Shark and the Wolf - Predators and Prey by Daniel D Shields

*This book was given to me for review. Thanks Dan Shields for the opportunity.*

Synopsis from the back cover:

In Las Vegas, Nevada, Shaw, billionaire casino magnate and self proclaimed world's greatest showman, nears completion on the massive Serengeti, Resort & Casino. Its amphitheater, the largest man made structure ever built, seats 500,000 spectators and covers an enclosed area of 1.5 miles. The arena floor is being transformed into an authentic slice of African savanna for the show Predators and Prey which will savagely pit animal against animal in the bloodiest gladiatorial spectacle ever created for human entertainment.
In Key West, Florida, Shark, the world's only Great While pool playing shark, gets hustled by the evil animal slave trading hyena, Old Jack, who dupes Shark into believing his girlfriend, a hot fox named Vixen, is in Fiji and needs his help retrieving a treasure. Old Jack's real plan - lure Shark to Fiji, use him to retrieve the submerged treasure, and then capture Shark, and sell him to Shaw, for use as the star and main attraction in the world's most brutal show. "Come One - Come All To See - The Only Great White Shark In Captivity."
Old Jack's plan works like a charm. Shark is helpless to stop the kidnapping of his girlfriend, Vixen, is forced to watch the heartless execution of his best friend, Dog Z Boy, and is enslaved and sold to Shaw. He is forced to battle animals and his human captives before trying to rescue his girl and seeking revenge on those that have wronged him. Will he succeed?
Shark will stop at nothing to protect his friends in this exotic world where humans remain the dominate species and animals are forced to be their obedient servants.
Sit back and enjoy the wild ride!

My take on this book was a little mixed. The bad stuff first. My imagination is not so great, and I need things detailed out for me a little more than was seen in this book. The animals have all evolved into walking, talking beings with arms and legs and act like humans but apparently don't look like humans. I couldn't quite picture what they did look like. Was Shark 10 feet tall, 20 feet tall, or around 6 feet tall like an average human? Was his head the size of a normal great white sharks, or was it human sized with the skin of a shark? Not that this kind of information would change the story, it just made it really hard for me to picture what was going on when I couldn't picture the players. I thought the dialogue was sometimes very juvenile between Shark and Dog Z Boy and made me feel like I was listening to 15 year old boys (which is not my idea of a good time) but I didn't get that feeling so much with the other characters. There was also quite a bit of violence. A few characters getting severe beatings, one getting shot, and then the Predators and Prey show at the end is very bloody. It works for the book, but is not typically something I personally like to read about.
Now for the good stuff. I actually kind of liked the storyline, which I will admit surprised me a little. I thought it was well-written with something always happening. There was no down time in this book. It goes from Florida to Fiji to South America to Vegas which helped keep it interesting to have different scenery. I hated the bad guys and liked the good guys, and by the end I was really interested to see how Shark was gonna win. I liked the friendships between the characters, and also the romances (although it was hard to picture a shark and a fox being attracted to each other ... ).
Overall, I would give this book 3.8 stars. Not quite 4, but close. =) I would recommend this to just about anyone. It was good. It was fun to give something new a try.

"Within My Heart" by Tamera Alexander

From tameraalexander.com:

Determined to fulfill her late husband’s dream, Rachel Boyd struggles to keep her ranch afloat with the help of her two young sons. But some days it feels as though her every effort is sabotaged. When faced with a loss she cannot afford, she’s forced to trust Rand Brookston, the one man in Timber Ridge she wishes to avoid. And with good reason. He’s a physician, just like her father, which tells her everything she needs to know about him. Or so she thinks . . .
Dr. Rand Brookston ventured west with the dream of bringing modern medicine to the wilds of the Colorado Rockies, but the townspeople have been slow to trust him. Just as slow in coming is Rand’s dream to build the town a proper clinic. When a patient’s life is threatened, Rand makes a choice—one that sends ripples through the town of Timber Ridge. And through Rachel Boyd’s stubborn heart.
From the beloved, bestselling author of From a Distance and Beyond This Moment comes an unforgettable story about faith in the face of fear, about tarnished hopes and second chances, and ultimately about the resilient courage and tenacity of hearts broken––and mended––by love.

I quite enjoyed this book, but then again, I typically enjoy anything by Tamera Alexander. This is the third and last book in the Timber Ridge Reflections series. It worked fine as a stand alone book, but I think a lot of things would have made more sense and the characters personalities would be more clear if I had indeed read the first two books. But it was fine. I didn't feel like I really missed anything in the story, and I got a good sense of the main characters, just not the supporting cast, which some of them played a major role in this story.

