Tag: Romantic Suspense

Safeguarding the Baby + Giveaway

A child is in danger. Only he can keep them safe.

The discovery of a wounded woman and baby in a stranded vehicle plunges Sheriff Rylan Pierce into a chase with a murderous mastermind. Not only must he protect Emily and the child from a killer hot on their trail, he must uncover the culprit’s identity. But with Emily suffering from amnesia, his task just got harder. Will Rylan find the answers he needs before the killer finds them?

My Review:

Once again an author tackles one of my least favourite tropes and sells me on it! Sometimes amnesia stories — especially suspense ones — can end up reading like a cliche but Nelson had me hooked from the very first page. It starts out deep in the heroine’s perspective and her panic and confusion just roll off the page. I could feel the tension climbing and had a solid knot in my stomach by the end of first chapter! So well done!

What follows is an intricate, cleverly executed suspense that left me as puzzled as Rylan and Emily. What was going on? What did these villains want? How were they always able to suss them out? Great combination of action and romance that kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy — open to any reader, anywhere in the world so…yay…another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Safeguarding the Baby, 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 October 21, 2023

Tracked Through the Woods + Giveaway

Targeted by the mob…and their’s no place to hide.

Abby Miller is determined to find her missing FBI informant father before the mafia does, but time is ticking away. Someone tried to kill her father before he disappeared—and now gunmen are on her trail. Teaming with Agent Wyatt Kane is her only chance to uncover an FBI mole—and survive the mob. But finding the truth could uncover deadly secrets…and lead them into a dangerous trap.

My Review:

Still hyperventilating after finishing this incredibly tense, action-filled romantic suspense! Way above the level of a page-turner — Tracked Through the Woods is a thrilling wonder that is impossible to put down.

The suspense is so…suspensey! 🙂 I mean, there are layers of clues and misdirections to wade through and all the while the feeling of dread shivered up my spine because….I can’t say without posting spoilers but Scott handles all the pressure and strain with sly precision. She knows how to mess with her characters and keep her readers glued to the page!

I was so excited to discover this Love Inspired Suspense on audible (usually it’s just their continuity series that are given ‘voices.’) Jennifer Jill Araya did a magnificent job of bringing these characters and their desperate situation to life. A thrilling, spine-tingling read!

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 Tracked Through the Woods, 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 October 14, 2023

Undercover Operation + Giveaway

Rescuing valuable stolen puppies requires a K-9 officer to go deep undercover.

K-9 officer Asher Gilmore and trainer Peyton Burns have two rescue three stolen bloodhound puppies and expose a drug ring. To outwit the criminal masterminds, they must go undercover as married smugglers with the help of an underwater-detection dog. But infiltrating the crime ring proves more dangerous than expected, putting the operation, the puppies and their own lives at risk.

Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit

My Review:

Eeeep — we’re getting closer to the grande finale of this continuity series! In fact, two of the secondary over-arcing mysteries find resolution in this seventh book so this might not be the place to start in on the series. Though it would read perfectly fine as a standalone — it just contains spoilers for two side mysteries. So, if you don’t intend on playing catch up jumping in here is totally fine.

And — woohoo – we have a forced proximity romance between a hero and heroine going undercover as a married couple! Definitely one of my favourite tropes because it provides all kinds of relationship building opportunities. So we get some fun banter mixed in with poignant moments as both Asher and Peyton wrestle with some personal stuff. Plus we have a spiffy springer spaniel K-9 officer and some ornery villains to catch — and all of that makes this one riveting read.

Well, listen for me, since this is another Love Inspired Suspense novel I was thrilled to find in audio format! I enjoyed Abby Craden’s narration and hoping for more Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense novels to be made available in this format.

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 Undercover Operation, 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 October 7, 2023

Mountain Abduction Rescue + Giveaway

A wildfire threat…becomes a missing person search.

A serial arsonist is out for revenge in the Canadian Rocky Mountains—and kidnaps park warden Hazel Hoyt’s son and his camping troop. Now Hazel must team up with the man who broke her heart, firefighter Mitchell Booth, to find the missing boys as wildfires blaze around them. But someone has no intention of letting the pair get off the mountain alive…

My Review:

An exciting mix of wilderness adventure and suspense set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains! And there’s nothing as heartrending as a child stolen away from his mother, so this one has a real emotional kick to it.

Hazel is spunky and stubborn — a Mama Bear personified and she’s relentless in her search for her son. Heedless of every set back, of raging fires, fierce storms, crazed killers, she just won’t give up. Mitchell is right there by her side trying to be a voice of reason, and keep her safe even as he pursues the serial arsonist who seems to be holding Hazel’s son captive.

