Boots on the Ground by Rebecca Crowley

Reviewed by Desere 

With  really rough start to life in foster care it is no surprise that Grady Reid ended up serving thirteen years in Afghanistan, he saw friends die, fought battles no man has to fight and has finally reached his breaking point.

He decides a fresh start in life is the way to go, he puts down all his savings on a beat up ranch in the small town of Meridan, it's time to plant some roots.

Once there he get's a job as a road worker in order to make ends meet whilst building the ranch , he keeps his war demons to himself and just takes day to day as it comes. But he does not count on the days including a very sexy and very privileged Dr. Laurel Hayes.

She's tempting so very tempting and soon he finds himself enslaved by her sexy curves and falling for her harder than he's ever fallen before. But Laurel has a yearning to travel the world whilst playing Dr and she's so very close to making the dream a reality she can very nearly taste it.

Can Grady make her see she's meant to stay in his arms or will she be gone by morning, leaving him abandoned once again?

This was a really nice read, it had a good and fast paced plot, things move very quickly between the characters , it does seem a little slow in the start but trust me keep going, it picks up very quickly from chapter three, and it's totally worth it.

The character of Grady was a regular soldier that suffers from post traumatic stress disorder yet still keeps his balance by fighting for everyone and everything he believes in which made him all the more sexy. I loved how the author let snippets from his past drift in and out of the read, it really helped with piecing him together, it is not always done in reads where soldiers are involved and most of the time you get that glimpse into his war background but not the before part , so really nice work Rebecca!

The character of Laurel was someone I could really connect with, I really felt sorry for her being so privileged yes it does sound out of place but when someone has it all, it does not always mean they are happy. So yes I felt very sorry for her having it all yet not really having anything at all. I loved how the author let's Laurel's good nature shine through in the read, not once does Laurel have a snobbish attitude, she knows she good looking, she knows she has it all but it does not let her go about bossing people around, which was a really nice touch.

I am taking away a message of no matter if you have it all or if you have nothing at all, there is always something or someone in life that will let you see what's missing or even what exactly you already have.

I recommend this read for all fans that love a good paced romance read with sweet passion and a happy ever after ending.

4 star review
" He seeks to keep his boots on the ground she wants to hit the floor running" 

Secure Target by Rebecca Crowley

 

Reviewed by Desere 

Serial killers always have a certain image of their victims, yes one the images being of the victim bleeding all over the place whilst begging for their lives, but before that comes the right hair color, the right job, the right car what ever it may be the falls right into my victim slot" image is there first.

Of course which ever reason they have for acting out their sick, twisted and delusional  fantasies never makes any sense to us normal people, and getting involved on any level is the furthest thought from anyone's mind.

That is unless you're trained to bring down these type of scum that roam earth without a second thought. In this read from author Rebecca Crowley she tells the story of such a hero. Bronnik is always focused , it's get in, secure the target, bring down the bad guy.

But as we all have learned from the press, serial killers always have a trick up their sleeves and sometimes they succeed in their vicious killing sprees for years before they are caught and the good guys hunting them don't always get to the victims in time, they lose focus and the end result is another score for the killers hit-card.

So when Bronnik is assigned to keep the next intended victim Lacey safe he goes all out and vows to make no mistakes, he refuses to let the killer score yet again. But Lacey entrances him like no other woman and once he has her in his arms he promises to never let her go, that is if he can stay focused long enough for her to not end up dead.

This was one of the best action, kick-ass, car chasing, guns blazing , heart pounding, race to finish line reads I have ever read. The characters were simply amazing and so well written they seemed to leap from the pages and straight into my heart.

The author made sure the read contained everything a action romance lover like myself needs. I was kept on the edge of my seat at all times, completely addicted ! The author kept me entertained with twists and turns and the killer popping up everywhere, and every-time I did not expect it, there was no way I could anticipate the next move.

The backdrop settings were stunning, some set in Kansas and others in Cape Town, each location was described by the author to a perfect mirror image and with vivid clarity. The dialogue was all action packed laced with beautiful romance. The author does every now and then use a few Afrikaans words, which is the preferred language of the hero, which made this read extremely special for me.

It is not everyday I get to read about a delicious hot sexy hero saving a damsel in distress whilst using the humorous wording of my own language, I found this to be refreshing and simply awesome!  Nor will I ever look at my local law enforcement in the same way again, the author certainly did her research and showed that South African Law enforcement hero's are every bit as hot and kick -ass as the other hero's we find in romance reads from other parts of the world.

If you think you will not fully be able to understand the odd Afrikaans word here and there, do no fear, just as in other reads where authors use a French or Italian phrase but with clarity shining through in the rest of the sentence with the wording, backdrop and scene being played out, you will be able to understand what is happening.

