Review - - What Doesn't Kill Her

What Doesn't Kill Her
by Christina Dodd
Cape Charade - Book 2
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: January 29, 2019
Reviewed by PJ

One secret, one nightmare, one lie. You guess which is which.

1. I have the scar of a gunshot on my forehead.

2. I have willfully misrepresented my identity to the US military.

3. I'm the new mother of a seven-year-old girl.

Kellen Adams suffers from a yearlong gap in her memory. A bullet to the brain will cause that. But she's discovering the truth, and what she learns changes her life, her confidence, her very self. She finds herself in the wilderness, on the run, unprepared, her enemies unknown--and she is carrying a priceless burden she must protect at all costs. The consequences of failure would break her. And Kellen Adams does not break.

What doesn't kill her...had better start running.

My thoughts:

I've been eagerly waiting for this book since turning the final page of Dead Girl Running and it did not disappoint. Picking up shortly after the end of the first book, What Doesn't Kill Her continues the journey of Kellen Adams with more action, emotion, mystery, and well-placed Dodd humor...sometimes in the middle of terror. 

Let me start out by saying how much I adore Max Di Luca. I'm so glad Dodd delves deeper into his relationship with Kellen in this book as well as revealing more of their shared backstory. I love his patience, his kindness, and his protective instincts. He's a wonderful father and I hope he'll have the opportunity to be a wonderful husband.

I appreciate the difficulties Kellen is experiencing as she, Max, and Rae try to find their new normal. Dodd allows the transition to occur realistically, with advances and retreats, as Kellen, clearly out of her comfort zone, struggles to come to terms with everything that happened during the year she was in a coma, as well as finally facing the events from before and after.

And then there's Rae, the precocious seven-year-old daughter Kellen never knew she had and doesn't quite know what to do with. I love this kid! The evolving relationship between these two is both heart-wrenching and hilarious, a combination Dodd pulls off flawlessly.

All of these relationship threads are being woven at the same time Kellen, and her stowaway daughter, are running for their lives from men determined to steal a precious artifact Kellen's been hired to deliver. But that's only the beginning of the danger that's stalking them. 

With edge-of-your-seat suspense, emotional depth, and unexpected humor, What Doesn't Kill Her is a story that lures the reader in and refuses to let go. It can be read as a standalone but for a complete understanding of the characters and the events that have led them to this point in their journey, I strongly encourage readers to read Dead Girl Running first.  



Are you reading this series?

What's the last book you couldn't put down?

Review - - Dead Girl Running

Dead Girl Running
By Christina Dodd
Cape Charade - Book 1
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Reviewed by PJ

Girl running...from a year she can't remember, from a husband she prays is dead, from homelessness and fear. Tough, capable Kellen Adams takes a job as assistant manager of a remote vacation resort on the North Pacific Coast. There amid the towering storms and the lashing waves, she hopes to find sanctuary. But when she discovers a woman's dead and mutilated body, she's soon trying to keep her own secrets while investigating first one murder...then another. 

U.S. Army veteran, Kellen Adams is on the run but the problem is that she doesn't know entirely from what...or from whom...she's running. She has a scar on her forehead that's almost certainly from a bullet but has no memory of being shot. In fact, she doesn't remember anything from an entire year in her past. As the newly hired assistant manager of the Yearning Sands Resort on the Pacific coast of Washington State, Kellen is looking forward to a quiet off-season while she gets comfortable in her new position and hoping this will be a place she can stay. But then the owners go on vacation, leaving her in charge, the mutilated body of the former assistant manager is discovered, along with evidence of smuggling on the resort property, and that's just the beginning. Who can she trust? Who should she not? And, as if the resort crimes aren't enough, is her past also coming back to haunt her or are someone's intentions much more deadly?  

I should know better by now than to start reading a Christina Dodd book late in the day. I was once again fully immersed from the first page to the last...which I read at about 3:00 in the morning. This story simply refused to let me go. Kellen is a relatable character whose situation is believable and heart-rending. I understood the terror that influenced her past decisions and applauded her tenacity and bravery in the way she moved forward to claim a new life in the midst of heartache. I was in her corner the entire way. The mystery is well-paced, intricately woven, and, once again, Dodd kept me guessing the entire way. Just when I was sure I had figured everything out, there she went again, off in a different direction. She's become increasingly proficient at that with each new book she's written since moving to suspense thrillers. 

