Rita Brooks is a psychologist who has plenty of problems of her own. Her biggest issue is a failure to develop and maintain an intimate relationship with a man until now. She knows she’s found “the one,” even though he’s hundreds of miles away. There is the fact they’ve never met face to face. Maybe that’s what makes their relationship work. Only emails and calls are no longer enough. Rita is ready for the next step in Tina Wainscott’s romantic suspense novel, WHAT SHE DOESN'T KNOW.

Rita Brooks is a buttoned down type of gal. Her hometown of Boston suits her. How could she fall for a smooth talking Southern gentleman from New Orleans, but fall she did. Now, all she has to do is meet him, and just maybe, love will follow, then who knows. Suddenly, everything literally goes black when a car crash puts her in a coma. The last thing she sees before the impact is a feathered mask, a Mardi Gras one. While in the coma, a man tries to communicate with her giving her cryptic messages and horrific images. She tells no one. It is never good for people to wonder if the head doctor is crazy too. The accident, along with the blond man haunting her dreams, plus the fact her potential sweetie is ignoring her emails and calls adds up to one bad day. Then he walks through her door, a man wearing the face of the man in her dream, demanding answers and making accusations.

Christopher LaPorte was always the lesser son, the bad prince in all the family dramas. That’s why he stayed away from his family and New Orleans. He figured everyone liked it better that way. It worked for him to until his brother jumped from a balcony. Now he’s determined to find out what would cause his charismatic brother to hurl himself from the gallery of the family home. He believes Rita Brooks is at the bottom of it. The woman is definitely hiding something.

WHAT SHE DOESN'T KNOW moves fast creating a sense of urgency. Using the colorful backdrop of New Orleans during Mardi Gras develops the complexity of the story. The antagonist while interesting is at first mesmerizing, but tends to bog the story down near the end when info dumping pages of backstory about how he became so twisted. There are a few glitches in the story that shouldn’t bother most readers. The chemistry between Christopher and Rita works. They both grow through the novel providing a satisfying conclusion.

WHAT SHE DOESN'T KNOW is a novel worthy of mysterious New Orleans. This is an early novel of Miss Wainscott. It makes me want to investigate her newer works. I would recommend this book. It kept me riveted on the plane with two crying babies, and a snorer nearby.

Do you like your books current and cutting edge? Tired of reading about long ago days that don’t seem that relevant to you, but still want a romantic suspense tale with contemporary nuances and a romantic twist? Then you will want to check out John Simpson’s new novel, Talons of Condor, the sequel to his Condor One novel where the first openly gay candidate, David Winslow, runs for office. In Talons of Condor, Winslow is President, but has a fleet of problems, from assassination attempts to felonious senators, to keeping his love life private.

David Winslow fought the hard fight to be President, despite his rival using David’s homosexuality as a rallying point to bring out every crackpot to the voting booth. The American People chose him to be their leader and he is going to get done what he promised even if it kills him and there is a possibility it will. David escapes one assassination attempt with the help of his devoted Secret Service guard, Shane. He is aware that there will be others. Not everyone is ready for change even if it is for the better of the whole.

Shane is an excellent member of the Secret Service staff. After all it has always been his dream. All he ever wanted to do was to serve and protect his country with honor. It is all he ever really wanted until the up and coming candidate for President David Winslow comes out of the closet. Seeing his chance, Shane confesses to the then Candidate Winslow that he too is gay and a friendship emerges that deepens into love over the past eighteen months. He should consider himself the luckiest man in the world to be the lover of the President, but he hates all the sneaking around, and how he has to act all cool and professional in public. He wants a real relationship even though it might damage his career and compromise the President’s credibility, especially with the more conservative countries. In the end, he needs to be on his toes because someone is trying to kill the President, again. It isn’t going to happen on his watch.

David and Shane work well together as professionals and romantic partners. The pairing of two strong, intelligent men is a good combination. Adding to the ensemble, several believable characters in the forms of Mary, a sassy senior secretary, and Andy, the competent chief of staff, makes the novel work. In fact, details about the workings of Congress plus the infighting that goes therewith makes it a good story for the reader who knows their political scene.

