Review Tour: Red Zone By Sherri Hayes

After a case ended badly for Rebecca Carson, she’s losing her mind sitting around her apartment waiting on her superiors to allow her to return to work. Since she was a teenager, the only thing she’d ever wanted was to join the FBI. Now that dream was in danger. 

Gage Daniels has made a pretty good life for himself. A nice house. A career he loves. As a professional football player, he’s used to getting almost everything he’d ever want with just the snap of his fingers. This includes women. A well-timed smile is usually all it takes to attract the opposite sex, especially in Nashville. 

When a stalker threatens Gage, the team owner calls an old friend, Rebecca’s ex-partner Travis Hansen, to help protect his star quarterback and find the person responsible. Hansen offers Rebecca the job, and she jumps at the chance. It’s work, and it will get her out of her apartment. How bad can it be?

Posing as Gage’s girlfriend, however, isn’t as easy as it seems. The man is relentless. Rebecca must work to protect Gage while staving off his advances. She’s there to do a job, nothing more. The last thing she wants is to be another notch on a hotshot athlete’s belt.

As the stalker continues to up the ante, Rebecca finds it harder and harder to keep her distance from Nashville’s star quarterback. He isn’t what she expected in one of the city’s most notorious playboys. Now all she has to do is keep him safe until they can find his stalker, and hope she doesn’t lose her heart in the process.

Red Zone takes the whole stalker and protector angle to a different level, one that I really enjoyed.  Normally it is the men protecting the women from psycho fans, stalkers, abusive exs and such but this time it is the woman who protects the man.  Now don’t start thinking that this guy is weak or anything like that.  That is so not the case, he has a stalker.

Did I mention that he is a quarterback and she is playing the role of his girlfriend?  No?  Oops sorry, actually I ‘m not sorry because I want you to go get this book and read these details for yourself.  Yeah I know kind of makes writing a review sort of not necessary if I tell you each and every detail so that’s why I am not telling everything, just enough to make you intrigued, curious and interested in picking up the book and finding out for yourself why I enjoyed this one as much as I did.  This is the third book I have read from this author and once again I found myself hooked and not wanting it to end.  I think you all will enjoy this one as well, so add it to your TBR piles and find out for yourself all those details I didn’t give.

http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/books/detail/82

Review: Truth (Finding Anna #3) by Sherri Hayes

OH NO! OH NO! OH NO!  I was so hoping this was the final installment of Finding Anna. But…..it’s not. DAMMIT!

We’re left with another cliffhanger. I understand why this cliffhanger had to happen, but REALLY? I need to know what happens! It’s killing me!

Truth picks up right where Need leaves off. Of course, Stephan, being the perfect guy, shows up in time to save Brianna from her dad. But it doesn't end there. Her dad is determined to get her back. All he ends up doing is causing problems. Stephan continues to pursue Ian Pierce, determined to make him pay. All that ends up doing is causing problems.

Along the way, Brianna continues to grow as a person. She’s becoming more confident and the nightmares are starting to fade. She’s still broken, but Stephan is working on that. So is Brianna.

Sherri Hayes has continued to amaze me with this series. It’s not the typical romance. It’s not typical BDSM. It’s not typical anything. This story is both heart-warming and disturbing at the same time. Heartwarming that Stephan and  Brianna have found each other.  Heartwarming because Stephan is gentle and kind and perfect for Brianna. Disturbing that anyone could do that to another human being. The things Brianna has suffered through are horrible and heart breaking. No one should ever go through something like that!

Stephan is amazing and little hard to believe. I mean he’s 24! No 24 year old I’ve ever met could do what Stephan has done. But then Stephan has never been the normal person. Brianna is amazing as well. She’s grown and blossomed under Stephan.

I really need the next book. I have to know what happened. This series is killing me! At some point I cry during every story. I also find myself cheering Brianna on. It’s amazing!

Bring on the next one!

Find it on GoodReads!

Blog Tour and Giveaway Truth (Finding Anna series book 3) by Sherri Hayes

 

 

 

If you have not read the first two books stop if you do not want spoilers, even minor ones.

For the last two months, Brianna has discovered something she never thought she would again, hope. After the horror of being Ian’s slave for ten months, a fate she never imagined she’d escape, it feels as if she is living a dream. She has freedom she hadn’t expected to have again, and she wakes up every morning not fearing what the day will bring. There is also Stephan. The man who saved her from the daily torture she had to endure at the hands of Ian and his friends. The same man who makes her heart race with just the thought of him. Life is good.

