Arc Review - Total Surrender by Rebecca Zanetti

Total Surrender
by Rebecca Zanetti

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher, via Netgalley, this does not affect my opinion of this book or the content of my review.

This is the series finale to the Sin Brother's series. The third in the series was one of the first ARC's I ever received and I was so excited I jumped right in and gobbled up and quasi-reviewed the previously listed titles as well. I was new, and the series was tricky, so I didn't have much to say, or maybe just didn't know how to say it. But considering my love for the rest of the series, I was so glad when Grand Central Publishing contacted me to review Total Surrender.

As a whole, this series somewhat reminds me of Christine Feehan's Ghost Walker series, just not as crazy and with a tighter deadline. And while they won't make my all-time favorites re-read shelves, they are an enjoyable set of books that I think fans of PNR and military romance will enjoy.

Now, about Total Surrender in particular. I swung wildly from loving it to getting extremely frustrated. Some of the plot was not smoothly done at all. I know why it was done that way, there were scenes in there to make Jory and Piper more like real people rather than stock characters, it was to get the reader to care about them and their happily ever after. It just wasn't always well done, in my opinion, and sometimes those scenes took me out of the story. Dinners with parents that didn't move the story, sex at inappropriate times and places that didn't always have a motive. Things like that frustrate me when it takes me out of the story.

Overall though, I bought them as a couple. They were fun, they rubbed each other the wrong way, and sparks flew. And the story itself was action packed and fast paced with enough plot twists to satisfy me. Who shot Jory? I bet it'll blindside you just like it did me. There were feels galore here, plenty of tearjerker fodder that didn't hit angsty, a nice gooey romantic ending, and plenty of feels for that whole family. The author also left it open for a spin-off, but left the Dean family in a nice, solid, happy place. It didn't feel cliff hanger-like.

Overall, I am pretty pleased with this story and enjoyed the conclusion for this series. 3.5 stars

Total Surrender by Rebecca Zanetti Preview & and Giveaways!!!

There are TWO giveaways involved in this post. One is from me and the other is from the blog tour. Bear with me, because I am pretty sure the rafflecopter thing I have done (not the blog tour one) is a hot mess, it's my first time, I have a feeling this is going to be rough.

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt:

“Madison? I have one week to live. For once, have a heart and let me live out my last days.” It was the closest he’d come to asking the brilliant scientist for anything after she’d started hitting on him when he’d reached puberty. She had a record for playing with cadets, and he’d kept his distance, as had his brothers, he was sure.

“I didn’t raise you to be a quitter. Don’t worry. I have a plan,” she said.

As usual, he’d have to work against her. He shoved a hand through his hair, which had begun to curl at his nape.

“What’s the plan?” If he was going to figure out a way to save his brothers, he had to get out of there.

“For one thing, I’d like to schedule you for another MRI. Your brain is functioning . . . abnormally.” She stared at his forehead as if she could see into his gray matter, her lip curling. “I’m having a PET scan set up for later today, also.”

Fuck, shit, and damn it all to hell. He couldn’t let her discover his special abilities, nor those of his brothers. They’d succeeded for years in hiding the very skills that had kept them alive. But ever since the coma, something new percolated in his mind. Something he apparently couldn’t hide now.

“You’ve been doing scans for months. Nothing is different.”

“The scans from last week are different.” She tapped a red fingernail against her lips.

Yeah. His best guess was that new paths had been forged in his brain during the coma, and a weird tingling in his lobe had begun the previous week. Maybe it was his special abilities increasing in power, or maybe it was something new. Either way, he had to mask the truth.

Two heartbeats echoed from outside the room, so he tilted his head to hear better while trying to appear bored. Dr. Madison had no clue about his heightened senses or his extra abilities, and he needed to keep it that way.

A soldier entered first, followed by a woman in her mid-twenties, who slid out from behind him.

Jory’s breath caught in his throat. Exquisite  Jory’s breath caught in his throat. Exquisite. For once, that word could be applied accurately. She stood to about five foot six in black boots wearing a matching leather jacket. Light mocha-colored skin, curly black hair, and eyes greener than the most private parts of Ireland.

