Don't miss the latest Shelf Byte podcast feature! You'll hear a spoiler-free book or audiobook review in 5 minutes(ish) or less!
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In this episode I'm sharing my thoughts the audiobook version of Consumed (Firefighters #1), by J.R. Ward!  Have you read (or listened to) it already? If so, let's start a conversation about it. Comment below!

​This week I'm sharing an contemporary romance audiobook.  If you enjoy a little spice with your romance, be sure to check out Ruthless. Read on to find out why Ruthless earned a 4 bookmark rating!

Publisher: Berkley /Recorded Books
Release Date: August 9, 2016 
Format: Audio CDs
Pages: 352 | Audio Length: 11 hours 31 mins
Narrator:​ Alexandra Shawnee
Source: Publisher
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Review Date: February 22, 2017
Rating: 4 bookmarks

The first in a sexy contemporary romance series featuring the Lawless siblings—from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.

Synopsis: The Lawless siblings are bound by vengeance. Riley, Drew, Brandon, and Mia believe the CEO of StratCast orchestrated their parents’ murder twenty years ago to steal their father’s software program. And there’s only one way Riley can find some solid evidence...
 
Heir to the StratCast legacy, Ellie Stratton hires a new attorney to handle a delicate business matter—and she’s shocked by her attraction to him. Over the course of a few weeks, Riley becomes her lover, her friend, her everything. But when her life is threatened, Ellie discovers that Riley is more obsessed with settling an old score than in the love she thought they were building. And Riley must choose between a revenge he’s prepared for all his life and the woman he’s sure he can’t live without... 

*The audiobook has been provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ruthless is an utterly romantic romance with a dash of suspense. It’s a light and fast read with a good audiobook narrator. If you’ve been reading heavy books and need a pallet cleanser, this is a great option.

This was a strong start to the series. At the end of Ruthless, I found that I cared about the Lawless clan. I want to see all of the Lawless brothers in their own happy ending.  Due to their circumstances, I think it'll be a long road for them.  Riley was a good choice to start with. While he was just as serious about resolution and justice for their parents, he also saw the bigger picture. He was able to grasp onto what his father would want for him and his life. Only thanks to that he was able to really care about Ellie and move past the vengeance.

Today's audiobook review is not for the faint of heart! Read on to find out what I thought of erotic, romance suspense title  First Touch, by Laurelin Page.

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin | Audible Studios
Release Date: December 29, 2015 | May 10, 2016 (audiobook)
Format: MP3 Audio
Pages: 371 (Paperback) / Audio Length: Approx 12.75 hours
Narrator: Ava Erickson
Source: Audible Studios​
Genre: Romance Suspence, Erotica, BDSM
​Review Date: June 1, 2016
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: When Emily Wayborn goes home to visit her mom while on hiatus from her hit TV show, she receives a voicemail from her former best friend, Amber. Though the two were once notorious party girls, they haven't spoken in years. Although the message might sound benign to anyone else, Amber uses a safe word that Emily recognizes, a word they always used to get out of sticky situations during their wild days. And what's more chilling than the voicemail: it turns out that Amber has gone missing.

Determined to track down her friend, Emily follows a chain of clues that lead her to the enigmatic billionaire Reeve Sallis, a hotelier known for his shady dealings and play boy reputation. Now, in order to find Amber, Emily must seduce Reeve to learn his secrets and discover the whereabouts of her friend. But as she finds herself more entangled with him, she finds she's drawn to Reeve for more than just his connection to Amber, despite her growing fear that he may be the enemy. When she's forced to choose where her loyalty lies, how will she decide between saving Amber and saving her heart?

Disclaimer: The audiobook was provided to me by Audible Studios in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost this book is not for everyone. This is a romance book, with a solid suspense plot, and lots of sex - kinky sex, BDSM sex, with lots of angst driven moments.  Basically the plot is full of drama, which always makes for fun reading.

The story is told from Emily's point of view.  Emily is a complex character with lots of issues. Her past is vulgar, shocking, and a little bit over-the-top at times. As we learn about her life with Amber and why their friendship split it's pretty clear that it wasn't healthy. Regardless, Emily feels that she owes it to Amber to help her. To find her.  

Hey friends,

The Collector was the December book club selection.  Read on and find out what I thought of this title.

Publisher: Putnam Adult
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Format: ebook
Pages: 483 (Hardcover)
Source: Library Borrow
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Review Date: January 19, 2015
Rating: 2 bookmarks

Synopsis: When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, the woman with no permanent ties finds herself almost wishing for one. . . .

Artist Ashton Archer knows his brother isn’t capable of violence—against himself or others. He recruits Lila, the only eyewitness, to help him uncover what happened. Ash longs to paint her as intensely as he hungers to touch her. But their investigation draws them into a rarified circle where priceless antiques are bought, sold, gambled away, and stolen, where what you possess is who you are, and where what you desire becomes a deadly obsession. . . . 

