Having said that, the author clearly states in her bio on the Amazon book page that she guarantees HEA’s in her books and really that’s the reason we read these things! We get our hearts broken nearly everyday by life, we don’t need it in our books too!

Okay, now for the juicy stuff.
The sexual tension is nicely handled but the actual sex? Meh. It’s unnecessarily acrobatic in at least one instance and it detracted from the story for me. The power balance was nice and that added enough spice and flair to keep me reading but I honestly worried about Four’s leg. I know! Call me crazy!

My rating? We started at 5 stars as always. I have to deduct a full star for the ending. I also have to deduct for the gymnastics that brought me out of the story; half a star. I have to add back half a star because I loved Moira. It’s hard to write a female heroine that isn’t weak-willed and falling all the time. I mean, it must be! Look at all the movies!

Final tally? ⭐⭐⭐⭐

No One Crosses the Wolf by Lisa Nikolidakis

This is a memoir about a troubled childhood full of abuse and neglect. It’s not an easy read and I wasn’t looking for one. It follows her growing up years with her brother and parents and all the trauma you can imagine.

Her father is a piece of crap, to put it lightly. He is an alcoholic that spends most of his at-home hours terrorizing his family. When he isn’t home, they dread his coming home so they are never truly free of him. After reading her recollections of him, I can understand that fear.

And her mother isn’t much better in comparison. She doesn’t abuse the kids but she doesn’t stop the abuse either. She puts her head in the clouds and pretends that everything is just fine. Domestic violence doesn’t go away because you want it to, you have to stop it! Her mother failed them all.

When her father finally snaps, I expected more somehow. More untangling the emotional threads of her life. More in-depth onion peeling. I wanted to see her do the hard work to undo all the lessons that her upbringing taught at such high prices. But she did none of it. She drank, slept around, and went to Greece. I’m healed!!! The end. What?? Yeah, I’m confused too.

My first inclination was to give this a 2-star review. I mulled it over though, for several days I might add. Three is as high as I can go. She writes well. She knows how to create an atmosphere and add texture and shade to a story but in the end, there’s no story. There’s no healing final chapter. There’s no Oprah “Aha!” moment. And that is a true letdown.

⭐⭐⭐ /⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Lover: Book 3 of the Bride Series by S. Doyle

Our story picks up after Ellie has made a decision that affects them both. It will put literal distance between them and she hopes that it will help heal them. They’ve each grown understandably angry and frustrated with the status quo.

She made this decision with some hesitancy and some nudging from Jake. He wants to do it so that she has options and knows exactly what she wants for her future. She wants it because staying is tearing her apart and breaking her heart.

They accept it as the new reality and adapt. It’s what they do. It’s what they know. It’s just life – just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

They each face their own feelings. They conquer the unconquerable and make each other crazy. Do they make it back to each other? Do they get their HEA? I’ve said it before; read the book!

Now! I have two ratings! Two? Yep! This book gets its own rating and the series gets another.

Book 3:

The author handles some very sticky situations very well. I laughed and I cheered. Easily five eggs.

The series:

Why only four when I really loved the series? There were a couple of hurdles to my enjoyment. I’ll get to those in a second.

What did I love?

• Each character is fully realized. They are complex, hilarious and I want to meet them.
• Each character gets equal play. When each chapter is written from a different point of view – especially if the author gives us the same scene from both perspectives – we get the whole picture and I absolutely love that!
• I adore the writing style the author used. Each character is sarcastic, open, funny (sometimes not intentionally and that’s even funnier and harder to do!) and very realistic in word usage and in how they tackle the obstacles in front of them.

Those hurdles I mentioned?

• The short nature of each book. They’re a part of Kindle Unlimited so I didn’t pay for each book but if I had, in all honesty I probably would have stopped after number one. You can buy the first three in the series ( I just discovered that there are two more but after reading the description and the included ending of this one… I’m not sure I’m interested. I’m not disinterested; more on the fence.) for $7. You can add the others for another $5. It’s one story. Whether you pay $7 or you pay $12, you’re still only getting one story. I expect to pay $5 maximum for one complete story. I’m cheap! There I said it!
• Jake and Ellie. I admit to being one very strange duck but the names. Yes, they are ordinary. I love that! But….it’s the same names as two characters on NCIS. I have no idea if the author is a fan or if this was a complete coincidence but it threw me. One of the major perks of reading for me is that I get to create what each character looks like. Yes, the author gives us the broad strokes but as the reader we paint the finer details. In this instance, I kept picturing the two TV characters and it kind of ruined it for me. I’m an idiot, I know. It doesn’t need to be said.

