Tag: Eason Lynette

A stalker who wants to finish what he started. A US Marshal who’s vowed to protect his charge. And one woman who is determined to put the past in the past.

Flight paramedic Raina Price has been running so long it’s hard to stop. To escape a dangerous stalker, she changed her name and disappeared, building a new life with the help of a friend from her time in juvie. It feels good to put her energies into saving people’s lives, but because her stalker was never found, she’s never stopped looking over her shoulder. And one can only run so far before the past finally catches up.

US Marshal Vincent Corelli’s job is to hunt down fugitives and protect those who are assigned to him. When Raina is almost killed right in front of him, he vows to protect her at all costs–whether it’s his job or not. Together they work to solve the mystery of Raina’s past. But someone is out to make sure Raina doesn’t live long enough to do it.

Countdown is the breathless conclusion to USA Today bestselling author Lynette Eason’s thrilling Extreme Measures series.

My Review:

This was one of my anticipated reads and it did not disappoint! An Audible preorder, downloaded on release day and then I was in romantic suspense heaven! Great narration by Sara Shekells — she did all four books in the Extreme Measures series and I liked that continuity. (FYI: The books can all be read as standalones.)

I’ve enjoyed the glimpses I’ve seen of Raina in the earlier books so I was excited to finally discover her full story. And — mercy — what a heart-hurting, stomach-churning time we had of it! And that was just her personal story arc! I appreciated the raw honesty in her struggle to trust God in the hard places. She feels abandoned and alone, despite being surrounded by friends, and once you’ve delved into her past, you’ll be able to understand why. Eason tackles the tough question: why does God let bad things happen to good people? Raina and Vince have some very candid conversations that I could relate to.

This is a friends to more romance and I loved the substance that brought to their relationship. Vince has always wanted to move the relationship along but Raina has been consistently keeping him at arms’ length, so there’s a bit of unrequited love here too. Obviously, Raina has her reasons for fighting the attraction and all that is explored realistically as the story progresses.

And Vince! Happy swoony sigh! He’s an alpha hero only with brakes. 🙂 He’s protective, but just short of bossy and the way he pursues Raina…be still my heart. Careful deliberation, utmost respect, never pushing beyond what she is willing to offer. But he’s steadfastly by her side all the way, and she needs to see those traits in him in order to let go of the baggage she’s been carrying around for much too long. Vince is one gem of hero!

Of course, the suspense is topnotch — can’t expect anything else from an Eason novel! It’s complex and compelling and layered in mysteries. I was challenged and intrigued all the way through.

A resounding conclusion the the Extreme Measures series!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com (US) Kindle account

US — paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada — paperback or ebook (via a gift card to Canadian Amazon) or audible (.ca)

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Countdown, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 12, 2023.

FBI Special Agent Grace Billingsley tracks serial killers, using her skills as a psychiatrist and behavioural analyst to get dangerous people off the street and safely behind bars. But prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe knows that just because a killer is incarcerated doesn’t mean they’re not a threat. His own father, Peter, is a serial killer — in prison but certainly not out of Sam’s life, as much as he wishes he was.

When bodies start showing up with Peter’s MO, Sam and Grace are both called in to consult. They’ve met before — and though Grace thought they’d made a real connection, Sam ghosted her. They’ll have to get past the awkwardness and mistrust to solve this case — especially because it’s about to get personal.

My Review:

Wowzers! This one crept out of my comfort zone a wee bit, ’cause serial killers aren’t a favourite suspense trope of mine. My all too active imagination ran riot with the thriller-ish aspects of this story. Plus there’s a rather gruesome murder detail that isn’t overtly described but just knowing about it raised the creep factor for me. But, this is Lynette Eason and her characters are so real and relatable that I couldn’t resist.

Lots of edge-of-your-seat moments that include heart-stopping near misses and ominous foreshadowing which made me rush through the read. Well, listen, actually — I enjoyed Sheryl Sheckells’ gripping narration. Made it seem all the more real to me which is both a good thing and a bad thing. 🙂

One of Eason’s many talents is the way she creates characters who are honest and vulnerable and flawed. And then she gives them complicated back stories and throws them into a vortex of chaos and mayhem. She really is an evil genius, at least, I bet that’s how her characters think of her!

Both Sam and Grace have complex family issues which add a whole other level of angst to their lives. I loved the way they respected each other’s boundaries, willing to listen but open to waiting for the ‘right time’. They never pushed for more but they also didn’t shy away from sharing for long. Such a rich, emotionally laden romance that felt believable.

Critical Threat is the third book in Extreme Measures series but it can easily be read as a standalone. And, yay, we have a fourth book to look forward to later this year and it’s going to have a stalkerish vibe! Can’t wait for Countdown’s release this summer!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy — winner’s choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Critical Threat, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday February 4, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.