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Category romantic suspense

2012: #68 – Silent Scream (Karen Rose)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in police procedural, romantic suspense; Tagged with ; December 30th, 2012
silentscream

Title: Silent Scream
Author: Karen Rose
Format: Kindle
Pages: 601
Release Date: 2010
Publisher: Headline
Source: personal copy

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

When a teenage girl dies in a suspicious fire, Detective Olivia Sutherland is assigned to track down the arsonist. Then she discovers something more sinister: a vicious blackmailer who preys on young people and murders without hesitation. Making her work even harder is sexy firefighter David Hunter. He’s not only sharing the case but sparking memories of their long-ago night of passion, when feelings were left unspoken and hearts were broken.

David has his own ghosts, and a million regrets. But while he and Olivia try to face the wall of pain between them, a diabolical puppet master is pulling strings to make a group of twenty-somethings do his bidding. Soon Olivia and David are scouring the city for a calculating criminal who seems tantalizingly close–and is moving in for the kill.

My thoughts:

I read this book in bits and pieces on my phone, so it took me quite a while to get through. The good thing was, I was able to put it down and pick it up again a couple of weeks later and still figure out what was going on.

The mystery was solid, and kept you guessing, even when you are in the killer’s head part of the time.

This is set up to be more of a romantic suspense novel, but really I think it’s a police procedural with a heavy romantic element. Besides the parts where Olivia and David are each torturing themselves about their present and past actions, the romance is actually a rather small part of the book. Neither of them acted in a very logical way in between their first meeting and their second, but it’s not too hard to chalk that up to people being dumb about love.

Overall, I rather enjoyed this and will definitely keep more Karen Rose books on my to-read list.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

  • “There is a good twist at the end that actually had me cheering because it wasn’t Karen Rose’s typical straight line.” — Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
  • “As loathe as I am to admit this, I had not heard of Karen Rose’s novels prior to this one and I will be reading all of her earlier novels as I believe there may potentially be some character carry-over, or at least I hope there is, as she puts together an amazing cast of characters.” — Rundpinne
  • “If you enjoy detective thrillers with strong woman lead characters, I highly recommend Karen Rose’s novels in general, and her latest novel, Silent Scream, in particular.” — Starting Fresh

2012: #3 – Before She Dies (Mary Burton)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense; Tagged with ; February 21st, 2012

Title: Before She Dies
Author: Mary Burton
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416 (2012 total – 1,264)
Approx. Word Count: 104,000 (2012 total – 374,804)
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Zebra – Kensington
Categories: romantic suspense
Source: ARC from publicist
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Back of the book:

He Is Their Judge. . .

In death, they are purified. Holding his victims under water, he washes away their sins as they struggle for their last breath. Then he stakes their bodies to the ground, exposing them for what they really are. Witches, sent to tempt and to corrupt. . .

Jury. . .

No one knows about defense attorney Charlotte Wellington’s murdered sister, or about her childhood spent with the carnival that’s just arrived in town. For Charlotte, what’s past is past. But others don’t agree. And as a madman’s body count rises, she and Detective Daniel Rokov are drawn into a mission that’s become terrifyingly personal. . .

And Executioner

At last, she is within his reach. All his victims deserve their fate, but her guilt is greatest. And with every scream, he will make her see what it means to suffer and repent—before she dies. . .

My thoughts:

Though not technically part of a series, Before She Dies closes off a loosely connected trilogy that started with Burton’s Senseless and Merciless. I think it was on par with those two books. In some ways, it was stronger. The romance is there from the very beginning rather than materializing towards the end, so we get a chance to root for it a bit longer. I would have liked to see a little more wanting from Charlotte’s point of view, but overall I’m not disappointed in how it developed.

I also thought Charlotte’s back story was more interesting than the female protagonists in the previous two books. The carnival makes for an unusual backdrop.

When it comes to the villain, I find that I finished the book feeling somewhat confused about him. (SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD) His placement in the periphery of the story was a bit too obvious, because if he’s not the bad guy, what’s his purpose? Maybe I just read too many of these types of books. I also didn’t understand his ultimate motive. I understood the fixation part of it, I just didn’t get why he started in the first place. (END SPOILERS!)

Overall, I did enjoy the read. I think Burton writes both strong female and strong male characters, yet is able to keep the male characters secondary. I will continue to keep Burton on my “to read” list!

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

Past reviews:

2011: Labor Day (Joyce Maynard)
2010: Lamb (Christopher Moore)
2009: Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (Diana Gabaldon)
2008: Lord John and the Private Matter (Diana Gabaldon)
2007: No Second Chance (Harlan Coben)
2006: Lost Innocents (Patricia MacDonald)
2005: 3rd Degree (James Patterson)

2011: #66 – Last Girl Dancing (Holly Lisle)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; December 7th, 2011

lastgirlBook #66 was Last Girl Dancing by Holly Lisle. The back of the book reads:

Obsessed with discovering what happened to her missing sister, Atlanta detective Jess Brubraker is willing to disappear into a sordid night world to find the answer. But that means leading both herself and her lover into the most intimate and terrifying trap of all.

Lisle is better known as a science fiction novelist, but this foray into romantic suspense is quite successful. The premise, a detective going undercover as a stripper (and actually getting naked in the process), isn’t particularly believable, but when the other main character is a man who can read people through things they have touched, you’re already suspending disbelief. Ultimately, the characters were likeable and the mystery was decent (I didn’t guess whodunit until it was practically revealed). I’m not a huge sci-fi fan, but I would be interested in reading more of Lisle in this genre.