Publisher: Putnam Adult
Release Date: January 7, 2014 
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Review Date: Recorded March, 2014
Rating: 3 bookmarks


Synopsis: It’s been thirteen years since Lucy Sheridan was in Summer River. The last time she visited her aunt Sara there, as a teenager, she’d been sent home suddenly after being dragged out of a wild party—by the guy she had a crush on, just to make it more embarrassing. Obviously Mason Fletcher—only a few years older but somehow a lot more of a grown-up—was the overprotective type who thought he had to come to her rescue.

Now, returning after her aunt’s fatal car accident, Lucy is learning there was more to the story than she realized at the time. Mason had saved her from a very nasty crime that night—and soon afterward, Tristan, the cold-blooded rich kid who’d targeted her, disappeared mysteriously, his body never found.

A lot has changed in thirteen years. Lucy now works for a private investigation firm as a forensic genealogist, while Mason has quit the police force to run a successful security firm with his brother—though he still knows his way around a wrench when he fills in at his uncle’s local hardware store. Even Summer River has changed, from a sleepy farm town into a trendy upscale spot in California’s wine country. But Mason is still a protector at heart, a serious (and seriously attractive) man. And when he and Lucy make a shocking discovery inside Sara’s house, and some of Tristan’s old friends start acting suspicious, Mason’s quietly fierce instincts kick into gear. He saved Lucy once, and he’ll save her again. But this time, she insists on playing a role in her own rescue .

Disclaimer: I received this book as a courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400
Source: Library Borrow
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: Shay Morgan has stayed hidden for a long time. Living a reclusive life in Earth’s End, Alaska, she’s as far away as she can get from the trauma of her childhood and the man who hurt her long ago. But terror takes over Shay’s life yet again when an unknown stalker steals away the fragile peace she’s built for herself—targeting not only her but the one man who’s ever managed to get past the walls she’s built around herself.
 
Elliot Winter has lived through being falsely accused before—it ruined his military career. Now it’s happening all over again. And this time, his accuser is a twisted impostor who’s targeting his ex-girlfriend, Shay. Despite a fierce mutual attraction, Shay and Elliot broke up because Shay couldn’t let her guard down, couldn’t let Elliot in. But now they both need to trust each other to confront a psycho who seems to know all their secrets.

To say this book was drama filled is putting it lightly.  It was also sort of predictable.  Stolen was the one of the most twisted and crazy book I've read in a long while.  This was so - single white female (remember that movie?), but not in the way you'd think. I felt so bad for Shay, seriously, this woman can not catch a break!

Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing  
Release Date: September 13th 2012
Format: MP3 Audio
Pages:  467 (Hardcover) / Audio Length: Approx 8+ hours
Source: Library Borrow
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Review Date: February 13, 2013
Rating: 2 bookmarks

Synopsis: Bellamy Lyston Price was only 12 years old when her older sister Susan was killed on a stormy Memorial Day. Bellamy's fear of storms is a legacy of the tornado that destroyed the crime scene as well as her memory of one vital fact that still eludes her... 

Now, 18 years later, Bellamy has written a novel based on Susan's murder. It's her first book, and it's an instant sensation. But because the novel is based on the most traumatic event of her life, she's published it under a pseudonym to protect herself and her family.

But when a sleazy reporter for a tabloid newspaper discovers that the book is based on a real crime, Bellamy's identity - and dark family secrets -- are exposed. Suddenly, she finds herself embroiled in a personal conflict and at the mercy of her sister's killer, who for almost two decades has gotten away with murder...and will stop at nothing to keep it that way.

I hate to say it, but this book was just okay.  I have loved several Sandra Brown books in the past, but this one wasn't really up to par. I expected a bit more. Honestly, I figured out who the killer was halfway through the book! I was sort of surprised that I figured it out.   It's possible that I set the bar high based on my previous impressions of her books.  I felt that this story started a bit slow and over all had a slower pace than what I usually like.  I wasn't really buying Bellamy and Dent together. He just seemed way older than her and it didn't seem legit to me.  This book probably wouldn't have skipped a beat if they never hooked up.  Don't get me wrong, it was a decent book, it just could have been better.  I also felt that overall, the book was a bit long. I wouldn't have minded it if it were a bit shorter.

Now on the positives.  Pretty much everyone in my book club seemed to really enjoy this book, which was good because it prompted good conversation.  The plot was well crafted and everything fell together seamlessly at the end.  

I listened to this on audio at work, and I found pretty quickly that I did not like the male narrator. I think that possibly took away from the story.  The story is about Bellamy's experience and the story is centered around her, so it should have been read by a woman.  I just feel that it was an odd pick for this story.

If you're a die hard Sandra Brown fan, do check this out. Otherwise if you're new to her books, start with something else.    

Happy Reading,
~Tamara