Talons of Condor is a fast paced, tightly written novel. That digs into the concept that sometimes Americans can be the worst enemies to Americans when their interests are self-serving. It also deals with the world of international espionage. So you have intrigue on both sides of the ocean, but it also includes that most dangerous battleground, the heart. I would highly recommend this novel, as well as reading the prequel, Condor One.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© November 2009

When I read the back cover blurb of Reclaim My Life and saw "Lexington," I automatically thought of Lexington, Kentucky, the town where I grew up. However, most people think, if they think of it at all, of Massachusetts. So when the book's description also mentioned the murder of a Kentucky Derby-winning jockey, I was thrilled. Cheryl Norman was writing about the right Lexington! I'm kind of geeky when it comes to books that take place in cities I've lived in. I get excited when they mention streets I know or restaurants I've eaten in. So despite the fact that the main character, Sofia Desalvo, is in the Witness Security Program, I jumped at the chance to read the book because I had visions of Lexington dancing in my head.

Sofia Desalvo, born in Louisville and living in Lexington, witnesses the murder of a jockey by a powerful and influential Lexington doctor. In order to keep her alive until trial, the Witness Security Program moves her to Drake Springs, Florida. While there, she must shed her life as a veterinarian and skinny, stylish woman. Sofia dons the name Elizabeth Stevens (the name we know her by through most of the book), gains a few pounds, and becomes an English professor...all to throw the contract killer off her trail.

Wilson Drake, Drake Spring's sheriff and the town's most eligible bachelor, continually flirts with the dowdy, but she shies away. She doesn't trust herself to get close to him and doesn't trust that he could truly be attracted to this incarnation of herself. But when two of Elizabeth's friends are murdered she breaks Witness Security protocol and lets Wilson know who she really is in hopes that he can find the assassin.

Because Elizabeth is in a witness protection-type program, the entire book takes place in a tiny Florida town. At first I was upset, I wanted more than just a casual mention of Lexington, but then I was swept up in the suspense. Cheryl Norman does a good job of turning pages.

Elizabeth is an every-woman thrust into a life that is anything but. She is relatable and I liked her even though she bemoaned having to eat food in order to gain weight to stay hidden and stay alive. If only I had that problem of having to eat.

Ms. Norman lays her clues out so the reader is able to play detective along with the story, but is not heavy handed with them. There are surprises that makes sense in retrospect and there are the clues left in order to make the reader anxious about what is going to happen.

That said, the action didn't leave me breathless, and the romance made me smile, but didn't sweep me off my feet. The mentions of Kentucky left me flat. Lexington was barely mentioned, so my hoped for "I've been there!" moments never materialized. I do think that my preconceptions of those moments prevented me from fully enjoying the book.

Reclaim My Life by Cheryl Norman is a fun read with a good balance of suspense and romance. It's the perfect read for a lazy weekend or day at the beach.

Reviewed by Cam
© January 2010

When you hear of an amnesia case, you wonder what kind of trauma that person suffered. What could be so bad as to wipe out all memory of your life, your loved ones, the very essence of what and who you are?

Amber knows that she can't run forever. She needs some place where she can hide out. Somewhere she can try to make sense of the chaos that her life has become. Hopefully this job as a nanny to a rancher’s daughter will be the answer to her prayers. She needs answers, answers to so many questions.

Luke Ryan is in need of answers himself and he is willing to do what he has to do to find those answers. He needs a break from both the ranch and his older brother Matt. He is going to go back on the rodeo circuit. But for him to do that he desperately needs a nanny for his three-year-old daughter because he isn’t leaving her behind and the circuit is no place for an unattended child.

Even though Amber seems to fit in right away, both Luke and Matt have reservations about her. There are too many unanswered questions about her.

Amber has her own questions like--who is the dead man that she wakes up next to, is she the one who killed him, and if so, why? But there is no way these questions are going to be answered until she regains her memory. And in the mean time she is falling deeper and deeper in love with both Luke and his daughter Alicia.

Luke needs Amber to trust him with her secrets as he already trusts her with his most cherished possession, his child. So when the man who brought Amber to the ranch is found tortured to death, Luke knows time is running out for both of them. Can they solve the mystery of Amber’s past in time? Will whatever secret that haunts Amber come back to endanger Luke and his family?