Page count: 311 (’11 total: 18,643) | Approximate word count: 77,750 (’11 total: 6,534,307)

2010: Standoff (Sandra Brown)
2009: I Smile Back (Amy Koppelman)
2008: Homeport (Nora Roberts)
2007: The Double Bind (Chris Bohjalian)
2006: Plain Truth (Jodi Picoult)
2005: Bridge of Birds (Barry Hughart)

2011: #65 – No Holly for Christmas (Julie N. Ford)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; November 1st, 2011

nohollyBook #65 was No Holly for Christmas by Julie N. Ford. The back of the book reads:

As Brian McAlister struggles to move past being jilted not once, but twice by the only woman he’s ever loved, he’s all but given up on relationships. Then, on special assignment for the DA’s office, he crosses paths with ex-socialite turned social worker, Holly Cavanaugh Winter—and romance blossoms.

Widowed, practically penniless, and reduced to shopping at WalMart, Holly is dreading the approaching Holiday Season. However, her angst isn’t due to her husband’s untimely death the previous December 25th, but because of a secret that could reveal itself unless she can find a way to avoid the coming Christmas.

Love at first sight quickly turns frigid for Brian and Holly when Holly gets pulled into a manhunt for an accused murderer who now has his sights set on her. His case unraveling, Brian finds himself tasked with keeping Holly and her two daughters safe while bringing an assassin and the powerful man who hired him to justice.

A heart-warming story of suspense, healing, giving and receiving, No Holly for Christmas is the perfect addition to everyone’s holiday reading list.

No Holly for Christmas is the follow-up to Ford’s The Woman He Married, which I reviewed here in April. Brian, who plays the role of the spoiler in the first book, is our leading man in this one. Despite being a well-known defense attorney, he’s been tapped for a special assignment in the DA’s office after his father’s illness. The last thing he expects is to find himself attracted to his partner’s social worker sister.

Holly is having a rough go at it. Her husband’s death has meant that she has to go to work and move her two daughters away from the privileged life they enjoyed to a much more solidly middle-class existence. Not only is she not expecting to be attracted to her sister’s partner, she’s not sure she’s ready to find a love again.

Throw in an escaped murderer and a conspiracy, and you have the perfect recipe for a roller coaster romance. A recipe Holly would love to serve to you on her great-grandmother’s china.

The set-up in this romance is a little more traditional than the last one, but that’s one of the reasons why we read romance and its many sub-genres — we know what to expect. Holly is a little rough around the edges at first, but it doesn’t take long for her to warm up. Holly’s children are nice additions to the story, as well as Brian’s family. I can see real growth in the author, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next!

This book was a review copy.

Page count: 382 (’11 total: 18,332) | Approximate word count: 110,000 (’11 total: 6,456,557)

2010: See Jane Write (Sarah Mlynowski & Farrin Jacobs)
2009: Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Carrie Vaughn)
2008: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Lauren Willig)
2007: Blood Sport (Dick Francis)
2006: Danse Macabre (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: Silent Partner (Jonathan Kellerman)

2011: #33 – Ricochet (Sandra Brown)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in audio, featured reviews, romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; June 4th, 2011

ricochetBook #33 was Ricochet by Sandra Brown. The back of the book reads:

When Savannah detective Duncan Hatcher is summoned to an unusual crime scene, he knows discretion is key. Influential Judge Cato Laird’s beloved trophy wife, Elise, has fatally shot a burglar. She claims self-defense, but Duncan suspects she’s lying, and puts his career in jeopardy by investigating further. Then, in secret, Elise makes an incredible allegation, which he dismisses as the lie of a cunning woman trying to exploit his intense attraction to her. But when Elise goes missing, Duncan finds that trusting the wrong person could mean the difference between life and death for both of them.

This wasn’t Sandra Brown’s best, but it’s not her worst, either. The good was Brown’s ability to build suspense – she’s one of the best. But not all of the characters worked for me. Duncan was a little too ruled by his hormones, and sometimes had mood swings that didn’t make much sense. His partner, DeeDee, was essentially the stereotypical homely girl who automatically hates anyone who is pretty whether she has a reason to or not. Elise is intended to be a mystery. You’re never quite sure which side of the equation she’s on, even at the end.

Also, the revenge plot that is the reason for everything made absolutely no sense to me. Without giving away too much, I don’t know what the person wanting revenge was thinking – they had no exit strategy. For a supposedly intelligent person, it was weak.

But, Brown does make you think hard about who you suspect and why, and that’s one of the reasons why I read her books.

Other reviews:

The Good, The Bad and The Unread » Review: Ricochet by Sandra Brown
Aneca’s World: Ricochet – Sandra Brown

Audiobook length: 12 hrs 40 min | Approximate word count: 136,000 (’11 total: 3,202,802)

2010: A Stab in the Dark (Lawrence Block)
2009: The Kiss Murder (Mehmet Murat Somer)
2008: Those Who Trespass (Bill O’Reilly)
2007: The Monkey’s Raincoat (Robert Crais)
2006: Origin in Death (J.D. Robb)
2005: I is for Innocent (Sue Grafton)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2011; 2011 Audiobook Challenge; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

2011: #20 – Merciless (Mary Burton)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; March 29th, 2011

merciless Book #20 was Merciless by Mary Burton, the follow-up to her previous book, Senseless. The back of the book reads:

Each skeleton is flawless – gleaming white and perfectly preserved, a testament to his skill. Every scrap of flesh has been removed to reveal the glistening bone beneath. And the collection is growing. When bleached human bones are identified as belonging to a former patient of Dr. Dillon Dixon, Detective Malcolm Kier suspects the worst. Dixon was recently acquitted of attempted murder, thanks to defense attorney Angie Carlson. But as the body count rises, Kier is convinced that Angie is now the target of a brutal, brilliant psychopath. Angie is no stranger to the dark side of human nature. But nothing has prepared her for the decades-long legacy of madness and murder about to be revealed – or a killer ready to claim her as his ultimate trophy.

Everything I said about Senseless I could repeat about Merciless. The romance happens very late in the book, though in this one there is much more of a cat and mouse game between Malcolm and Angie. There’s very much a "boy likes girl so he dips her pigtails in the ink" vibe about it. I haven’t read enough of Burton’s work to know if this late-in-the-game romance is a signature of hers or if it has just worked that way in these books. The crime in this one is a little less personal than the previous book, or at least it starts out that way. And again, the book is missing that sense of place I was looking for — I didn’t even remember that it was supposed to be taking place in Alexandria, Virginia. But overall, it’s still an entertaining story.  Burton is capable of dreaming up some pretty sadistic killers.

This book was a review copy.

Other reviews:

Book Review: Merciless by Mary Burton « Rundpinne
Minding Spot: Merciless by Mary Burton
Merciless — Mary Burton | Writings of a Wicked Book Addict

Page count: 416 (’11 total: 5,364) | Approximate word count: 104,000 (’11 total: 1,882,552)

2010: Gossip of the Starlings (Nina de Gramont)
2009: The Prey (Allison Brennan)
2008: Sad Cypress (Agatha Christie)
2007: The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud (Julia Navarro)
2006: Kill the Messenger (Tami Hoag)
2005: G is for Gumshoe (Sue Grafton)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2011; ARC Reading Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

2011: #10 – Deeper Than The Dead (Tami Hoag)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; February 9th, 2011

tamihoag Book #10 was Deeper Than The Dead, the first book in Tami Hoag’s Deeper Than The Dead series.  The back of the book reads:

California, 1985-Four children and young teacher Anne Navarre make a gruesome discovery: a partially buried female body, her eyes and mouth glued shut. A serial killer is at large, and the very bonds that hold their idyllic town together are about to be tested. Tasked with finding the killer, FBI investigator Vince Leone employs a new and controversial FBI technique called "profiling", which plunges him into the lives of the four children-and the young teacher whose need to uncover the truth is as intense as his own. But as new victims are found, Vince and Anne find themselves circling the same small group of local suspects, blissfully unaware that someone very near to them is a murderous psychopath…

Tami Hoag and I go way back.  In the early/mid-90s, she was one of the first authors I poached from my parents’ bookshelf. She introduced me to romantic suspense long before I even knew what romantic suspense was. And then I read Kill the Messenger, which didn’t connect with me at all, and she fell further down my list of go-to authors. Thankfully, with Deeper Than The Dead, she is back.

First of all, I think the title and the meaning behind it is genius.  It refers to the location of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit in its early days;  the office is in the bowels of the building, and therefore its inhabitants are deeper than the dead. But really, the book has very little to do with the BSU as a unit. The focus is Vince Leone, a profiler who takes it upon himself to go help a promising young detective who thinks he’s found a serial killer.

Also involved in the case is 5th grade teacher Anne Navarre, who is sucked in when her students find the latest body. One of the things I think worked really well in this book was the way Hoag used the children to show us some of what was happening behind the scenes.  I think she captured each one of them perfectly, especially the troubled bully, Dennis.  It helps us remember that even the most disturbed child was probably a victim.

Vince and Anne make an unexpected and unusual team, but I liked them together. I actually wild-guessed who the bad guy was quite early in the story, but I think it comes from the sheer amount of these sorts of books I read — you eventually learn how things work. Hoag does a good job of making me doubt my guess on more than one occasion.

Beneath all this effusive praise, I do have a few nits to pick. 1) I didn’t see the point of Anne’s despicable father, except to serve as yet another example of bad parenting in a story in which crappy parents abound. 2) Anne’s best friend Franny was a little too flaming, especially for a kindergarten teacher in 1985. And 3) Hoag uses the term "person of interest" on several occasions, and this was a term that wasn’t widely used, even amongst law enforcement, until at least the mid-90s. But none of this was enough to pull me away from the story, and I look forward to not only reading the sequel, but to bumping Tami Hoag back up a few spots on my "must-read" list.

This book was a review copy.

Other reviews:

Lesa’s Book Critiques: Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag
From the TBR Pile: Deeper Than the Dead
Musings of a Bookish Kitty: Reviews: Deeper Than the Dead
Book Review: Deeper Than The Dead by Tami Hoag « Rundpinne

Page count: 560 (’11 total: 2,630) | Approximate word count: 140,000 (’11 total: 974,873)

2010: What to Expect Before You’re Expecting (Heidi Murkoff)
2009: Claus: A Christmas Incarnation: Vol I (C. John Coombes)
2008: Dead Aim (Iris Johansen)
2007: Maisie Dobbs (Jacqueline Winspear)
2006: K is for Killer (Sue Grafton)
2005: Immortal in Death (J.D. Robb)

Used in these Challenges: ARC Reading Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011; What’s in a Name 4 Challenge;

2011: #8 – Crazy Hot (Tara Janzen)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; January 28th, 2011

crazyhot Book #8 was Crazy Hot, the first book in Tara Janzen’s Steele Street series.  The back of the book reads:

Tara Janzen makes a dazzling debut with this roller-coaster ride of romantic suspense. Crazy Hot is the first in a four-book series of romantic thrillers that feature some of the hottest men in contemporary fiction: bad-boys-turned-American-heroes from a highly irregular, highly secretive "Special Forces" team. Their adventures – romantic and otherwise – turbocharge Janzen’s new series with unstoppable action and breathtaking romance. Meet Crazy Hot’s sexy, smoldering hero: ex-fighter pilot Quinn Younger, who crashes onto the scene just in time to save the day for heroine Regan McKinney, a paleontologist mixed up in a deadly plot. The action is relentless. The romance sizzles. And Tara Janzen keeps it coming with three more books in quick succession: Crazy Cool, Crazy Wild, and Crazy Kisses.

This is billed as romantic suspense, but it’s pretty light on the suspense part.  I would view it more as a romantic adventure. We have a nice mix of handsome, bad-boy, secret agent military men; beautiful, quirky, damsels-in-distress; and lovely, powerful cars. As expected, sparks will fly. Having some dinosaur fossils thrown into the mix was an unusual twist that I appreciated. All of the characters are essentially one-note, and sometimes contradictory. For instance, buttoned-up and proper Regan has no problem with several exhibitionist trysts, and doesn’t even have any regrets about it. But, when the rubber hits the road, the reason we pick up these books isn’t plot or character depth.  We read books like this for the fantasy, and in this, the book succeeds.  It’s a nice quick read, and I’ll surely read more in the series.

Other reviews:

Passion for the Page: Review: Crazy Hot by Tara Janzen

Page count: 432 (’11 total: 2,070) | Approximate word count: 108,000 (’11 total: 754,873)

2010: Tongue in Chic (Christina Dodd)
2009: The Stupidest Angel (Christopher Moore)
2008: Loyalty in Death (J.D. Robb)
2007: Tokyo Woes (Bruce Jay Friedman)
2006: The Surgeon (Tess Gerritsen)
2005: One for the Money (Janet Evanovich)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2011; 2011 E-book Reading Challenge; New Author Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

2011: #1 – Senseless (Mary Burton)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; January 2nd, 2011

senselessBook #1 of 2011 is Senseless by Mary Burton.  The back of the book reads:

The vicious burns scarring the victims’ flesh reveal the agony of their last moments. Each woman was branded with a star, then stabbed through the heart. With every death, a vengeful killer finds a brief, blissful moment of calm. But soon it’s time for the bloodshed to start again. Ten years ago, Eva Rayburn and her sorority sisters were celebrating the end of the school year. That party turned into a nightmare Eva can’t forget. Now she’s trying to start over in her Virginia hometown, but a new nightmare has begun. Every victim is linked to her. And Detective Deacon Garrison isn’t sure whether this mysterious woman needs investigating – or protecting. Only Eva’s death will bring peace. Only her tortured screams will silence the rage that has been building for ten long years. Because what started that night at the sorority can never be stopped – not until the last victim has been marked for death.

I was pleased with this.  It’s labeled as a romantic suspense, but the romance happens fairly late in the book. That being said, I think it made it more believable, because we get the time to know Eva and Garrison and root for them to get together. Burton gives us a plot that’s thorough without being overly complicated. She’s also able to make us wonder about the true motives of almost every character, even those that should be solidly on the good side of things. I actually was unable to guess the true culprit, and that’s a rarity for me. The only thing missing is a good sense of the setting.  We know it’s in Alexandria, since a great deal is made of it, but I can’t say that I learned anything about Alexandria.  It really could have happened anywhere.  But overall, if you enjoy suspense this is a great read.

This was a review copy.

Page count: 416 (’11 total: 416) | Approx. word count: 104,000 (’11 total: 104,000)

2010: The First Rule (Robert Crais)
2009: Eclipse (Richard North Patterson)
2008: Innocent in Death (J.D. Robb)
2007: Acceptable Risk (Robin Cook)
2006: Conspiracy in Death (J.D. Robb)
2005: The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2011; ARC Reading Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

2010: #95 – Abandon (Carla Neggers)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; December 2nd, 2010

abandonBook #95 was Abandon by Carla Neggers.  The back of the book reads:

A missing federal judge. A fugitive on the loose. And a deputy marshal who’s already broken her own rules.

On what is supposed to be a quiet long weekend in New Hampshire, Deputy U.S. Marshal Mackenzie Stewart is viciously attacked at the lakefront cottage of her friend, federal judge Bernadette Peacham. Mac fends off her attacker, but he manages to escape. Everything suggests he’s a deranged drifter — until FBI special agent Andrew Rook arrives.

With Rook, Mac broke her own rule not to get involved with anyone in law enforcement, but she knows he isn’t up from Washington, D.C., to set things straight between them. He’s on a case.

As the hunt for the mysterious attacker continues, the case takes an unexpected turn when Mac and Rook return to Washington and find Bernadette’s ex-husband, a powerful attorney, shot to death. Then Bernadette disappears, and Mac and Rook realize the stakes are higher than either had imagined, and a master criminal with nothing left to lose is prepared to gamble everything.

Something about this just didn’t work for me.  It started out with some promise, and I thought we were heading into some big conspiracy story.  Instead, we get a mostly crazy guy who conveniently has past ties to our main character.  A master criminal, he definitely was not. Also, since Mac and Rook already know each other when the story opens, we miss out on the chase that is often the best part of a romantic suspense. It’s only a matter of time before they fall together again, especially since the reason why they were apart isn’t particularly harsh. And to add insult to injury, their reunion happens way too soon.  Took all the fun out of the suspense.  I’m starting to think that maybe Neggers isn’t my cup of tea.

