Friday, October 22, 2010

Review - - Edge of Sight

Edge of Sight
Guardian Angelinos- Book 1
By Roxanne St. Claire
Published by: Forever / Grand Central 
Release Date:  October 26, 2010











The killer she can’t escape…
The heartbreak she can’t forget…
The one man who can stop them both.

When I’m in the mood for top-notch romantic suspense with simmering sensuality and non-stop action, the books I most often reach for are those written by Roxanne St. Claire. I adored her Bullet Catchers series and have been anticipating Edge of Sight, the first book in her new Guardian Angelinos series. I’m happy to say it did not disappoint!


Several life-changing events have occurred in Samantha (Sam) Fairchild’s life over the past three years. She fell in love with Army Ranger, Zach Angelino, the twin brother of her friend, Vivi, spent three glorious weeks with him before he returned to active duty in the Middle East and looked forward to the day he would return home to her arms. But Sam never heard from Zach again and the heartbreak of realizing she was nothing more to him than a fling eventually fractured her friendship with Vivi, who was caught in the middle. Then Sam discovered that the man she had, as a teenager, identified, testified against and sent to jail for murder was, in fact, innocent. Her work to free him led to the firings of officers from the Boston P.D., which gained her no friends in that department, but led to her decision to leave her advertising job and apply to law school. Now a waitress at a trendy restaurant and about to start Harvard Law School, Sam is once again in the wrong place at the wrong time. She witnesses the assassination of a well-known Boston columnist in the restaurant’s wine cellar and Sam’s face is caught on the video camera mounted on the wine cellar wall. The same camera the gunman tears off the wall and takes with him! Once again, Sam is the only witness to a crime, the people who ordered the hit refuse to pay the shooter until that witness is eliminated and the police have no interest in keeping her safe. So Sam, terrified and desperate, turns to former friend, Vivi, an investigative reporter with her finger on the pulse of the city, but when she arrives at Vivi’s apartment, it’s not Vivi who meets her but the man who broke her heart and disappeared from her life three years earlier.

Zach knew from the moment he first saw Samantha that she would rock his world. He just never anticipated that she would steal his heart. But knowing the chances of returning from his dangerous mission were slim, he never told her how he felt and, thinking a clean break would be easier on her, never contacted her after he left. Now he’s back, recovering from devastating injuries that have left him scarred both inside and out.  He’s not the same man he was and believes he has nothing to offer Sam but, once he sees her again, he can’t make himself stay away, especially when he realizes the danger she’s in. He joins forces with Vivi and their cousins to protect Sam and stop the murderers before it’s too late. But this case is much more complicated than it first appears and, before it’s over, not only the growing love and trust between Sam and Zach will be at risk; so too will their lives and those of the people they love.

I enjoyed getting to know Zach and Sam.  I liked Sam from the beginning.  She's terrified but she's no wuss.  She's willing to fight for herself and those for whom she cares.  Zach is a warrior; bold, strong and protective, but, emotionally, he's much more complex.  Orphaned as a child, he and Vivi are brought from their native Italy to live with distant family in Boston; people they've never met.  Angry, grieving, not even speaking the language, the young Zach never felt as if he belonged and carries those feelings to this day.  He formed his own family within the Army Rangers but now, because of his injury, he's been retired from service. He's a tortured soul and, in the beginning of the book, not very likeable.  He's a real jerk to Sam, determined to hold her at arm's length, but glimpses of vulnerability and remorse kept me rooting for him.  He has a lot to learn about love, trust, acceptance and family but St. Claire develops him skillfully and, by the end of the book, he not only earns a place in my heart, he's ready to be Sam's lifelong hero.

In Edge of Sight, we're also introduced to the other members of Zach and Vivi's family who we'll be seeing more of in the rest of the Guardian Angelinos books.  I already feel as if I'm a part of their boisterous, loving, sometimes squabbling, Italian-American family and I can't wait to get to know all of them better. 

