Tag: Romantic Suspense

Blind Trust + Giveaway

Lyla Fox knows she has a reputation at the SNAP Agency to impulsivity, but when she receives a threatening letter from a man she helped put in prison, she can’t stop herself from going all in to find out why he’s coming after her. Unfortunately, she’s going to need the help of the one person who questions her reckless choices more than anyone else.

Explosives and weapons specialist Nicolas Garcia agrees to help Lyla in order to keep her safe, but her recklessness continues to be a major concern, especially when her investigation into a conspiracy puts a target on her back. Dealing with bombs is dangerous. Working with Lyla is proving to be just as treacherous — to both the mission and his heart.

Natalie Walters closes out her SNAP Agency series with a ban with this nail-biting story of a deadly government conspiracy, an unlikely couple, and an ending that will leave you breathless.

My Review:

I’m gobsmacked into speechlessness — maybe — over this grandest of all grand finales! I mean, if you have to end a series, this is the way to do it. There are so many moving parts, and references that reach all the way back to the prequel.

I’ve read the entire series in order, but I think you could jump in here, though you’d miss some of the fun of the ever evolving team dynamics. Don’t get me wrong, they are hilarious and touching in Blind Trust, but if you’ve been with the gang from the very start they are that much more. The banter and teasing are off the charts and kept me grinning even in the tense times. And though this third book is all about Lyla and Nicolas, Kekoa has to be my favourite character. He takes over every scene he’s in. The man doesn’t know how to do subtle and Walters gives him the chance to shine once gain. 🙂 This is me, Cheshire grinning.

Another plus for reading the series in order is that we’ve had two books worth of watching and wondering about Lyla and Nicolas. Are they friends? Or enemies? Frenemies? For sure they are two stubborn people who clash wills at every opportunity. But I could feel the undercurrents sizzling below the surface right from the start and that tension has been mounting and I love how Walters finally brings them together in this epic series conclusion.

The suspense is tense and dramatic and kept me riveted. So many pieces to pull together and there were some jaw dropping moments along the way. My heart rate might not ever be tickety-boo again! Political intrigue, lots of danger with a high stakes end game.

I enjoyed listening to the audible version of Bind Trust. Morgan Hallett did a wonderful job of breathing life into these characters.

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 Blind Trust, 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 April 22, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Wyoming Cold Case Secrets + Giveaway

A decades-old mystery. And extensive cover-up. This investigation could turn lethal.

When the search for her birth parents is met with a threat to leave town, Brynn Evans turns to private investigator Avery Thorpe — and leads armed assailants to his door. With no clue why she’s a target, Brynn and Avery rush to unfold her family’s secret…and to stay alive. But when the truth reveals a decades long conspiracy, can they survive a killer’s plan to cover it up?

My Review:

Action and intrigue on every page make for an unputdownable read.

I love cold cases and this one is a doozie! Plus there’s something extra compelling about an adopted child searching for her birth parents — particularly when it’s all cloaked in mystery!

Brynn and Avery have their work cut out for them…if they can stay alive long enough to figure it all out! Bwahahaha! And, bonus, this is a kinda, sorta second chance romance ’cause both our hero and heroine had crushes on each other in high school, only they didn’t know it! Oh, the foibles of teenage unrequited love!

I didn’t plan on reading Wyoming Cold Case Secrets in one sitting, but I did and enjoyed every second!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Wyoming Cold Case 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 April 15, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Shielding the Baby + Giveaway

A K-9 Unit has a child to protect…and a murderer to catch.

A double murder and an attempted kidnapping of a baby in a national park have Officer Danica Hayes and her K-9 partner on high alert. She’ll have to protect Luke Stark and his six-month-old son while tracking the person who murdered his sister. Danica and Luke face a battle for their lives to keep from becoming the next victims.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit

My Review:

Woohoo! A brand new multi-authored K-9 continuity series from Love Inspired Suspense! And double woohoo because the books are available on audible and I might have them all preordered. 🙂 I’m such a happy reader!…er, listener.