There's a rather large cast of secondary characters (as is the case in the first book of many new series) but I never felt confused or overwhelmed by them. Many of them are quite intriguing and I hope we'll be seeing more of them.   

If you enjoy suspense thrillers with intriguing characters, plenty of atmosphere, twists and turns that keep you guessing, and a surprise twist at the end that I did not see coming (I love when authors do that!), then Dead Girl Running should be on your must-read list.

Though there is a romantic thread, this book is a suspense thriller, not romantic suspense. Be prepared for a lot of mystery and action but know that your heart will be touched as well and while there is not a happily ever after the book will leave you with the possibility of one. Given how the book ends, I'm hopeful that Kellen and her relationships will continue to evolve throughout the series. Also, though this book launches a new series, there are loose connections to two previous series by Dodd. While fans of those series (like me) will no doubt appreciate the connections, first-time readers should be able to enjoy Dead Girl Running without having read the earlier books. 

Today's Special - - Q&A with Nancy Northcott

Nancy Northcott joins us today not as a reviewer but wearing her author hat. I've been a fan of Nancy's writing since her debut, Renegade. Today, she's here to tell us about a different direction she's taken with her writing. I've read an early copy of The Deathbrew Affair, the book that launches Nancy's new Lethal Webs series and, I have to say, I'm very excited about this hero/heroine pairing and the adventures to come. 

Stop by her website for more information about Nancy, her books, and social media links. 

Welcome, Nancy! Congratulations on the upcoming release of The Deathbrew Affair, the first book in your new Lethal Webs series. Please tell our readers what they can expect from this series.

Thanks for having me, PJ.

The series mixes intense action, suspense, and hot romance. Many successful romantic suspense series are built on that combination, but having one couple’s romance evolve over the course of several books, as Casey and Jack’s does, is less common. Some authors are doing that but not many.

I’ve read a lot of mystery series that have the two lead characters’ romance evolving through subplots as the series continues. This is not that. In the Lethal Webs books, the romance is every bit as important as the action-adventure elements. I’m curious to see how people will react to that—and to Casey’s first-person, snarky voice.

Casey and Jack come from backgrounds as different as night and day, behave much of the time like a dog and cat trapped in the same cage, and have a simmering sexual chemistry that threatens to explode sky-high. I finished this first book confident that, eventually, hopefully, they’ll have a happy ending. What is it about these two that convinced you they had the potential to be a good match?

They both broke out of boxes set for them at birth.  Jack is an earl but always wanted more than the parties and clubs and charity functions that were his family’s world.  He yearned to make a hands-on difference, to take the advantages his birth gave him and do something good with them.  Casey was very young when she vowed to escape the mill town where she grew up, where almost everyone married just out of high school and went to work in the mill, as their parents had before them. The mill owner’s abuse of his power ignited in her a fierce resolve to stop anyone who would misuse power to the detriment of others.

That refusal to conform is something they recognize in each other, though not consciously at first. At the root of things, they share an ardent desire to see the bad guys brought down, to see justice done. And each of them secretly admires, just a little bit, the qualities in the other that they find annoying.

This first book is set in the UK. Will the others be set there as well or will Casey and Jack be globe-trotting in future adventures?

There’s a little globe-trotting.  The novels are mostly set in the UK, with occasional scenes set in other countries.  For example, the second book opens with Casey on a raid in France. Then the action moves to England and stays there. A couple of the novellas, though, will have a more international focus, and the last book will be mostly set in Casey’s (and my) native North Carolina.

The Deathbrew Affair has a 007 vibe, if Bond had a female American agent partner. Are you a fan of the franchise? Who is your favorite James Bond?

I love the Bond movies, as it happens, and I always enjoy the opening action sequences.  My favorite Bond is Pierce Brosnan.  Each of the others has his strengths and does a good job, but I really liked Brosnan.  In second place would be Timothy Dalton.

As I read this book, I kept visualizing it playing out on the big screen. If given the opportunity, who would you cast in the roles of Casey and Jack?

Why, thank you! I would cast Missy Peregrym of Rookie Blue as Casey and Richard Armitage (in his MI-5 look, not his Thorin Oakenshield one) as Jack.

The Deathbrew Affair is packed with non-stop action and suspense (which I loved!). To what authors do you turn when you want a rollercoaster read?

