Tag: romantic suspense

This Chick Read: A Covert Affair (The Librarian and the Spy Escapade #2) by Susan Mann

The more I read of Quinn and James, the Librarian and the Spy, the more I like them. The two of them have such great chemistry, their dialog showing their brains as well as their bodies are involved in this relationship. Quinn, again amazed me with her knowledge of, well, everything. She is a woman that girls like as well as the guys, and therefore very easy to relate to. James, is dashing, cheeky, and deadly with a weapon. He was protective of Quinn, yet, let her spread her wings and fly. You’ve got to admire that in a man you date, and I really like reading about a man who is comfortable with the strength of his woman.

The mystery, or escapade in this case, was fascinating. It takes place in India, and the historical aspects of this story were really interesting. The insight into Indian and Sikh culture was new for me and completely held my attention. The mix of history and spy romance felt unique and again I have to say that I think the cover for this novel does it a disservice. There is a lot of meat in this storyline, yet the cover makes it look like it’s a fluff novel. It is fun, but it’s not fluff. I enjoyed the first novel a lot and liked this one even more!

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley for my honest review, and it was honest.

❤️❤️❤️❤️


Click link to purchase! A Covert Affair (Librarian/Spy Escapade)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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This Chick Read: Under the Wire ( Bad Boys Undercover #4) by Helenkay Dimon

This romantic suspense novel is the fourth novel in the series, but luckily this story stands pretty well on its own. Our hero Reid Armstrong belongs to a top secret military unit that has previously rescued our heroine Cara Layne. Caught up in the passion of the moment they start a relationship and plan to be married. Until Cara comes to her senses, or really, starts to doubt her feelings and breaks things off with Reid. This novel starts when Cara is in danger in Russia and her brother hires Reid to find her and bring her out alive. Reid, who had implanted a LoJack in her previously ( yeah, you read that right!), switches it on and pretty easily tracks her down. That seems to be the only easy part of this mission.

Reid brings along one of his teammates to help with the rescue and thank god because he provided some much needed comic relief. The plot was well written, but I found it hard to identify with these two characters. Reid was the strong silent military guy. Non communicative about his feelings, he played silent and broody even during the emotional scenes. You would think Cara would be the more emotional character and bring a little balance to the pair, romantically, but she was kind of stunted. Her responses were robotic and even though the plot moved along well, her lack of emotion really slowed down any momentum in this book. It’s funny that I can forgive a man for being  unemotional but not the woman. Very stereotypical of me, but regardless, Under the Wire just didn’t pull my heartstrings.

❤️❤️❣️


Click on link to purchase! Under the Wire: Bad Boys Undercover

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Come Sundown by Nora Roberts

Get out your tissues because Nora Roberts newest romantic suspense novel is a three hanky event. A novel about family lost and family found, love, and survival.

There are two storylines in Come Sundown. The first, takes place in current time at the Bodine resort and ranch. Bodine Longbow lives on the ranch with her brothers and parents while running the resort side of their business while her father and brothers run the ranch side. We learn that Bodine, named after her mother’s side of the family who owns the land their property is on, is super organized and the lady in charge, but isn’t the most emotional woman in the world. Not that’s she’s unfeeling but she’s all business. She has to be to keep their little empire afloat. Her love interest, Cal Skinner, is back after leaving at eighteen to make it on his own. He had worked as a horse wrangler in the movies and was ready to settle back down close to his family. He finds a job working for Bodine and the sparks start quietly zapping as the intensity between them builds.

The second plot line is set 26 years ago when Alice Bodine is hitch hiking back to her parents ranch after disappearing on the day of her sister’s wedding. She is kidnapped off the side of the road and held against her will until 26 years later when she escapes. This plot line was very well done, but the subject matter was not for the faint of heart. Alice was beaten, raped, and indoctrinated into this new life in ways that were heartbreaking to read about. When she finally has her reunion with her family, her journey back to normalcy was very emotional and well written.

Bodine and Alice’s storyline ran parallel to each other, but their journey was not similar at all. The disparity between the two stories gave the story impact and delivered a solid punch. This was a tough one to read but also a really heartwarming story about family ties. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click the link to purchase! Come Sundown

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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This Chick Read: The Ultimatum (The Guardian #1) by Karen Robards

Spoilers ahead!

The Ultimatum starts off quickly as we find our heroine Bianca in the midst of a caper to steal money out of an Arab Prince’s vault. When she discovers somebody beat her team to the money, the robbery turns into an escape for their lives and we get a hint of what is to come in this book; action, romance and danger. Essentially all of the ingredients  I have come to expect from a romantic suspense novel by Karen Robards.

