Sanctuary by N.E. Julian

What is your definition of sanctuary and what would you be willing to do to have it? That is the question, on the surface, it seems Lea must face. However, it is also what Major Russell is seeking. N.E. Julian has thrown together two unlikely lovers in her war-torn romance, sanctuary. For nineteen year old Lea, who has been abandoned by her family during the Serbian war, sanctuary is being taken care of and protected by American soldier, Major Russell. In return, she agrees to give him her body. At first glance, one assumes thirty-six year old, Major is just a horny soldier taking advantage of a vulnerable young woman. While Lea may be vulnerable when she meets the major, she is also feisty, rebellious and smart. It is touching to watch her grow and learn to stand on her feet as she adjust to becoming an Army wife in a foreign country. For Major Russell, sanctuary is learning to open his heart and trust & love again after a bitter divorce from an unfaithful wife. What at first glance appears to be a story about sex and survival turns out to be a poignant story of hope and how two people with little lose find everything to live for in each other. This isn’t some sappy love story, and it’s not one of those romance novels with steamy explicit sex. In fact it reminds me of old movies where sex is alluded to and left to the viewer’s imagination. The sex is there but the story is about the people not their bodies. What makes this story so moving is the realness Julian brings to her writing. Four out of five stars.


This book was provided by the author.

Book Review - Until Now by Denise Skelton

Just when Terry Meyers thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong or get worse in her life, it does. In Until Now, Denise Skelton, gives us Terry, a feisty sarcastic, quick tempered and equally quick witted single mom. Her ex-husband is a deadbeat who has remarried a virtual child. A woman who is determined to make sure he doesn’t live up to his financial responsibilities to Terry and their two sons, age 7 and 14. In addition this new wife is determined to make sure he has nothing what so ever to do with his children. This causes a further emotional strain on Terry, who now has to be the mom and the dad as she tries to make up for their missing father. On top of all that her oldest son has gotten in with the wrong crowd at school, her car is falling apart and she has just lost her job. Although we feel her desperation, Skelton makes she we don’t pity Terry by making her a fighter who won’t give up. Maybe that’s why there are dubious men always vying for her affection, when the last thing Terry wants in her life is another man.

Enter sexy undercover FBI agent, Wade Nelson. Wade is posing as a new high school teacher to uncover a drug and weapons ring. Not only is Terry’s son one of his students, but it seems every time Terry is at her worst or lowest point, Wade just happens to be around. Most men would run from a woman whose middle name seems to be drama, but Wade finds he can’t resist her feisty charms. Will he be able to quench her fire or will he too be burnt by the flames?

Skelton has done a wonderful job of bringing her characters to life and making them three dimensional. While she throws a lot of obstacles at them she never goes overboard and leaves the reader going, “yeah right.” The tension she builds between her romantic leads sizzles while remaining realistic. I don’t read a lot of straight romances, so I had my doubts when I picked this up, but Skelton has combined romance with not only mystery and suspense but with a healthy dose of humanism. Add to that a hot cover and you can’t help but root for this one. Four out of five stars.

Read the first two chapters here.

This book was provided by the author and will be given to one lucky commenter.