Though at first I was a little disappointed that Ms. Lakes used the amnesia theme again, I have to say that once I was into the story I got over my disappointment. In Lasso That Cowboy, you meet the Ryan family again and discover their charm all over. Murder, kidnapping, and suspected land fraud lead to deeper, darker things. All the while there is the thread of a sweet love story between a woman, a man, and his child. Ms. Lakes has written another tightly woven suspense story that keeps you wondering about what’s going to happen next. Lynde Lakes is an author I’ll be watching for, and if you like your love stories mixed with a little intrigue you should check her out too.

Reviewed By Theresa
© January 2009

I'm always up for a good suspense. When I came across Wicked Games by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush, the promise of a murder mystery from the grave proved too tempting to pass up.

When Jessie Brentwood disappeared from St. Elizabeth's school everyone, including her friend Becca, assumed that she simply ran away. Detective Sam McNally is the only person who believes she was murdered. Twenty years later, St. Elizabeth's school is being razed and a skeleton is found. McNally gets the chance to prove that he's not the nut job his department thinks he is. Old wounds are opened among high school friends. Just as they start turning up dead, and Becca gets a new chance at life, a mysterious force threatens to end it.

If the description sounds a little tangled, it's because the story has a lot going on. While it was fun guessing how it all came together, there were times that I felt too much was happening. In addition to the suspense plot lines, Wicked Games throws the paranormal and romance into the mix. I'll admit that it was the promise of this mixture that piqued my interest. The suspense is strong. The paranormal is strong. The romance is strong. It was as if they were so strong on their own that they didn't want to play as a team.

I liked Becca and her hero. I wanted them to be together, but I also wanted to solve the looming mystery. Instead of both happening simultaneously, one plot line had to be taken care of before we could really start down the path of the other story.

In addition to the multiple plot lines, Wicked Games felt front-loaded with details. Granted, 20 years is a lot of time to catch up on. However, I felt that I was getting the same information throughout the first quarter of the book only it was being delivered by different characters.

Once the lengthy introduction is over, the book picks up pace and takes the reader for quite a ride. There were several points early in on in the book where I thought I knew, without a doubt, who the killer was. Every time I figured out who the murderer was, I thought it was somebody different. And each time, I was incredibly wrong. Wicked Games keeps the reader guessing.

Wicked Games is the first collaborative book between authors and sisters Ms. Jackson and Ms. Bush, but it won't be the last. While the ending is satisfying, there are a few loose ends that leave an opening for an interesting sequel.

If you're in the mood for a fun read of a suspenseful book, I would recommend Wicked Games by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush. Just be warned that the exciting end comes with the price of a slow beginning.

Reviewed by Cam Robbins
© Oct 2009

Everyone lies. It is human nature to tell a lie and it can roll off the tongue with a minimum of thought. What damage can a little lie do? Not a big deal, unless you happen to be secretly employed by a branch of the British government that shall remain nameless. Then a little lie can become most deadly. Alan Waring finds out the hard way what can happen to someone he cares about in Dangerous Lies by Anna Louise Lucia.

Alan likes being alone. He likes working in Morocco. He gets to spend half of his time there, the other half in London. His business in London runs mostly on autopilot and allows him the income and freedom to be where he is truly happy: Morocco. Life is perfect until he has a problem moving a package from Morocco back to HQ. The instruction came down the wire, "Get it here any way you can." Unintentionally, Alan found himself a "mule". Once the package was out of his hands, though, there was nothing he could do but follow it back to London.

Marianne Forster lived her life for her ailing father. She took care of him until he died. He lied to her about the severity of his illness all the way to the grave. Now, it was time to start living and doing something for herself. She searched out the dreamland of her Grandfather. On her first vacation abroad she found herself in the courtyard of his old home in Morocco. Sitting on the side of the fountain in the courtyard, she can't help but cry at her loneliness. She has no one left. Just then a strange man interrupts her solitude. His compassion could be the first steps of a new adventure for Marianne. This is exactly what she is looking for but it becomes an adventure she will never forget.

Ms. Lucia has penned a fascinating story of love and espionage that digs deep into the mind of Alan Waring. His thoughts about what he has done, although unwittingly, and if he can ever forgive himself once he makes it right, made me think he has far too much conscience to be a spy. Then again, perhaps he's just been at it too long. Time to walk away, if he can.