Roxanne St. Claire has written a superb story with nail-biting suspense, sizzling sexual tension, non-stop action, a cold-blooded villain, and enough twists and turns to keep me flipping pages long past the time I should have been in bed asleep. This is a wild ride that, once on, you won't want to escape until you reach the finish line. I highly recommend the first book in the Guardian Angelinos series, Edge of Sight.

St. Claire has posted a free prequel to Edge of Sight on her website.  It tells what happened when Zach and Sam first met three years earlier.  I think I would have understood, and liked, Zach better at the beginning of Edge of Sight if I had read the prequel first.   You can access the prequel, titled "Taken to the Edge" by going to St. Claire's website, clicking on "free reads" then clicking on "Taken to the Edge."

~PJ

24 comments:

  1. I was sad when the Bullet Catchers series ended, but I'm really excited about Roxanne's new series.

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  2. Great review, Pj. I've never read anything by Roxanne St. Claire, I'm going to have to look at a few of her books :)

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  3. Jane, I was too. I really loved the Bullet Catchers! The Guardian Angelinos is a totally different series but has a loose connection to the Bullet Catchers. Zach and Vivi are related to Johnny Christiano from Take Me Tonight.

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  4. Okie, there are seven books in her Bullet Catchers series and all of them are terrific. Since you've never read her, I'd recommend you start with Edge of Sight since it's the first book in her new series. However, if you're like me, all it will take is one book and you'll be beating the bushes looking for everything else she's ever written!

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  5. This is one I'm eager to read, even more eager after reading your review, PJ.

    Roxanne St. Claire is evidence of how effective book giveaways can be at winning readers. I won one of the early Bullet Catcher books. It hooked me, and she's been an autobuy for me ever since.

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  6. Roxanne St. Claire is evidence of how effective book giveaways can be at winning readers. I won one of the early Bullet Catcher books. It hooked me, and she's been an autobuy for me ever since.

    Janga, that's how I discovered her too and, like you, all it took was one book to hook me.

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  7. Oooh, just left a long comment that got lost! THANK YOU for the wonderful review, PJ!!! I'm so grateful that my readers are sticking with the books even though the Bullet Catchers series has ended. (Maybe ended. Never say never, right? Johnny makes an appearance in book three of the Angelino series. Love that guy. Sigh.)

    And thank you to Jane and Janga for the props. So GLAD the giveaways work!! We can do one today right here, if you like. Pick a random commenter, PJ, and I'll give a copy of EDGE away!

    Hope I can leave this comment this time - I really want you to know how much I loved the review. Especially how you captured that complicated backstory. And, yes, read the "freequel" (free prequel) to really understand how Zach has changed inside and out!

    xoxo
    Rocki

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  8. Thanks, Rocki! That's so generous of you. I'll choose a random commenter later tonight and forward their info to you.

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  9. Perfect! Although, all this talk about how fabulous The Bullet Catchers series is makes me want to run out to B&N this afternoon ;)

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  10. How nice of you, Roxanne. I've been looking at the characters for new series and I'm really looking forward to meeting the Rossi men.

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  11. PJ Great review I do love a good romantic suspense and this one has been added to my list

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  12. Terrific review, PJ. As you know, romantic suspense isn't my favorite sub-genre, but you've really made me want to read this one. So, thanks!

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  13. Wow, this book looks great! I'll have to add this one to the list!

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  14. Enjoyed the review. I have never read any books by Roxanne St. Claire. I will have to look for this one.

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  15. Great review! I have never read Roxanne St. Claire before, but you really have me wanting to. Can't wait to read it!

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  16. Okie, the Bullet Catchers are *very* good!

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  17. Andrea, if you want to give romantic suspense a try, I would highly recommend anything by Roxanne St. Claire.

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  18. Suebooks and Amber, I highly recommend Edge of Sight! It will be released next Tuesday, October 26th.

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  19. This review is so good. And it's a reunion story, too. One of my favorite themes. I have never read anything by St. Claire, "Edge of Sight" sounds like a fab read.

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  20. PJ, this sounds like the start of a great series!

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  21. Scorpio, thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy Edge of Sight!

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  22. Gannon, I think this is one you'd enjoy a lot!

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