New Additions To The TBR Pile In February

New arrivals in February.

Title: The Dragon In The Garden by Erika Gardner
Description: There is magic beneath the mundane and in The Dragon in the Garden, Siobhan Orsini witnesses it all. No lie can fool her, no glamour or illusion can cloud her Sight. She sees through them all and wishes she could close her eyes. Returning to face her past, Siobhan inherits her grandparents’ house in California’s wine country. She encounters a talking dragon, a hot fallen angel, a demon lord, a Valkyrie, and, oh yes, her ex-boyfriend. And that is just in the first twenty-four hours.

It’s time to find out why she has this power.

Siobhan seeks out the Oracle and learns that only her Sight can help mankind navigate the travails of an ancient war. Our world is the prize in a battle between the dragons, who would defend us, and Lucifer’s fallen angels, who seek to take the Earth for themselves. Using her gift, she will have to make a choice that will decide humanity’s future.

Title: The One You Really Want by Jill Mansell
Description: A funny, heartfelt novel about second chances at love from beloved bestseller Jill Mansell

When it comes to love, never say never

When Nancy discovers the expensive jewelry her husband's been buying isn't for her, she decamps from the Scottish countryside to her best friend Carmen's posh Chelsea town house to sort things out.

Nancy finds herself in a surprising new world, where rock stars are nicer than you thought, social workers are not necessarily to be trusted, and the filthy rich are folks with problems just like you. Everybody falls in love with the wrong people, and the path to true love twists and turns before you discover who you really want.

Title: Worst Case by James Patterson
Description: Best case: survival

The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. His parents can't save him, because this kidnapper isn't demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury. In this exam, wrong answers are fatal.

Worst case: death

Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can't begin to understand what could lead someone to target anyone's children. As another student disappears, one powerful family after another uses their leverage and connections to turn the heat up on the mayor, the press--anyone who will listen--to stop this killer. Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, who send their top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker. Bennett's life--and love life--suddenly get even more complicated.

This case: Detective Michael Bennett is on it

Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI's intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most devastating demonstration yet--one that could bring cataclysmic devastation to every inch of New York.

REVIEW: The Love List by Eve Devon

Title: The Love List
Author: Eve Devon
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October, 2014
Genre: Chick Lit
Buy The Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Description: Falling in love is just not on Nora King’s To Do List…

Neither is accidentally super-gluing her shoe to her hand right before the biggest presentation of her life!

With all the hard work she’d put into securing the family business after her father’s death, Nora has no choice but to accept help from a knight in shining armor.

Disaster relief worker Ethan Love is still haunted by his last deployment, and desperate for distraction. He’s in town to ask Nora for a major favor, and swooping in to save her presentation is a sure way to get her on side.

As Ethan sticks around and helps Nora through her grief, her barriers tumble down…but will she dare to swap her To Do lists for a How to Fall in Love list?

My Thoughts: The Love List by new to me author Eve Devon is a charming and humorous story about an independent woman who has no time for love, but find her life derailed by it anyway. Right before she is set to give the biggest presentation of her career, Nora King super-glues her shoe to her hand and there is nobody who can help her except the gorgeous Ethan Love, whose brother broke her sister’s heart many years ago.

I really liked Nora and Ethan and found them easy to relate to. I thought their individual personalities set them far apart from one another but drew them together, complementing each other perfectly. The chemistry between them is felt instantly, though Nora tries her hardest to fight it. Her focus is on the company she inherited from her father and she has not time or room in her life for any distractions. I love these kinds of stories when the heroine is so deep in her head, she doesn’t see love coming. It’s always entertaining to watch her get knocked down a peg or two when it hits.

I thought Ethan was an amazing character. He carries an enormous amount of guilt from the horrors of natural disasters he has been deployed to assist with. I really liked how the author writes him as a very strong character, but you see the pain and compassion below the surface. He has a natural ease with people that draws them in with interest in what he has to say or what he will do and I found myself riveted to what he would do or say next.

Overall, I found The Love List an enjoyable read with the right blend of humor mixed in. I recommend this story if you enjoy seeing strong willed characters get bowled over when love comes calling.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Love List from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Obsession In Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Obsession In Death (In Death #40)
Author: J.D. Robb
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: February, 2015
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Romantic Suspense / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Description: Lieutenant Eve Dallas walks the thin line between love and hate in the latest thriller from #1 New York Times bestseller J. D. Robb....Eve Dallas has solved a lot of high-profile murders for the NYPSD and gotten a lot of media. She - with her billionaire husband - is getting accustomed to being an object of attention, of gossip, of speculation.

But now Eve has become the object of one person's obsession. Someone who finds her extraordinary, and thinks about her every hour of every day. Who believes the two of them have a special relationship. Who would kill for her again and again. An aggressive defense attorney who's sparred with Eve in the courtroom is the first victim, but she isn't the last. The messages left for Eve at the crime scenes chill her and turn her stomach. It doesn't get much more personal than this - and Eve refuses to hand the investigation over to anyone else. With a murderer reading meaning into her every move, handling this case will be a delicate - and dangerous - psychological dance.

And Eve knows that underneath the worship and admiration, a terrible threat lies in wait. Because the beautiful lieutenant is not at all grateful for these bloody offerings from her "true and loyal friend." And in time, idols always fall....

My Thoughts: Eve and the gang are back in the 40th installment of one of the best series I have been blessed to get to read. This time the villain is a deranged lunatic who is obsessed with Eve and goes on a killing spree to right the scales of justice on people that in the wack job’s contorted mind believes these people have wronged and disrespected Eve in the past. The psychopath leaves a letter at each crime scene for Eve always signed “your true and loyal friend” and Eve fears it’s only a matter of time before the lunatic switches their to focus to those Eve cares about.

I really enjoyed this story. I always enjoy how Eve’s tenacious nature drives her like a missile locked on a target. Eve is determined to shake the lunatic’s tree to see how far she can push the psycho to come after her instead. This kind of behavior from the heroine would normally enrage me and label the character as “too stupid to live,” but with Eve, it’s amazing because not only can she handle herself, she can be a little frightening herself with how focused she gets when hunting down a killer. I almost feel sorry for the bad guy because when Eve catches them, they will wish they were off planet or in another dimension. I certainly wouldn’t want to go up against her.

This series continues to deliver excitement and entertainment on all levels. I eagerly look forward to the next book, Devoted In Death. If you enjoy strong, kick-ass characters that are able to show their humanity in the worst of situations with some laugh out loud moments, this is the series to look for.