Marianne was far too fickle for my taste. She is subjected to a lot throughout her adventure but her "on again, off again" lust for Alan was almost annoying after a time. I wanted to smack her and tell her to make up her mind. She was uncommonly lucky in more than one potentially deadly situation as well. I wondered if it should have been that easy for her.

With all of that said, Dangerous Lies is full of high action and the secondary characters are wonderful in their own right. The story is well written and moves along at an exciting pace. If you enjoy the "Indiana Jones" brand of adventure, you will enjoy Dangerous Lies.

Reviewed by MargeAnna Conrad
© March 2009

Is it a tragic suicide? Was it a horrible murder perpetrated by persons unknown? Or, is it someone carrying out a terrible hoax? These formidable questions plague Katherine after her husband's death in a fiery car crash. And for the distraught Katherine, finding the answers promises not only closure, but might just help free her from a terrible sense of guilt. Fires of Fury by Donna Dawson is the story of Katherine's mission to unravel the mysteries surrounding her estranged husband's apparent suicide. Moreover, as events soon prove, it turns out to be a dangerous mission, indeed.

In Donna Dawson's, Fires of Fury, Katherine Matheson finds going to her husband's funeral a trial, but also a revelation, and in more ways than one. Before she even leaves the house, she spies a sealed letter posted by her dead husband to himself. With no time to read it, because she is already late for the funeral, Katherine places the missive in a drawer. Later, at the reception, and to her surprise, she not only discovers some old enemies present, but a possible new friend as well: Police Officer Jason Wolfe.

He tells Katherine that her husband's fiery death in his car might not be a suicide after all. Officer Wolfe implies it might be murder. This news stuns poor Katherine, but also makes her oddly hopeful, for she now feels a dreadful guilt in being the possible cause of her husband's suicide. If it is no suicide, than she is not to blame. This would be a great personal relief to her. One more thing she discovers at the reception -- Katherine finds she likes Officer Wolfe a bit more than perhaps she should.

Afterwards, Katherine begins to have nightmares about her husband's horrible ending. Waking in the middle of the night, she spies a stranger standing in the shadows of her garden, apparently watching her house. Katherine is at a loss as to who this could be and why he is watching her. It seems to be just one more thing in a growing list of such odd items.

Katherine now finds herself drawn ever more to Officer Wolfe. She discovers he is not only truly interested in unraveling the secrets of her husband's terrible demise, but he seems to have strong feelings for her, as well. Katherine increasingly wishes to return these feelings. Together, and with his strong religious faith helping to revive her own, they embark on the quest to solve the death of Katherine's husband, Darryl. It turns out to be a pursuit that involves some surprising twists and turns, not to mention a major revelation.

I found Fires of Fury by Donna Dawson to be a good solid read, one that held my interest throughout. Ms. Dawson seems more than proficient at descriptions. She sets vivid scenes. Ms. Dawson paints in details in such a loving way as to make them very believable. She is adept at creating characters with which the reader can identify and about whom they will want to know more -- much more. One immediately sympathizes with Katherine Matheson, feels for her, and wants to know what really happened to her husband, Darryl. Did he die of suicide? If so, is she partly to blame? Or, did somebody murder him? These are all questions asked by the book, and which will make the reader eagerly want to know the answers.

The only negative I could find in Fires of Fury was that I felt its pace was rather slow at times. Numerous flashbacks and lengthy, often intensive introspection on the part of the character, Katherine, seemed to contribute to this slowing. And although Ms. Dawson is very good at descriptions, I felt that at times they could have been somewhat reduced in order to help the plot move a little more quickly. However, these were minor problems for me.

Fires of Furyby Donna Dawson is an enjoyable romance mystery, one that will hold the reader's attention, and keep them guessing. Ms. Dawson smoothly incorporates an inspirational quality to Fires of Fury, along with a growing romance, and a suspenseful plot. To do this, and to do it all so well, shows a real talent on the author, Ms. Dawson's part. An inspirational romance and mystery, Fires of Fury will not disappoint. You would do very well to read Fires of Fury by Ms. Donna Dawson, for it is a book that inspires along with entertaining!

Reviewed By Rob Shelsky
© April 2009

Relationships. Spouse. Friends. Parents. They all have an affect on your life. They make you the person you are. But what if your husband decides to leave with another woman? What if your best friend has some overbearing ways of running your life, without your permission? What if you don't really know who your parents are? These are the problems that drive C.D. Waddell to pray, asking God for help in Cheryl N. Warner's A Prayer for Distraction.