Thanks, PJ. I obviously love those elements, too.  You can’t go wrong with the Romance Bandits, several of whom write mysteries and suspense. Jon Land’s series about fifth-generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong is a must-buy.  I also instantly grab J.D. Robb’s In Death series, Elle Kennedy’s Killer Instincts books, David Baldacci’s John Puller, Will Robie, or King & Maxwell series, and anything by Karen Rose, Cindy Gerard, Laura Griffin, or Nichole Christoff.

What is the timetable for future Lethal Webs books?

That’s not firmly set yet, as I’m juggling several series.  The next book, The Runway Murder Affair, should be out this year, with the third book, The Deadly Cargo Affair, coming early next year.  After that comes the first novella, The Christmas Village Affair.  Since that will definitely miss Christmas, I’m hoping to have it out by Valentine’s Day, but we’ll see. 

Rapid-fire Q&A:

Favorite place to read?

It’s a toss-up between the couch in my study or in bed.

Dogs or cats?

Dogs. Always. I’m allergic to cats, alas.

Pumpkin Spice or Apple?

Apple.  You just can’t beat good apple anything.

Favorite place to vacation?

England.

Where can readers find you online?

www.nancynorthcott.com

Twitter: @NancyNorthcott

Facebook:  https://facebook.com/nancynorthcottauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3468806.Nancy_Northcott

What’s next?

Nemesis, the next Light Mage Wars book, is about half done and begging to be finished. I’m also working on Christmas on Outcast Station, a collaboration with Jeanne Adams. Then will be The Runway Murder Affair.

Sounds like a lot of good reads on the horizon. Thanks for visiting with us today, Nancy. Is there anything you’d like to add?

Thank you for having me, PJ.  The only thing I want to add is that I’m having a blast writing these books, and I hope readers will enjoy them, too.

Would you like to ask our readers a question?

Sure.  Who’s your favorite spy in books or movies? Have ever read other action-adventure series that place equal emphasis on the romance?

One randomly chosen person who leaves a comment before 11:00 PM, September 29 will receive a signed copy of The Deathbrew Affair. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE DEATHBREW AFFAIR: LETHAL WEBS # 1

September 30, 2017

HE’S THE KING OF CONTROL FREAKS.

I’M THE QUEEN OF WINGING IT.

TOGETHER WE’LL SAVE THE WORLD...

UNLESS WE KILL EACH OTHER FIRST.

I’m Casey Billings, an American operative in the London office of a covert, multinational agency. I’m working with an MI5 officer, Jack, Lord Bainbridge, to bring down a bioterrorist who plans to unleash a pandemic. We’re posing as newlyweds to infiltrate the community that’s a cover for the bioweapons operation. Unfortunately, we don’t play well together, and not only because of Jack’s distracting, off-the- scales hotness.

I grew up poor in a mill town, and he’s an aristocrat with more money than a third-world country. Besides that, I fly by the seat of my pants while Jack lives by his plans for every contingency and takes charge of everything. Including me. Or so he thinks.

Basically, we’d like to strangle each other. But we have a pandemic to stop first.

Then all bets are off.

#

You can read the first chapter here:

http://www.nancynorthcott.com/the-deathbrew-affair-2/?action=excerpt

Today's Special - - Sara Flynn a/k/a Meg Tilly

Sara Flynn is a bright new voice in contemporary romance. Her debut, SOLACE ISLAND, drew me in with likeable characters, vibrant descriptions, heartwarming romance, and a tightly-woven thread of suspense that kept me guessing until the very end of the book. Flynn packages it all in a fast-paced story with enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat, and a satisfying conclusion that has me eager for more. I can't wait to see what this talented new author brings us next!

Solace Island, a peaceful island village . . . or so Maggie thinks . . .

When Maggie Harris’s fiancée dumps her on the eve of their wedding, Maggie retreats to a small island in the Pacific Northwest with her sister Eve to recover from the stunning betrayal. At first Maggie resists Eve’s efforts to rope her into staying in Solace Island, launch their own local bakery, and fix her up with their incredibly handsome neighbor, Luke Benson. 

But Maggie is gradually drawn in by the sexy baker and his bear-sized dog. Luke scores his first point when he shares his space with the sisters at the local Solace Island Saturday Market, where he sells his breads. But is this guy with a disarming smile, uncanny wealth and suspiciously hard body a man Maggie can trust? Just when she begins to brush off her misgivings, a car tries to plow into her in town, and Luke springs into action in strange military precision. Who is this guy really?

