My Review - Critical Condition

3.5 out of 5 stars

CRITICAL CONDITION by Richard Mabry, M.D. is chaotic suspense that will keep you guessing.

Dr. Shannon Frasier’s life is about to be turned upside down.  When a random shooting leaves a man dead on her lawn, it brings back difficult memories from her past.  Coupled with her wild-child sister needing a place to crash once again, her father being diagnosed with cancer, and her failure to commit to the man she thinks she loves; Shannon’s emotions are on overdrive. But it’s when she finds out she’s being stalked by a known killer that just about sends her over the edge.  Shannon must compartmentalize her feelings in order to function.  Questioning the actions of the police in charge of the shooting, and wondering if they can even be trusted is making in even harder for her to know what her next step should be.  All she knows is a killer is after her for information she doesn’t have.

CRITICAL CONDITION was quite suspenseful as Dr. Mabry’s books usually are.  I felt he tried to inject a little more romance in this book, but unfortunately the dialogue between Shannon and Mark (her fiancé to be) was so lackluster, I had a hard time believing he was as in love with her as he claimed to be.  But, since Dr. Mabry did not claim this was a romance book, I’ll judge it for what it was-Suspense/Action, and that’s what he delivered.  The only other criticism I have is that he made Detective Steve Alston seem like a real creep.  Not knowing what Alston’s angle was, it made me not like him as a character.  I think if Mabry had given us some key info on Alston earlier on, it would have made me feel empathic for him, instead, I just didn’t like his tactics.

Overall, CRITICAL CONDITION was another winner in my book. 

My Review - A Promise to Protect

4.5 our of 5 stars

A PROMISE TO PROTECT by Patricia Bradley was a quick read because I didn’t want to put it down.

Leigh Somerall left Logan Point years ago with no plans to return.  But ten years later she is back at the request of her brother.  Leigh has only two goals while in Logan Point- for her son to feel a sense of family, and to stay as far away from Ben Logan as possible.  But when tragedy strikes, her and Ben’s world’s collide.  Hurt and confused, Leigh doesn’t know what to do and her traitorous heart is not helping.  Knowing she and Ben can never go back to what they once had, she makes plans to leave town.  If someone doesn’t kill her first.

Sheriff Ben Logan never knew what went wrong between him and Leigh.  But he plans to find out.  When Leigh is threatened, Ben must put personal feelings aside and do all he can to keep her and her son safe.  A job that would be a lot easier if Leigh would stop pushing him away.

As Leigh and Ben search for answers as to why Leigh is being threatened, old feelings begin to resurface.  Leigh knows it is only a matter of time before Ben finds out the truth, but she plans to be long gone before that can happen.

A PROMISE TO PROTECT was a great follow-up to SHADOWS OF THE PAST.  Though both books are in the Logan Point series, they can easily stand alone.  There is very little overlap between the two.  Though Leigh’s secret wasn’t hard to guess, I felt Ms. Bradley did a good job at crafting a whodunit with several suspects, keeping readers wondering until the very end. Patricia Bradley is a top-notch romance/suspense writer.  I will definitely add her to my list of authors to watch for.

Book provided for review purposes.

Available September 2014 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

My review - Firewall

5 out of 5 stars

A MUST READ!!

FIREWALL by DiAnn Mills was amazing!

I just finished reading NO ONE TO TRUST by Lynette Eason.  It was fast-paced and incredible.  One of the best books I’ve read this year.  Then, I pick up FIREWALL, and again, I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, exhausted from the fast-paced, thrilling storyline.

Software developer, Taryn Young is on cloud nine.  After a whirlwind three month courtship, she has married the perfect man.  Francis “Shep” Shepherd is her everything and she can’t wait to start their honeymoon.  But when a bomb decimates the airport terminal she’s in and her husband is nowhere to be found, she is terrified thinking he is among the dead.  But she soon learns that is only the beginning of her nightmare.  When she wakes in the hospital she learns the FBI suspects her and her husband in the airport bombing.  Knowing she is innocent and the FBI is grasping at straws, she waits for word on Shep.  When surveillance footage shows him leaving the airport minutes before the bomb goes off she’s confused.  When she finds out nothing about Shep is real, she id devastated.  Taryn is rocked by Shep’s duplicity.  Realizing their entire relationship was motivated by his need to get his hands on the high security software she was working on leaves her feeling betrayed and numb.  Knowing it is up to her to prove her own innocents, she teams with the FBI to find out what all this means.  Why the bombing?  And who is after her software?

Agent Grayson Hall is tasked with catching the airport bomber.  And even though all evidence points to Taryn Young and her imposter husband, his gut tells him she is innocent.  Grayson is determined to help Taryn clear her name, but his first objective is to keep her alive.  Grayson and Taryn become the hunted by those who want her software and a mole within the FBI.  With their lives and national security on the line, Taryn and Grayson are running out of time.

AMAZING book!!  After reading back-to-back thrillers I am mentally exhausted.  The action just kept coming.  I could barely catch my breath.  A must read for anyone who likes action/suspense/romance, because FIREWALL had it all.

My Review - No One to Trust

5 out of 5 stars

Spectacular!