Have you ever heard the adage, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it?" C.D. finds out the hard way that it should apply to prayer. While she is trying to get over her obsessive attachment to her cheating ex-husband, she decides to take her mind off of him by finding her birth parents. She dearly loves the parents that raised her and never wants to hurt them but she finds the need to know where she came from and… what does "C.D." stand for anyway? What kind of name is that to give a three-year-old kid and then drop her off at a hospital, abandoning her? C.D. is driven to find out. Her adoptive father introduces her to a private detective, Mitch Everhart, a man who charges in and changes everything.

Mitch Everhart has had a bad marriage and can relate to C.D.'s pain. He is instantly attracted to the lady searching for her birth parents but he can't let her in on his own agenda for helping her out. What he's keeping from her could keep them apart if she finds out in the wrong way. He knows he'll have to come clean but not until all issues have been settled and it is safe to let C.D. know the truth.

A Prayer for Distraction was an emotional roller coaster. Having had the kind of husband C.D. had, it was almost unnerving to read some of the things her cold hearted ex was doing but Ms. Warner has penned a realistic situation all too often occurring in this day and age. I wanted to jump in and help C.D. I could have smacked a couple of the characters, too. The characters are easy to get wrapped up in and the story flowed from complication to complication until I was nearly ready to scream at some points. Frustrating in a good way.

A Prayer for Distraction is a busy story with questions and answers at every turn. A page turning adventure for any lover of romance, suspense, and life made whole through answered prayer.

Reviewed By MargeAnna Conrad
© February 2009
 

When I started reading Winter's Journey I was interested the female view of long distance driving. Especially since I once knew a long haul driver and know how hard it is to maintain a relationship with people left behind. Being a long haul driver is not an easy job: long hours, loneliness, the temptation of drugs, and, if you are in a relationship, the temptation to cheat. Knowing what I know of Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s writing, I knew I was going to get a story that gave me a female perspective of a very male-dominated job.

Loretta Brennan is one of the few female independent truckers, but like most she is in desperate need of money. The last payment, the “balloon” payment is due on her big rig “Baby Blue”. Everything hinges on that last payment: her livelihood, her home, and the well-being of her child. So when she gets a call from a trucking contractor offering her a bonus to deliver oranges to Cheyenne, WY, she takes it. Due to the time constraints, the weather, and the road conditions on the mountain passes, this job could make or break her. But with the chance of getting on with a big trucking company, which would mean steady work, she takes on what she knows is a risky job.

From the start the job is plagued with problems: the truck has mechanical problems, there are tools missing, and then she is almost accosted by another driver. When he grabs her in the parking lot as she leaves the diner where they had an argument earlier, a drifter steps up and rescues her. Knowing all the risks of offering a hitchhiker a ride, Loretta does just that and soon learns he is a more than capable driver.

Now their route is haunted by a series of trucker murders, and a sinister truck that seems to be following them. This is the same route that two years earlier she and husband were traveling when he was rundown by a passing truck. Can Loretta trust an unknown drifter with her livelihood and her life? What is it about Sam that attracts her so, is it just her hormones? Can she trust her instincts when they tell her that he is just a good man down on his luck? Or could it be she is falling in love with a murderer?

Winter’s Journey is a tale of a single mother who is fighting to save the life that she has made for herself and her daughter after her husband’s tragic death several years earlier. Ms. Griffith does an excellent job expressing the feelings of her main character -- feelings that we all feel at some time or another. The dreams she has for her daughter and the doubts she feels as a single mother trying to make a living. Sam is a man with a tragic past of his own which he is struggling to overcome. Loretta and Sam risk everything that they are to learn to trust and love again. This is the kind of tale Kathryn Meyer Griffith does best people, relationships and a touch of mystery. Winter’s Journey is another keeper.

Reviewed by Theresa
© December 2008

Okay, I have to say that there were a couple of things that attracted me to this book. One: I love Kathryn Meyer Griffith and have every since I read Scraps of Paper. Two: I lived in the upper part of Illinois for many years and still have friends who live in Michigan so I know that region of the country. Three: I got hooked on that show about the truck drivers driving across the frozen lakes and rivers so the idea of an island cut off from the world during the winter with the only access being to cross a frozen body of water to the mainland was completely intriguing to me. Then, for it to be a little spooky romantic mystery on top of all that, I was hooked for sure.

