The Dating Dare: A Novel

The Dating Dare: A Novel by Jayci Lee

Two Korean-Americans meet at a wedding. They fall for each other immediately, but both are reluctant to enter a relationship. They play a "game" where they will go on four dates without falling for each other. He has to go to Paris for a great photography opportunity in a short time, so they know it will only be temporary. Alas, this is a romance, so of course they will end up together. They also discover that they each have similar backgrounds and have been burned in the past. It is lighthearted without getting too spicy, though language is far from clean. For a romance, it is much better than the romatasy slop out there.

One Last Stop

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

A girl, August, moves to New York City and gets an apartment with roomates and job at a diner. She sees another girl (Jane) on the Q line and is attracted to her. They always seem to ride the same line. They spend some time together. However, when August invites her out, she refuses.

Later August, with the help of her psychic roommate, determines that that girl may is in a weird state. She has been stuck on the train since the 1970s. As they dig further, they help Jane find out more about herself. They discover that she is connected to August's uncle that disappeared nearly a half century ago. They also learn that Jane had saved a diner worker who fell on the tracks and likely got shocked into limbo during a great blackout of the 1970s. They hatch a plan to free her from the realm.

This book tells a compelling story that adds on some lgbt romance. (e.g. making out helps her remember.) It is also firmly rooted in normal society. Though it does borrow some elements from romantic fantasy, it is much better written.

The Fifth Bandit: Spider Heist Thrillers, Book 4

The Fifth Bandit: Spider Heist Thrillers, Book 4 by Jason Kasper

The heist team goes to Seattle. They start by meeting with their number one fan who has been purchasing their memorabilia. After the meeting, they realize that she is actually "the mentor" who they have been hunting. This realization comes just in time for them to abandon their base before they are compromised. They then hatch a few plans to infiltrate the mentor. They sink her yacht in lake Washington. They later infiltrate her compound by tunneling underneath it via Lake Washington. In the end, the mentor's evil doings are unearthed for the authorities to convict. This brings the Sky Thieves series to a nice conclusion, while leaving enough of an opening for a sequel. The Seattle location is fairly accurately detailed, but the plot does get a bit confusing.

The Manhattan Job: Spider Heist Thrillers, Book 3

The Manhattan Job: Spider Heist Thrillers, Book 3 by Jason Kasper

The skysafe heist crew goes to retrieve the some tapes that would incriminate the corrupt FBI agent, Jim. They carry out the operation to get them out of a hidden safe deposit box, but when they find them, the tapes are missing. Another criminal has them and will be auctioning them off to the highest bidder. Jim is now running for congress, so he and his mentor want to make sure they don't fall in the wrong hands. There is a bidding war, but Jim gets them. The heist crew decides they will simply try to pick Jim's pocket before he can destroy them. However, things don't go well on the first attempt and Jim is on to them. For the next try, he wants to do the drop at a fundraising dinner attended by the president. A standard heist won't work. So, they find an attendee that looks like one of the crew and find a way to call him out of the dinner (with some market manipulation). Then the crew can pick the ticket from his pocket and go in. That plan falls apart when the attendee gets in trouble with law and dropped from the guest list. They end up relying on "gut" and just cage out the streets going towards the dinner. Blair notices different footwear and chases after the suspect. They have a daring chasing and end up meeting up. This person ends up being a heist crew of one and they have mutual respect for each other. The crew does manage to get the tapes, mail them back too themselves and then incriminate Jim. But, now they have his mentor to go for. The action is nonstop. The heists are elaborate, but like the real world, they never go 100% to plan.

The Sky Thieves: Spider Heist Thrillers, Book 2

The Sky Thieves: Spider Heist Thrillers, Book 2 by Jason Kasper

A new impenetrable Sky Safe is being built into a building in LA. The heist team treats it as a challenge. Little do they realize that Jim, their nemesis is using this to trap them. The team plots a way to get it by infiltrating the construction process to create a vulnerable piece. They plot to get access by inflicting structural damage on a nearby building in order to require a crane to be in place. They use the fourth of july as the date since fireworks will keep everyone busy. The plan almost goes well. They get the diamond and get it handed off. However, a swat team is waiting, and one team member is caught. He is tried and sentenced to life in a maximum security prison. They end up plotting his escape, using the prison's adherence to protocol to their advantage. They do get him out, much to the chagrin of Jim. The book includes multiple heists with very elaborate planning and technical challenges. It even throws in courtroom drama and chase scenes. 

The Spider Heist: Spider Heist Thrillers, Book 1

The Spider Heist: Spider Heist Thrillers, Book 1 by Jason Kasper

A down on her luck woman, Blair, is fired from her waitressing job again. Luckily(?) a man approached her with an opportunity to butter up a banker who is suffering from esteem issues. She reluctantly agrees and then finds herself in a much more complex situation. She was recruited as a "innocent" part of a heist team. However, she was former law enforcement and nearly escapes and destroys the heist. She eventually realizes that the heist team may be better than trying to go back to law enforcement. She had to serve time after being manipulated to falsify an investigation by her coworker/lover. He is after her in this investigation also. The team does manage to complete the heist and get away. The woman now wants "in" on the team.  The money was actually just a "front" for the real heist that involved an electronic "spy" placement. It is a "spider" heist. The book is a fast-paced riveting story that has many turns that leave you guessing, before tidying up nicely.

Steelstriker

Steelstriker by Marie Lu

The protagonist works as a bodyguard for the ruler. She has special super-engineered powers. She does not like her job, but whenever she does poorly, her mom suffers. The ruler has mom as a prisoner and moves her every 2 weeks. Mom's conditions depend on how well daughter does her job. There are inklings of a rebellion. Then the bad imperial overlords are overthrown and boy and girl fall in love. I did not care much for the book.

Skyhunter

Skyhunter feels a lot like a Star Wars book, though it has nothing to do with that universe. There is a planet that is different after a federation comes through. People feel oppressed by the federation and some of the mind control. The main character doesn't talk. It is revealed that she screamed as a young child that led to her parents being found from hiding. The people fight ghosts. The federation controls them. They find a "superwarrior" that they are able to bring to their side. The federation has lost the ability to control him. He also has blood that can neutralize the ghosts. There seems to be hope of defeated the bad leader. But things don't quite pan out. It keeps things all set up for a sequel. The book is not horrible, but it does not feel original at all.