Luke thought he’d left the high risk security business behind. But he can’t stand by while Maggie’s life is threatened. Luke insists on moving the sisters to his house, taking Maggie into his bedroom—and into his heart. But someone wants Maggie dead. Will she give him the chance to prove to her she can find more than mind-blowing sex in the safety of his arms?

Five Of The Many Things I Enjoy About Acting In Movies

Sara Flynn / Meg Tilly

I get to travel to far off lands. One sees a country differently when one is living and working there. The local film crews know about the delicious off-the-beaten-track restaurants, the treasures. On my off time I walk a lot, ferreting out  the best bakeries, fish stores, and where to get the freshest produce. 

When my children were small, my sister, Becky, would come on location with me and help me take care of my children. The added benefit was lots of cozy sister time, and it helped cement the strong bond we already had. I am filled with memories of my children and Becky. On Long Island, dancing on the lawn of the house the production company rented for me, U2's Joshua Tree spilling out of stereo speakers. It was dusk. None of us had ever seen fireflies before. They started twinkling on and off, like tiny fairy lights, and we ran outside. My children so small then, with that sweet-smelling, downy-soft, child-hair and magic in their eyes. Arms and legs flying as we danced with the fireflies, celebrating life and being together, the ocean lapping gently against the shore. 

I get to climb into my characters' lives. Learn from their mistakes, and grow from being in their presence, in their skin. My acting teacher, Peggy Fuery, always said, "If there is character you have a lot of judgment about, that is the part you should embrace. Because the characteristics that we dislike violently in other people are what we are struggling against within ourselves. Everyone has the capacity to do anything. Be anyone." We all have the saint and the worst kind of monster lurking inside. If we don't acknowledge the dark, then it can devour us. We need to allow both the dark and the light. I have learned and grown so much be being an actor. I think it has helped form me into who I am today. 

I have gotten to meet talented, amazing people. Have worked and played with them.  Sometimes I am just filled with wonder. I grew up in a challenging, hard-scrabble home. The highest I thought to dream was to someday work in a candy store. I would give free candy to henry children like me who couldn't afford more than to look through a window. I don't own a candy store, but I still can't get over the thrill of walking into one and choosing what I want. And that I became a movie star? People wanted to take my picture and thought I was famous? And paid me lots of money to pretend to be someone else? That just blew my mind.

Working in the movies has afforded me all sorts of unique memories. Like when I was rehearsing The Two Jakes at Jack Nicholson's house. We were reading through the script. I was a little nervous but not showing it, other than I kept sipping on water so my words wouldn't sound like my mouth was dry as chalk. It was. At that time, Jack Nicholson was the hugest male star around, and I was going to be shooting a movie with him. I was sitting on his white leather sofa, and he was looking at me, in that way that he has that makes knees weak and hearts beat in overtime. If it had been you on his sofa, and he was looking at you like that, well, you'd have been gulping down the water, too.

The problem with my mouth moistening solution was...after an hour or so, I needed to use the facilities.

I stood up. "Jack," I asked, all casual-like, "where's the bathroom?"

"Why"

I rolled my eyes.

He laughed. "Down the hall and on the left." His eyes were gleaming. It made me nervous. Was the cast going to be able to hear me pee? Or, was he doing a guy thing and imagining me with my pants down?

Even though these thoughts were going through my mind, I acted cool as a cucumber. I went down the hall, entered the bathroom, and locked the door. A normal-looking bathroom. I pressed the nail my my forefinger against the mirror and was relieved to discover that it was a regular mirror, not a two-way one. I checked the air vent to make sure there were no hidden cameras tucked inside. Nope. All clear.

So, what was Jack so gleeful about?

I shrugged. Guess I would never know.

And then, I lifted the toilet seat. 

There was an enormous rattlesnake embedded in the clear Plexiglas toilet seat. It's fangs were bared, its flat head arched back as if the second I lowered my bottom to the seat, it would strike.

Ahh...Now I knew what Jack was so delighted about. He expected me to flee from the bathroom, screaming bloody murder.

Ha! Jack didn't know I came from heartier stock than that. Heck, when we were little, us kids killed a much bigger rattlesnake than that with a big stick. And then we brought it home, gutted it, and cooked it up for dinner. Used a little margarine, onions, salt, and pepper. It was tasty. 

So I just covered up that rattlesnake with a little toilet paper, relieved myself, flushed, washed my hands, and returned to the living room where Jack was waiting excitedly for the fun to begin. 