Bianca St. Ives is an interesting heroine. She has been brought up as a con artist. Definitely not your typical upbringing. She was raised in boarding schools with a father who only visited when he needed her for a con, and didn’t show affection.. She has only ever had one friend, not letting people get too close because she has to hide who she really is- someone who isn’t sure of her own identity.

Even though I enjoyed Bianca’s take charge attitude and strength of character, she was a little cold. I could understand her need to keep her livelihood private, but her actions didn’t carry a lot of warmth making it really hard to see her as three demonsional even coming across as a little robotic. When she meets Mickey, who is an undercover agent protecting the Arab Prince’s money from being stolen, he was easily identifiable as her love interest. They had instant chemistry, however, when they came face to face later on in the book they don’t get beyond that surface chemistry again reinacting the same type of scene as their first meeting. I found that a bit frustrating and confusing wanting their relationship to become more established and expecting a romantic suspense novel. You know, with a couple becoming romantic. Unfortunately, the book ended before they established anything other than a flirtation, leaving us and the plot hanging in limbo until the second book is written. Even though the writing was good, the plot interesting, that lack of connection left a bad taste in my mouth. If the next book resolves this plot point, All will be forgiven, but will I want to take the chance and read it? Still undecided.

❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review, and it was honest.


Click the link to purchase! The Ultimatum (The Guardian Book 1)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Take Me Back by Meghan March

Read at your own Risk-slight spoilers ahead.

I have never read a Meghan March novel and didn’t quite know what to expect. The synopsis sounded like your typical second chance romance. They meet on a beach vacation, fall in love and get married. After their marriage the communication stops and they are barely speaking to each other anymore. They make one last ditch effort and go on another beach vacation in the tropics. They are re-kindling the romance and then this second chance romance story becomes a romantic suspense novel. WHAT?!!!  I was totally blindsided! In a great way!

Second chance romances are not my favorite, but I am a HUGE fan of romantic suspense novels and this one captured my attention, lock, stock and gun barrels!

Part of the fun with this novel was the fact that I was completely snookered! I mean, I thought it was turning into a swinger book or something, and i was starting to get really uncomfortable. (Blushing while writing) Swingers, threesomes, bondage, etc. are not really my thing, so thank god I was completely wrong! Our heroine in peril, struggles to find her inner Rambo, and was failing horribly at that, when our hero turns into hot commando guy and saves the day! Woo-Hoo!

Ok, I didn’t give away the plot, but did give away a little bit of the surprise in this book, because it was that surprise that I enjoyed so much. How could I write a review without revealing a little of my shock and awe?  This book was fun, and a light read. No heavy lifting needed. The perfect vacation book, unless you’re taking a beach vacation. You may want to pack a gun, instead of a book! ❤️❤️❤️❣️


Click the link to purchase! Take Me Back

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Run to Ground (K9 Unit #1) by Katie Ruggle #giveaway

(Congrats to the winner of this Giveaway!!)

I have been eagerly anticipating this new novel by Katie Ruggle. In her previous Search and Rescue series I really enjoyed her unique characters and thrilling storylines.  Run to Ground, the first in her new K-9 Unit series did not disappoint. Our heroine Jules Jackson, rescued her siblings from an abusive step parent and skipped town. She’s understandably nervous, expecting cops to break down her door at any minute. So, when Theo, a cop, shows an interest in her she tries to avoid catching his eye. Theo is slightly suspicious of her twitchiness but his inner demons are calmed when she’s around and so he ignores his instincts and doesn’t investigate her too deeply. Theo’s been very depressed since his previous partner committed suicide. He inherits his deceased partner’s K-9, Viggy, who has also been extremely depressed since his death. The two of them are a sad pair but  when Viggy meets Jules’s brothers and sisters he starts acting like a normal dog and Theo is drawn even more into Jules’ orbit.

For a girl who had the balls to steal her siblings away from a bad situation I was a little disappointed that Jules was so timid. It was a little annoying, but the fact that she liked Theo despite those fears, and didn’t try too hard to avoid him helped me get over that annoyance pretty quickly. Her brothers and sister were charming and their interaction with Viggy was so sweet it helped balance Theo’s rather anti social personality. When Jules’ life is in danger, we see both Theo and Viggy in a heroic light, overcoming their fears.

This novel was a little different than her previous books, but I still enjoyed the connection these characters made with each other. If I was disappointed at all it was because it took me a little longer to identify with these characters. However, the book was still filled with action and suspense and made for an enjoyable weekend read. I look forward to her next novel which will continue with Jules’ runaway family storyline as a subplot to our next romantic duo.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received an ARC of this book for my honest review, and I was honest.