Lots of edge of your seat, rabid page-turning goodness paired with the rekindling of a high school romance…and a timely read given the amount of raging wildfires Canada experienced this summer.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy — open to any reader, anywhere in the world so…yay…another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Mountain Abduction Rescue, 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 September 16, 2023

Big Sky Secrets + Giveaway

To stop a killer, the truth must be uncovered.

Stunned by the revelation he has a three-year-old son whose mother was murdered, rancher Eric Montgomery is searching for the truth. But he quickly realizes he has a target on his back when he and his boy are attacked outside private investigator Cassie Anderson’s office. With Cassie’s help and expertise, Eric must untangle a web of secrets to figure out why…before he becomes the next victim.

My Review:

I didn’t intend to read this book in one sitting, but, once I started, I couldn’t stop. Rife with tension from the very first page, Big Sky Secrets has the kind of impeccable pacing that makes it impossible to look away from the page. The suspense seeps over into the romance and makes everything that much more enthralling.

So, a bit of a reunion romance trope in that Eric and Cassie were on the cusp of starting a relationship born out of friendship. One fateful kiss and things went catawampus — you know how that goes. 🙂 But now they are brought together under the most stressful of circumstances and the past has to stay in the past as they learn to trust and rely on each other so they can get to the truth…and protect Eric’s young (and surprise) son! Lots of romantical pressure to add additional strain to the situation.

And, oh, mercy — the plot twists!!! Gobsmacked. Gasping out loud. Whiplash inducing. All kinds of thrilling page-turning goodness.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy and open to any reader, anywhere in the world — so, yay, another International Giveaway!

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Big Sky Secrets, 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 easier for me to spot. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday September 16 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

The Queen and the Knave + Giveaway

Romance and mystery come full circle in the fifth and final book of Sarah M. Eden’s best-selling Victorian Proper Romance series.

London, 1866

Móirín Donnelly has spent the last five years working in the shadows for the Dread Penny Society, but spending so much of her life in secret is taking a toll on her soul—and her heart.

When members of the Dread Penny Society begin disappearing, Móirín turns to Detective Constable Fitzgerald Parkington for help. The two have developed a friendly rapport, and Móirín feels like she can trust him, though perhaps not with all of her secrets.

Fitzgerald Parkington has a sixth sense when it comes to hunting down criminals, which is why he’s recently been transferred to the Detective Department at Scotland Yard. But when red tape keeps him from tracking down the criminal mastermind known as “The Tempest,” he must rely on the one woman who has unexpectedly captured his heart—the bold and fiery Irish lass, Móirín Donnelly.

As the Tempest’s deadly reach threatens to overwhelm all of London, Móirín and Fitz are caught in an elaborate game of cat and mouse that leads down back alleys, through dark London buildings, and right to the gates of Kensington Palace. Móirín has one chance to save Fitz and the Dread Penny Society from the Tempest, and she might have to sacrifice her one chance at love to do so.

My Review:

Special Note: Since this series is the kind that should be read in order, this giveaway will be for any of the five books so you can hop in wherever you need to. Look for details under ‘Giveaway Opportunity’

What a spectacular conclusion to the Dread Penny Society series. I think this is my favourite series by Sarah M. Eden. So cleverly unique. And my emotions are all in a jumble now that it’s all over. Definitely books I will revisit over and over again.

There’s not a lot I can say about The Queen and the Knave (other than it’s fantabulous!) because it’s full of series spoilers from the very first chapter. This fifth book definitely must be read last. And I think this is the kind of series that should be read in order because that will give you a greater understanding of the Society and how it works as well as an introduction to key characters. Plus, there’s a continuous part of the suspense plot that builds with each book…and comes to a blockbuster, stand-up-and-cheer (after you’ve chewed all your nails to the quick) ending that just won’t be as impactful if you haven’t followed these characters through all five books.

Here are a few basics about the series:

  • The Dread Penny Society is a group (a wonderful cross section of society) of Penny Dreadful authors who work ‘undercover’ to rescue London’s downtrodden. They have nefarious enemies who will go to any lengths to ensure they don’t succeed so cue the heart-tripping mood music and settle in for some intrigue and action.
  • As with all the other Dread Penny books, we get two actual Penny Dreadfuls interspersed into the story. They are fashioned after the serial publications so popular in the Victorian era so be prepared for damsels in distress and some paranormal tones. Reminiscent of traditional fairy tales — not fiercely eerie, but definitely not Disney-fied. And both mesh nicely with the ‘real life’ suspense plot involving Móirín and Fitz and the rest of the gang.
  • Though there’s danger afoot, and an odious villain…well a multitude of them…to thwart…our Dread Penny heroes and heroines still have time to banter and josh and the author gives us some enticing glimpses into the lives of characters who starred in previous books. As well as the long-awaited romance between Móirín and Fitz (it’s been brewing in the background for a few books.)