Overall, it’s a very thoughtfully written story. It’s laugh out loud funny, poignant, some might even say brilliant (I probably wouldn’t argue with them!) but it’s still just one story.

Four very respectable and well deserved eggs. I highly suggest you read this story (series, whatever) or anything else by this author. I haven’t yet but I plan to add her name to my Top 10 authors of the year list. She’s that good.

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The Wife: Book 2 in The Bride Series by S. Doyle

This installment picks up right where the last one left us. Jake and Ellie are still struggling with the decisions they’ve made and the emotional entanglements that come with them.

Jake is still trying to be her White Knight. Ellie still wants to throw caution to the wind, especially where sex is concerned. Jake is fighting for both of them. He wants them to have the happy future they both deserve, whether that means being together or not. Ellie isn’t ready to see that. Will he make her understand?

Once again, they have heavy discussions and they make compromises. They yell and scream and storm off. They make bad decisions and they argue about that. It’s very realistic. I thoroughly loved every word.

I won’t tell you if they see each other naked. Read the book. I won’t tell you if they explored each other’s bodies. Read the book. I won’t tell you if they become intimate. Read the book. It’ll make you laugh, and Jake will piss you off. Read the book. Ellie will infuriate you but also make you realize you were once the same 18 year old kid. Read the book. Seriously, read the fricking book already.

As a warning, there is an assault in this book. It’s dealt with quickly and responsibly but I know that’s a huge stop sign for many readers.

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Knotted (Trails of Sin Book 1) by Pam Godwin

Conor has grown up on a ranch in Sandbar Oklahoma with her brother Lorne and her two best friends, Jake and Jarrett. They’ve grown up in the same household after the tragic death of both mothers on the same day. The foursome are tighter than blood. When Conor and Jake fall in love they do so with the full support and blessing of the brothers. The fathers? Not so much.

On the night that Jake and Conor are going to lose their virginity to each other, what happens instead is a brutal, very descriptive rape. This sets them on a path that separates them but always brings them back because they have revenge in mind. Bodies will soon start to stack up but their bloodlust hasn’t been spent. Not yet.

First things first. The names. Why on earth is the heroine named Conor? Isn’t that a masculine name? Does taking an N away make it feminine? Is this a thing? It confused me throughout the book. I actually found myself thinking of both mains as male until the author woud describe her body and it would throw me out of the story. Please authors, enough with the cutesy/edgy names.

The mothers. How were they killed? Did they die in the same accident? Was it an accident? There was so much left unsaid and it bothered me. I know that this is book one in a series but that seems like a big thing to withhold. It leaves the reader to wonder if perhaps something more sinister had happened but why isn’t that at least hinted to in this installment?

The rape. As I said, it was very brutal and is described in detail. That will undoubtedly trigger a large majority of readers but I hope that they don’t ding the book for it. It sets the stage for the whole book and perhaps the whole series. My issue with it is the PTSD that follows.

Jake, who is not a doctor or training to be one, has decided he is going to cure her of this conditon. Singlehandedly. How you ask? He watched some videos and did some research. He googled?!?! Excuse me? As someone that has PTSD, this was beyond infuriating. It goes further though. He only has two weeks to overcome her major triggers! In that timeframe, he works miracles and gets her comfortable enough to initiate ass play and bondage during sex. After being tied up and sodomized – as a virgin – and carrying this fear within herself for years. The man should be nominated for a medal. He’s magical!

The sex is spicy with heavy BDSM influence. It didn’t set my hair on fire but it’s well written without juvenile descriptions to anatomy or to the act. It felt very realistically handled and it was very appreciated for it.

Jake is dominant. That’s clear right from the start. It borders on arrogance when dealing with her PTSD though. Some might view it as borderline abusive since he never encourages her to seek medical help. It could go either way, even for me.