GIVEAWaY

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Click the link to purchase! Run to Ground (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick’s Sunday Guest Blogger:  Author Laura Carter! #Giveaway #BlurbReveal #BalancingtheScales

Laura Carter has quickly become one of my go to authors when I want to read an edgy contemporary romance. She writes from a British POV and her plots are filled with excellent writing and erotic dramatic suspense!

When I met her in person last year I was charmed by her personality and after reading the first book in her Vengeful Love series I became a fan. If you follow Laura on Facebook or Instagram you’ll really get to know her as she gives you an inside view of her island writing nooks and Friday celebratory cocktails. I try not to be jealous of all those beach pictures, but it’s hard! 

I’m excited to hand over my Sunday blog to Laura so she can also charm all of you, but more importantly so she can tell you all about writing, her books, and what’s up next! 

LAURA CARTER 

I first met Deborah at RT Convention in Las Vegas in 2016. We were taking two minutes out from the craziness of the conference, and inevitably started talking books.
We have stayed in touch since, and I was thrilled when she asked if I would be interested in commandeering The Reading Chick blog for a day. I was thrilled, not only because I get to support Deborah’s blog and hopefully introduce myself to new readers, but also because there will be many writers among you and I think it is helpful to hear how fellow writers became published. Similar blogs certainly helped me.

So, here is my story…

When I was a young girl (*looks wistfully into the distance*), I would write song lyrics and make up plays. I would perform for my family, forcing my sister and cousins to take part. So, naturally, I grew up and became an attorney.

I know what you’re thinking—the two worlds don’t exactly go together like salt and pepper or Bonnie and Clyde. But, you see, my day job meant that I needed an escape from long hours and heavy documents, and that I was armed with knowledge of cities and a corporate worlds.

In fact, my first trilogy, VENGEFUL LOVE, published by Harlequin’s Carina Press, is a dark, city-based, erotic romance. Book Page described VENGEFUL LOVE as, “[A]fast-paced, scorching romance that moves from boardroom to bedroom, to the darker corners of desire and retribution.”

The VENGEFUL LOVE series follows Scarlett Heath, a high-flying London lawyer, as she falls hard for her enigmatic, quietly dangerous, and downright HOT client, Gregory Ryans. Their love story will take you on an exhilarating ride through passion, angst and corruption.


Getting my first publishing deal was both incredible and incredibly surreal. It is an experience I consider myself very lucky to have been through. I didn’t do things the conventional way (i.e. find an agent, work on the manuscript together, find a publisher). I bought a copy of “Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook” and I researched publishers. I scoured their websites and narrowed down my list of preferred publishers to a handful, so to speak. I sent off whatever they asked for—often a synopsis and the first three chapters, sometimes the complete manuscript—and I held my breath.

I was fortunate enough not to have to wait long for my first offer. I then informed the other publishers that I had received an offer and, suddenly, I had five! At that stage, I had advances versus royalty only deals on the table and, frankly, I had no clue what to do next. I had no idea how to differentiate between publishers and deals. That was when I decided I needed an expert to help.

I only approached one agent, on the basis she represented an author whose work I knew well, and who wrote in a similar genre to mine. That agent came on board and the rest, as they say, is history.

Until…


I started to attend book signings and events, and fell quickly into the insane and fabulous world of books, readers, bloggers and authors. The more I spoke to people in the book world, it became clear to me there were advantages and disadvantages of both traditional and indie publishing. I realised that I could write quicker than I could seal my next traditional publishing deal. That, combined with the encouragement of indie author friends, led me to self-publish my next title, SCARRED BY YOU.



SCARRED BY YOU is the ultimate second chance romance. Dayna Cross and Clark Layton were always hot together, that hasn’t changed. But a lot of things have. These two characters will take you on a journey of twists and tears, through anger, lust, pain, love and hope.

Following the success of self-publishing SCARRED BY YOU, it is my intention to remain a hybrid author, bringing more books to the market than I might otherwise be able to if I were solely traditionally published. All the while, enjoying the knowledge and expertise that seasoned publishers can bring to my work.

So, what’s next for Laura Carter?

Well, I’m pleased you asked (you did, right?).

Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to secure a new three book deal with New York publisher, Kensington Publishing. The deal is for three standalone romantic comedies, which are part of the BRITS IN MANHATTAN series.

The first book in the series, BALANCING THE SCALES, releases 21 November.

The BRITS IN MANHATTAN series follows a group of friends in New York as they cross paths with sassy Brits, who have the ability to get the hearts of my American heroes racing!

So, brace yourselves for the British Invasion! Expect comedy, heat and swoon-worthy romances.