Page count: 336 | Approximate word count: 84,000

2009: Rising Tides (Nora Roberts)
2008: Sweetheart (Chelsea Cain)
2007: The Spellman Files (Lisa Lutz)
2006: The Lost Boy (Dave Pelzer)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Reading From My Shelves Project; 2nd Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; Four Month Challenge – Part 5; Countdown Challenge 2011;

2010: #91 – Without Mercy (Lisa Jackson)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense; Tagged with ; November 28th, 2010

withoutmercyBook #91 was Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson. The back of the book reads:

Ever since her father was stabbed to death in a home invasion, Julia “Jules” Farentino has been plagued by nightmares. Her half-sister, Shaylee, now seventeen, has had her own difficulties since the tragedy, earning a rap sheet for drug use, theft, and vandalism. Still, when Jules learns of her mother’s decision to send Shay to an elite boarding school in Oregon, she’s skeptical. Blue Rock Academy has a reputation for turning wayward kids around — but one of its students went missing a few months earlier and her body has never been found.

On impulse, Jules applies for a teaching job at the Academy. Shortly before Jules arrives, a student is found hanged, another near death, and a hysterical Shay believes it’s murder. Then another girl is found dead. There’s no doubt something sinister is at hand. And Jules has become the next target of a bloodthirsty killer without limits, without remorse, without mercy…

I thought this was just okay.  It’s hard to like Shaylee, who is really a little brat at the beginning, and therefore it’s a little difficult to understand why Jules would go to the lengths she does, and why she’s so quick to suspect the school of wrongdoing.  One missing student doesn’t really seem to be enough. Not to mention how quickly she gets hired as a teacher at such a specialty school, with a seemingly minimal background check and no experience with troubled kids. Not to mention the cowboy cop/P.I. who is suddenly qualified as well.  There’s a little bit of heat between Jules and Cooper, but nothing special.  And you’re just supposed to take for granted that they’ve never gotten over each other.

I’ve seen other reviews that refer to the story as a "mish mash", and they’re pretty spot on.  The problems at the school end up being so out there that they’re unbelievable. And frankly, the surprise ending wasn’t much of a surprise.

This book was a review copy.

Page count: 432 | Approximate word count: 108,000

2009: Engleby (Sebastian Faulks)
2008: Dark of the Moon (P.J. Parrish)
2007: Black Creek Crossing (John Saul)
2006: Year Zero (Jeff Long)

Used in these Challenges: ARC Reading Challenge 2010; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

2010: #89 – Black Hills (Nora Roberts)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in audio, featured reviews, romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; November 14th, 2010

blackhillsBook #89 was Black Hills by Nora Roberts.  The back of the book reads:

Lil Chance fell in love with Cooper Sullivan pretty much the first time she saw him, an awkward teenager staying with his grandparents on their cattle ranch in Montana while his parents went through a messy divorce. They spent every summer together, trekking in the Black Hills, tracking cougar and falling in love. Then Cooper broke her heart and moved back to New York City. Ten years later and Cooper has given up his job in the police force to run the ranch after his grandfather is injured in a fall. Lil has stayed true to her love of cougars and of the Black Hills and opened an animal sanctuary. She has been targeted by animal rights campaigners in the past but this time someone seems intent on murder. As hikers are killed, animals mutilated and a family member goes missing, Lil knows that she has no choice but to turn to Cooper for help in her fight for survival …

This was alright, but not the best Nora Roberts I’ve read.  Lil holds on to her broken heart a little too long to be truly likable.  I wanted to tell her to just suck it up and get on with things, either forgive Coop or get off the pot.  So to speak. The setting is good, and as always, Roberts does a great job of making a place come alive.  I also liked the concept of the animal sanctuary.  It’s nice to have a character with a job that’s a little out of the norm.  We read about so many cops, investigators, lawyers, journalists, and ranchers.  The formula here is a little different — we find out "whodunit" quite early on in the story — and I’m not sure how I feel about that.  The bad guy’s reasons for doing what he’s doing seem a little forced, and I’m not sure it all holds together in the end.  Still, Roberts manages to give us at least a few characters we care about, and an interesting climax.

Other reviews:

REVIEW: Black Hills by Nora Roberts | Dear Author

Audiobook length: 16hrs 51min | Approximate word count: 116,000

2009: The Memory Collector (Meg Gardiner)
2008: Nefertiti (Michelle Moran)
2007: The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
2006: Dangerous Tides (Christine Feehan)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Audiobook Challenge;

2010: #86 – The Sands of Time (Sidney Sheldon)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in romantic suspense, suspense; Tagged with ; October 27th, 2010

sandsoftime Book #86 was The Sands of Time by Sidney Sheldon.  The back of the book reads:

Spain. A land of eternal passion and unceasing bloodshed. From the vengeance of a pitiless tyrant, four women flee the sacred, once-safe walls of a convent: LUCIA, the proud survivor harboring a murderous secret from the savage clan wars of Sicily…GRACIELLA, the beauty still unpurged of guilt from one reckless, youthful sin…MEGAN, the orphan seeking perilous refuge in the arms of a defiant Basque rebel…and TERESA, the believer haunted by a faith that mocks her with silence. Leaving innocence but not hope behind, they venture into an alien, dazzling world, where each will encounter an unexpected destiny — and the truth about herself.

I enjoyed this, despite the ease with which a few of the nuns gave up their cause for more earthly desires. You get a little taste of the Basque guerilla movement, a little taste of romance, and a big taste of adventure.  A fun read.