As for the technical aspects, I found a few typos that could be directly attributable to formatting or human error. Nothing major in regards to the flow, or grammar. It’s very linear and easy to read outside of the rape.

Can I recommend this book? Yes. Was it perfect? No. The death of the mothers and some other things that I won’t detail here because it would spoil it for other readers make this a four star book. It’s a standalone for Jake and Conor. The series continues for the brothers. I won’t be reading those. I’m not interested in them. You can find this one here. It’s currently free! It’s not part of the Kindle Unlimited program so anyone can download it for free.

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The Last Thing She Ever Did by Gregg Olsen

⚠⚠⚠ Spoiler Alert ⚠⚠⚠

This story takes place in Bend, Oregon. It’s the story of two couples but with a huge amount of extraneous characters that come into play where it serves the story. The two couples are neighbors near the river; one financially set for life, with an adorable little boy named Charlie, and the other less financially set currently but banking on a rapidly approaching windfall.

Liz inherited their cozy little house from her parents. She’s married to Owen, but her marriage isn’t all beer and Skittles. She’s about to take the bar exam for the second time, after failing the first time. Failure isn’t acceptable in his eyes. He’s a winner and it bothers him that she isn’t. As her physical appearance takes a turn, the divide in their marriage is palpable.

Carol and David live in a behemoth that blocks out the light. It’s a modern design house where they live with their son, Charlie, 4 years old. Their marriage isn’t sunshine and rainbows either. He’s a cheater and now sober. It wasn’t always the case. Carol is nothing more than a meal ticket for David and his restaurant and they both know it. Charlie is their only bond. It isn’t enough but they stubbornly hang on.

Carol makes a mistake so many of us do; she takes her eyes off the thing that she values more than anything else in the world, Charlie. It was only a phone call. Twelve minutes. That’s all it takes for Charlie to disappear. It will haunt her forever. She isn’t the only one. Her neighbors next door will never forget that day either, but for a whole different reason.

Once the police becomes involved, no one is above suspicion. They each have a reason to lie, a reason to tell the truth, and a reason why both could damn their souls.

There is someone else affected by that day though, someone that saw the whole thing. One that isn’t one of the usual suspects. What does he know? What will he do with that knowledge? And what will be his price?

The premise of this story is all too believable. The flow is smooth but somehow the book is still unenjoyable. There is continuity with each chapter acting as day ripped from a calendar, marking time. It doesn’t add to the drama. Instead it feels like a mile marker on an endless trip down the interstate. The technical component was flawless. I found no glaring errors with punctuation, grammar, or word usage.

My biggest complaint is that it’s simply too busy. There are too many characters, and in the beginning I was so confused about which wife belonged to which husband that I began taking notes. Once I was invested in the story, it felt less hectic feeling but I continued to take notes about names. It’s a very full story in that regard.

Another huge complaint is that there are no sympathetic characters. I’m unfortunately not being hyperbolic. There isn’t even one character with a single redeeming quality. Each one carries too much baggage to ever truly become someone that deserves sympathy from the reader. Of course, none of us are perfect and we all have the ability to screw up at the worse possible moment, but this book was basically a meeting of assholes.

The parents were each self absorbed and narcissistic. Carol has spent the entire marriage thinking only of herself. Once Charlie was born, her focus became him but only in how his life affected hers. She wanted people to see her as a good mother instead of wanting to actually be a good mother. David is struck on himself and his appearance physically and his social standing. It’s all posturing. Unbelievably, Liz and Owen were worse. She was the most broken individual I’ve ever seen that could still pretend to have it together. She constantly made choices that caused nothing but grief and turmoil. It made her either incredibly naive, easily manipulated, or completely sinister. I never could decide. Owen was a sociopath, perhaps with a bit of psychopathy in for flavor. He came off as twisted but ultimately at his core, scared of failure. It wasn’t enough to redeem him.

I wouldn’t characterize this as a thriller, mystery or suspense. It was unnecessarily long winded and too full of inane minutia to be enjoyable. I still held on. I wanted the big payoff, the big reveal that makes it all worthwhile in the end. It didn’t happen. Literally. The author cheats us. There is no ending. It wraps up in a ‘make your own ending’ way. It earns him the top spot on the list of authors I will never buy again. Buyer beware!

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#TheLastThingSheEverDid

#GreggOlsen