I listened to the audible edition of this book narrated by one of my favourite narrators — Justine Eyre. She does such an amazing job with voices and accents, conveying the emotions and intricacies of the characters and plot. Always makes for a thrilling listen.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Winner may chose one of these books from the Dread Penny series:

#1 The Lady and the Highwayman

#2 The Gentleman and the Thief

#3 The Merchant and the Rogue

#4 The Bachelor and the Bride

#5 The Queen and the Knave

Please leave the title of your choice in a comment below or in an email:

Editions available:

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 one of the Dread Penny Society novels, 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 September 16, 2023

Ranch Showdown + Giveaway

Seeking refuge at a ranch…has fiery consequences.

After being threatened by her sister’s ex, Sierra Lowery has forty-eight hours to surrender documents linking him to a bombing before he kills her and kidnaps her nephew. With the evidence missing and anyone who helps becoming a target, hiding out with Detective Cole Walker, her college sweetheart, might be her only chance for survival. But as explosives detonate in the wake of their search, their ranch safe haven could become a dangerous trap. 

My Review:

Explosive suspense (in more ways than one!) along with a reunion romance made this another read-in-on-sitting Love Inspired Suspense novel. This line knows how to keep the pacing fast and furious while still leaving room for romance to blossom, and Tina Wheeler nails it on both counts.

Plus we’re back with the Walker clan, hiding out at their ranch until Cole and Sierra can figure out what’s going on. Which is all kinds of wonderful and awkward since there was a time when they all thought Sierra would officially become part of the family. 🙂

No worries if you haven’t read Wheeler’s first book, Ranch Under Fire, which released earlier this year and introduced readers to the Walkers, this second book definitely reads as a standalone and is advertised as such. But it has some carry over secondary characters and leaves me hoping we haven’t seen the last of these brothers.

Hooray for page-turning escape reads like this one! And may the author keep them coming!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy and open to any reader, anywhere in the world — so, yay, another International Giveaway!

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Ranch Under Fire, 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 easier for me to spot. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday September 9 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Seagrass Secrets + Giveaway

Random Retro Read

He’s her best friend. She’s the woman of his dreams.

Firefighter Colby Morris needs answers. After discovering a dead body, he then learns his best friend’s address was in the man’s pocket. He’ll do anything to keep Emmy safe—yet he wants to keep his heart safe also. That’s why he’s never told Emmy he’s in love with her.

Emmy Sutherland is trying to make amends after she hits a man with her truck while driving in a torrential downpour. When the island’s clinic floods, she has no choice but to let the stranger stay at her inn. But recent events on Cape Corral have her feeling apprehensive. 

Events continue to escalate, leaving Colby and Emmy scrambling to find answers. But as more secrets are uncovered, more danger arises. Can Colby and Emmy discover the truth? Or will their feelings get in the way—endangering not only their lives but their lifelong friendship?

My Review:

published in 2020

Playing catch up with this series and am enjoying reading the books fairly close together…I can almost see how some readers wait until they have an entire series before diving in. Not that I’ll ever have the patience or fortitude to do that when I read new releases. I gobble them right up and happily/unhappily wait for the next book, even if it’s a year on the horizon. But it’s kinda fun to binge read a catch-up series. 🙂

So, Saltwater Cowboys — they aren’t full time cowboys. The heroes all hold different law enforcement / emergency worker type full-time jobs. But they all cowboy up to take care of the wild horses on their island. There’s an angst inducing background plot that is threatening the horses’ habitat which, hopefully, will reach a satisfactory conclusion by the sixth book. It’s driving my anxiety levels up in the meantime because I’m a softie when it comes to animals and the environment.

Having said all that, you could easily read these books out of order. This is #4 and it was fun getting a glimpse into previous heroes/heroines futures. And, of course, to swoon and angst over Colby and Emmy. Best friends since grade school — yay, I so enjoy a friends to more trope! Colby clued in years ago that he was in love with Emmy but he’s been afraid to destroy their wonderful friendship so has stayed quiet. So we have a tortured lovelorn hero and a clueless heroine (in the beginning.)

Love the way Barritt develops their romance — the insecurities and fears of letting go of something sure for the uncertainty that comes with a chance at love. And, be still my heart, Colby!!! My heart hurt for him, but then there came a point when I just wanted to shake some sense into him before he did something drastic and…let’s just say it’s a rocky road to this happily ever after.