When Charlotte’s fiancé dumps her by email saying that he can’t marry her because he is on his honeymoon with her best friend, Charlotte decides to return to the one place she feels is home: with her Aunt Bess and Mackinac Island. When she arrives she discovers just how much Bess needs her help, not only with finances, but to help Bess recover from her own heartache brought on by a married man who she loves. Charlotte also wants to renew a friendship with neighbor Hannah who was like a grandmother to her when she was a child.

Mackinac Island is a quaint Victorian period retreat that welcomes summer tourists: tourists that the residents call "fudgies" because their addiction to the fudge made on the island. To maintain its charm, the island allows no cars, just horses and bicycles. In truth there are few full time residents living on the island due to the extremely harsh winters. In winter after all the "fudgies” leave the island Mackinac closes down and the "townies” look forward to when the water freezes and forms the ice bridge that crosses the Straits of Mackinac becoming the island's only access to the mainland.

Charlotte decides to try her hand at writing and begins collecting local ghost stories with the help of her friends. Everything changes when Hannah disappears into the icy waters crossing the ice bridge. Everyone believes it’s one of those tragic accidents that happen when crossing to the mainland. But there is something that doesn’t seem right to Mac, a local cop who is friends with all three women. Mac has known Hannah since both he and Charlotte were children. He did odd jobs for Hannah, and Hannah helped him get through college. He knows that Hannah was just too smart to go off the path. So it’s murder…but why…how…by whom? Charlotte and Mac make it their business to track down Hannah’s killer because in the end, this is about family. But it’s Mac, with a little help from Hannah's ghost, who saves both Charlotte and Bess when the killer decides they are in the way.

The Ice Bridge was one of those books that was a mixture of a tale about the friendship between three women of various ages and a murder mystery. That blend is something that you would think would be really hard to manage but Kathryn Meyer Griffith does it beautifully. When Charlotte first arrives it’s all about her but quickly Charlotte discovers that hers is not the only heartache in the world. Through Charlotte you learn about the heartaches of her Aunt Bess and their neighbor Hannah.

The author knows both her characters and setting well. From the first paragraph to the last, you become so well acquainted with the small island community life and its inhabitants that you come to believe that you are part of that community. The Ice Bridge had me completely entangled in the lives of these three women to the point it was four in the morning when I finished it.

This book is a keeper!! And I can’t wait for the next book by this wonderful author!!

Reviewed by Theresa
© December 2008

I’m not a romance reader; I tend to get my dose of literary love as a secondary plot point. When I have read romances in the past, it’s been with mixed results. I’ve been swept off my feet and I’ve been left cold. Obviously the hero has to be hot (physically and emotionally), but the more involved the storyline, the more involved I tend to be. The mystery aspect of Final Words by Teri Thackston intrigued me, so I thought I’d give this modern-day romance a try.

We first meet Emma St. Clair, medical examiner, as she floats between life and death, caught between her body in the ER and the calming light just ahead. Detective Jason MacKenzie is assigned to the hit and run that’s put Emma in the hospital and killed their mutual friend. Emma pulls through but she’s brought part of her near-death experience with her; when she touches the dead, they can speak to her…and tell her how they died.

Emma is a woman with the baggage of a controlling ex but she’s strong and independent. It’s her strength that’s helping her move on, from her divorce and her accident, and it’s her independence that leads her to play detective once those in her morgue start confiding in her. This puts her at odds with the handsome and, so he claims, reformed playboy, Detective McKenzie.

Mrs. Thackston does a good job of placing clues throughout her story so the reader can play detective along side the main characters. Her writing style is light and the story moves quickly. While Mrs. Thackston uses some trite phrases (i.e. “a contradiction he meant to explore”), she shows her ability to wield the English language with descriptions like “antiseptic-flavored air” and “twilight edge of sleep.”

The secondary characters were memorable and helped to round out our hero and heroine. I know I haven’t talked too much about Jason, the hero, and all good romances hinge upon the hero. He was handsome, good-hearted and kind. Even though I didn’t fall for him myself, Jason was perfect for Emma.