I still get startled sometimes, thinking about how my life has turned out, when I see a child in a schoolyard with ill-fitting clothes, tangled hair, and hungry eyes. That was me!

Not in my wildest dreams would I ever have imagined the life that I've had. I got to be a dancer in New York, an actor in Hollywood, a writer, too. First, in regular fiction and screenplays, and now...pièce de résistance... I'm a romance writer! It is SO much fun! People in the romance community are so kind. I wish I had found my romance writer's voice years ago.

But maybe it's just as well that I didn't, because all these years I've been writing and developing my craft. I've been collecting memories and material. Harvesting so that I have a wealth of experiences to draw from. And not just from being on movie sets. I've worked painting post offices, at a department store selling hats and gloves, sliced meats and cheeses in a delicatessen. I've been a waitress working on my feet until two-thirty in the morning. I've milked cows, taken care of more than a hundred chickens, collected their eggs, and shoveled their incredibly toxic poop. I've been a full-time mom, a part-time mom, a grandma, a wife, and an ex-wife, too. I've been a good friend and sometimes a negligent one. And what does all this mean? The trophies and the disappointments, my triumphs and failings? Well, my experiences have made me who I am today. They are like the multitude of ingredients one needs to make a tasty soup. That's what my romance writing and I are drawing on, a tasty soup of experience!

And now I get to add to my memory bank being a romance author. Getting SOLACE ISLAND blurbed by my romance idol, Jayne Ann Krentz, is going to be a tough one to beat. I have read every single one of her novels at least once. Maybe someday, if I'm very, very lucky and work really, really hard, I'll be able to do another starry-eyed debut romance author that same courtesy. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy SOLACE ISLAND and Book 2 in the series, SOLACE STOLEN, which will be out in January 2018. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After traumatic events in their lives, Maggie and Luke both end up on Solace Island where they find satisfaction and joy in their new careers as baker and breadmaker. What would you want to do if you had the opportunity to start over with a new career? 

Two people leaving a comment before 11:00 PM, May 5, 2017 will receive a Kindle copy of SOLACE ISLAND from me.

Two people leaving a comment before 11:00 PM, May 5, 2017 will received a published copy of SOLACE ISLAND from Sara Flynn.
(U.S./Canada)

    

 

Sara Flynn may be best known for her acclaimed Golden Globe-winning lead performance in the movie “Agnes of God. Other screen credits include, The Big Chill, Valmont, and more recently, Bomb Girls, and Netflix’s movie War Machine, starring Brad Pitt. However, Meg Tilly is taking on an exciting new persona these days, as debut romance novelist Sara Flynn. After successfully publishing six standout young adult and literary women’s fiction novels, the award-winning author/actress decided to write the kind of books she loves to read—romance novels. Her first romance, SOLACE ISLAND, is debuting at the 2017 RT Booklovers’ Convention in Atlanta, where Meg, as Sara Flynn, will co-emcee the popular romance fan convention’s awards ceremony. Set on an island in the Pacific Northwest, SOLACE ISLAND tells the suspenseful story of a woman, dumped by her business partner/fiancé during her bachelorette party, who discovers a rewarding new career, romance, and threats on her life in an idyllic vacation community. Two more Sara Flynn romances set on Solace Island will follow. Tilly has three grown children and resides with her husband in the Pacific Northwest. She is currently at work writing that second Solace Island novel.

Review - - Wildfire

Wildfire (Fire Series Book #3)

By Anne Stuart
Published by: Montlake
Release Date: February 14, 2017

Reviewed by: Maria Lokken

  

I remember years ago being one of the first people to see the movie “Silence of the Lambs.” As I stood in line at the West 57th Street movie theater in Manhattan, I realized I didn’t know anything about the movie I was about to see.  But I couldn’t resist a film starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.  To say I was a little terrified while watching the film would be a major understatement.  The truth is, for most of the movie, I sat in that dark theatre with my hands over my eyes silently humming to myself in an effort to drown out every horrible, word and sound uttered by Hannibal Lecter, sounds I knew would haunt my dreams

Reading Wildfire, was much like watching “Silence of the Lambs.” While these two stories are NOTHING alike, they do have one point in common, both prominently feature sociopaths.  Anne Stuart knows how to turn up the volume on suspense by creating one crazy psycho who does unspeakable things, and as I’ve indicated, I’m a bit squeamish when it comes to things like that. Because reading requires you to keep your eyes open, I was unable to avoid the sections in Wildfire where the sociopath displays his horrors.

