Monday, February 10, 2020

Review - - Break and Enter


Break and Enter
by Lori Matthews
Callahan Security - Book 1
Publisher: Wild Coyote Press
Release Date: January 22, 2020
Reviewed by PJ
  


Callahan Security is on the brink of disaster. Mitch Callahan pushed his brothers to expand the family business into private security, and their first major client is a complete pain in the ass. It’s no wonder the man has a target on his back, but nothing could prepare Mitch for how seductive his adversary is. Dear reader, let me introduce you to Alexandra Buchannan. The woman many of us wish we had on speed dial, at least at some point in our lives…she uses her talents as a professional criminal to equalize the scales of what she likes to call…romantic justice. Your ex still has your favorite painting? He kept the bracelet he bought you for your 5th anniversary? They won’t be his for long. But Alex’s latest job is her biggest challenge yet. Her target just hired a new security company, and the team’s leader is as smart as he is sexy.Mitch knows his ass is on the line, and he could drag Callahan Security down with him, but everything gets much more complicated as he begins to find Alex so damn irresistible. Soon their game of cat and mouse explodes into a million pieces. Unbeknownst to them, there’s another player in the game, and his intentions are far deadlier.


PJ's Thoughts:

You all know how much I enjoy discovering new authors who check all my happy reader boxes. After staying awake until 3:30 this morning to finish reading Break and Enter, I'm happy to say Lori Matthews checked all of those boxes. Not only am I all-in for her Callahan Security series, but she's the first name placed on my Best Debut Authors of 2020 list. 

With well-developed characters, a fast-paced and tightly-plotted story, a solid balance between action and romance, and twists and turns aplenty, she drew me into her high-stakes world and kept me riveted from first page to last. I loved the chemistry between Mitch and Alex, the flare of desire that grew ever stronger, even as they matched wits to achieve their respective goals and struggled to find trust without revealing their secrets. I was fully invested in their journey.

Matthews writes with fluidity, painting vivid pictures with her words and using her characters - always at the heart of the story - to move the plot forward. As I read the words on the page, in my mind's eye I could see the entire story unfolding on the big screen. It's as if I was reading the book and watching the movie simultaneously, creating an immersive experience that fully engaged my senses. 

While Break and Enter gives the main couple, Mitch and Alex, a happy ending, and their particular piece of the mystery that unfolds in this book is wrapped up, there are still questions to be answered. It appears that there is an overlying mystery that will continue to unfold within each subsequent book in the series. And, of course, as there are two more Callahan brothers (who are both equally intriguing!), more happily ever afters to be found as well. I don't know how many books Matthews has planned for this series but, based on how much I enjoyed Break and Enter, I'll be here for all of them. 



8 comments:

  1. Sounds good. It's always great to find a new author!

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  2. I am so excited for this book! I remember meeting Lori at RWA in 2015 (NYC) and she was the loveliest hostess in sharing her town with me. :) (If you can call NYC a "town" LOL) It's so cool to see new authors who you attended writing classes with. :) The premise of this book sounds hilarious...and sex on a stick! I can't wait to read it.

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  3. Thank you for reviewing this book. I just added her to my must read list. I like that this is her debut novel and can't wait to read more.

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  4. Oh this sounds wonderful! Any book that can keep you up til 3:30 is definitely worth hunting down. Thanks, PJ!

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  5. Shoot fire, you have given me another new author to like. I love mysteries and this sounds like one which would keep me reading. It would have been very handy to have someone like Alexandra in my past....in fact it would have been absolutely Wonderful.

    Thanks for the review.

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  6. Based on your review I know what my next book will be. I love to find new authors just waiting to be discovered. Thanks for your review!

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  7. Another recommendation that sounds like it will be both a book and an author I will enjoy. Thank you.

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