Page count: 427 | Approximate word count: 106,750

2009: A Secret Rage (Charlaine Harris)
2008: Before I Wake (Dee Henderson)
2007: Angels Fall (Nora Roberts)
2006: Polar Shift (Clive Cussler)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Reading From My Shelves Project; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

2010: #74 – Smoke Screen (Sandra Brown)

3 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, featured reviews, romantic suspense; Tagged with ; September 8th, 2010

smokescreen Book #74 was Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown. The back of the book reads:

When newswoman Britt Shelley wakes up to find herself in bed with Jay Burgess, a rising star detective in the Charleston PD, she remembers nothing of how she got there…or of how Jay wound up dead.

Handsome and hard-partying, Jay was a hero of the disastrous fire that five years earlier had destroyed Charleston’s police headquarters. The blaze left seven people dead, but the death toll would have been much higher if not for the bravery of Jay and three other city officials who risked their lives to lead others to safety.

Firefighter Raley Gannon, Jay’s lifelong friend, was off-duty that day. Though he might not have been a front-line hero, he was assigned to lead the investigation into the cause of the fire. It was an investigation he never got to complete. Because on one calamitous night, Raley’s world was shattered.

Scandalized, wronged by the people he trusted most, Raley was forced to surrender the woman he loved and the work to which he’d dedicated his life. For five years his resentment against the men who exploited their hero status to further their careers — and ruin his — had festered, but he was helpless to set things right.

That changes when he learns of Jay Burgess’s shocking death and Britt Shelley’s claim that she has no memory of her night with him. As the investigation into Jay’s death intensifies, and suspicion against Britt Shelley mounts, Raley realizes that the newswoman, Jay’s last sexual conquest, might be his only chance to get personal vindication — and justice for the seven victims of the police station fire.

But there are powerful men who don’t want to address unanswered questions about the fire and who will go to any lengths to protect their reputations. As Raley and Britt discover more about what happened that fateful day, the more perilous their situation becomes, until they’re not only chasing after the truth but running for their lives.

Friends are exposed as foes, heroes take on the taint of criminals, and no one can be trusted completely. A tale about audacious corruption — and those with the courage to expose it — Smoke Screen is Sandra Brown’s most searing and intense novel yet.

Another pretty good one from Sandra Brown, though I made the mistake of reading this too closely to the poorly done Standoff, which also featured a reporter and the man she (inadvertently?) harmed. There’s generally not a lot to be surprised about in these sorts of books — you know the male and female leads (Raley and Britt, in this case) are going to eventually join together both for their crusade and for their libidos — but I still enjoy the journey we’re taken on.  Though I had some suspicions about what was really going on, I was still surprised by what exactly happened and who exactly was in charge. There was just one detail that bugged me. At one point, Britt decides to waylay the men who are chasing them by removing the valve covers from their tires, which then go flat as soon as the men try to go anywhere.  Maybe tires were made differently (ahem) two (ahem) years ago, but I recently (inadvertently) drove for a few months with no valve cover on one of my tires, and it did not go flat. That seems like one of those details that a veteran writer and her editor should have picked up on.  Sloppy!

Other reviews:

LORI’S READING CORNER: Smoke Screen

Audiobook length: 14 hrs 16 min | Approximate word count: 140,000

2009: Fluke (Christopher Moore)
2008: The Face of a Stranger (Anne Perry)
2007: Love and War (John Jakes)
2006: Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
2005: Hornet Flight (Ken Follett)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2010; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Audiobook Challenge;

2010: #66 – Standoff (Sandra Brown)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense; Tagged with ; July 15th, 2010

standoff Book #66 was Standoff by Sandra Brown.  The back of the book reads:

Ambitious TV reporter Tiel McCoy is driving through New Mexico when she hears over the radio that Sabra Dendy, the 17 year-old daughter of Fort Worth multimillionaire Russell Dendy, has been kidnapped.  Tiel calls her editor and learns that Sara was "kidnapped" by her boyfriend Ronnie and is pregnant.  Tiel is at a gas station store when an armed couple robs the cashier and orders all the customers to the floor.  The girl goes into labor and Tiel realizes that she has a huge story on her hands.

A tense standoff begins as the FBI and Russell Dendy wait outside.  Tiel learns that Sabra and Ronnie are more afraid of her father-who plans to put the baby up for adoption-than of the FBI and would rather die together than surrender and be kept apart.  Now it is more than just a story to Tiel as she fights to prevent these two kids from becoming a tragedy.

This was more a novella than a usual Sandra Brown novel, and as such, was pretty blah.  The story never fully develops beyond the actual standoff situation, and we’re never given a chance to really connect with our main characters.  Brown also uses a main character combo (a successful tv reporter and the man she has mistakenly wronged) that she returns to in a later novel, Smoke Screen. We get the obligatory sexual tension between Tiel and Doc, followed by the obligatory sex scene, but it all feels very… obligatory. Step 1: Woman finds herself in life-threatening situation with mysterious, handsome man. Step 2: Woman and Man band together to escape situation and bring it to a happy ending. Step 3: Woman and Man have life-affirming sex to cope with traumatic situation. This could have been great if it had been written with the complexity you usually find in a Brown novel.  Instead, it just left me wanting more.