The heroine, Sophie Jordan, is an undercover agent for The Committee, her mission is to find and destroy a drug, that if used, would wipe out whole populations.  Financing the drug is billionaire and vicious, psychopathic crazy man Archer MacDonald - her target.  But Sophie’s mission doesn’t go as planned when she falls in love and betrays The Committee by marrying Archer.  Unfortunately, Archer soon discovers she’s an undercover agent and orders her killed. Sophie is shot in the spine and instead of dying becomes paralyzed and for three years is a prisoner on Archer’s island compound subject to his sadistic whims.

The Committee finally preps another operative - enter tough guy hero, Malcom Gunnison. His mission is to get the drug, kill Archer and if necessary kill Sophie too.  After all, she betrayed The Committee by falling in love with Archer.

With the introduction of Malcom comes the internal/external conflict of trust.  It’s clear no one trusts Archer, but can Malcom and Sophie trust each other?

There is no doubt that Anne Stuart can write and can tell a story, but there were some things that just didn’t work for me.  In the end, here’s my analysis of Wildfire:

PROS:

The antagonist was well crafted.  His every move showed he was pond scum through and through. 

For those readers who like their suspense taught like a violin string, they’ll love this one.  It’s high tension throughout.

If you’re a romance reader who enjoys hot sex scenes, this one gets a 10 out of 10.

Who doesn’t love an ending that is sigh worthy.  Check, this one hits the mark.

CONS:

There was too much inner voice and dense paragraphs used to move the story along.  That was a disappointment, because toward the end, where dialogue was used, it was strong.  There was wit, humor and urgency in the dialogue and I’d wished I would have seen more of that in the beginning of the book.

The hero and heroine went back and forth with their inner voices on how they felt.  Why they shouldn’t feel a certain way.  What they did or didn’t deserve.  It flips and flops all over the place and was sometimes tedious taking me out of the story.

I believe, if you’re a romance reader you need to be able to suspend belief, after all, that’s half the fun of reading romance.  However, in this book, there were sections that were a bit too unbelievable.

In the end, this wasn’t a book for me.  But I believe if you enjoy romantic suspense, you like your romances steamy, and your heroines tough, then this is a book for you.

What is the one thing in a romance book that will make you say, “Nah, that’s really not believable?”

Review - - Because I'm Watching

Because I'm Watching
By Christina Dodd
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: September 6, 2016

Two lost souls living across the street from one another yet they might never have met had Maddie Hewitson not driven her car through the front wall of Jacob Denisov's house. Suddenly, the veteran is exposed - literally - to the light. Drowning in anguish, mental torment, PTSD, and survivor's guilt, Jacob has been barely existing in his small, dark house. Now he's forced to deal with contractors, insurance agents, nosy neighbors, and "Mad Maddie," as she's been dubbed by the residents of Virtue Falls. Slowly, he's being dragged out of the darkness and back into life and he's none too happy about it.

Maddie is certainly no stranger to mental anguish or to survivor's guilt either. She's been forced to live with the brutal events of her past for too long. Her move to Washington was supposed to bring a fresh start but the nightmares have followed and a killer stalks her. But it's a killer that only Maddie can see. With the front of his house gone, Jacob sits in his living room chair and watches as Maddie's madness plays out in full view. His heart recognizes her tormented soul and her fear is certainly real. It appears someone is trying to drive Maddie Hewitson over the edge. The only question is who is doing the driving? Is someone controlling Maddie's torment or has her mind finally succumbed to the horrors of her past?

I've been reading Christina Dodd books for a long time. I began with her historical romances, followed her to contemporary romantic suspense, then to paranormal, and, most recently, her Virtue Falls suspense thrillers. While I've enjoyed her writing in all sub-genres, I believe it's with her current series that she's doing her best writing and Because I'm Watching is at the top of that list. This is the kind of book that I race through as fast as I can to find out what happens next while wanting to read as slow as I can so as not to miss a thing. Maddie and Jacob are brilliantly crafted characters, so real that even though I know they're products of Dodd's imagination, I feel sure I should have read about them in the news. I so wanted them each to find their way out of the mire and into a happy, loving, relationship together. They deserve that and so much more. The secondary cast is authentic, without a single throwaway character in the lot. Each one is well-crafted, with a purpose that affects or moves the story forward in some way. Fans of the Virtue Falls books will see some progression with a few continuing characters but readers who are new to this series will have no trouble at all reading Because I'm Watching on its own.