And does Laura Scott ever know how to pull together an unputdownable (unstoppable?) story. The suspense is non-stop, edged with danger and bogged down in a baffling case that has all kinds of twists to it.

Plus, there’s an adorable baby, a kind of wary romance (both Luke and Danica have issues to resolve) and an exceptional K-9 to fur-bond over. My heart is full of bookish glee over this great start to the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit series.

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 Shielding 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 April 8, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Perilous Security Detail + Giveaway

With threats on all sides…secrets can prove deadly.

Narrowly surviving an intentional hit-and-run, Sawyer Blackwood hires his unexpected rescuer to guard his niece. Bodyguard Everly Honor will do anything to protect a child, even if it means working with her ex. But, as attacks escalate, how can she accomplish her mission to keep them safe when Sawyer is keeping secrets from her…and she’s concealing the truth about her own past?

Honor Protection Specialists

My Review:

Elizabeth Goddard always delivers a spellbinding suspense, no matter what the word count. Her Love Inspired books pack the same kind of punch found in her longer novels. She knows how to pace out action and danger with sweet interludes of romance and I’m always swept away by the story.

Perilous Security Detail was a read in one sitting extravaganza. I intended to read only the first three chapters and then get some work done…but, nope, that didn’t happen. Not when the last sentence of chapter three reads like this: “Suddenly, a strong arm hooked around her throat from behind.” (p 45) Love it when the end of one chapter hooks me into diving into the next one!

Desperate danger, a reluctant hero and an angsty preteen all combine to keep protection specialist Everly Honor on her toes…and readers in a page turning frenzy! Love the reunion romance aspect to this story and it about drove me crazy trying to figure out what Sawyer was holding back and then, once I knew, I was gobsmacked. Didn’t see that coming.

An adrenaline rush of a read right to the very last page!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Perilous Security Detail, 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 March 18, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Cold Light of Day + Giveaway

Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal acitivity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murderes, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community.

Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are — to disappear — when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he’s not sure even Autumn could save him.

As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.

My Review:

Um…this is me speechless. I’m blaming Goddard’s incredible suspense-y Ninja skills for my addled brain because….Whooooaaaaaaaa. Hence the rambling review that follows:

What just happened here? And here? And here? And all the way through the book I’m like “What’s up with Grier? What’s his secret? Why is he off the grid?” And — gah — but small town politics gets my dander up, especially when it’s aimed at Autumn who, hellllooo, is just doing her job. And mighty fine at it too, I might add.

My spidey senses were all askew, sensing danger (sometimes where it wasn’t, often from unexpected places) so I was on edge the whole entire read. Like all 352 pages (or 9 hr, 45 min in my case.) And the way the author pulls seemingly diverse plot points together by the end. My mouth was agape as in exhaling a, “Whhhaaaaaatttttt??????”

So, that pretty much describes my reading experience…plus there’s romance and a hero husky named Cap (short for Captain America!) And tons of action and adventure in the Alaskan wilderness! The kind of book that gives a reader a cardio workout without having to leave their comfy armchair!

Re audio book: matching a story with the right narrator is paramount to providing the perfect listening experience and the powers that be nailed it when they hired Sara Farrington. She delivered an amazing performance and I’m hoping that she’s on call for the rest of the series. Because….eeeeeeppppp….Cold Light of Day is the first book in Elizabeth Goddard’s new Missing in Alaska series.

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 Cold Light of Day, 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 March 11, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Detecting Secrets + Giveaway

Tracking the scents of the missing might be the only way to save them.

Partnered with her air-scent dog and Sheriff Dennis Monroe, marriage and family therapist Charlotte Bradley is desperate to put an end to a black-market baby smuggling ring in Anderson County. Who is kidnapping the pregnant girls she counsels and taking their babies? As Charlotte searches for answers, she and Dennis must dodge gunfire and deadly attacks. But the sinister agenda they uncover just might include her.

A Deputies of Anderson County thriller.