NO ONE TO TRUST by Lynette Eason is one of the most gripping, high speed books I have read in a long time.  At times, my heart was racing as fast as Summer and Kyle were running.  A real thriller!

Summer Abernathy awakes to find armed men in her bedroom in search of her missing husband.  The story they tell her regarding her husband is ludicrous.  But, if she doesn’t do what they say, they’ll kill her.  Not knowing what to do or what to believe, Summer sets out to find Kyle’s laptop.  Instead, she finds Kyle and is devastated to learn everything she thinks she knows about him is a lie.  On the run together, Kyle/David tries to explain to Summer why he has been living a secret life. Summer is pulled into David’s world of organized crime, murder, and an FBI mole that keeps painting a target on their backs.  Even if they outrun the criminals, Summer realizes she has no idea what kind of man she’s married to.

I can’t say enough about NO ONE TO TRUST.  The title says it all, and if I elaborate much more than that, I will give too much away.  An action-packed, seat-of-your-pants, novel that you won’t want to put down.  I thoroughly enjoyed NOWHERE TO HIDE, but NO ONE TO TRUST was spectacular! 

A MUST READ!!

My Review - Shadows of the Past

4.5 out of 5 stars

SHADOWS OF THE PAST by Patricia Bradley was a ‘just one more chapter and then I’ll put it down” kind of book.  The kicker . . . one chapter always led to another.

Taylor Martin is a psychology professor and a top-notch criminal profiler.  Unfortunately, her skills have failed her in her most important case-the disappearance of her father twenty years ago.  When Taylor feels she has a new lead, she heads back to her hometown of Logan Point, Mississippi.  Once there, a stalker begins to threaten her.  Thinking her stalker is one of her previous students, Taylor sets out to find Scott Sinclair, only to butt heads with his brother, Nick Sinclair. 

After the loss of his wife in a tragic accident, mystery writer, Nick Sinclair wants to find Scott, his estranged brother and the only family he has left.  When he finds out his brother is being pursued by the police, Nick does everything in his power to prove Scott’s innocents.  Knowing Taylor Martin is hot on Scott’s trail, he asks Taylor if they can combine their resources to find Scott.  Even though he and Taylor have two completely different agenda’s, Nick can’t help but be attracted to Taylor.

Taylor and Nick try to ignore their mutual attraction for each other while looking for answers in both her father’s disappearance and the indisputable evidence proving Scott is her stalker.  When it’s clear someone is trying to silence Taylor, she’s not sure if it’s ghosts from her past or someone trying to protect Scott.  All she knows is things are not what they appear.

I bought this book because I am schedule to do a review for book two in this series, A PROMISE TO PROTECT.  I wanted to make sure I read book one in case there was information I needed.  I found very little overlapped between book one and two, but I am so glad I read SHADOWS OF THE PAST.  It was fiction-romance-suspense at its best.  I would compare Ms. Bradley’s style to that of Irene Hannon and Lynette Eason – other romance/suspense writer’s that are on my favorites list.  The main characters were well fleshed out and genuine.  And with a substantial list of secondary characters, the reader has numerous suspects to choose from as they try to solve who is after Taylor Martin.  I guessed early and happened to be right, but that in no way lessened my enjoyment in the book.  I am almost done with A PROMISE TO PROTECT and will post its review later this month.  But let me just say, I will be keeping my eye out for book three.

My Review - Deceived

5 out of 5 stars

DECEIVED, book three in the Private Justice series, was another great read from Irene Hannon.

Kate Marshall has made great strides moving on after the tragic death of her husband and son. Leaving New York and starting a new life in St. Louis, Kate has found a career that suits her.  Counseling woman who want to reenter the work place has given her life meaning. But, a single glimpse at a boy on a mall escalator sends her spiraling. Convinced the boy she saw is her dead son, Kevin, she follows after the boy and the man he is with.  When they vanish, she turns to the police. When the police are less than helpful, Kate turns to private investigator Connor Sullivan.  Though Connor explains to her the chances of finding the boy is a long shot, he agrees to take her case.

Former Secret Service agent, Connor Sullivan knows there isn’t much he can do to find the mystery boy Kate thinks is her missing son, but he’s willing to do whatever he can to give her closure.  But to his amazement, pieces to a broader puzzle begin to emerge. The boating accident that took Kate’s husband and son might not have been an accident at all.

As Kate and Connor work closely together gathering evidence, their relationship become more personal.  Kate isn’t sure if she’s ready for a romantic entanglement, and Connor doesn’t believe in fraternizing with clients. But no matter how hard they try to push their feeling aside, their connection continues to grow stronger.  When all evidence points to Kate’s son being alive, Connor can’t help but feel that Kate is endanger.  Someone has gone to great lengths to cover-up a murder and a kidnapping. Kate is the only person standing in the way of that person’s success. 

What can I say, Irene Hannon is a top notch romance/suspense writer.  Her stories are always exciting page-turners.  Her heroines seem to have the right mix of need and grit, while the male lead is the consummate hero. Though most times the reader knows who the bad guys are, it’s always an exciting journey to watch the story play out. I can’t wait for the Men of Valor series coming Spring 2015.

Book provided of review purposes.

Available September 2014 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.