I highly recommend this read for all fans who love a kick-ass, loaded with action, oozing passion and breathtaking romance book! In fact I highly recommend everyone to go out and pick up a Rebecca Crowley book, once you get into her reads you will be begging her with your very last dying breath to write more !

5/5 Star Review
"This is one target he intends to secure and keep forever" 

Gifts of Honor by Stacy Gail and Rebecca Crowley

Reviewed by Desere


I adore to read the books about kick ass hero's from the war. The action, drama and look behind the lines of fire as always been a favorite to me, and when the author take the time to go behind the lives of those that serve it is even better than all the action bom'bs and gunfire.

Yet there are not enough reads focusing on the lives of the men and woman who put it all on the line to protect others. Therefore I was simply delighted to be offered the chance to read a double look into the lives of two men and the life after war.

The first read Starting from Scratch by Stacy Gail is about the life of Sullivan and Lucy. Wounded in action he returns home but has no memory of his life with Lucy, he asks for a divorce and it seems the happy ever after is no longer. But the miracle of Christmas might just save them both.

I loved the emotion in this read, it was so touching and powerful it was as if I could grab both characters and bang them both over the head to let them see that it is neither one's fault, and simply a test of life and how strong their love can be to withstand tragedy.  A truly sweet, romantic and sensual read.

" Can their love be found in the memories from the past" 5/5 star review 



The second read is from Rebecca Crowley titled Hero's Homecoming and tells of the whirlwind romance between Chris and Beth. Chris is wounded in battle and returns home blind and cannot help but feel like less of a man than he use to be, he takes this new found frustration to life out on Beth and it looks like the love once found on the fast and furious ground of passion has brunt out.

This read was of course a whole lot more intense than the first read in this book, leaning to move around in life when suddenly blind is not something I think anyone can imagine as being easy.

The author showed true insight into the differences of being able to see the ones we love and to only being able to touch them whilst relying on the image our mind brings into focus.

The emotional and truly vivid look into blindness and the learning curve was so strong and so fantastically brought to life by the author, I cried the entire read through. It did at first feel like the instant connection between Chris and Beth was a bit fast, but then again love happens at first sight and goes from there, but at one stage it did feel like it was happening a little easily as it goes from meet, fall in love in a few days and then separated for months before being thrown back at each other.

However it reminded me that as in real life, sometimes love has no limits and logical goes out the back door. A really heart-wrenching look into letting someone else help you pick up the pieces of your once perfect life when you are simply not strong enough to do it on your own.

"The power of touch"  
5/5 star review 

** E-arc provided in exchange for a honest review 

The Striker's Chance by Rebecca Crowley

Reviewed by Desere

Many people out there have the sometimes thrilling and exciting job of changing people for the better, and when I say this I want you to think psychologist, specialist, hairstylists the list goes on and on.

But what if your job is to change a celebrity to take them to a level of stardom that will strike every possible stardom crazed fan out there out of the arena and the player right into the hands of the great teams of history?

If it is what you trained for than it is easy right, and falling in love with the star along the way to perfect stardom image is no problem, should not effect your opinion at all right?

In this read from author Rebecca Crowley she not only showed that it is never easy to change another person, but it is also never as easy as you think to not let your feelings get in the way.

The read is about Holly, she has the chance to make it big time, all she has to do is make Kepler "Killer" De Klerk the star he use to be before a accident left him in the game but not all in the game. But what she finds is that Mr-for-you-I-will-bare-my soul is not the "killer" nor is he anything he is pretending to be. There is much more to this man than meets the public eye. She is left with having to chose between kicking the ball into the media's court and landing herself her a dream job or going for the man she has fallen for.

Both main characters of Holly and Kepler were brilliantly written by the author. I loved that Holly is focused and pushy in getting what she wants, and of course I simply adored that Kepler let's her get so derailed from the tracks and twists her into the kind of knots no woman wants to be in! I simply loved that the author let's Holly go on a journey of self discovery through the eyes of Kepler, magical touch Rebecca!

The character of Kepler was to die for hero material, strong, hot, passionate about the game but also a tortured hero! I simply could not get enough of how the author keeps letting these little bits and pieces from his life pop up in the read showing me and also Holly that there is so more to this man. It not only kept my attention but also let fall in love with the real him more and more with each bit revealed.

The backdrop settings were very well incorporated into the read, it felt as if I was on the field living the game. The dialogue was laced with emotion and passion, sexy and also at times funny. I loved the conflict between Holly and Kepler it had me laughing and rooting for them, and made for brilliant entertainment!

I am taking away a message of when having to chose between the love of your job or the love of your life, the decision will always be hard but there is always another challenge, another client, but you might never find the forever kind love again.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of sports related romance reads. It had drama, emotion, passion and sweet sensual understanding of the most beautiful kind. I look forward to reading many more reads from this author. Bring it on Rebecca, let the games begin!

5/5 star review
"It's all about the image until it gets stripped down to love" 

eARC provided by the author in exchange for a honest review