Page count: 261 | Word count: 55,535

2009: I Smile Back (Amy Koppelman)
2008: Homeport (Nora Roberts)
2007: The Double Bind (Chris Bohjalian)
2006: Plain Truth (Jodi Picoult)
2005: Bridge of Birds (Barry Hughart)

Used in these Challenges: The Four Month Challenge – Part 4; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

2010: #58 – Just Before Sunrise (Carla Neggers)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense; Tagged with ; June 22nd, 2010

sunrise Book #58 was Just Before Sunrise by Carla Neggers.  The back of the book reads:

Carla Neggers’ sizzling novels are loved for their deliciously funny dialogue, electrifying suspense, and heart-stopping romance. Here, the New York Times bestselling author presents a fast-paced, scintillating tale of love, art, and danger….

JUST BEFORE SUNRISE

Annie Payne realizes her dream when she moves to San Francisco and opens an art gallery. But when she accepts a secret commission to bid for a painting going on the auction block, she finds herself thrown into a haunting swirl of events linked to a five-year-old unsolved murder. Who is this secret client?

Marina owner Garvin MacCrae was determined to have the portrait of his late wife, and knows of only one person who would want it enough to outbid him. Could the intriguing art dealer who represented the auction winner hold the key to the mystery of his wife’s death? Working together to untangle a murderer’s clues, Garvin and Annie strike so many sparks off each other that they could start another San Francisco fire — a four-alarmer fueled by an explosive mix of suspicion, attraction, and love.

This was no Nora Roberts or Sandra Brown romantic suspense, but it wasn’t all bad. I liked Annie Payne, and could connect with her tough New England pragmatism (being from Maine myself).  I also appreciated the contrast between her old life and her new.  Garvin wasn’t a bad leading male, though for the entire book I wanted his name to be Gavin. Unfortunately, the fire between them just wasn’t there.  Their initial attractions to each other were well written, but there was no growth and no heat to their later meetings. The mystery wasn’t all that complex — I figured out the bad guy rather easily.  There’s actually a pretty limited cast of characters to choose from. So, not my favorite, but good enough that I’ll read another by the author.

Page count: 320 | Word count: 83,694

2009: April & Oliver (Tess Callahan)
2008: In the Midst of Death (Lawrence Block)
2007: O is for Outlaw (Sue Grafton)
2006: Fatal (Michael Palmer)
2005: Ten Big Ones (Janet Evanovich)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2010; New Author Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

2010: #39 – Beneath a Blood Red Moon (Shannon Drake)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, paranormal, romantic suspense, vampires; Tagged with ; May 4th, 2010

bloodred Book #39 was Beneath a Blood Red Moon, the first book in Shannon Drake’s Vampires series.  The back of the book reads:

Maggie Montgomery, the owner of Magdalena’s, an elegant New Orleans boutique, was shocked to learn about the mysterious beheading of a local street person, and the trail of blood that led from the corpse to her building. Her shock turned to turmoil when she met Sean Canady, the police officer who arrived to question her…inspired a dangerous desire.

Something powerful–and beyond reason–had brought Maggie and Sean together. Something that spoke of an interwoven past, and a passionate torment that began generations before under a blood red moon. For on that night, over a hundred years ago, disturbing events occurred within the Montgomery family, and now Maggie must begin a quest to find the one man whose love was pure enough to save her from the darkness within.

This was good for a little while, but it quickly turned into one of those "let’s throw everything plus the kitchen sink in here" stories. I was good with it when it was just murdering vampires tied into a hot and heavy love story, but then we have tie-ins to Jack the Ripper and the Civil War and by the time we got to the reincarnation I was done with it.  I actually gave it up about 75% of the way through, pretty much unheard of with me. And have I mentioned that these vampires follow almost NONE of the rules that vampires normally follow? Not even with variations.  This led to them being pretty much untouchable, and I think that what makes vampire books work is that humans have some way of being safe from them.  It’s no good if the monster doesn’t have a fatal flaw. So to sum it up, I was disappointed.

Page count: 383 | Approximate word count: 95,750

2009: The Lost Hours (Karen White)
2008: Envy (Kathryn Harrison)
2007: Wish You Well (David Baldacci)
2006: The Lost German Slave Girl (John Bailey)
2005: On the Street Where You Live (Mary Higgins Clark)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Reading From My Shelves Project; 1st in a Series Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; The TwentyTen Challenge;

2009: #129 – Chill Factor (Sandra Brown)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romantic suspense; Tagged with ; December 11th, 2009

chillfactor Book #129 was Chill Factor by Sandra Brown. The back of the book reads:

Suspense abounds in this gripping new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown, in which a successful magazine editor is trapped in her remote cabin with a man believed to be a serial killer.

Cleary, North Carolina, is a sleepy mountain town — the kind of place where criminal activity is usually limited to parking violations. Not so, lately. Four women have disappeared from Cleary over the past two years. And there’s always a blue ribbon left near the spot where each of the women was last seen. There are no bodies, no other clues, and no suspicion as to who their abductor might be. And now, another woman has disappeared without a trace.

It is to this backdrop that Lilly Martin returns to close the sale of her mountain cabin, marking the end of her turbulent eight-year marriage to Dutch Burton, Cleary’s chief of police. Dutch’s reluctance to let her go isn’t Lilly’s only obstacle. As she’s trying to outrun a snowstorm, her car skids on the icy road and strikes a man who emerges from the woods on foot. She recognizes the injured man as Ben Tierney, whom she’d met the previous summer. They’re forced to wait out the storm in the cabin, but as the hours of their confinement mount, Lilly begins to wonder if the greatest danger to her safety isn’t the blizzard outside, but the mysterious man right beside her.

Is Ben Tierney the feared abductor? Or is he who he claims to be…her rescuer from harm and from the tragedy that haunts her?