From beginning to end, this is a story that grabs hold of the reader and refuses to let go. I read the entire book in one day. These characters absolutely would not let me walk away until I had read every single word of their journey. Dodd uses every facet of her creative mind to expertly guide her characters - and the reader - through this compelling, edge-of-your-seat, suspense thriller. Filled with compassion, intrigue, anguish, mystery, hope, murder, forgiveness, enough twists and turns to keep me constantly guessing, and a love that heals two broken souls, Because I'm Watching is a book you do not want to miss. It's one of my Best of 2016 and has my highest recommendation.

~PJ

Review - - Kaylee's Justice

Kaylee's Justice
Case File #1
By Jennifer St. Giles
Release Date: April 4, 2016

  

Eva St. Claire, along with her siblings, carry a heavy burden. Each, in their own way, see the nightmare of evil hidden beneath the surface. 

Serial killer Mason Smith rots in prison for the murder of a young woman. However, the secret of another killing still resides within him. Through Eva's unique family ability, she knows Mason is guilty of yet another murder, and she is determined to see him put to justice. 

When FBI Agent Adam Frazier's father reveals a blindsiding secret, he's forced to delve deeper into his investigation of the Angel of Death, and Eva holds the key. Dogged by secrets and hounded by a mysterious killer bound and determined to end Eva, Adam and Eva will have to find the truth, before becoming victims themselves. 

Together or apart, they fight to expose the darkness no matter what the cost.




This first book in Jennifer St. Giles' new series about three siblings with unique psychic abilities is packed with edge-of-your-seat thrills, chills, twists, turns, and non-stop action. I was riveted from first to final page. The suspense is expertly crafted, characters are realistic and vividly portrayed. The villains in particular are chilling in their evil realism. St. Giles has written in a variety of sub-genres but it's her suspense thrillers where I think she does her best work and I am all in!

In Kaylee's Justice, she introduces us to the St. Claire siblings: Eva, Iris, and Devin. Each was born with a different psychic ability; abilities they keep hidden from the world. With each sibling, St. Giles has created a complex, realistic character, haunted by the effects of his or her "gift," as well as the tragic events of their family's past, yet continuing to use their special skills to fight for justice. I'm already invested in all of them and cannot wait to read each of their stories.

Though Iris and Devin have important roles in this first book, the primary focus of this story is on oldest sibling, Eva and FBI Special Agent Adam Frazier. Both are strong characters, natural protectors, and deeply impacted by tragedy in their lives. I love them individually and together. St. Giles puts them through the wringer - and then some - but it only makes them stronger in the end.

While this is not a romance in the traditional sense, there are romantic elements and, by the end of the book, the reader is left with the impression that there's a good chance a lasting relationship may be in their future. With the way Kaylee's Justice ends, I feel hopeful that we will be seeing more of them in Iris' and Devin's books. I can't wait!

~PJ

Review - - FALLEN

FALLEN
By Carey Baldwin
Publisher: Witness Impulse (HarperCollins)
Release Date: June 9, 2015

 

Fallen is Carey Baldwin’s second book in her Spenser and Cassidy series, which chronicles the adventures of FBI agent and profiler Atticus “Spense” Spenser and Dr. Caitlin Cassidy, a forensic psychiatrist and FBI consultant. In Fallen, Spense and Caity delve into the underside of the glitz and glamor of Hollywood when a string of homicides in L.A. baffle the local police and they’re called in to help solve the case.

The action in Fallen kicks off when the body of a high price prostitute falls out of a hotel window right onto Hollywood Boulevard.  Soon after, other bodies are found with the same M.O. dubbed the “Fallen Angel Killer” by the press because of the way the killer displays the bodies of the victims, and the physical similarities between them. Spense and Caity scramble to try to make sense of the killer’s motive and how he’s finding his victims. The stakes are raised even higher when the Fallen Angel Killer kidnaps the next victim, and threatens to kill her unless “Celebrity X” publicly confesses their sins and issues an apology within 48 hours. So, the race is on to figure out who Celebrity X is and get them to confess, or find where the Fallen Angel Killer has hidden the victim.