My Review:

This is the third book in the Deputies of Anderson County series and don’t ask me how I missed the first two books! The good news is that I can vouch for Detecting Secrets working fine as a standalone. There’s lots of give and take and teasing amount the deputies which might have meant more if I’d met them all in the first two books but I still enjoyed the banter and teamwork and didn’t feel lost or overwhelmed at all. So, definitely don’t hesitate to pick this one up even if you haven’t read the first two books.

And what a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seater! Pulls at your heartstrings too because the crime is so vile. Kidnapping babies. Bah! And Charlotte’s backstory is pretty heartbreaking. I was emotionally engaged all the read through.

Luckily, we have Theo, air-scent SAR canine extraordinaire for distraction and comic relief. If I wasn’t laughing and melting over his antics, I was cheering him on as he seeks and defends and generally creates bedlam for the bad guys .

A fast-paced, adrenaline rush of a read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Detecting 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 March 11, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Alaskan Avalanche Escape + Giveaway

Sabotage in the mountains…Can this K-9 sniff out the truth?

After surviving a sudden avalanche, mountain survival expert Jayla Hoyt and her search-and-rescue K-9 discover that it was no accident — someone deliberately triggered the mountain explosion. To uncover the culprit, she’ll have to partner with Alaska park ranger Bryson Clarke, a man she doesn’t trust. But when the investigators become targets, can they capture the criminal mastermind…before they’re buried alive?

K-9 Search and Rescue

My Review:

First — love that I could listen to this heart stopping romantic suspense! Kelli Tager did a fantastic job of conveying the intensity and desperation in her riveting narration. Unputdownable…or should I say unstoppable?

Super excited to report that, despite the title, a good portion of this story takes place in the Yukon. In fact, the border patrol between the US and Canada plays a key role and it was fun to watch the two forces work (or not, as the case may be) together.

In some ways, Jayla and Bryson are on their own, since they can’t figure out who they can trust…and Jayla has some history with Bryson which makes him untrustworthy in her eyes. But she has her own issues to deal with and I did find her attitude towards Bryson a bit hard to take at the beginning. Thankfully there’s lots of character growth, including spiritually, but, Jayla is very much a work in progress for most of the story. So, there’s angst aplenty and Turner dishes it out on both the romance and suspense front.

Love the search and rescue details around avalanches — so many interesting details in what is involved and how the dogs work to find victims. The weather plays as an important role in the suspense as the mayhem the villains dish out. Makes for a nail-biting read (or listen.)

While part of the multi-authored K-9 Search and Rescue series, Alaskan Avalanche Escape can easily be read as a standalone novel.

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 Alaskan Avalanche Escape, 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 March 4, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Ranch Under Fire

A witness on the run. A mission to survive.

Fleeing after witnessing a shooting in her office, Bailey Scott must rely on cowboy Jackson Walker for protection when the gunman turns his sights on her. With a drug ring determined to silence her, Jackson promises to protect her at his ranch. But he’s an undercover DEA agent with secrets he can’t reveal. Can he take down the criminals before their pursuers lead them straight into an inescapable trap?

My Review:

High stakes. High octane. High stress. A new edge-of-your-seat LIS author for me to start following. I couldn’t be happier ’cause I always have room on my TBR for stellar authors who write the unputdownable kind of suspense I so love reading. And, phew! This one had me turning pages until the read was over…in one sitting.

Love the way Wheeler set up the opening scene. A normal, if harried, day for our heroine until — wham — it isn’t! And then the tension mounts and the investigation begins. And Jackson being undercover makes things that much more complicated in the romance department. And, while this isn’t labeled as a series, I checked the author’s website and she does have a follow up novel coming out in August. Eeeep! I ams so there for more perilous adventuring with Tina Wheeler.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

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 February 25 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Defending Honor + Giveaway

Brains. Beauty. Boldness. The Elite Guardians will keep you safe.

Laila Rabinowitz is all business. Tough and stoic, she was the perfect Massad agent…until a terrible betrayal led to her words nightmare. Being a bodyguard with the Elite Guardians allows her to keep her heart safe — she’ll never let anyone close enough to betray her again. And she’s certainly not going to trust anyone who doesn’t earn it.

Billionaire and former playboy Whittaker walked away from his famous family after a terrible event, but then his father and brother are killed in a suspicious boating accident. Since he’s next in line to helm the family business, now someone wants him dead.

Preston needs 24/7 protection, and the only solution is a fake marriage. In order to keep him safe, Laila will have to convince everyone that she and Preston are in love. She’s used to putting her life on the line for a client. But, what will this case cost her heart?

Book three of the riveting, high-octane world of the Elite Guardians reboot!

My Review:

Phew — this one got my ire up on so many levels! I am totally not into all things rich and famous or reality stars with skewed values and this story is rife with that. Poor Preston! No wonder he fled his noxious family but now he’s back, reluctantly taking charge of the business empire which puts a target on his back. Loved the intrigue, there were just so many truly dreadful characters to line up as suspects. So many shallow, manipulative, conniving…gah! Like I said, ire up the whole read through.

Laila put me in mind of Ziva of NCIS fame. She has the same kind of grit and determination and aloofness that hides so much hurt. And she’s really good with the Ninja moves. And the pretend marriage trope is sooooo much fun! Equal parts toe-curling and anxiety inducing.

And the suspense was really good. Hooray to me for pegging the villain before our intrepid hero and heroine. But that was after discarding so many other possibilities. This one kept me on my toes. And there’s a gripping scene at the end that sent shudders through me. Very creepy.

An exciting addition to the Elite Guardians Collection.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

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

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Defending Honor, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT Yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, please 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 to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday February 25 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Solid as Steele + Giveaway

He lost his memory…

Mackenzie Steele has been instrumental in keeping Steele Guardians afloat, working long hours for months. Nearing burn out, her family encourages her to take a vacation, and she reluctantly agrees. She needs solitude and quiet, and a vacation rental home in the Oregon desert is just the ticket. But she’s no sooner unpacked her bags when a man lands on her doorstep. A man who can’t remember his identity or why he’s there. All they know is that the name Owen seems familiar to him.

But will finding it bring a killer to her doorstep.

Mackenzie shouldn’t trust this man, but something about his earnestness draws her to him and she agrees to help him determine his identity. When her rental home is bombarded with bullets, she knows she’s accepted a task that could turn deadly, and she should walk away. But by this time, her deepening connection with the stranger keeps her firmly rooted at his die, and she can only pray that she won’t regret her potentially life-altering decision.

My Review:

First, who knew that there was a desert in Oregon? Not this Canadian, that’s for sure. So, great setting, including some wilderness adventuring. And we’re also introduced to a band of brothers who run an outdoor wilderness adventure business and I am heartily hoping that their inclusion might be a foreshadowing of a future series! Please, please, please!

But, I digress. Best opening line ever: “The body lying on the front porch wasn’t included in MacKenzie Steele’s vacation home rental.” Bwahahahaha! And we’re off and racing through pages of adventure and danger and toe-curling romance! And didn’t Susan Sleeman go and bewitch me by turning a not-so-favourite trope of mine into something dazzlingly clever?!

I think I might have to stop saying I’m not an amnesia trope fan now. It’s done so well, and with a fresh slant too which makes it all the more interesting. Loved MacKenzie’s reaction to meeting Owen and that she was smart and sensible about it (you have to read the book to find out what I mean.)

And then I was in sheer bibliophile delight all the way to the end as Sleeman delivered her iconic blend of family, faith, humour and suspense. And I loved all the investigative details — along with some exciting cameos from previous series.

I listened to the audible edition of Solid as Steele, narrated by Whitney Dykehouse (who does all of Susan Sleeman’s audio books and I love the giddy ‘home coming’ feeling I get when I start listening to a new book.)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

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

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Solid as Steele, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you leave an email in your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. I 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 announce don Saturday February 18 2023. Offer open to International Readers.