She took one look at him and stepped back.

He moved forward and flashed a smile that made her eyes widen. If he had to scare her to make her leave, he’d do it.

Anybody seeing him in captivity would be killed by the commander after serving their purpose. So he forced sexual tension to filter through the room.

How he could do it, he wasn’t sure. Maybe pheromones and bodily heat waves, and the ability came easier now than it had before the coma. It was a hell of an advantage to use sometimes, and he ignored Madison’s quick intake of breath when he employed it.

“Is she for me?” he asked, forcing his gaze to run over the newcomer’s body and surprising himself when he hardened in response. God. He’d been on a mission and then in a coma for two years before spending time in captivity recuperating. When was the last time he’d gotten laid? Way too long ago.

He’d always liked women, although he’d never gotten close to one. Not really. They were either part of a mission or worked as doctors in the facility, and those certainly couldn’t be trusted.

This one was petite with delicate bone structure and clear, intelligent eyes. Whatever her purpose, she sure as hell didn’t belong in the dismal place. Hopefully she’d turn on her heel and get out since he’d leered at her.

Instead she lifted one eyebrow. Her face flushed. “So that’s him.”

Well, damn. Another angel with the heart of a demon. A pang landed squarely in Jory’s chest. Beauty should never be evil. “Yeah, that’s me,” he murmured, dropping the sensual attack. “Who are you?”

She opened her mouth and shut it as Dr. Madison shook her head. “It doesn’t matter who she is,” Madison muttered. Grasping the woman’s arm, Madison led her over to a computer console. “Get to work, and remember the rules.”

The woman jerked free and stepped away from Madison. She eyed Madison like an opponent in a boxing ring—with wariness and determination.

Jory frowned, and his instincts started to hum. Was the woman a prisoner, like him? Maybe he could gain them both freedom, with her help. She was outside of the cage, now wasn’t she? He smiled.

Dr. Madison glanced back toward Jory, her gaze narrowing. “Leave her alone to work, and I won’t have you tranquilized again.” With that, she allowed the soldier to escort her from the room, and the door nicked shut behind her.

The woman sat at the console and turned toward him. “Piper. My name is Piper.” She eyed the partition. Her voice was smooth and sexy . . . feminine. She guarded her expression well. “They didn’t give me your name.”

Yeah. They wouldn’t have thought to give his name. “Jory.” He really liked the way her tight jeans hugged her curves, and he appreciated the intelligence sizzling in those spectacular eyes. She’d have to be smart to help him escape.

“Why are you here, Piper?”

She exhaled slowly and stretched out her fingers. “I’m here to save you, Jory.”

Stay tuned for my review, and come back for more chances to win!

Review - The Witch With No Name

The Witch With No Name
by Kim Harrison

Ok, so it took me a bit to write this review, I've been following Rachel Morgan, Jinx and Ivy for a long time, and it is tough to let go. On the other hand, it is good when an author knows when to let go too. Rachel and the gang have come a long way since they started, so book 13 was less about the action and the exposition, and more like an epilogue for the series. Yes, there is some action and drama, but this book was all about tying up the loose ends. Overall, the plot seemed frequently disjointed, as if Harrison was trying to cram everyone in there and tie all their threads too. I guess I just have mixed feelings on this. If this weren't the finale, I think I would have hated it because there were (in my opinion) too many deus ex machina. On the other hand, I will admit that when a series is completed but doesn't feel like everything is all tied up, it will piss me off, so I would have probably been madder if the book hadn't turned out the way it did.

So I am giving this 3 stars, while the series didn't end on a high note, it is probably about the best we can hope for with such a long running series. If I can kind of compare this to anything, it would be the feeling I got reading the last Harry Potter book, but maybe a little worse since The Hollows peaked for me a few books back. And while everything was just a little too neat for me in the epilogue of this epilogue, I am hoping Al's last word clears it up for me and lets this thing actually end on the high note I was hoping for.