Carey Baldwin writes heart-pounding romantic suspense that keeps the reader guessing and turning the pages.  I was fascinated by her exploration of the seedy underside of our celebrity, fame-crazed culture and the toll it takes on those caught in its trap.  The villain was a total surprise to me, but it totally made sense once all of pieces of the puzzle came together.  Baldwin had cleverly laid out all the clues for the reader to figure out, but not so blatantly that the solution was too obvious.  Baldwin’s medical and psychology background comes to the forefront and allows her to add an appealing richness and depth to the story by really diving into the killer’s motivation and psychological makeup to explain why he/she is so driven to kill. The writing is smart, fast-paced, and absorbing with a sly sense of humor. Baldwin has a great talent for drawing her readers into the story, and making them enjoy every minute of the pulse-pounding ride.

With romantic suspense novels, there is always the risk that the suspense will overwhelm the romance. In many RS novels, the love story gets lost in the suspense and mystery.  That is not the case in Fallen.  Spense and Caity’s relationship is definitely front and center in this book.  Baldwin deftly deals with the lingering fallout from the events of Judgement, the first book in the series, and uses that to move Caity and Spense’s relationship forward.  Caity has some scars and baggage to deal with due to events in her past, and I love how understanding Spense is and how determined he is to make things work between them. The two of them continue to work on their communication skills and growing attraction. The deepening of the emotional bond between them is wonderfully done and I loved them working through the bumps in their relationship.  Even though the relationship hasn’t gotten 100% physical, the sense of them becoming an even more solid team makes the reader invested in them as a couple and the series as a whole. 

Signs indicate that Caity and Spense are off to Dallas in the next book. I can’t wait to find out what’s in store for them next!  I highly recommend Fallen, and any of Carey Baldwin’s books, to anyone who enjoys a great romance suspense novel with great writing, spine-tingling plots, and compelling characters that will stay with you long after you get to the end.

~Lisa

Review - - Virtue Falls

Virtue Falls
By Christina Dodd
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: September 9, 2014

She's the woman who, as a young girl, watched her father kill her mother with a pair of scissors. He's a man who has never come to terms with his tortured childhood.  They used to be married, are now divorced and probably still love each other.

Elizabeth Banner, a brilliant geologist, has come back to Virtue Falls for the first time since her mother's murder 23 years earlier to continue her father's study of the geologically rich coastal area of Washington and to confront the man who brutally murdered her mother all those years ago.  Her mother's body was never found and the adult Elizabeth wants answers to questions she seems unwilling to ask. Slowly losing his memories to Alzheimer's, her father has been released from prison and now resides in a Virtue Falls care facility yet Elizabeth continues to resist digging into her father's memories.  What does she fear?

Nothing is going right for Garik Jacobsen. An FBI agent to his core, he's despondent over being suspended due to his actions on a recent case, bewildered by Elizabeth's departure from their marriage, and fearful of the man he believes he's becoming.  He has nothing left to live for. With his favorite meal and his service revolver on the table before him, he's prepared for one final, irrevocable act.

Then an earthquake hits Virtue Falls.  A tsunami soon follows.  Garik rushes to Elizabeth's side. And when the earth gives up secrets that have been buried for 23 years, it will change them and the course of life in Virtue Falls forever. For as Elizabeth and Garik slowly come to realize after Elizabeth's mother's body is found; if what they and the courts believed to be true was false, if Charles Banner did not kill his wife, then who did?  Does a killer walk among them? Will that person strike again? And most important, who will the next victim be?

As this is the first in Dodd's new series, it necessitates the introduction of a rather large cast of characters yet I never felt lost or confused.  Rather, it was like moving to a new town and gradually getting to know its residents: the good, the bad, the quirky and the seriously demented. They are not just window dressing. Each person introduced has a role to play, a purpose, as the foundation is carefully constructed then, slowly, truths begin to be revealed, evil insidiously weaves its tentacles throughout the small town of Virtue Falls and, finally, the story races to its breathless, stunning conclusion. It's an incredible ride; one I'd happily take time and time again.

I've been reading Christina Dodd's books for more than 15 years and I have to say, I think this is her best writing yet.  While not technically a romance, the story has a strong romantic thread at its core and should appeal to fans of both romantic suspense and straight suspense.  It's tightly constructed, expertly plotted and filled with enough twists and turns to keep even the most astute mystery reader guessing until the very end. Dodd draws the reader into her web of suspense one silken strand at a time until you're so entangled in the story and the lives of its characters that you can't walk away. Nor do you want to.

Virtue Falls earns my highest recommendation.

~PJ

Virtue Falls is available in print, e-book and audio.