Rachel Boyd is struggling to keep her ranch alive. The cattle keep dying, she can't afford to pay her help, and she's asking - again - for a loan from the bank to stay afloat. Trying to maintain the legacy her deceased husband wanted for their two small boys, helping her friends out in their time of need, and dealing with her mischievous 8-year old, she's stretched far too thin and wants nothing to do with the town doctor whom she thinks is arrogant, aren't all doctors arrogant, but the town doctor, Rand Brookston, wants everything to do with her.

I don't have any criticism for this book. There was no swearing, no sex - all very (very) chaste, and for a lot of you I know that's important. The story was entertaining and witty, the characters very likeable. It was easy to visualize the events and the characters. Overall I give "Within My Heart" a solid 4.5 star rating. It's good. =) Check it out (but maybe read "From a Distance" and "Beyond This Moment" first).

A Lawmans Christmas by Linda Lael Miller

From lindalaelmiller.com:

The sudden death of the town marshal leaves Blue River, Texas, without a lawman…and twenty-five-year-old Dara Rose Nolan without a husband. As winter approaches and her meager seamstress income dwindles, she has three options. Yet she won’t give up her two young daughters, refuses to join the fallen women of the Bitter Gulch Saloon and can’t fathom condemning herself to another loveless marriage. Unfortunately she must decide—soon—because there’s a new marshal in town, and she’s living under his roof.With the heart of a cowboy, Clay McKettrick plans to start a ranch and finally settle down. He isn’t interested in uprooting Dara Rose and her children, but he is interested in giving her protection, friendship—and passion. And when they say “I do” to a marriage of convenience, the temporary lawman’s Christmas wish is to make Dara Rose his permanent wife…

This book is exactly like every other Linda Lael Miller book. It's cute, it's fun, the characters are likeable, and the story is very predictable. =) That said, I really liked it. I would have liked it better if I had read it instead of listened to it (because I very muchly don't like the narrator that does all the Linda Lael Miller books) but I still enjoyed it.
This McKettrick book takes place in 1914 or 1915 with the grandson of Angus McKettrick (which is who the series starts with and every book refers back to him). Clay decides he needs to get away from the Triple M in Arizona and make his own way in life and find a girl who won't run away with one of his cousins. He agrees to be the town marshal in Blue River, Texas, and upon arrival meets the spunkiest little 6-year old girl he's ever met. Turns out, her dad was the marshal before, and she and her mom, Dara Rose, and sister are still living in the house that's promised to Clay as part of his contract from the town council. Clay immediately decided that Dara Rose is the woman for him, but she's going to need a little convincing.
This was a fun book. Mostly a clean read, although it seems like the epilogue might not be. I would recommend to anyone, and give it 4 stars. Enjoy!

7th Heaven by James Patterson

I've been on a James Patterson kick lately. Not sure why. I'm not sure I even really like his stuff. It's okay and it keeps me entertained, but not really my cup of tea. So why do I feel like I have to finish this series? Not sure, but I do, and I will, and it will keep me entertained for another couple of boring nights at work. "The Women's Murder Club" series is mostly about policewoman Lindsay Boxer and the homicide cases she's currently working on. Occassionally the point of view switches to one of the other 3 members in the "club" or to the killer, but mostly it's about Lindsay. I like Lindsay. She's a good character. She's a good cop with good instincts and doesn't mind breaking the rules every now and then. Here's the synopsis of "7th Heaven" taken from jamespatterson.com:

A VERY PUBLIC DISAPPEARANCET The teenage son of California's ex-governor, Michael Campion has mysteriously vanished. Known as the "Boy with a Broken Heart" because of his incurable heart defect, Michael grew up under the eye of an adoring public. The pressure on Detective Lindsay Boxer to find Michael is overwhelming. When she finally does get a lead, it's devastating...
A DEADLY RASH OF ARSONS While working on the Campion case, Lindsay and her partner, Rich Conklin, also investigate terrifying fires that are destroying some of the most beautiful homes in San Francisco–and killing their owners in the flames. But when Lindsay invites her friends in the Women's Murder Club to help her uncover the arsonist, the blazes suddenly start to rage much too close to home.
A CHANCE AT 7TH HEAVEN Now as these two intense, demanding cases bring Lindsay and Rich closer together than ever, Lindsay will find herself on the brink of an emotional meltdown.

There were a few good twists and turns in this book that kept me guessing, although by the end, it wasn't too surprising. The characters are all well written and easy to like. I'm interested to see where the love interest for Lindsay goes in the next couple of books. There is a lot of swearing so if you don't like that, this is not the series for you, and there are some intimate scenes, however right now I can't recall how in depth they go, so if you also don't like that, don't read these. But if you like a good mystery and some fun detective work, you won't be disappointed in "The Womens Murder Club" series. Overall, I will give "7th Heaven" 4 stars.