By Kelly Bridgewater
About the Book
Book: Two Seconds Too Late (Jeopardy Falls Series: Book Two)
Author: Dani Pettrey
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release date: April 29, 2025
A missing woman. Two hit men. When every second counts, who will survive?
In the stark but beautiful wilds of northern New Mexico, a couples' retreat at a luxury resort turns into a chilling nightmare when a woman vanishes. Skip tracer Riley MacLeod and private investigator Greyson Chadwick pose as a couple to hunt for clues that might reveal the missing woman's location. Those leads uncover a harrowing truth: They're not the only ones looking for her. What begins as a normal tracking case turns into a deadly chase when they, too, become the hunted.
As Riley and Greyson work together, their partnership ignites a tumultuous attraction, but Greyson's secrets prevent him from acting on his feelings for her, and Riley can't bring herself to fully trust him. Delving deeper into the case, they find themselves fighting not only for justice and the chance at a loving relationship . . . but also for their very survival.
My Review:
Two
Seconds Too Late by Dani Pettrey takes readers on a
ride through two mysteries. While in a suspense novel, one mystery is enough to
keep the reading turning the pages. In Two
Seconds Too Late, Pettrey actually weaves together two mysteries into one.
Eventually, they do combine and crash into one another, creating a resolution
that was coming since the beginning of the book. The plot was nicely mysterious.
At times, in the one plot line, I did see the emotions and feelings of the two
characters bleeding into the mystery element. But as readers will come to
understand, it was necessary to craft that plot line. The overall mystery that
takes the second two people on the run I wanted more of. This is where the real
mystery lied. It could have been explained a little more instead of leaving
until the end. Then readers will become interested and wonder why that mystery
storyline was not actually explained and explored a lot more. On the other
hand, the characters had faults, and those faults kept coming back up as a way
for the characters to deal with them. Overall, Two Seconds Too Late by Dani Pettrey did capture my attention, and
I enjoyed it, but I believe there was an overarching mystery that could have
been dived into a little more throughout the plot.
I received a complimentary copy of Two Seconds Too Late by Dani Pettrey through Bethany House
Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.
About the Author
Publishers Weekly and #1 Amazon bestselling author, Dani Pettrey has sold nearly one million copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance.
Her novels stand out for their “wicked pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters” (Publishers Weekly), “gripping storyline[s],” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling undercurrent of romance” (USA Today).
Dani loves to mentor aspiring and newly-published authors. Seeing them grow and spread their wings is so rewarding. She recently was awarded ACFW’s Mentor of the Year. She researches murder and mayhem from her home in Florida, where she lives with her husband.
More from Dani
Hi friends! Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to stop by and say hi. I deeply appreciated. I have loved writing Riley and Greyson’s story. They are my favorite couple since Landon and Piper in my Alaskan Courage series. She’s fiery and independent and he is smitten by her, but also fears for her safety and after you read Two Seconds Too Late, you’ll understand why. Taking them out of their regular environment and placing them as a couple at high-end spa and resort brings on the opportunity to test out their feelings for one another under the guise of playing along. It’s a close proximity, opposites attract, and fake relationship story that tugged at my heart and I hope it’ll dug at yours too.
Every time I release a new book, I get a bunch of questions, which I love. I love sharing more about the story and digging into my hope for it, so I’m sharing several of the questions I get asked most and I wanted to share the answers to them with you. Please feel free to ask any other questions in the comment section below and I’ll respond within a day. Thanks again for stopping by! I hope you enjoy reading Riley and Greyson’s adventure as much as I enjoyed writing it.
- What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
That despite a strong, complexed and nuanced antagonist, that light can come from the darkest places and bring peace or, at the very least, closure to not only the families of the victims but to the hero and/or heroine as well. It might not be perfect, and it certainly doesn’t fix anything, but I still believe in the hero/heroine triumphing over the villain.
2) What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?
So many. I would say my top three influencers were Sue Grafton and are Lisa Gardner and Dee Henderson. The three write very different style of stories. Sue perfect the mystery with some edgy suspense scenes. Lisa creates the best or worst, I suppose. They are a force to be reckoned with and I love her twists and surprises. And, Dee’s book are paced so well and laid out so methodically. I’ve learned something different, and continue to do so, from these three, excellent authors.
3) Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?
To me it’s a combination of knowing the hero and heroine’s jobs. I like to think about what kind of person would do that job and how it will affect them and the story itself. I also know the setting as it’s a character its own right and adds to and affects the story overall. I also know the crime, but I don’t know who did it. I like to leave my options open to see the direction the story goes, and where the investigation leads.
4) What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?
The balance between what was occurring on the surface in contrast to what was simmering beneath the surface and rising up in subtext. Creating that balance and keeping things on track was interesting, but It provided the perfect opportunity to delve into the deepest part of the characters. Overall, it was tricky to strike the right balance and have the subtly rise to the surface in a natural and authentic way.
Homemade Butterscotch Recipe:
Butterscotch is Riley’s favorite candy & the bane of Greyson’s existence (you’ll see why in the book J).Ingredients:
2 ½ cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1/3 tsp. salt
¾ cup water
½ cup molasses
¼ cup honey
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
And a little sea salt for an added touch.
Directions:
Put ingredients in pan. Cook mixture to 250 degrees.
Pour into a lined pan with parchment paper and leave it alone.
Sprinkle some sea salt if you’d like.
Let it sit overnight.
Cut it up into squares (a pizza cutter works great) and store in fridge.
Blog Stops
Book Looks by Lisa, April 23
CeCe Reads and Sings, April 23
The Sacred Line, April 24
Southern Gal Loves to Read, April 24
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 24
Where Faith and Books Meet, April 25
Wishful Endings, April 25
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 26
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 26
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 27
Inklings and Notions, April 27
Texas Book-aholic, April 28
For Him and My Family, April 28
Maureen’s Musings, April 29
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 29
Betti Mace, April 30
Bizwings Book Blog, April 30
Leslie’s Library Escape, May 1
Just Your Average reviews, May 1
Blogging With Carol, May 2
Inkwell Inspirations, May 2
Stories By Gina, May 3 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, May 3
Cover Lover Book Review, May 4
Labor Not in Vain, May 4
Holly’s Book Corner, May 5
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 5
Lights in a Dark World, May 5
Pause for Tales, May 6
Roads to Everywhere, May 6
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Dani is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card, a copy of the book in winner’s choice of eBook or paperback, and a $20 Starbucks gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
