Smokescreen by Nancy Hartry

This is a pretty good book aimed at teenagers, but will be enjoyed by adults as well. It's a unique story line involving a camp that supports forest fire fighters and two girls in the middle of 300 men.

It's an eye-opening look at what goes on behind the scenes in the forest. The girl are supposed to be digging holes to check for possible septic tanks, but being federal employees, they can be reassigned at anytime--and they are--to cook for the fire fighters in the base camp.

There's a horrible boss who makes derogatory comments, tension as the girls try to live without doors that lock and windows in showers, fledgling romances, problems with bears, and meanwhile, someone keeps setting fires...and the lighter left behind at the scene points to Kerry's friend and partner, Yvette.

I learned a lot about the Canadian wilderness and how things are done. There was also some tension over the fact Kerry's love interest is a Canadian Indian. It was a very suspenseful read and I read it a day. It's hard to put down. It's engrossing.

My quibbles are with development. I think some things could have been hashed out a bit more. Kerry's romance with Aubrey...when exactly did that happen? They meet, she thinks about him, and suddenly, he's her boyfriend. Yvette's character was also a bit bi-polar. She goes from the girl taking meticulous records and demanding overtime pay to the girl who doesn't care if a cat is kicked across the room. When did she change and why? She went from kick-a** to "Let's hush up about it."

It was pretty exciting though. While the romance was weak, the action was nonstop, the drama kept building, and there's a dash of education in it too. It did sorta just tie up too nicely and too fast though. Also, the mother/daughter/dance issue...I don't see why it was brought into the story. It wasn't really resolved. I liked the heroine's decision in the end, but how will her evil mother react?

I got this via netgalley.

Love on the Rocks by Lorraine Nelson

If you had a crazed ex boyfriend after you whom charges just rolled right off of...and you couldn't provide for your baby or keep her safe, what would you do?

Sara gives her away... yet finds a way to stay in the baby's life thanks to a handsome and kind doctor that takes the child in... but he doesn't know she's really the mother. When he finds out, what will he think of her?

Romance, secrets, and lies that come back to haunt... This is sweet confection (no sex) guaranteed to warm the soul and have readers rooting for the hero and heroine.

Love on the Rocks is available on the Breathless Press site. This is not a review. I edited this book and I'm proud of my author. :)

Salvaged by J.S. Marlo

Woman scuba diver. An old Ford Model T. A missing heiress. A grissly mass murder of an entire family. A sexy man named Hauk.

Is there any wonder why this was one of my favorite books to edit????

Star Fisher is one of the best in her field. When called up to help investigate an underwater mystery, she get more than she bargained for. Turns out some nightmares she's been having sorta go hand in hand with the strange Model T and the facts her new coworkers are uncovering.

Hauk is starting to have some feelings for the lovely blonde diver, and they aren't very boss-like. When someone begins fiddling with their tanks and setting off bombs, he means to save her and get to the bottom of both mysteries--the old ones and the new.

One murder leads to another... one cover up leads to a greater cover up.

Suspense. Sex. Love. Underwater Adventure. This is a must read. Available here

Blessed Homecoming by Lorraine Nelson

I'm not big on Christian Fiction. My blog followers will know that. However, when this manuscript hit my inbox, I saw a real good story. Even if you don't go for God this or God that, there's strong theme of forgiveness and letting go of your demons... because if you can't let go of the past, how can you move on into the future?
Wendy is pregnant and alone. Her husband is in jail after beating her. She heads home to her parents to recuperate and give birth. She never wants to love again. That leads to a world of hurt.

Jake is the handyman just going house to house to escape his own past. He doesn't want to be around a pregnant woman remind him of all he's lost...but there's something about Wendy, and there's something about the Danforth family. Slowly his faith in people is restored.

Love blooms. But we all know that past comes back to haunt us and it does for these two. Wendy must escape her ex husband again, and Jake needs to forgive someone himself.

A sweet, clean read that explores love, learning to trust again, forgiveness, and the close bonds of family.

Available from Breathless Press

Her Unlikely Bodyguard by Lorraine Nelson

Imagine having a stalker intent not only on terrorizing you, but on separating you from your son?

What's a woman to do? No husband, no boyfriend, just a crazed stalker...after her and her son? Go home, of course. Jemma Leigh packs up her son and heads back to her hometown where she feels she'll be safe and be able to start over on good footing.

But surprises await her... her former lover in in town and that spark of desire still lights up in his eyes...and in her own deep recesses... whoot whoot.

And you know it...stalkers can't be stopped. He finds her even in her hometown and when it looks like the good ole Mounties can't keep her safe, it's up to Ted. Can he keep her safe? More important, can they keep their hearts safe from each other?

A story of love, of broken promises, of flames rekindled, of regrets left by the roadside, and a crazed stalker wreaking havoc. And the sex in this is pretty darn hot. LOL

Available today from Breathless Press

Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo by Heather Wardell

This was one of those kindle freebies that simply caught my eye, partly because of the title. I love tattoos and I think polar bears are cute as hell. And the cover is cute too.. and it was free! However, I didn't expect much from it as my experience with the kindle freebies hasn't always been great.. Boy, was I surprised.

It was one of those weeks in which nothing I picked up held my attention very well.. and I kept coming back to this one. I first read a few pages just to see if it was worth even keeping on my kindle.. and I just kept going. I was hooked by the first person narrative, the honesty, the realness of the heroine, Candice. I also like the writing style, the flow, and I could totally related to what was happening.


Candice has been married to Ian for two years. Like all husbands, Ian occasionally says something hateful to her.. and we all know that once you say it, you can't take it back. Sometimes, we sting from the words for a few days and sometimes.. we never forget. Due to the death of his parents and his blaming Candice for it, Ian crosses that line, says something hateful, and Candice can't get past it. 


To add to an already volatile situation, Ian is leaving for a month... and Candice's ex boyfriend ends up being her latest client in the restaurant business. And this guy.. makes her feel hot, desired, special, wanted... He makes her feel the way all of us wives wish we felt. And the temptation to stray, to break her marriage vows is great.


But, this amazing man wasn't always amazing. He has hurt her before. Can she trust him this time? Or can she forgive Ian and fix her marriage? 


Did I mention this man is also a client? There could be a job loss here if things go too far.


Really, really, really enjoyed this. Candice is real. She has everyday thoughts and problems and desires that all women have. She's not perfect and she makes mistakes. She also adds bits of humor to her narrative.


When at the gym, she loses the chance to use a treadmill, "I decided on the next best thing, a machine that seemed to resemble cross-country skiing..... From the moment I climbed on board, I was like a cat on a hot tin roof. Wearing roller skates. Blindfolded. When I hit myself in the face the first time with the pole, I stunned myself for a second, but that the fifth collision I hardly noticed."


Seriously, fess up, ladies. We've all done that. :)


Quibbles: 1. Her emails to Ian told us a lot about she was feeling.. but where was Ian's emails? I wanted to see what she was responding to. 2. Too much crying at times. Though understandable, it was still irritating at moments.


Four stars and I "bought" this on Amazon Kindle.