Rachel Dylan: End Games

By Kelly Bridgewater

When elite members of the military are murdered on the streets of Washington, DC, FBI Special Agent Bailey Ryan and NCIS Special Agent Marco Agostini must work together to bring the perpetrator to justice. Unfortunately, all evidence points to a Navy SEAL sniper whom Bailey refuses to believe is guilty.

When Bailey and Marco start to connect the dots between the victims, including a link to a powerful defense contractor, they wonder if there's a deeper cover-up at play. Then Bailey is targeted, and it becomes clear that someone is willing to kill to keep their dark secrets.

With the stakes getting higher by the moment in a twisted conspiracy, there's a rush against the clock to determine whom they can really trust. As allies turn to enemies, the biggest secret yet to be uncovered could be the end of all of them.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I enjoy a thrilling chase through a suspense novel. I have tried Rachel Dylan before, and I didn't enjoy her novels. But this is a new series, and I thought I would give her another try. Again, I was quite disappointed. The novel begins with three women talking, which I assume are the three heroines in this series. Then readers are taken to a dead body where I meet the hero of the story. The plot instantly jumps into the procedure of finding the killer of the dead body. Interview and then thinking. Then interview. Not quite the high action I want in a suspense novel. Because of these things, the plot left me wanting a lot more. The romance was told not shown to us. It didn't grow organically between the two characters. Dylan had to tell us when they started to like each other, and it appeared to be not natural to the storyline. As for the characters, there wasn't much transformation in their personalities over the course of the story. Also, I really didn't empathize with any of them.They were static characters on a page moving around. Overall, End Game by Rachel Dylan did not read like a suspense novel. It read more like a report on the incident from someone who heard it third hand. I didn't really enjoy this novel. Pick up a book by Lynette Eason. More much action.

I received a complimentary copy of End Game by Rachel Dylan from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Click here to purchase End Game

Rachel Dylan: Deadly Proof

By Kelly Bridgewater

In the biggest case of her career, attorney Kate Sullivan is tapped as lead counsel to take on Mason Pharmaceutical because of a corporate cover-up related to its newest drug. After a whistleblower dies, Kate knows the stakes are much higher than her other lawsuits.

Former Army Ranger turned private investigator Landon James is still haunted by mistakes made while serving overseas. Trying to forget the past, he is hired by Kate to look into the whistleblower's allegation and soon suspects that the company may be engaging in a dangerous game for profit. He also soon finds himself falling for this passionate and earnest young lawyer.

Determined not to make the same mistakes, he's intent on keeping Kate safe, but as the case deepens, it appears someone is willing to risk everything--even murder--to keep the case from going to trial.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I enjoy a good legal thriller. When most people think of legal thrillers, they usually think of John Grisham. In the Christian genre, there have been Robert Whitlow, James Scott Bell, and Cara Putnam, but now they're is a new author to add to this list. Rachel Dylan. Dylan has written a number of romantic suspense for Love Inspired Supense, but this is her first full-length novel with Bethany House Publishers. With a legal thriller, I expect to be drawn into the legal world with a hint of mystery on the edges of the novel.

The writing was clear and concise. I had no problem imagining the scene and following the numerous characters throughout the novel. Dylan has a good grasp on point of view and took a good tour of the story. I never was confused with who the speaker was. Even though, there was four main characters who had the opportunity to tell their stories.

As for the characters, there were four main characters. Kate, Ethan, Nicole, and Landon all shared the point of view for the story. Kate was the main lawyer who Dylan wanted you to follow since she started the book in her point of view. Kate is a vibrant lawyer who stands up for what she believes and has worked hard for her climbing position in her law firm. Ethan is a fellow lawyer friend, who stands by what he believes, but as the story progresses, he stands to question what he stands for. I believe Landon is the love interest, and Nicole is a fellow lawyer at Ethan's office.

As a plot, Dylan does a great job at showing the inner workings of a lawyer's daily job. I learned more about what they do on a daily basis and was wrapped up in the lawyer's world. The story rings authentic and doesn't make me doubt anything she wrote about lawyer. For the mystery, it didn't really ring true to me. While the story was trudging along, Dylan would slip in an incident for Kate to be in that would allow her life to be threaten, and for Kate to call Landon and bring him into the story. I really didn't think the mystery was realistic to stay in the story. It didn't a little bit of work.

The romance appeared way too rush for me too. Once Landon and Kate meet, they are starting to fall in love with each other. Kate would get in trouble and Landon would come rescue her. Their emotions happened way too fast. I wanted to see their relationship slowly develop, not happen at their first encounter. As sad as this is, the spiritual element seemed a little too over the top. It felt like preachy to me. It was a little over the top.

Overall, Deadly Proof by Rachel Dylan is a fresh new voice in the legal romantic suspense genre. While the legal plot held my attention, I really didn't enjoy the suspense or the romance. They seemed too one-dimensional for the story.

I received a complimentary copy of Deadly Proof by Rachel Dylan from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

 

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars