Raphael by D.B. Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read and re-read Raphael so many times I cannot count them. It is my favorite in the series because we are introduced to Cyn and Raphael. Then the new covers came out and they are lovely! I have to say in a world where vampire books abound and I have shied away from the sub-genre with the exception of a few series that I am dedicated to, the Vampires in America series is one of those series. One of those things I love about this series it is "old-school" vampires with very cool powers and very old-fashioned values that I didn't really realize I was missing until this series.

Raphael hires Cyn to investigate a problem he is having. Someone has kidnapped one of his vampires and he needs investigative help finding her. He doesn't need help getting the female back because, hey, he's Raphael, Vampire Lord and a series kick-butt character.

We are introduced to some great characters in this book, including Raphael's chief of security, Duncan who tends to have the most contact with Cyn. Things get harry and the kidnappers push back and Cyn and Raphael have to kick up their game if they are going to get the vampire back and take care of the kidnappers. This story has a big twist and I loved it and will re-read it again.

Some Like it Royal by Heather Long
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book as an eArc from Netgalley and I really enjoyed it. It was quirky and fun and drew the reader in from the start. It is always great to see a techie meet someone and have him get the girl. This story has a great set up where the techie, Daniel Voldakov, who is a self-made billionaire that needs a bit of help breaking into the market in the EU due to the proclivity of companies over there only selecting vendors where the owner/officers have pedigrees. You're a prince or related to one, sure we'll consider you as a vendor. Daniel comes up with an idea where he finds an unknown royal in the U.S. that is linked to the EU and has pedigree. Will marrying her help him break into the tech world in the EU? It looks that way. Of course, he can't even give a demo so they can see how great his product is so he has to take extreme measures. He sets up a meeting with Alyx Dagmar in the greatest way which I will not divulge because it is one of the best scenes in the book. He gets Alyx to agree to come aboard as an employee and explains what he is trying to do and if things go well maybe they may both get more out of it. I did have one thing I would like to know that the book does not address. Why was the maid so upset? I can guess but it would have been nice if the story told me just in case there was something else there. Either way, great story!