Early Review: Ain't She a Peach by Molly Harper

Ain't She a Peach by Molly Harper

Southern Eclectic #2

An Atlanta ex-cop comes to sleepy Lake Sackett, Georgia, seeking peace and quiet—but he hasn’t bargained on falling for Frankie, the cutest coroner he’s ever met.

Frankie McCready talks to dead people. Not like a ghost whisperer or anything—but it seems rude to embalm them and not at least say hello.

Fortunately, at the McCready Family Funeral Home & Bait Shop, Frankie’s eccentricities fit right in. Lake Sackett’s embalmer and county coroner, Frankie’s goth styling and passion for nerd culture mean she’s not your typical Southern girl, but the McCreadys are hardly your typical Southern family. Led by Great-Aunt Tootie, the gambling, boozing, dog-collecting matriarch of the family, everyone looks out for one another—which usually means getting up in everyone else’s business.

Maybe that’s why Frankie is so fascinated by new sheriff Eric Linden...a recent transplant from Atlanta, he sees a homicide in every hunting accident or boat crash, which seems a little paranoid for this sleepy tourist town. What’s he so worried about? And what kind of cop can get a job with the Atlanta PD but can’t stand to look at a dead body?

Frankie has other questions that need answering first—namely, who’s behind the recent break-in attempts at the funeral home, and how can she stop them? This one really does seem like a job for the sheriff—and as Frankie and Eric do their best Scooby-Doo impressions to catch their man, they get closer to spilling some secrets they thought were buried forever.

Molly Harper is known for her snarky characters, and Frankie may just take the cake. I absolutely adored her! She's so spunky and feisty, yet vulnerable and unsure all at the. On the exterior her snark makes her seem like she has everything together, but on the inside she's still partly the scared little girl who almost died many times in her childhood. Seeing her grow and start to really overcome her past made for a really heartwarming read.

The romance in AIN'T SHE A PEACH is more of a slow burning build up rather than the star of the show. While I'll be honest, this romance lover wishes things had of progressed a little faster/stronger, but the slow burn fit the characters better than anything speedy/spicier would have. Frankie and Eric really needed that slow buildup to grow into themselves and each other as a couple. Not to be cheesy, but they each had their own issues to work out first before anything real could happen in the romance department, and I enjoyed getting to see that progression.

Simply put I love anything Molly Harper writes. If she writes it, you can guarantee I'm going to read it and love it. If you enjoy a sweet, heartwarming story with more than a bit of sass and humor, look no further than AIN'T SHE A PEACH.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Previous Books:
     1. Sweet Tea and Sympathy
     1.5. Peachy Flippin' Keen

Early Review: In Darkness Transformed by Alexis Morgan

In Darkness Transformed by Alexis Morgan

The Paladin Strike Team #1

The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Paladin series returns with this sexy, original title featuring a man discovering the paranormal world of the paladins.

Dying hurts…but not as much as living.

Eli is lucky to survive the helicopter crash that killed the rest of the passengers. But when he notices his wounds healing before his eyes, it seems like his survival may have come from more than luck.

Safara knows what Eli does not—Eli is a paladin, a mortal enemy of someone like Safara, someone from Kalithia.
Still, after Eli saves Safara’s life, and Safara introduces Eli to a whole new world, they just can’t seem to treat each as enemies.

I really enjoyed the Paladin books when they originally released, so when I saw a new series would be started in this same world, I was more than a little excited. While it's been very long time since the last Paladin book released, I had no trouble jumping right back into this spin off series. There's just something special about Alexis's storytelling that let me slip right into the world and the awesome characters. However, I will admit this time around felt just a bit different than the previous books. They just had a different feel about them with less focus on the Paladin "lifestyle" since Eli's an outsider, and he's on Earth, but in a Kalithian town. This isn't a bad thing, as it gave things a fresh new feel.

I really loved Eli and Safara together. They each came with so many secrets and watching them dancing around each other trying to figure how much they can trust and share was a great ride. Despite coming from such very different worlds, they both had the same very protective spirit. Seeing them come together despite all that baggage and fierce natures was incredibly enjoyable.

If you've been missing the yummy Paladins in your life, IN DARKNESS TRANSFORMED will be the perfect fix!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Early Review: Planet Dragos by Thea Harrison

Planet Dragos by Thea Harrison

Elder Races #9.8

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Thea Harrison comes the final novella featuring Pia and Dragos…

Pia’s latest pregnancy has become a daily challenge, her relationship with Dragos strained with argument. That hasn’t stopped them from achieving a compromise and traveling to Las Vegas to celebrate their friend Rune’s wedding to his mate Carling.

From the moment they arrive, the trip goes awry. Death walks in Vegas, and Pia is kidnapped as an ancient enemy makes a move to destroy the Great Beast once and for all.

But the Great Beast has other plans. On Planet Dragos everything goes the way he arranges it—unless someone decides to cross him, and God help them then, because he doesn’t know how to back down, and he doesn’t ever, ever let up.

Wow. For PLANET DRAGOS being "just" a novella, an incredible amount of game changing events happen. My head is still spinning from the whirlwind of events. It's always so bittersweet to say goodbye to much loved characters. And as this is the last installment to directly feature Dragos and Pia, I was hoping for a proper send off. PLANET DRAGOS more than delivered. 

From the first page, things take off with a bang and Dragos speaks of Pia's kidnapping. Then we're thrust a few days in the past to a very pregnant Pia and Dragos trying to navigate their relationship. Their squabbling and learning to navigate through their issues felt so real and relatable. Then of course the actual kidnapping occurs and the book is an utter whirlwind from there. It's non-stop action and fury with all the favorite characters from previous books returning leading up to one heck of a climax. I was seriously hooked and on the edge of my seat from all the action. But what I appreciated even more was that after the incredible climax, there was a good bit of page time afterwards bringing things to a close and setting things up for the future. It was really well balanced and I loved every minute of it! 

PLANET DRAGOS felt like an end and a beginning all in one, both bittersweet for this reader and yet hopeful for the future to come. With one door closing and another one opening, Thea Harrison proves that there is so much potential to the amazing Elder Races world. I can't wait to see what's in store next!

(Received a copy from the author)

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     Books in Brogan

Previous Books:
     1. Dragon Bound
     2. Storm's Heart
     3. Serpent's Kiss
     4. Oracle's Moon
     5. Lord's Fall
     6. Kinked
     6.5. Dragos Takes a Holiday

     6.6. Pia Saves the Day

     6.7. Peanut Goes to School 

     7. Night's Honor

     8. Midnight's Kiss

     8.5. Dragos Goes to Washington

     8.6. Pia Does Hollywood

     9. Shadow's End

     9.5. Liam Takes Manhattan

     9.7. The Chosen