Checkmate (Graham Pack Mates #2) by Annmarie McKenna

☆☆☆☆☆

Published
February 2007
Publisher
Samhain Publishing
Pages
220

Nikki is nearly killed not once but twice and she has the scars to prove and the man of her dreams is home and she can’t face him ever again…

I am of a mind that Nikki may be one the strongest women characters I have come a crossed, after everything she has been through of course she took a knee but when she stood back up she was ready to reclaim her life. Thankfully she had her Eli there to help her regain her self. The evil villain was so well written that you could feel the evil coming of the pages when the story focused on him and you will be looking forward to seeing him get his when he finally gets caught.

If you are in the mood for the terror ride from hell, then the beginning of Checkmate will deliver and keep you hooked. Don’t get me wrong the book does come with a few rather dull, long winded moments but they are short lived and move onto the next action packed moment that leaves you gripping your e-reader and yelling “get that dirty son of bitch” or ‘that’s it punch the fucker again” your choice one or the other will fit. The bedroom scenes though not overly detailed or heated were well written and enjoyable.

Quote
“He’s perfect. For a shriveled-up, slimy, red-skinned…thing, I guess. Ten fingers, ten toes, one penis.”—Caelan describing his son

Book Cover Rating
Not boring but not really unique either.

Book’s Blurb
What’s an alpha shape-shifting wolf to do when the woman pre-destined to be his mate no longer trusts men?

After returning home from an eight-month security job, Eli Graham is ready to claim his best friend’s little sister as his mate. He’d put it off for years, thinking he was doing the right thing by waiting. Instead of the stubborn, independent, carefree girl he left behind, Eli finds a shell of the woman he once knew.

Having lived through a near fatal attack, Nikki Taylor has hidden herself away from the world. Now the time has come to face head-on the one man who could devastate her completely, Eli Graham. She’s loved him forever, craves him, body, heart and soul, but he’s never treated her as anything but a little sister.

When Nikki witnesses a murder, she has no choice but to rely on Eli’s expertise. While guarding her from the man bent on wiping out a witness, Eli shows Nikki that he’ll not only protect her body, but he’ll show her just what it means to be a wolf’s mate.

Blackmailed by Annmarie McKenna

☆☆☆☆☆

Published
May 2006
Publisher
Samhain Publishing
Pages
216

Brianna’s brother Scott is blind and partially deaf and because of this her dickhead of a dad decides to force her to conceive a child with a man of his choosing in order to get a perfect male heir, how sick is that? When Cole sees Brianna he immediately feels protective of her and refuses to let her leave with her father.

Can you believe that I like this book so much that I have read it five times? Well it’s true for some reason this book just really calls out to me and then I just have to read it.

I am not sure if it’s the really hot steamy bedroom scenes or that fact that I like seeing an idiot parent decked by his own son. Brianna and Scott have a lot of obstacles and the biggest one is their idiot father. Andrew Wyatt is most definitely a certifiable jack wagon in need of castration and parenting lessons from a jail cell.

Let us not forget the two charming heroes that save Scott and Brianna, you could almost feel the love at first moment for both Cole and Tyler, it was some seriously good writing on Annnarie McKenna’s part. They started with blackmailing her into staying providing themselves with a chance to keep her. I am glad it worked out for them and Brianna.

Where to begin with the sister from hell, made me thankful for my sisters that’s for sure. That fruit loop didn’t roll far from the tree. Sure made me feel like it was coming at them from all directions. Andrew should have learned to either keep it in his pants or how to use a condom.

Overall a really good book with lots of ups and downs to keep some one interested, even though it isn’t a paranormal read it is still worth the time to read.

Book’s Blurb
Brianna Wyatt may be a victim of her father’s machinations, but one look is all it takes for Cole Masters and Tyler Cannon to offer her their own style of menage a trois blackmail. Brianna Wyatt’s father is blackmailing her into doing what he wants by threatening to send her brother to an institution. She would do anything to keep that from happening, including go along with his demented scheme of her getting pregnant by Cole Masters–a man who’s been rumored to share a woman with his best friend, and who leaves Brianna’s innocent senses in shambles. Cole is sure he’s about to be blackmailed-why else would a man whore his daughter? But there’s something about her that neither Cole nor his best friend, Tyler Cannon, can deny. They want her, and don’t hesitate for a second on making their own offer. Her brother’s protection for her body. When danger flirts with Brianna’s life, there is nothing they won’t do to keep her safe. Including listening to what their hearts are saying.