This is book #2, in the Black Ops/707 Freedom Series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  For reader enjoyment, and to avoid spoilers - I recommend reading this series in order.

Emily has been through so much in the past.  She is actually surprised to find herself attracted to Jasper in the first place.  With her future looking uncertain, she is cautious in her reaction to him.

Jasper is made of protective alpha male.  Even if he didn't work in a dangerous field, he would always want to serve and protect.  Now that he needs to protect Emily, his chance with her has arrived.  Now, if only he can convince her.

This book was kind of a slow burn.  Even with the fast pace of the story, the romantic and sexy side was kind of like sweet chocolate melting on the tongue.  With a sexy weave throughout, the characters really show us how even while life throws you a curve, that love can heal.  I give this book a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***This ARC copy was given in exchange for an honest review only.

**I received an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review**

Bernice Sutton was in witch prison. The problem is, she didn't know she was a witch and nobody will believe her. Miss Fee, a cross-dressing talking cat, decided he was her familiar and wouldn't take no for an answer. When she's paroled to Paris, Texas, she just wants to do her time, move on, and forget the word witch. Only, Ridge Donovan, the warlock she's forced to work for, is making it pretty tempting to figure everything out and possibly stay.

The first thing I have to say is: I WANT A MISS FEE!!!! He was like me, but in cat form!!! He had me in stitches. Anyways, I loved following Bernice on this journey as she had to figure out who she really is and possibly find a real home and family while she is at it. The author has a way of drawing you in not only with the main characters, but also with all of the characters in the town as well as people whose stories I've had the pleasure of reading about. Just overall great story, great plot. I can't wait to read more from this author. I highly recommend.

Notes:

Reading a description of everyones eye color is distracting and I don't get the point.

* "Is it just physical? 'I want him to say he loves me.'" 

**How about stop having sex first, get to know the person, get married and then have sex.

***Answers that question.

~I will need to take a break from these romance books. When I started back reading I read these in a matter of hours. Now I can barely get through them, even when some of the storylines are great, the cliches kill it...

Review to come.

I haven't read a BJ romance this good in a while. I took off half a star for the cliches. Using the same themes in every book gets redundant. At times it took me out of the story.

*Woman with flowing shoulder length hair
*Small waist, nice round ass and firm perky breast, not big but just right
*Arrogant playboy who has never had the "best" sex until.... Now he can't sleep with anyone else.
*Man afraid to commit but sex is so good it must mean... She's the one.
*They fight the love but still have incredible sex and hope for the best.
*Oops! During all the lust and passion I forgot the condom. Damn! I never do that, ever. I no longer have a problem with the idea of her being pregnant... I think I may love her.

**Can't live without the great sex... really?

Reading these themes over and over gets old.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mira for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a DNF by the end of the sample. I’m going to lay out my objections with the caveat that the premise itself was pretty much a deal breaker for me. Breaking all The Rules pushed a ton of Nope buttons from the first page forward. Rhonda McKnight writes in the first person. I’m finding this far more common in black romance than I’m used to. It’s something I personally dislike, as it demands I live inside the narrating character instead of having the freedom to choose my own focus.

Deniece is a wedding planner who has failed to escape from an extremely toxic family. What she narrates as her sister’s spoiled point of view reads to me as impossibly self involved. The book opens as her sister lands a number of body blows in rapid succession. She is marrying Deniece’s former lover. She is six months pregnant. She expects Deniece to take an immediate leave from her job and plan this wedding. She dreams of a lavish ceremony despite being broke and frequently depending on money from Deniece to make ends meet. Oh. Hell. No.

“I know you’re surprised and all, because who would have thought I’d be interested in your leftovers, but it’s a long story how we got to know each other and although I feel kind of bad that he’s kinda ex-ish for you, I can’t help but be happy because I’ve found the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

The rest of the sample is dedicated to Deneice’s feelings of inadequacy as she struggles to put all of her emotions aside. I didn’t understand how anyone, even the most self deprecating person, would climb on this cross. Not only had her sister failed to inform her of her involvement with Deniece’s ex, she had done so long enough to be weeks away from delivering his child. There’s low self esteem and then there’s pathological self harm. Deniece definitely belongs in the latter category. According to the final pages of the sample Deniece will get her mojo back with a younger man who calls her Nectar. I wished her luck and gave up.

Final Assessment: Toxic family dynamics pushed me right out. DNF

Source: Kindle Sample

Series: Second Chance