The Lyon's Dilemma - Jude Knight (Dragonblade - July 2025)

Series: Lyon's Den (Book 87)
 
She shattered his heart—now she's his perfect match.
 
Felix Seward, Duke of Kempbury, does not want to be at a house party. Any house party. But the matchmaker Mrs. Dove Lyon has promised him that his perfect match will be there, and Felix yearns for a wife.
 
He is horrified to find that the woman who meets the matchmaker's description is Adaline Beverley. His nemesis. His Achilles heel.
 
The one woman on God's earth he will never marry. Not after what she did last time they were betrothed.
 
This was a fast-paced novella of second chances, where Mrs. Dove-Lyon brings together two people who were meant to be, despite their rocky past.
 
The main characters, Felix and Adaline, were engaged ten years ago, until her stepsister played a nasty trick on them. Felix believed Adaline betrayed him and refused to listen to her side, walking away from her, and leaving her at the mercy of Society's gossips. Felix's mistrust of women was mainly due to his stepmother's actions, and these feelings spilled over into his relationship with Adaline.
 
Ten years later, neither has quite moved on. Adaline married another man shortly after the breakup, but has been a widow for several years. She supports herself and her daughter by working as a private investigator, specializing in retrieving stolen property from Society members. But she is lonely and wants a father for her daughter, Melody. She hires Mrs. Dove-Lyon to find her a suitable husband, in exchange for finding items stolen from her. To do so, she attends a house party at the culprit's estate.
 
Felix has never married and is envious of his friends who have found happy matches. Unwilling to enter the Marriage Mart and deal with matchmaking mothers and empty-headed debutantes, he asks Mrs. Dove-Lyon to find him a wife. He wants a woman who is more interested in him as a man than in his title. She sends him off to a house party, promising him that his perfect match will be there.
 
Needless to say, both Felix and Adaline are dismayed by each other's presence. Felix still hasn't gotten over his feelings of betrayal, and Adaline still resents his refusal to listen to her. But when he takes one look at her daughter and realizes that he is her father, he knows he has to talk to her. I liked the ensuing conversation. Adaline calmly lays out the sequence of events, and Felix finally accepts the truth, sincerely apologizing to her. I loved seeing them rekindle their relationship. There were some adorable scenes with Felix and Melody, which looked promising for the future.
 
But there are still some twists in their future. Adaline needs to complete her task for Mrs. Dove-Lyon. It is a tense situation, and I enjoyed seeing how she pulled it off. However, not everything is smooth-sailing, and Adaline's past comes back to bite her in a terrifying way. I was on the edge of my seat as the scene played out, hoping that Felix would see the truth. I loved Melody's part in the ending.
 
I enjoyed catching up a little with the characters from Thrown to the Lyon who play a significant role in this story. 

 
 

Storing Secrets - Janice Kay Johnson (HI #2306 - Aug 2025)

Someone has secrets
They'll kill to keep buried
 
Erin Reed's life spirals into terror after she barely escapes an arson attack with her little boy in her arms. As the threats against her life multiply, she discovers that Detective Sam McKeige is a man she can rely on to protect her and her son. What begins as trust turns into something that might be love…if she and Sam get the chance to explore it. Can they uncover the identity of the serial killer who's been stalking her before this monster rips the future away from them?
 
Gripping tale of suspense and romance. Both main characters are realistically portrayed with believable backstories that made me eager to see a happy outcome for them.
 
Erin is a single mother of an adorable three-year-old son named Toby. Her ex-husband is not in their lives, leaving her to support them on her own. She has a thriving business reselling items she purchases at estate sales and storage unit auctions. She's stunned when her latest storage unit purchase contains many high-end items. While talking to the facility's owner about finding the unit's previous owner, an arsonist sets the office on fire. Erin and Toby barely escape with their lives.
 
Sam is the detective assigned to the case. Drawn to Erin and her son, his protective instincts hit hard, especially since Toby reminds him of the son he lost. His scenes with Toby are especially emotional. I loved how sensitive Erin and Sam are to each other's pain and the love and trust that builds between them.  
 
The suspense was terrific. The intensity of the search for the suspect and his missing items, especially after a gruesome discovery, kept me glued to the pages. As the perpetrator visited other dealers and left destruction in his wake, the pressure on Sam and Erin grew. They knew it was only a matter of time before he circled back to Erin. The build-up to the final confrontation kept me up way past my bedtime as I couldn't stop until I knew how it ended. 