Outside forces are determined to conspire against them, however. When Brianna’s father shows up on her doorstep, it sends her world spiraling out of control. He brings with him new information about how Brianna ended up in Ian’s clutches, but will it make a difference? Will Stephan be able to find a way to make Ian pay for all he made Brianna suffer? As Brianna and Stephan try to find out the truth, their relationship is tested. She is forced to face her past head on, and deal with the ugly reality of what happened to her. Will Stephan’s love be enough to see her through her newest challenge, or will the fragile trust they’ve built come crumbling down around them as the truth makes itself known.

Truth starts off right where Need left off.  Brianna has grown in her emotional health in the short time that she has been with Stephan.  It seems like every time things finally start to work well for them, something or someone steps in and sets them back.  In a way it seems like they will never be able to build their relationship and the trust between the two of them.  Brianna still has a long way to go, even with the setbacks she is facing, she grows stronger every day.

The Finding Anna series is not your everyday BDSM books.  These books show the darker side to this lifestyle and the consequences when someone is pulled into BDSM without their consent.  I just recently read the first two books, Slave and Need in preparation of reading this book and I must say that if you have not read the first two books  you need to prior to starting Truth or you will be somewhat lost. 

Overall I am really liking this series, my only complaint would be the cliff hanger endings for each book, other than that I highly recommend that you add this series to your TBR piles!

Buying link: http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/books/detail/93

Author Bio:
Sherri is the author of five novels: Hidden Threat, Slave (Finding Anna, Book 1), Need (Finding Anna, Book 2), Behind Closed Doors (A Daniels Brothers Novel), Red Zone (A Daniels Brothers Novel), and a short story, “A Christmas Proposal.” She lives in central Ohio with her husband and three cats. Her mother fostered her love for books at a young age by reading to her as a child. Stories have been floating around in her head for as long as she can remember; however, she didn’t start writing them down until she turned thirty. It has become a creative outlet that allows her to explore a wide range of emotions, while having fun taking her characters through all the twists and turns she can create. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found helping her husband in his woodworking shop.
Visit Sherri's Website at http://sherrihayesauthor.com/

The author will be giving away to two lucky winners a copy of their choice of either Slave, Need or Truth.  Please leave your email address and the format along with which book you would like in the comments.

Review: Red Zone by Sherri Hayes

Gage is a t HOT football star. He’s good-looking, his star is rising, and he’s a confirmed bachelor.

Rebecca is the stereotypical FBI Government agent. She’s reserved, dresses conservatively and doesn’t do flashy.

So, how in the world is she going to pretend to be Gage’s girlfriend in order to protect him from a stalker?

One Touch….

One Kiss…

One Family Reunion….

She’s lost…and so is he…

Gage has a great sense of humor. When he gets stuck with the stuffy FBI agent as his pretend girlfriend, he decides to have a little fun with it. He decides to push her buttons and get a reaction out of her. He does it all without being mean. He just pushes her to get her off-kilter.

Rebecca tried to keep Gage at arms length. But he won’t have it. He does everything he can to get closer to her and keep her on her toes. Rebecca’s not opposed to finding love, she just wants to be sure it’s with the right person. Losers need not apply!

Then they dance. Gage holds Rebecca in his arms and they kiss. They lose sight of everything else and find an all-consuming passion with each other. Will Rebecca give in to Gage’s seduction or will she let her childhood stop her from finding happiness?

This was a great love story. We had a some suspense built in with trying to figure out who was stalking Gage. There was nothing earth-shattering with either the romance or the stalking. But, it was still good. I enjoyed both the romantic plot and the suspense plot.  Both were like a comfortable blanket you put on to keep you warm at night. They’re familiar and the make you feel all cozy inside.

Sherri Hayes is a talented writer. She draws you in to the story and makes you feel part of their lives. I love that she has different series with different levels of emotional upheaval. Her Finding Anna series is dark and twisted. Her Daniels Brothers series, while suspenseful, is full of love and laughter and all things comforting. I love the versatility!

I’m looking forward to the next one in the series. There has to be another one because I need to find out what happens between Rebecca’s sister and Gage’s brother! Bring on another Daniels Brother Romance!

Review: Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes

Sherri Hayes has a way of building a suspenseful story that will keep you guessing. Behind Closed Doors is one of those stories. Elizabeth Marshall moves to a new town to start over. She just wants to forget what happened 6 months ago. She wants to go where no one knows her and no one knows what happened.