The compelling characters, sexual tension, and stunning plot twists in Sandra Brown’s Chill Factor combine to create a page-turner that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

This book has stolen the "my favorite Sandra Brown" title from Envy.  It is an extremely well crafted thriller, where everyone has a secret and even nature is the enemy. This book has it all.. secret affairs, drugs, washed-up-middle-aged-bullies, a serial killer, divorce, unwanted pregnancy, the FBI, a whole lot of snow and ice, and a red herring to beat all red herrings. Brown had me fooled through the entire novel, and even when I knew I was wrong I still couldn’t quite believe it. To me, this is the mark of some masterful character crafting. There’s not as much romance as you usually find in a Sandra Brown, but there’s enough to whet your whistle. And enough secrets to last a lifetime. There are a few holes in the police procedural parts of the plot (say that 5 times fast), but with all the intrigue, I just didn’t care.

Other reviews:

Review: Chill Factor by Sandra Brown « Reactions to Reading

Page count: 416 | Word count: 122,504

2007: Lucky You (Carl Hiaasen)

Used in these Challenges: Read Your Own Books Challenge;

2009: #64 – High Noon (Nora Roberts)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in ebook, featured reviews, romantic suspense; Tagged with ; June 22nd, 2009

highnoon Book #64 was High Noon by Nora Roberts.  The back of the book reads:

Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her family’s home, trapping and terrorizing them for hours. Now she’s Savannah’s top hostage negotiator, defusing powderkeg situations with a talent for knowing when to give in-and when to jump in and take action. It’s satisfying work-and sometimes those skills come in handy at home dealing with her agoraphobic mother, still traumatized by the break-in after all these years, and her precocious seven-year-old, Carly.

It’s exactly that heady combination of steely courage and sensitivity that first attracts Duncan Swift to Phoebe. After observing her coax one of his employees down from a roof ledge, he is committed to keeping this intriguing, take-charge woman in his life. She’s used to working solo, but Phoebe’s discovering that no amount of negotiation can keep Duncan at arm’s length.

And when she’s grabbed by a man who throws a hood over her head and brutally assaults her-in her own precinct house-Phoebe can’t help but be deeply shaken. Then threatening messages show up on her doorstep, and she’s not just alarmed but frustrated. How do you go face-to-face with an opponent who refuses to look you in the eye?

Now, with Duncan backing her up every step of the way, she must establish contact with the faceless tormentor who is determined to make her a hostage to fear . . . before she becomes the final showdown.

It amazes me that after what, 100+ books?, Nora Roberts can continue to create new characters and new storylines.  Phoebe MacNamara and Duncan Swift are two of my favorites so far. I liked their easy report with each other, and the way their relationship wasn’t the big drama in the story. There was a really obvious red herring in the story, but it didn’t really take away from anything.  Overall, another Nora classic!

P.S. The Lifetime movie was actually pretty decent, too.  I haven’t been impressed with most of them.

Page count: 496 | Word count: 155,747

2008: A Living Nightmare (Darren Shan)
2007: The End (Lemony Snicket)
2006: Narcissus in Chains (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: Nora, Nora (Anne Rivers Siddons)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; The 999 Challenge;

2009: #42 – Tribute (Nora Roberts)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in ebook, featured reviews, romantic suspense; Tagged with ; April 14th, 2009

tribute Book #42 was Tribute by Nora Roberts.  The back of the book reads:

Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is a long way from Hollywood. And that’s exactly how Cilla McGowan wants it. Cilla, a former child star who has found more satisfying work as a restorer of old houses, has come to her grandmother’s farmhouse, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin. Sadly, no one was able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet Hardy. An actress with a tumultuous life, Janet entertained glamorous guests and engaged in decadent affairs – but died of an overdose in this very house more than thirty years earlier. To this day, Janet haunts Cilla’s dreams. And during waking hours, Cilla is haunted by her melodramatic, five-times-married mother, who carried on in the public spotlight and never gave her a chance at a normal childhood. By coming east, rolling up her sleeves, and rehabbing this wreck of a house, Cilla intends to find some kind of normalcy for herself.

Plunging into the project with gusto, she’s almost too busy to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer – but his lanky form, green eyes, and easy, unflappable humor (not to mention his delightfully ugly dog, Spock) are hard to ignore. Determined not to perpetuate the family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels herself against Ford’s quirky charm, but she can’t help indulging in a little fantasy.

But love and a peaceful life may not be in the cards for Cilla. In the attic, she has found a cache of unsigned letters suggesting that Janet Hardy was pregnant when she died – and that the father was a local married man. Cilla can’t help but wonder what really happened all those years ago. The mystery only deepens with a series of intimidating acts and a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilla and Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting her and why, she may – like her world-famous grandmother – be cut down in the prime of her life.

This was a mixed-bag for me. The romance part was great… Nora Roberts still knows what she’s doing there.  I liked Cilla, and I liked Ford, and I really liked them together. But some parts of the book were lackluster.  I didn’t particularly care for Cilla’s dream visits with her grandmother, and I thought the harassment could have been a little more creative. How many different ways can a “Katie” doll be defiled?  But, though I did figure out who Janet was having an affair with pretty early in the story, the big bad guy was a big bad surprise.

Page count: 464 | Approximate word count: 150,555

2008: Curse of the Spellmans (Lisa Lutz)
2007: The Fiery Cross (Diana Gabaldon)
2006: The Footprints of God (Greg Iles)
2005: Into Thin Air (Jon Krakauer)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; 2009 eBook Challenge; The 999 Challenge; A-Z 2009 Challenge;

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