BALANCING THE SCALES  

A Hotshot Manhattan Attorney. 

Drew Harrington knows exactly who he is—a legal shark with a love ‘em and leave ‘em attitude that works just fine in his cutthroat world. He’s on the cusp of promotion to named partner, but only if he can prove to his colleagues that he has a more human side.

A Sweetheart of a British Patisserie Chef.
Becky Fletcher is running from her past, so the last thing she’s looking for is love. What she does want is a friendly face in a cold city. Her sunny outlook is the sweetness Drew never knew was missing from his life.

One fateful meeting at a bagel cart.
They sound like a match made in heaven—or is it a car crash? If they have any chance of finding happiness, Drew and Becky are going to have to rethink their life plans. Until then, is there really any harm in having some fun between the sheets?

All’s fair in love and lox!



 You can pre-order BALANCING THE SCALES now:

 iBooks: https://goo.gl/0MLjEk

Barnes and Noble: https://goo.gl/0xaq5B

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/AbwA8z

Amazon US: https://goo.gl/vCN42X

GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/he4H3O

Kobo: https://goo.gl/mlxcDH
 Before I hand the blog back over to Deborah, how about a Giveaway?

Win a $10 Amazon gift card AND one Laura Carter ebook of your choice!

 


 

To enter:

 (1) Like my Facebook author page

  www.facebook.com/lauracarterauthor.

 (2) For bonus entries, you can:

a. Sign up to my newsletter: www.lauracarterauthor.com/sign-up

b. Follow me on Goodreads: https://goo.gl/4GuJdd

c. Follow me on BookBub: https://goo.gl/6kND3X

d. Follow me on Amazon: https://goo.gl/hq3Tky

e. Join my reader group: www.facebook.com/groups/carterschiccats

 Competition closes at midnight (EST) Friday 26 May. Winner to be announced via the blog.

 It was great to hang out! Thank you so much to Deborah for hosting me.

 Come and chat to me any time about the publishing process and my story: www.facebook.com/lauracarterauthor

 You can join my virtual book club here: www.facebook.com/groups/carterschiccats (we read one book per month, chosen by poll in my reader group) 

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read: Lethal Lies (Blood Brothers #2) by Rebecca Zanetti #Giveaway

The Giveaway has finished and congratulations to the winner!

Anya Best is being stalked by a serial killer. Taunting her with pictures of his murders, she is struck by the similarity between his victims and herself. Asking for help from her FBI Agent sister only got Loretta killed as well, and Anya is out for justice! Playing the media, Anya sends a direct message to the killer.

“I’m tired of your game and am getting bored. In fact, I’m recently engaged to a real man, unlike you. My fiancé is Heath Jones of Lost Bastards Investigative Services….You don’t like anyone in law enforcement, right? I’m marrying a guy who chases down jerks like you.”

With that challenge made, Heath, only peripherally involved before, suddenly has a fiancé, and the added danger that his past may have seen Anya’s announcement on the news giving away his location. He needs to catch this killer before time runs out.

I loved that Anya was not a weak heroine. She fought all of her instincts to run away in order to get her revenge against the man who killed her sister. In the bargain, she got a hot commando alpha male who’s first instinct was to protect what was now his and make her his own. I thought Heath got the short end of the stick with Anya who was determined to use herself as bait. This book was a fun quick read and the characters were easy to root for.

The underlying sub plot that runs through both the Sin Brothers series as well as this offshoot has still to reach its conclusion. In case you aren’t familiar with these books, all of the heroes in these novels have been biologically engineered with various super abilities. Heath’s is the ability to move really quickly that gives him an edge during a fight. All of the brothers also have enhanced hearing and sight. Abilities that the doctor who created them wants to breed into a new set of super soldiers. Needless to say, we have a lot of evil running around loose and these brothers have some hard work in front of them.  Will this story ARC conclude with the next book? I can’t wait to find out!

I received a copy of this book for my honest review, and it was honest!

Want a chance to own a copy of Lethal Lies? Click the Giveaway link below!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

GIVEAWAY- US Only, sorry! EXPIRES 5/19/17!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



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This Chick Read: Denial (Careless Whispers #1) by Lisa Renee Jones

Ella wakes up in a hospital, in Italy, with amnesia. Sitting next to her bed is a handsome stranger who claims to have found her beaten in an alley. Ella doesn’t have her passport or any ID, and can’t remember her name or where she is from. The stranger, Kayden Wilkens, is determined to offer her protection until her memory returns. Continue reading “This Chick Read: Denial (Careless Whispers #1) by Lisa Renee Jones” →

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments