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On My Bookshelf in January

January book review

January is off to a slow start, but the last week had some great new releases. Let’s jump right into them.

The top of the list was Free by Kristen Ashley. I’ve said it many times that Kristen Ashley and J.D. Robb are my instant-downloads or book release day purchases. This book was no exception. This is the last book is my favorite series, Chaos. This is Rush’s story and there are several loose ends that get all tied up in a neat concluding story. I tried to make this one last a few days to really enjoy it, but I dove in and didn’t come up for air until I finished it. If you like MC stories with some rough-around-the-edges alphas with strong don’t-put-baby-in-a-corner type women, this is your next series. They all end in HEA with no cliffhangers. After 7 books, I’m going to miss this group of characters.

Another favorite author is Mariana Zapata. Her blockbusters over the years have given her the reputation for slow burn romance and this follows right along. Luna and the Lie was maybe a little too slow-burn. I wasn’t as invested in Rip and Luna. Rip was a jerk-off most of the time and I just didn’t get that connection between the two.

Christine Feehan took a break from her paranormal stories to branch out in the MC world. I LOVED last year’s Judgement Road and have been patiently waiting for the next story. Vengeance Road grabbed my attention from the first page. Breezy broke my heart with her problems. Her young son was kidnapped by her immediate family and she needs help from Steele, the baby’s father. The history between these two is painful and working through it was intense. This MC series is a little more edgy so readers beware. There is no current cheating and no cliffhangers. Everybody is happy in the end.

The Anonymous Girl was an advance reader copy from the publisher. I actually started it in December but finished it in January. IT WAS AMAZING!! I will have a dedicated review post up soon on the book blog. Twisty endings and such great writing.

The Silent Patient was a Book-of-the-Month selection and it was a wild ride. There was a surprise ending that I did not see coming and it hit like a ton of bad books on the return truck. Alicia, the silent patient, is at a mental hospital and Dr. Theo is anxious to work with her to find out what happened the night her husband was murdered. The dual storyline also includes Theo’s wife. Carve out some time for this one. When that ending takes over, you’ll need time to adjust.

Last but not least is a new direction book for Cherise Sinclair. She is very well-known in the erotica/bdsm world for her books on the subject  and she branched out to more mainstream romance. It wasn’t a 5-star for me. Not a Hero was okay and I will probably give the next book a chance. Gabe is the adopted son of a survivalist and he lives in Alaska in the home of his deceased father. Audrey is on the run from some people who want her dead. Can she hide in plain sight in a town that she doesn’t feel she belongs? There was great supporting character development but I didn’t get the chemistry with these two.

Coming up in Februray, J.D. Robb has her latest In Death series. I will be at the bookstore at 7am waiting for it.