Katy Budget Books

SHINJU

Rookie investigator Sano Ichiro is assigned to the presumed suicide of wealthy Yukiko and poor Noriyoshi after their bodies are pulled from a river in seventeenth-century Japan.  Yet a wound found on Noriyoshi and a message from Yukiko's sister along with other clues point to a murder and Sano is told to cease his investigations.  Sano's faced with the ethical Selina of obeying his Supervisor and giving into the coverup or seeking the real murderer and possibly dishonoring his position, his family, and jeopardizing his future.

This was a wonderful book.  It delves into the colorful pageantry and complex politics of historical Japan.   Sano investigates the seedy side of life and the desperation of people making a better life, and the advantages of the wealthy and their ability to abuse the finer aspects of life.  The multiple layered plot kept my mind working and my fingers turning pages.  I ached for Sano and the problems he found himself in and cheered as he conquered each obstacle thrown in his path. 

This is the first of fifteen Sano Ichiro books.  I've already obtained the second book in the series and can't wait to go along with Sano on his next case.  You won't be sorry if you join me.

DEFIANT

Forced to marry Lady Gwyneth of Windrose against his will, Jared St. John, released from prison after serving time for a crime he did not commit, discovers that his beautiful captor is using him to gain her freedom from her own false imprisonment.

HOW TO MARRY A DUKE

Tristan James Gatewick, the Duke of Shelbourne, has been declared England’s most sought-after bachelor in England.  He’s postponed finding a bride for several years but finds that he should expedite his marrying.  So now he’s attending balls and parties only to be followed around by a gaggle of giggling young women not anywhere close to what he is looking for in a wife.

            He had so many women after him vying for his attention until one night when he steps on the fan of the one woman at the ball who wasn’t begging him for attention, Tessa Mansfield.   After finding out she’s the local matchmaker he decides to hire her to find him a wife.  And she does, 24 potential wives.  Twenty-four, beautiful young women whose families and themselves would love to catch the most eligible bachelor in England. 

Through a series of tests and games, Tristan would eventually choose his bride.  Eventually there are only two candidates left.  Both were beautiful, talented and smart.  To choose one would hurt the other’s feelings.  So, tormented, his decision must be made

And there’s suspense when an old suitor arrives with desires of marrying Tessa.  But now Tristan has to deal with feelings that he didn’t expect to feel.

Vicki has filled this book with laugh out loud adventures as each of the ladies compete for Tristan’s attention.  There were also moments I wanted to cry with the characters.  I immediately became so entwined with the characters that I was there with them in the room.

MISSING MAX

Jane and Kyle Madison are riding high.  They have a six-month old son Max, a sixteen year old daughter Melanie.   Both Jane and Kyle have successful law careers.   Things couldn’t be better on that beautiful sunny day when Jane, Melanie, Max went to Mardi Gras.  In a matter of moments their lives quickly spiral downward as Max, is kidnapped.  All that is left is a tiny shoe and an empty stroller.  The next six months become a nightmare as the family turns on each other, each trying in their own way to find Max and bring him back to the fold.  Jane turns to Child Search, an agency searching for missing children such as Max.  Kyle begins his own search unbeknownst to Jane.  Even Melanie tries by making a major change in her life.  None can predict the destruction as each tries to heal.  But a chance sighting sets Jane on the right path to finding Max….but will they get there in time.

Karen Young has always promised a good story and this book does not veer from that vow.  I was immediately pulled in, heart and mind as I quickly turned the pages.  Emotions ran higher and higher with each trail that was a wrong turn.  The war waged between mother and daughter had me hurting inside.  And each step towards the healing of the family had me cheering. 

This is Karen Young’s finest yet!

SECOND CHANCE BRIDE (AN INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE)

Second chances are rare in Annie MacAllister's life, and the sudden opportunity to pose as a respectable schoolteacher is too good to pass up. Annie plans to stay in the friendly Texas town of Trail's End just long enough to earn money for a new start. But she never dreams that in helping herself, she would help her students--and the one man who could uncover her truth...

As Trail's End's most righteous citizen, John Sullivan thinks that believing in God is only about right and wrong. But he's challenged by the new schoolteacher's unconventional methods--and her unexpected past. Now, he and Annie will need some divine forgiveness to reignite their faith...and find a future together.

TREASURES OF VENICE 

When American librarian Samantha Lewis and Irish rogue Keirnan Fitzgerald set off to find priceless jewels, they become embroiled in a 500-year-old love story that eerily prefigures their own...

In 15th century Venice, beautiful and wealthy Serafina falls in love with Nino, a young Florentine sculptor. They decide to flee to Padua, and to fund the trip, Nino copies a set of jewels that then disappear.

In modern-day Venice, Keirnan needs Samantha's help to locate the jewels so he can pay his sister's ransom. Samantha must decide whether the man she's so drawn to is her soul mate from a previous life...or are they merely pawns in a relentless quest for a priceless treasure?

Great story, action, romance, suspense. Jan

SPELL OF THE HIGHLANDER 

Powerful. Sensual. Seductive. He is all that is shamelessly erotic in a man. In her sexiest Highlander novel yet, "New York Times" bestselling author Karen Moning stirs up a sizzling brew of ancient mystery and modern passion as she brings together a devilishly handsome Celtic warrior trapped in time . . . and the woman who's about to pay the ultimate price for freeing him. Age-old secrets haunt them. Deadly danger and irresistible desire shadow their every move. It's a relationship for the ages. And all that separates them is a mere thirteen hundred years. . . .
Jessi St. James has got to get a life. Too many hours studying ancient artifacts has given the hardworking archaeology student a bad case of sex on the brain. So she figures she must be dreaming when she spies a gorgeous half-naked man staring out at her from inside the silvery glass of an ancient mirror. But when a split-second decision saves her from a terrifying attempt on her life, Jessi suddenly finds herself confronting six and a half feet of smoldering, insatiable alpha male.
Heir to the arcane magic of his Druid ancestors, eleven centuries ago Cian MacKeltar was trapped inside the Dark Glass, one of four coveted Unseelie Hallows, objects of unspeakable power. When the Dark Glass is stolen, an ancient enemy will stop at nothing to reclaim it, destroying everything in his path-including the one woman who may just hold the key to breaking the ninth-century Highlander's dark spell. For Jessi, the muscle-bound sex god in the mirror is not only tantalizingly real, he's offering his protection-from exactly what, Jessi doesn't know. And all he wants in exchange is the exquisite pleasure of sharing her bed.
Yet evenas Cian's insatiable hunger begins to work its dark magic on Jessi, his ancient enemy is about to obtain the final and most dangerous of the Unseelie Hallows-and the ninth-century Highlander must stop him from getting it. Nothing less than the very fabric of the universe and two passionately entwined lives are at stake-as Cian and Jessi fight to claim the kind of love that comes along but once in an ice age. . . .

Dead Reckoning means estimating a position by applying to a previously determined position. Ronie Kendig’s book is so appropriately named. While she educates us about diving, she delves into political intrigue with spies that capture your heart as they run through an international nuclear arms clash.
Shiloh Blake is young, working on diving hours as a member of a team from University of California, San Diego. She wants to qualify for the Pacific Rim Challenge. However, while underwater, her team is ripped apart by bullets, killing one and severely injuring her partner Khalid. Suddenly Shiloh finds herself smack in the middle of the type of things she had tried to avoid since severing ties with her father, an international spy who had moved her around all her younger years. An angry Shiloh is propelled into the arms of Reece, who considers her an asset of the United States. Through gun fights, bombings, ambushes, death, Shiloh turns to the one who can protect her and help her accomplish her mission.
Shiloh and her partner’s mission take the reader to exotic locals filled with history. The operatives are guided by clues of actions based on history and the enemies attempted act of positioning themselves in a place of supreme power. The colorful settings add intrigue to those of us unfamiliar with customs of the Middle East.
And Aras…he is one of my favorites. You’ll have to read the book to find out why Shiloh made fast friends with the one who nearly sliced her neck open.

I absolutely loved this book and hope that Ms. Kendig continues with more adventures. She kept me so engrossed that I felt I was being chased and shot at, stumbling to keep up with Shiloh. Her writing style pulls you in and makes you an eye witness to each and every step taken by the characters. A very good book, well worth reading. Ms. Kendig will be an auto buy for me!