Christopher Daniels is done with women. He doesn’t want to deal with the emotional turmoil that comes along with women. But when he meets Elizabeth he starts to reconsider that. Once she gets threatened, he takes matters into his own hands to ensure she’s safe. But how will he handle having Elizabeth in his hands?

The romance between Christopher and Elizabeth was sweet. Once they finally got past their hang ups about the opposite sex, I fell in love with them. They never went out on a “proper date” but they had plenty of  quality snuggle time and lots of sex in all sorts of places!

I really enjoyed the suspense in the story. It added an extra bit of flair to the romance between Christopher and Elizabeth. I wasn’t 100% sure who was terrorizing Elizabeth, there were so many different people it could have been. That being said, I wasn’t completely surprised by the guilty party. I started to figure it out towards the end of the book.

I loved meeting all of the Daniels brothers. Their stories should be interesting and I’m looking forward to reading them!

Blog Tour & GIveaway: Red Zone by Sherri Hayes

What is your ultimate Valentine’s Day? From the Desk of author Sherri Hayes.

I live in Ohio, so it’s typically freezing here on Valentine’s Day. Since I don’t like the cold, my ultimate Valentine’s Day would involve a getaway to somewhere warm. We took a cruise several years ago to the Caribbean, and loved it. I can’t say it was all that romantic since we were with my parents though. It would be nice to do it again, but this time just the two of us. One of my favorite things on the cruise was going up on deck right as the sun was setting, and watching the sun disappear below the surface.

For something a little closer to home, I’d love a day away from everything. No computer, no cell phones. Somewhere with a hot tub or Jacuzzi would be a nice. I would want some place where I could relax, and enjoy myself with my husband.

Nothing overly exciting, I know, but I’m a fairly simple person. Some flowers and chocolates would be nice too, I suppose, but those things I can get anytime. Time is the most valuable asset we have.

REVIEW:

Gage is a HOT football star. He’s good-looking, his star is rising, and he’s a confirmed bachelor.

Rebecca is the stereotypical FBI Government agent. She’s reserved, dresses conservatively and doesn’t do flashy.

So, how in the world is she going to pretend to be Gage’s girlfriend in order to protect him from a stalker?

One Touch….
One Kiss…
One Family Reunion….

She’s lost…and so is he…
Gage has a great sense of humor. When he gets stuck with the stuffy FBI agent as his pretend girlfriend, he decides to have a little fun with it. He decides to push her buttons and get a reaction out of her. He does it all without being mean. He just pushes her to get her off-kilter.

Rebecca tried to keep Gage at arms length. But he won’t have it. He does everything he can to get closer to her and keep her on her toes. Rebecca’s not opposed to finding love, she just wants to be sure it’s with the right person. Losers need not apply!

Then they dance. Gage holds Rebecca in his arms and they kiss. They lose sight of everything else and find an all-consuming passion with each other. Will Rebecca give in to Gage’s seduction or will she let her childhood stop her from finding happiness?

This was a great love story. We had a some suspense built in with trying to figure out who was stalking Gage. There was nothing earth-shattering with either the romance or the stalking. But, it was still good. I enjoyed both the romantic plot and the suspense plot. Both were like a comfortable blanket you put on to keep you warm at night. They’re familiar and the make you feel all cozy inside.

Sherri Hayes is a talented writer. She draws you in to the story and makes you feel part of their lives. I love that she has different series with different levels of emotional upheaval. Her Finding Anna series is dark and twisted. Her Daniels Brothers series, while suspenseful, is full of love and laughter and all things comforting. I love the versatility!

I’m looking forward to the next one in the series. There has to be another one because I need to find out what happens between Rebecca’s sister and Gage’s brother! Bring on another Daniels Brother Romance!

One winner will win an ecopy of RED ZONE! Please leave a comment WITH your email address so I can contact the winner. Contest will run for one week. Thank you and good luck!

ARC Review: Need by Sherri Hayes

I am totally hooked on this series! Sherri Hayes can’t write these fast enough for me. How long do I have to wait until the third one? And YES, there is going to be a third one or I will personally picket Ms. Haye’s house until she writes it! You have been warned Ms. Hayes!

Brianna is such a strong and brave woman. She has suffered through so much and yet her will to live and fight has remained strong. Stephan finding her was a stroke of luck and he’s absolutely perfect for her!

One of the things I really like about this story is how things do not just magically happen for any of them. I find myself often complaining that things happen too easily for the characters in many of the stories. That is not the case in the Brianna series. Brianna has to fight for every step forward she makes, and it’s not always a forward progression. She suffers setbacks periodically. This holds true to how things happen in real life.

Stephan is surprisingly mature for his age and manages to provide the things Brianna needs, both physically and emotionally. He continues to push her boundaries but he does it in a caring and methodical manner. Stephan will sometimes ask Brianna to do something without explaining his reasoning to her, at least at first. This does a couple of things, one it requires Brianna to trust him, two it keeps the reader slightly off kilter, as the reasoning is not immediately clear. I like that!

There were several things that really appealed to me about this book. The first was the introduction of Cal Ross to the story. His previous connection to Brianna is proving interesting. I’m extremely curious to see what happens with this in the future. I like that Brianna has Lily to turn to and ask questions. Having someone other than your lover/boyfriend/savior to talk to and ask questions is essential. I also really like Tom. Yes, I know he’s the doorman/security at the penthouse building, but he makes me think of a father figure (I’m assuming age here). He’s taken a liking to Brianna and is very protective of her. I definitely think Brianna needs all the protection she can get, without the smothering. I also really like that as protective and possessive of Brianna as Stephan is, he’s pushing her to become independent and encouraging her to find her own voice.

SPOILER ALERT: Stephan and Brianna finally had sex and it was the sweetest thing. Stephan made sure she was comfortable, relaxed, and enjoying herself. I was completely enthralled by it. I’m hoping sometime in the near future, we can move beyond sweet and get it to HOT HOT HOT!

We’re once again left with questions. We still don’t know exactly why Brianna’s father played a part in her enslavement, although we are closer to knowing why. Knowing why will not ever tell HOW IN THE WORLD HE COULD DO IT TO HIS CHILD??? I’m horrified that any person could do this to another human being. But to do this to your OWN CHILD is pure evil. I’m hoping against hope that it’s all a big misunderstanding and he didn’t really do it.  The last question, or action rather, that better happen is Ian better get his! (Insert really bad words to describe Ian here).

One thing about this series that I waffle on is the speed at which things happen. While I like that things are not easy and happen overly quickly for Brianna and Stephan, I sometimes want the pace picked up a little. I know it’s contradictory but it’s just the way I am!

Ms. Hayes has left us with a HUGE cliffhanger and the only thing that pisses me off about it (because we all know I love cliffhangers) is I have to wait only who know how long until the next one comes out! You better get cracking Ms. Hayes!

Review: Slave by Sherri Hayes

OMG! Poor Brianna. The entire time I was reading this book, I kept thinking the same things, OMG! OMG! How did she survive this? Then I went to “Thank God for Stephan!”

As I read more and more of the story I was horrified by all the things this young girl had suffered. At eighteen years old, she should be innocent, naïve and about to embark on the greatest adventure of all….life.  Instead she’s recovering from just surviving being the unwilling slave to one sick puppy. I have other choice names for that sadistic SOB but I’m not sure they’re appropriate for a book review!

As each new horror that Brianna had suffered came to light I felt more and and more horrified for her. Then in the next instant I would feel profound pride at her bravery and strength to survive whatever came her way with Stephan. I’m not sure I would have been able to survive what she did.

I think this is the first BDSM book I’ve read where there was absolutely no sex between the Dom and sub. I really like that about this book. It goes to show the protective and caring part of a D/s relationship and that not everything is about sex. I like that Stephan admits that he wants Brianna but that she must ask for it and come to him willingly when SHE’s ready. She hasn’t learned that she actually has the power in this relationship. She is so broken and damaged by what has happened to her that it’s heartbreaking. She should be taking life by the horns and taking charge of her life. Instead, she’s being pieced back together by an amazing man.

When I reached the end of the book, I couldn’t believe it! While it was an appropriate place to end the book, I wasn’t ready! I wanted more! I know there is a second book, Need (Finding Anna #2), that is coming out shortly, but I wanted those answers NOW, not later. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not a patient woman!

There are several questions that I still need answered. Why did Tami (Stephan’s last sub) tell Stephan’s uncle about his lifestyle? Why did her dad do what he did? Why does Brad call her Anna instead of Brianna? How did Brianna’s dad fall into Ian’s circle of influence?

I’ll definitely read Need. I have to know what happens to Brianna and Stephan. I have know to about Stephan’s sub Tami and why she told. I have to know more!