And the mystery…I was so flummoxed. The whole read I was: What. Is. Happening?! And why is Emmy involved? She’s lived her whole life on the island? This doesn’t make sense! But there are clues…very cleverly laid out for an astute reader to notice. Ha, more so in hindsight for some of them. But, I did have my suspicions about…well…something…and I was proved right so I feel somewhat vindicated. Like maybe I don’t have to turn my armchair sleuthing badge in quite yet.

I listened to the audio edition of Seagrass Secrets (and my, are there a lot of secrets!) and enjoyed Stacey Glemboski’s interpretation of these characters very much. Excited to dive into the next one very soon.

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 Seagrass Secrets, 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 September 9, 2023

Cape Corral Keeper + Giveaway

Random Retro Read

They agreed to marry. But they never agreed to fall in love.

When Cape Corral Fire Chief Dillon McGrath saves a woman wearing a wedding dress from drowning, he knows he’ll have a great story to tell the guys at the station later. He never expected to get personally involved in the woman’s plight to stay alive.

Gracie Loveland had no choice but to run only moments before saying “I do” to her manipulative fiancé. Staying would have ultimately meant her death at the hands of the cruel man. Desperation, along with a dormant feistiness, surfaces as she fights to survive.

Only one plan might keep Gracie safe and help Dillon preserve the island’s wild horses. The idea seems crazy, but Dillon and Gracie can think of no other options. However, a foe from Gracie’s past is closing in, determined to get what he wants regardless of whose life he destroys in the process.

My Review:

published in 2020

Eeeeppp! Epic Marriage of Convenience story! With suspense! It really doesn’t get better than this!!!

From the nail-biting opening scene that left me with a ton of questions to the hair-raising conclusion — I was enthralled! And the meet-cute is equal parts angsty and funny which sets the tone for the whole book.

Love the way the author handled the marriage of convenience angle and the way Dillon and Gracie work their way from adversaries to lovers. All while trying to thwart a vile villain!

Oh — and hello — cowboy alert! And an island full of wild horses for them to protect. Hence the series title: Saltwater Cowboys. This is the third book in the series though it can easily be read as a standalone, but, trust me, you’ll want to read all these cowboys’ stories!

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition narrated by Stacey Glemboski courtesy of Chirpbooks and am getting ready to download Seagrass Secrets (#4) ’cause I just can’t stay away from this beautiful island and all that cowboy allure!

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 Cape Corral Keeper 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 September 2, 2023

Cold Case Revenge + Giveaway

A kidnapped child. An unsolved cold case. 

This K-9 is on the trail.

When his three-year-old daughter goes missing, Nick Rossi fears he’ll relive his sister’s disappearance from twenty-five years ago. Only this time officer Ruby Orton and her K-9 partner, Pepper, rescue the child. But as the kidnappers escalate to murder and target Nick, Ruby knows there’s more behind the abduction. Together, can they find the connection with a decades-old cold case…before the past turns deadly?

Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit

My Review:

Okay…first things first…How about that cuteness overload cover?! If that doesn’t sell books, I don’t know what will! Of course, the fact that Cold Case Revenge is the sixth book in the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit continuity series had me placing a preorder on Audible regardless of how cute the cover art.

In case you’re new to the concept of a continuity series: It’s a multi-authored series (in this case, 8 books) where there’s an over arcing suspense plot that is being gradually progressed through each book. However, each individual story also has it’s own complete suspense and romance plot so you’ll get the satisfaction of complete closure while you wait for some of those series’ threads to get tied up. And each author does a marvellous job of keeping readers current with the series suspense development in a way that catches new readers up while providing a nice refresh for loyal Pacific Northwest K-9 followers. And all make exceptional reads.

I do love a good cold case mystery and this is definitely that! Plus there’s a current mystery involving the kidnapping of Nick’s daughter and subsequent attacks against Nick and his ranch. K-9 Officers Ruby (human) and Pepper (dog!) are assigned to the case and, well, it isn’t exactly love at first sight, but there is some lovely romantic tension as well as the edge-of-your seat kind that comes with escalating danger. Really nice balance between the two and lots of sweet moments with little Zoe that had me happy sighing and swooning over her devoted daddy.

Love the wilderness settings in this series — lots of the action takes place in National Parks — it adds that much more ‘umph’ to the action scenes! Eager to read the next two books but I’ll be bereft come December without any more to look forward too. Hopefully Love Inspired Suspense has another K-9 continuity series in the works for 2024!

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 Cold Case Revenge, 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 September 2, 2023