Everything seemed to get tied up a little too neatly in the end, but I did enjoy the mystery as much as the romance. While this book is mostly about the dance of romance, there is a sex scene (outside of marriage). However, the descriptions are fairly tame.

While Final Words didn’t sweep me off my feet, we had a fun first date. If you enjoy modern-day romances with a touch of mystery, you’ll enjoy this book. All in all, it is an enjoyable romp.

Reviewed by Cam Robbins
© Dec 2008

A good mystery mixed with a love story catches my attention quickly. When I sat down to read Running Scared by Cheryl Norman, all I knew was the title, the author’s name, and the genre. Before I finished the second page, I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it.

The main plot revolves around Ashley Adams who finally found the courage to leave and divorce her abusive husband. Ashley trains with her friend Marvin Jones for a marathon to be held in Washington D.C. She still fears her ex-husband and fights that fear through therapy and running.

As Marvin and she run their early morning run through a neighborhood in Jackson, Florida, a drive-by shooter kills a man in his driveway just as they pass him. Panicked, Ashley is afraid her ex has found her. As the plot thickens, she discovers an attraction to homicide detective Rick Edwards, who does his best to cope with the deaths of his wife and daughter.

Rick tries to solve the murder Ashley nearly witnessed, but he also needs to keep her alive after a direct attempt is made on her life.

The theme of betrayal weaves throughout the book until neither Ashley nor Rick knows whom to trust. Yet, they must learn to trust and depend on each other.

Despite a few awkwardly worded areas in the Advance Readers Copy, which may have been revised by the time the book is released, the read is smooth and entertaining without any detailed sexual scenes. Any attraction and sexual tension allows the reader to use her imagination and leaves romance in the tentative relationship between Rick and Ashley. Besides, what can be more romantic than a man saving a woman’s life – with much help from her?

After reading Running Scared, Ms. Norman’s writing kept me interested and ready to read more of her books.

Reviewed by Vivian Zabel
© September 2008

I’m a reader who loves to be surprised by a book. You see the book, you read the jacket and you think the book is one thing. But a couple pages into it, you realize you were dead wrong on what the book was going to be. Sometimes the surprise is a good thing, sometimes not. The surprise I got from Run Among Thorns was absolutely wonderful.

Our first moments with Jenny Waring find her in an unpleasant situation. Her workplace is being held up and the whole office is being held hostage. In a moment of clear thinking and quick action, Jenny expertly defends her coworkers against the attackers allowing them all the chance to live.

Unfortunately Jenny freed her coworkers a little too expertly and now the law is questioning just how she got to be such a good shot. All Jenny wants to do is go home and have a hot shower, but instead she finds herself turned over to a specialist named McAllister.

Trapped in a hovel in the middle of Scotland, Jenny knows she is in trouble. McAllister is clearly well trained at his job and is committed to finding out where her skills with a gun came from. One problem is that he doesn’t believe the truth. But Jenny’s got a bigger problem than that: she’s incredibly attracted to her interrogator.

Kier McAllister was the best at what he did. Nobody could keep a secret from him for very long, especially when locked up with him in the middle of nowhere subjected to his constant questioning. But somehow he knows this job is going to be different.

Seeing the evidence of Jenny’s abuse during the attack on her workplace, Kier feels something he’s rarely felt – sympathy. Time to get a grip on himself though, an interrogator has no room for sympathy, especially when his subject is such an attractive woman.

Kier had cracked beautiful women before, made them spill their guts to him in exchange for their freedom. This Jenny was tougher than she looked though. If he didn’t know better, he’d believe her when she told him she had no cover and was just being herself. No matter, he’ll get her to break. He’d never failed a job before and wasn’t about to start now.

From the first page, I couldn’t put down Anna Louise Lucia’s Run Among Thorns. The story was a fast and furious trip with two fascinating characters that drew me into their world before I knew what happened.

Filled with sexual tension overlaid on a well-built story, this romantic suspense novel was everything I could have asked for in a summer read. The only reason I did not give Run Among Thorns a full score of ten is because a few of the outcomes were predictable. By no means is that a reason to pass up this great read though; it is otherwise perfect.

Bravo to the author! Keep these great stories coming!
 
