Claimed by J R Ward

Claimed by J.R. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 509

Publisher - Piatkus

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

A heart-pounding new series set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, with a scientist fighting to save the timber wolves—and getting caught in a deadly trap herself...

Lydia Susi is passionate about protecting wolves in their natural habitat. When a hotel chain develops a tract of land next to the preserve, Lydia is one of the most vocal opponents of the project—and becomes a target.

One night, a shadowy figure threatens Lydia’s life in the forest, and a new hire at the Wolf Study Project comes from out of nowhere to save her. Daniel Joseph is both mysterious, and someone she intrinsically wants to trust. But is he hiding something?

As the stakes get higher, and one of Lydia’s colleagues is murdered, she must decide how far she will go to protect the wolves. Then a shocking revelation about Daniel challenges Lydia’s reality in ways she could never have predicted. Some fates demand courage, others require even more, with no guarantees. Is she destined to have true love... or will a soul-shattering loss ruin her forever?


My Review

This is book one of a trilogy, Lydia is all about protecting the wolves in their natural environment and a new hotel/chain is putting everything at risk. Daniel, a drifter appears at the perfect time looking for a job. Someone has poisoned a wolf, money at the facility is low and Lydia will do just about anything for the wolves safety. Both Lydia and Daniel are mysterious and or aloof in their own way and it isn't long before sparks fly between the two and their attraction has more pull that what they are hiding.

So the book is from the Lair of the Wolven series and we have snippets of chapters going to the Blackdagger Brotherhood characters, specifically Xhex, dreams and freaking out, then back to Lydia with no seeming reason or cross over, I am hoping with book two we will have more clarity and info (I have book two and three at the ready).

There is murder, intrigue, dodgy behaviour, skulduggery, stalking and wolves of course. I would say it is a slow burner at times but when you get to the end it all comes together and absolutely needs book two to be read asap.

There is some spice, intrigue, wolfy interactions, secrets, danger and all is not what it seems, like even the folk Lydia has worked with and it being a small town there are secrets and reveals to be had. I am very much looking forward to book two and seeing what is next in store, a good foundation book setting up for the rest, 4/5.

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Covet by J R Ward

Covet by J.R. Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 5 days

Pages - 496

Publisher - Little brown & co

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about - his specialty is revenge and, to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option.


My Review

Book one in a new series, Jim Heron is a man with a past, he is now working at a construction site and after an encounter of the adult kind with a stunning woman and an accident Jim finds himself in the company of higher beings. He is now effectively a player in a game of life and death, good vs evil and Jim has been picked as the representative of good. Jim has had a very shady past, he has done some bad things but he has a moral compass so they feel he is a good choice. The other side has their own player and Jim has his work cut out trying to do what is asked of him.

Oooft we have angels, demons, dodgyness, chat of domestic violence, manipulation, lust, seduction, murder, spells, you name it. I think this is a good foundation book one in a six book series. Not for the easily offended, adult scenes (of an erotic nature), evil forces, murder, trying to influence over the deadly sins, one side wants the individual to choose bad, the other side to choose good and humanity/souls are the end game so everything that is anything is at risk.

I do enjoy Ward's writing and normally it is the Black Dagger Brotherhood series I read but thought I would give this a bash. The battle between good and evil is one we see in most genres and it is a formula done over and over but Ward writes in a way, with characters, you engage with and what to see where it goes and folk get their comeuppance. I am going to order book two, I can't wait to see where the story goes next, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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Tennison - Prime Suspect 1973 by Lynda La Plante

Celebrating #TeamTennison all of the Tennison books in prep for the tenth which is yet to be published. Over the next ten months we will be reading/reviewing all the Jane Tennison books (I also aim to watch the tv show). Thanks to Tracy from Compulsive Readers for getting me on board for the tours.

Tennison: Prime Suspect 1973 by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 7 days

Pages - 624

Publisher - Simon and Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

In 1973 Jane Tennison, aged 22, leaves the Metropolitan Police Training Academy to be placed on probationary exercise in Hackney where criminality thrives. We witness her struggle to cope in a male-dominated, chauvinistic environment, learning fast to deal with shocking situations with no help or sympathy from her superiors. Then comes her involvement in her first murder case.


My Review

Book one of the series and whilst I have read La Plante before this is my first of this series. Jane Tennison is a rookie and in her probationary period in Hackney, it is the early 1970s so it is a very heavily male environment. There is sexism, racism, chauvinistic, jealousy, hierarchy, prostitution, murder, drugs and homophobic tones in interactions. I think it brings the reality of the times in that profession/time and it is set in a high crime area.

There is a lot going on, we get the dynamics of the officers, the way the police works, how women were viewed and the metal of Jane's character. Starting a new job in that type of environment, that time period women where expected to be more about settling down. Even Jane's family expect the job to be backseat to what they deem high importance ie rehearsal dinners or family dinners, inviting people around.

There are a lot of shady characters within the book and like or loathe them they do make for compelling reading. I would have gotten through this quicker if not for work/life, it is a chunky book, over 600 pages and I am looking forward to reading the rest in the series. I have book two ready and waiting and looking forward to seeing what Jane and co are facing next, 4/5.

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The Defence by Steve Cavanagh

The Defence by Steve Cavanagh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 3 days

Pages - 320

Publisher - Orion

Source - Gfift

Blurb from Goodreads

The truth has no place in a courtroom. The truth doesn't matter in a trial.

The only thing that matters is what the prosecution can prove.

Eddie Flynn used to be a con artist. Then he became a lawyer. Turned out the two weren't that different.

It's been over a year since Eddie vowed never to set foot in a courtroom again. But now he doesn't have a choice. Olek Volchek, the infamous head of the Russian mafia in New York, has strapped a bomb to Eddie's back and kidnapped his ten-year-old daughter Amy.

Eddie only has 48 hours to defend Volchek in an impossible murder trial - and win - if wants to save his daughter.

Under the scrutiny of the media and the FBI, Eddie must use his razor-sharp wit and every con-artist trick in the book to defend his 'client' and ensure Amy's safety. With the timer on his back ticking away, can Eddie convince the jury of the impossible?

Lose this case and he loses everything.



My Review

If you have followed my reviews or bookish accounts (always_reading on insta, smbslt on TT/Twitter) then it is no surprise I LOVE Eddie Flynn. What may surprise is I came to the series late so still had the first three to read. This is book one in the Flynn series, Eddie is a lawyer but he also has a history of being a gifted conman, slight of hand, pickpocket etc. This makes Eddie unique in that he still has some contacts from his old life but he is also a good guy, he has morals too. He is forced to defend a bad guy with a huge empire and string of bad guys behind him and has no problem letting Eddie know just how high the steaks are, you lose my case you lose someone precious to you!

Ooft drama galore, we see Eddie work his magic/charm in the courtroom but also try to keep a step ahead of the bad guys who are watching his every move. Eddie is super cool under pressure and the curve balls just keep coming at him.

It is so nice learning a bit more about who Eddie is and where he got to the place he is today. If you have never read Cavanagh books before this is a perfect place to start, Eddie origins. If you have you can still read this as a standalone. Action, shocks, murder, skulduggery and some brilliant choices/play by Eddie when he is under so much stress and has so so much to lose. 5/5 for me, I have the next two in the series and can't wait to sink into them, just need to find which of my hunners of books shelves I have put them on!

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Out in the Cold by Stuart Johnstone

Out in the Cold by Stuart Johnstone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 352

Publisher - Allison & Busby

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

INTUITION IS EVERYTHING IN THE POLICE FORCE, SOMETHING THAT SERGEANT DON COLYEAR KNOWS BETTER THAN MOST.



When a superior officer's decision not to respond to a routine disturbance has fatal consequences, Colyear finds himself sent away from Glasgow to work in a remote Highlands town.

Despite not wanting to be there, a feeling shared by his commander, Colyear soon settles into life investigating petty crimes. But it isn't long before he discovers something sinister about the town. A series of teenage disappearances seem to have been ignored by the authorities, and when a groundsman from the local country estate is gruesomely murdered, Colyear suspects that long-held secrets could be coming to the surface. As the town's dark secrets are revealed, Colyear must trust his instincts to stay alive.



My Review

Colyear is a cop, transferred from Glasgow to a wee town, punishment for something that happened that we aren't immediately clued up on. Colyear is a good cop he also happens to have something different about him, a wee bit more than "cops instinct". When he tried to find his place in the new town he ends up with more than he bargained for. Secrets, lies, romantic interest and instead of the wee petty crimes he initially thought he was going to be dealing with, there is something bigger going on, something people may not want him looking at.

So the "gut instinct" thing he has going I think some readers may not like but actually I really did and hopefully this will be more developed in books to come. This is book one is what I hope is a long series. I think the reason I like Colyear, besides being a good guy, is because he is down to earth, he seems to find himself in trouble A LOT but he is a decent guy.

Settling into town Colyear finds himself the focus of speculation, not exactly wanted, getting into trouble when he tries to help. And as always a wee town, it's colourful characters (language and personalities) and dodgy happenings. Chapters aren't overly long and I got pulled in quite quickly, really looking forward to book two and seeing where the series goes, 4/5 for me this time.

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Frankenstein by Dean Koontz book 1

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Volume 1: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 496

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

In the nineteenth century, Dr. Victor Frankenstein brought his notorious creation to life, but a horrible turn of events forced him to abandon it and slip away from the public eye. Two centuries later, a serial killer is on the loose in New Orleans, gruesomely salvaging body parts from each of his victims, as if trying to assemble a perfect human being.

Detective Carson O’Connor is cool, cynical, and every bit as tough as she looks. Her partner, Michael Maddison, would back her up all the way to Hell itself–and that just may be where their new case leads. For as they investigate the strange killings, O’Connor and Madison find themselves drawn into a weird underworld of deception and secrets where a man named Victor Helios has created an entire race of perfectly engineered people who are meant to take humankind’s place one day. But something is happening to some of Helios’s creations, and it may be that this bizarre serial killer is the least of the detectives’ worries.


My Review

EVERYBODY know the story of Frankenstein, rather Frankenstein's monster. A few hundred years after the legend and low and behold both where real, Frankenstien and the monster. Known in the book as Deucalion, living away in a quiet existance until he is alerted that his creator, Victor Helios, still lives. Deucalion has learned to control his anger and now he is going to complete the job he failed at, killing his "father".

On top of this we have a kick butt cop, Carson O’Connor - strong female lead who has a love interest she tries to keep at bay whilst investigating a horrific serial killer. Her partner Michael Maddison is willing to follow her anywhere, both will soon be confronted with beings that shatter their preconceptions of humanity as they know it.

I loved when we heard more from Deucalion as the movie(s) I seen growing up you didn't really get much from the monster, no insight. Here we are a few hundred years on from the version I know and you get back story, up to present day and the mad scientist is even more off his banger. He has taken his "science" so much further, money is no issue so he has free reign pretty much. He has perfected his creations so much so he know has a wife (he abuses her horrifically) and has zero value for human life. I really liked it and as soon as I finished it I ordered book two, it is a 5 book series so will buy the third sometime soon, 4.5/5 for me this time.

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A.R.R - Watcher (The Shining Ones, book 1) by Shawnee Small

Watcher by Shawnee Small
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 1 day

Blurb From Amazon

Poesy Wharton is a twenty something waitress whose life appears to be going nowhere until a mysterious stranger named Adam Walker enters Paddy's Bar, the small town dive where she works. When bad things start to happen including the murder of another local waitress, Poesy finds herself on a dangerous path - falling for a man she barely knows and whose very existence will challenge the world as she knows it.

My Review

Poesy is our main character, a waitress in a small town on the island where everyone knows everyone's business. She has a mundane routine until a stranger comes into the diner and slowly life as she knows it changes. Adam isn't like anyone Poesy has ever met and before too long she finds out this is an understatement and everything she thought she knew will change.

I didn't warm to Poesy at all, she acts like a confused mixed emotion teen despite being in her early 20s, is wreckless and irresponsible(drink driving for a start!). In fact, the first almost 200 pages, a lot of it surrounds her relationships with the towns people and friends and her dilemmas with who she likes and what ifs. I didn't get into the book and gripped by it until hitting about 200 pages in when Adam really came into play and more was revealed about his character.

It is an original idea and I love the potential for the story and Adam but there was so many questions left unanswered and I do hate that. I know this is the first in a series so I am hoping Poesy grows up a bit, the questions and incidents are explained and the focus is put on Adam who really I feel should be our main character (I would love to read more about him!). Really good for a first attempt and whilst people like mystery and cliff hangers I would like to see book 1s mysteries cleared up and addressed in book 2. 3/5 for me and I would try this author again, if your looking for something a little different then this might be right up your street.

Thanks so much to the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review their work.

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