 
 

Beckett - Josie Jade (Calamitte Jane Pub - Sept 2025)

Series: Warrior Security (Book 1)
 
Beckett Sinclair doesn't do complicated.
 
He trains K-9s at Pawsitive Connections, runs ops with Warrior Security, and keeps his PTSD under control. Until a dead friend's little sister shows up.
 
Audra Cartland is jumpy. Exhausted. Sleeping in the equipment shed when she thinks no one's watching. Beckett knows that look—he's seen it in combat zones, in victims, in his own mirror.
 
Someone's hunting her.
 
She won't talk. Won't explain the fear in her eyes or why she flinches at shadows. But Beckett made a promise to her brother years ago in Afghanistan, and those debts don't die.
 
Beckett should walk away. He's got enough ghosts without taking on hers.
 
Instead, he arranges a job. A safe place to sleep. His protection.
 
When the hunter becomes bold enough to strike in his town, on his watch, Beckett stops playing defense. He's lost too many people already. Failed too many times.
 
Not Audra. Not this time.
 
Some battles choose you.
 
Fantastic start to Resting Warrior Ranch's spin-off series, Warrior Security. This is another book that grabbed my attention and didn't let go until I finished it. The story is fast-paced and emotional, with intriguing characters told from the dual first-person viewpoints of Audra and Beckett.
 
Audra has been running from a stalker for more than a year. She's at the end of her rope physically and emotionally when she arrives in Garnet Bend. Her late brother told her stories of his fellow soldier's life there growing up, telling her to contact Beckett if she ever needed help. She winds up at Pawsitive Connections, where Lark puts her to work without asking too many questions.
 
Beckett works for Warrior Security and trains K-9s at Pawsitive Connections. His survivor's guilt and PTSD keep him from getting close to anyone he might lose. The dogs and cats he works with give him focus, purpose, and healing. Beck is suspicious of Audra when they first meet. He can tell that she's hiding something, and his protective instincts kick in.
 
I enjoyed watching Beck and Audra's relationship develop. It is purely a working relationship at first, as both fight the attraction that pulls them together. Things change when Beck discovers one of Audra's secrets. I loved his brusque and matter-of-fact attitude as he fixed her living situation while trying to hide his attraction. It takes Audra a while to overcome her wariness and trust Beck with the truth about her situation. Once she does, it doesn't take long for her heart to get involved. However, both Beck and Audra will have to overcome their reluctance to let anyone close to them before they can have the future each longs for. There are some gripping, emotional scenes as those walls begin to crumble.
 
The suspense of the story was terrific. Audra's fear was palpable on every page, as was her determination not to endanger the people she cared for. I loved it when she finally opened up to Beckett after the stalker found her again. The intensity of his protectiveness and his immediate involvement of the men of Warrior Security showed how seriously he took the threat. I was intrigued by each member of the team and how they used their various skills. The escalating danger kept me glued to the pages as the team closed in. The evilness of the stalker oozes off the page, intensifying the threat. A twist in the investigation led to a nail-biting conclusion.
 
I enjoyed getting to know the other members of Warrior Security better. Travis and his quirks are especially fascinating, and I look forward to his story whenever it comes. I especially liked Cooper's interactions with Beck, from his teasing to his help with Beck's PTSD episodes. Pawsitive Connections owner, Lark, also intrigues me, and I'd like to know more about her. But my favorite secondary character was Jet, the failed security dog who instantly connected with Audra. He was adorable and clearly worshipped her. I loved how everyone underestimated him.

The Wilderness Hut - Mary Wibberley (HR 1968 - Apr 1976)

Eve Carrick was a spoiled rich girl who had only to lift her little finger to be waited on hand and foot. She was also beautiful, and had always been able to get any man she wanted. Garth Seton was the pilot she had hired to fly her about and generally do her bidding on a trip to Finland - and Eve assumed that he would be as willing to fetch and carry for her as all the others had been.
 
But Garth Seton didn't jump to anyone's bidding. And there was something else about him that Eve didn't know yet......
 
A fifty-year-old romance that shows how much the genre has changed. All in all, I enjoyed the story. There is a spoiled rich girl who thinks everyone should jump to her bidding. Taking her on is the hired pilot who calls her out on her attitude. The sparks fly from the moment they meet.
 
Eve is a spoiled, rich girl who has had everything handed to her her entire life. As the story opens, she feels jaded by the life she's living and decides to visit a school friend in Finland. This friend always treated her like a normal person. She hires a pilot to take her to the remote town and expects him to accede to her every demand. Garth accepts the job but has no intention of being her lapdog. He makes it clear from the start that he has no use for spoiled rich people.
 