Reviewed By Sabine Maurier
© August 2008

When I think of romantic suspense, I think of Catherine Coulter’s FBI series and Iris Johansen’s Eve Duncan books as "must have" authors. There are a few other authors fast approaching the "must have" point: Cheyenne McCray and Lora Leigh to name a couple (I originally fell in love with both Cheyenne’s and Lora’s other work but their suspense stuff is really good). And now there is Michelle Perry. Paint It Black is the second book of hers I have read.

Necie Bramhall thought she knew all about revenge. Indeed, that was the whole focus of her career with the DEA. She’s devoted her life to bringing down those who make a profit off of other peoples suffering, their addictions. Now she is about to get the chance she has been waiting for, the chance to bring down one of the biggest drug lords out there: her own father.

But things start to go wrong. Both the agent on the inside and the evidence he has been collecting are compromised. The raid to take down Frank Barnes finds an empty house with Angel tied to a tree, shot in the head. Necie knows that if her team finds out about her connection to Barnes, they will assume she’s the unknown mole. She must be the one to bring Barnes in. And to top it all off, her home life is falling apart. She and Grady have been drifting apart for years. Grady has never understood her passion for her job. But now with his drinking, things are going from bad to worse and it‘s starting to affect their daughter.

Can Necie and her partner Cougar bring Barnes in? Can they flush out the mole on their team? Can she deal with the feelings that Cougar stirs in her? Most of all, can she save her own daughter from the half-sister she has never known?

Paint It Black is an intense read. I was so wrapped up in it that I barely noticed the time passing. And when I was forced to put it down I was not a happy camper. As I said: intense. The characters are driven, full of frailties. The plot so simple on the surface and yet so twisted that I couldn’t wait for the next chapter, indeed the next page.

Paint It Black is one of those books that you race to finish and then are mad when it’s done. If you love Coulter and Johansen, go out and find this book. You will not be disappointed. I, for one, will be looking for more Michelle Perry books my next trip to the bookstore.

Reviewed by Theresa
© March 2008

After spending a week reading horror stories, I decided to give my paranoia a breather and find myself a tasty romance. I picked Christine Carroll's The Senator's Daughter off my desk and settled in for an afternoon's reading.

Though I initially didn't think I'd enjoy the book since I generally prefer works of a spicier nature, I must admit that The Senator's Daughter is one of the best contemporary romances I've read in the last few months. The elements of suspense that Ms. Carroll added make this a fast-paced and enjoyable read.

Sylvia Chatsworth is not sure how she got the reputation for being a bitch, but lately she was certainly living up to it. Not one to show the gossip hounds that they upset her, Sylvia decides to drown her sorrows in her newest potential conquest – Assistant DA Lyle Thomas. Lyle was known for being as straight as they come and perhaps he was just what she needed to break her bad girl image. Unfortunately, passionately kissing him at the club while the press took photos wasn't exactly the way to do it.

When her mother responds to the photos by telling Sylvia the family would be better off without her, she makes the decision to disappear. Would anyone notice she was gone? Would anyone care? Would Lyle come looking for her after their soul-shaking kiss? Sylvia had no idea, but she was about to find out.

Lyle Thomas was the guy everyone depended on; the straight man while everyone else enjoyed themselves. Well, it was about time he changed that and Sylvia Chatsworth, who was rumored to have danced topless at a recent public party, was exactly the date to do it for him. Working in the busy DA's office, most recently researching the disappearance of a wealthy land developer, had made him edgy. It was time he took a little break from being a lawman and enjoyed himself.

After one unforgettable kiss, Lyle is faced with the possibility that Sylvia has met with foul play as her father hires him to investigate her disappearance. Vanished without a trace, he has no idea where to find her but he knows he won't rest until he does. The memory of their shared kiss keeps him up nights wondering what might have happened next so he knows he has to find her, but how?

Ms. Carroll has presented us with a highly readable novel with two likeable main characters that find themselves caught up in a most unusual situation that puts both of their lives at risk. Since The Senator's Daughter is as much a suspense novel as it is a romance, I didn't mind at all that there were few intimate moments between the characters. I read page after page waiting to see what would happen next.

Since the story is based in the Napa Valley, I suggest you pour yourself a glass of wine and settle in for a few hours of enjoyable romance reading with The Senator's Daughter. You won't be sorry you did.
 
Reviewed By Sabine Maurier
© January 2008