Unmask Me If You Can (The Survivors #4) - Shana Galen 

At one point in her life, Olivia didn’t have more worries than to wear pretty gowns and attend the most fashionable balls. Now? Now she has more pressing, more important things to worry about, mainly her full of life and curious five year old son Richard. Jasper may have looked scary with that mask covering half his face but his considerate and honorable behavior was enough to bring down the walls Olivia had erected around her heart. 

I have to say that Jasper was not exactly how I imagined him, he was way better! I loved the way he patiently let Olivia trust him with her body and hers and her child’s life. He knew the ordeals she had gone through and so he painstakingly let her take the lead when it came to the intimate moments. That’s basically what I love the most about Jasper. Even though he was reluctant to let her love him at first, once he understood her needs he was more than willing to accommodate her, and not just because of his desire for her, but because he understood her and wanted to give her what she needed. If that’s not love then I may be reading the wrong books. He truly was the perfect lover for Olivia. 
Olivia, although not the smartest of women in my opinion, was resourceful and level-headed. Perhaps at times she didn’t make the right decisions and trusted the wrong people but she always considered all of her options. It made me really upset how the scheming of others affected Jasper, Olivia, and of course little Richard. That poor child had been so happy for the first five years of his life and all of a sudden his life turned upside down. The villains deserved so much worse than what they got but at least they got some kind of punishment. 

To top it all off, we get a little glimpse at the life of Lieutenant-Colonel Benedict Draven! Just as the men he leads, he may appear as a brooding man but if my hunch is correct, just like the other men in his troop, that is just a façade to keep all the feelings from pouring out. In all honesty, I cannot have enough of these men and I cannot wait to read the rest of their stories. 

*I requested and received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher* 

This was my first by the author and it for sure won't be my last. Oliver and Jack were from opposite sides on the social scale and yet they found a way to make it work in a totally believable way. Even though Jack was kind of a jerk at times he was still lovable and charming and oh, so sexy. Definitely an enjoyable, satisfying story. 

Kept by the Viking (Forgotten Sons) - Gina Conkle 

Release Date: May 14th, 2018

Buy Links 

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The story takes place in a time when Vikings were settling in and around the Frankish kingdom. The setting felt authentic and real, with lots of interesting facts and vivid descriptions of how people lived at the time. That was a real treat for me since I love historical bits in my romances. 
After being separated from her family, Safira asks the leader of the Forgotten Sons to help her return home, and while Rurik can tell she’s hiding something, he agrees to help her in exchange for the one thing Safira cannot give. 

I love the way Safira was depicted. From the moment they met, she proved to be resourceful and clever in a way Rurik had never before seen in a woman. Her powers of persuasion and perception came in handy at some crucial times, winning the respect of every one.

There was also the political intrigue, that although I can never get into because it’s all too confusing, it was still interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. The romance though was a slow-burn, not because it wasn’t good but because there were too many things against them as a couple. They did find a way to stay together but it sure took them a sweet long time to get there.

**I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.** 

This story has the best love declaration I have ever read! It had me having all the feels, specially for Ewan, the most alluring non-Viking Viking I've read. 
Lorrie is a young, passionate, spirited woman that has gone as far as try to elope because her parents won’t allow her to marry the man she loves. Seeing how his daughter will not be dissuaded from marrying the wrong man, her father hires Ewan Mostyn, the third son of an earl and an ex-soldier that’s mostly known for knocking heads together at a gambling club than for appearing at a dance ball. 
Ewan is a taciturn man, rejected by his father because he considers him an unworthy son, and judged by society because he is considered nothing more than a brute. Ever since he was a child, he was told he was stupid due to a learning disability and it wasn’t until he joined the army and later some sort of “suicide unit” that he finally felt he belonged somewhere. I fell in love with his honesty and quiet way of communicating. He had this genuine way about him that made him both charming and alluring in a very unique, gentle way. The author made a fabulous job conveying his emotions because to me they all felt real and relatable. 

People tend to forget that historicals include debutants and most heroines are barely of age when they are thrown into the marriage market. Lorrie is young so yeah, she’s going to act recklessly at times, but in my opinion she was not stupid but naïve. She was also determined, curious, and true to herself. She was capable of seeing in Ewan what he was not able to see in himself and that in turn gave him the strength to fight for what he wanted. If that’s not a worthy heroine then I don’t know what is. 

We get a secondary love story between Lorrie’s parents that I would have loved to see more of but at least it gave me more of an insight of why Lorrie and Ewan’s closeness was allowed. Oh, and let's not forget the other Saviors! There was such a brotherly banter and comradery among them that my heart melted a little bit every time I got to read about them. I was a little off put with something towards the end but other than this was a great book and a great start to a new series. 

** I was gifted a copy of this book and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.** 

This is sort of a re-release since it first appeared in the Scandal’s Daughters Anthology, but fret not as this “is an expanded ‘Author Edition.’"

Charming and complex characters, well-told story, and not your usual rags to riches plot make this a delightful and engaging story. Anthony was a gambler down on his luck and up to his neck in debt when he met Charlotte. They were both fleeing from a dark past at the same time that they were looking for a different, brighter future. Unfortunately a play of words in a foreign place bound them together into marriage and their hopes at a brighter future just tumbled down.

The romance itself was emotive and believable. They grew to care for each other over a feasible amount of time to the point of willing to sacrifice their love for the sake of each other’s happiness. If anything, the only thing I didn’t find plausible is that they spent a lot of time together, alone, in a bedchamber, and there was no mention of any kind of sexual frustration. There were plenty of good reasons why the deed wasn’t done but I would have thought some tension would have been more palpable. Other than that, I loved their relationship because more than anything they were friends and they supported each other, even when they could become pariahs in society.

The settings were rich in detail and the story had that fluidity that I love because it keeps me engrossed in the story. I also loved that it dealt with deep themes such as addiction and prejudice yet it kept a light side and didn’t turn into a sob-inducing story. I do believe addiction is a tough subject and even harder to overcome however I’ve also witnessed that given the right circumstances and for the right reasons a person can actually beat it. That’s one of the reason I don’t think Anthony’s recovery was that far-fetched and it could very much have happened quickly indeed.

Twists and turns and the fact the story definitely did not have the ending I expected make this a most delightful and entertaining read and I definitely recommend it to those looking for a well-told, unique, romantic story.

*** I received this book from the author at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.***