I didn't like Eve much at first. She was entitled, sarcastic, and snooty, though not mean. Garth rubs her the wrong way from the moment they met. She always feels as though he is laughing at her. He does come across as judgmental. He teases her frequently about her easy life, and seems amused when she talks back to him. There's a hiccup in the plan to visit her friend, which forces them to spend more time together. There are some good moments between them, but there are also more instances of Garth's judgmental attitude.
 
Matters became complicated when the plane malfunctioned on their flight back to Helsinki. A forced landing in the midst of a storm strands them in a primitive wilderness cabin. The situation calls for cooperation, not confrontation. I liked seeing the changes in Eve as she discovered new abilities. Along with the decrease in antagonism came the realization that she had very different feelings for Garth. Before she can do anything about those feelings, she makes a disturbing discovery.
 
I felt bad for Eve and understood the feelings of hurt and betrayal that led to her injury. I liked how he took care of her and that he accepted his responsibility. I liked the ending and that she made him work for her forgiveness.
 
One of the differences I noticed about this older book is the lack of the male viewpoint. In most current romances, we see events from both main characters. I missed getting a look at Garth's thoughts and motivations. 

 
 
 

A Lyon's Promise - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - Sept 2025)

Series: Lyon's Den (Book 89)
 
He has never forgotten how he failed her!
 
Gavin King has been with the Bow Street Runners for years, with twenty men who report directly to him—a handful of whom he trusts implicitly to handle any issues that come up regarding the Duke of Wyndmere and his family. King has investigated crimes that still keep him up nights. One of those crimes involved the gruesome sight of Lord Hughes's body stuffed into a sea chest. Though he solved Hughes's murder, and the killer was brought to trial, he will never forget the anguished look, nor the tears that followed, when he delivered the news to Lady Lucretia Montfort as he promised. God help him, he felt helpless bearing witness to her pain.
 
She has no choice but to enter the Lyon's Den!
 
Widowed for a decade, Lady Montfort hoped to find contentment when Lord Hughes proposed a marriage of convenience. His brutal murder was the catalyst for the recent salacious rumors, and the wager in White's betting book that threaten the widow's reputation.
 
King vows to keep another promise, one that he made to himself—that he would place Lady Montfort under his broad wing of protection. The rumors escalate and turn ugly. King receives an urgent missive from one of his longtime contacts, Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon, advising that Lucretia has asked for her help finding a husband. King demands Bessie sever the contract. She refuses. Little does he know Mrs. Dove-Lyon has a plan of her own!
 
Gavin King is one of the secondary characters in the Duke's Guard series. His stellar reputation as a Bow Street Runner and the trust he's earned from the Duke of Wyndmere made me want to know more about him. I loved getting to know him better and seeing him join the ranks of the happily married men. Gavin has been drawn to Lucretia since the day he informed her of her fiancé's death. He hasn't been able to forget her and has kept a watchful eye on her from a distance. When he learned of the nasty rumors about her, he vowed to protect her.
 
Lucretia's abusive husband died a decade earlier, leaving her a widow. Her most recent attempt at happiness ended in disaster, and the rumors swirling around her fuel her fears that she'll never find a husband. Desperation sends her to Bessie Dove-Lyon at the Lyon's Den.
 
When Gavin hears of her plans, he tries to get Mrs. Dove-Lyon to cancel the contract. When that doesn't work, he demands to become one of the men vying for her hand. The challenge scene was typical of her devious nature, and I was glued to the pages to see how it would unfold. I knew Gavin would win, but the process was daunting. The second challenge was particularly vile!
 
I enjoyed the development of Gavin and Lucretia's relationship. Lucretia spent ten years being manipulated and dismissed by those around her, but under his watch, she finds her strength. Gavin is accustomed to being in charge, so it is fun to see the new Lucretia push back when he gets a little overzealous. At the same time, the always-in-control Gavin loses some of that control whenever he's around her. Lucretia has a few fears to overcome, but her trust in Gavin makes that easier than expected. The ending was fantastic, and I laughed out loud at the pre-dinner party scene. Gavin's actions at the cemetery in the epilogue made me grin.
 
There were some suspenseful moments as Gavin searched for the truth about Lucretia's inheritance. The more he learned, the worse it was. The confrontation with the culprits was intense, and the resolution quite satisfying. Lucretia's acceptance of her treatment by some of her staff members frustrated me a bit, though her late husband's treatment contributed to her lack of confidence. With Gavin there as backup, I liked seeing her take charge. The kidnapping incident was intense, but Lucretia's actions made me cheer for her. I always love seeing Gavin in action, and this was no exception.

 

The Forever Wedding Date - Tif Marcelo (HSE #3104 - Aug 2025)

Series: Spirit of the Shenandoah (Book 3)
 
He tried to play Cupid…
But was he playing with fire?
 
Wedding planner Gabriella Espiritu's down on her luck: first, she flunks the CPA exam, then her long-distance internet boyfriend vanishes just before her brother's wedding! Fortunately, Gabby's best friend, Chip Lowry, jumps in as matchmaker. Unbeknownst to Gabby, though, Chip's been crushing on her for years! And the more he tries to play Cupid, the more he falls under the spell of his lovely friend. But he can't help fearing that finally baring his soul to his bestie would destroy everything…or is going from friends to lovers a leap worth taking?
 
Good friends-to-lovers story. Gabby is having a rough time. She failed her CPA exam, her internet boyfriend, who is supposed to be her plus-one for her brother's wedding, is ghosting her, and she's stressing about planning her brother's wedding. Complicating matters, her ex-boyfriend wants to try again. Nathan ropes their mutual best friend, Chip, into helping him convince Gabby to give him another chance.
 
The problem is, Chip wants to be more than just best friends with Gabby. He's been in love with her for years, but she has firmly placed him in the friend zone. He hesitates to make a move because he doesn't want to lose her as a friend. He also feels guilty about harboring feelings for the woman his other best friend wants for his own.
 
Meanwhile, Gabby is torn. She parted with Nathan because he had taken her for granted during their dating period. Now he claims to have changed, but can she believe him? And if she is willing to give him a chance, why is it Chip that makes her heart beat faster? Friends-to-lovers only happens in books!
 
I rooted for Chip from the start. He's a nice guy who is there for everyone who needs him, sometimes to his detriment. There are some sweet scenes between him and Gabby where you can see where his heart is, but Gabby is blind to it. I ached for him as he was torn between his two friends. The double date scenes were both funny and heartbreaking.
 
Mostly, I wanted to shake Gabby until she woke up. Even when she began to realize her feelings for Chip were changing, she continued to try to deny it. When they shared a kiss, she wanted to write it off, but she couldn't forget it.
 
I liked the ending and seeing Gabby finally admit her feelings. There were some rough patches in the resolution, especially dealing with Nathan, but they eventually worked through it all.
 
I'd like to see Chip's friend Regan get her own story; she was such a good sport in this one. I also loved the storyline with the dog, Lucky, and her puppies. Chip's dad was a great character and added some extra heart to the story. 

 
 

Fake Date on the Orient Express - Jessica Gilmore (HR #4959 - Aug 2025)

Series: Summer Escapes (Book 7)
 
THE PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME?
 
When millionaire Lucas West rescues a stunning actress on board the Orient Express to Venice, he has a brilliant idea. He needs a fake girlfriend for the summer, so who better than a woman who pretends for a living? It's certainly the most unusual role Tally has ever had -- and handsome Lucas is now her favourite costar! Soon, their relationship begins to go off script, but can they trust their emotions enough to write the next act?
 
Good story, lovely descriptions of the locations. Lucas is a workaholic entertaining some business contacts with a murder mystery scenario on the Orient Express. Tally is an actress portraying one of the characters. Lucas rescues Tally after the evening performance, when one of the (inebriated) guests gets a little handsy with her.
 
The next day, Lucas approaches her with a proposal. He needs a girlfriend for the summer to protect him from a matchmaking friend. Would she be willing? Tally has nothing important scheduled, so she agrees.
 
Neither expects the attraction that flares between them or the growing feelings that they experience. Both have failed relationships that make them wary of trusting those feelings. Lucas believes that he doesn't have room in his life for love because of his work commitments. I loved their sightseeing trips and seeing them enjoy each other's company. It was fun to see how the people around them saw how right they were for each other, which made it so frustrating when Lucas freaked out about his feelings and ran from them.
 
I liked the support both received from their families. Lucas got the eye-opening advice he sorely needed. Tally's family and best friend gave her the encouragement she needed to recover from the hurt. A secondary storyline involving a person from Tally's past popped up while they were in Tuscany and provided an interesting twist. Lucas did a nice job of redeeming himself in the end. I liked the epilogue and the unexpected direction their future took.