James R. Hannibal: The Paris Betrayal

 By Kelly Bridgewater

After a rough mission in Rome involving the discovery of a devastating bioweapon, Company spy Ben Calix returns to Paris to find his perfectly ordered world has collapsed. A sniper attack. An ambush. A call for help that brings French SWAT forces down on his head. Ben is out. This is a severance--reserved for incompetents and traitors.

Searching for answers and anticipating a coming attack, Ben and a woman swept up in his misfortunes must travel across Europe to find the sniper who tried to kill him, the medic who saved his life, the schoolmaster who trained him, and an upstart hacker from his former team. More than that, Ben must come to grips with his own insignificance as the Company's plan to stop Leviathan from unleashing the bioweapon at any cost moves forward without him--and he struggles against the infection that is swiftly claiming territory within his own body.

Award-winning author James R. Hannibal rachets up the tension on every page of this suspenseful new thriller.

 

My Thoughts:

I really wanted to like this book. Thrillers, suspense, and mysteries are some of my favorite genres to read. A good book to me will have the suspense with moments of doubting myself as I try to figure out who the bad person who is and the motive is. Usually I can figure out the person and watch the clues pile up before the end of the story. But in The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal, the novel does start with an exciting mission and incident, which I really liked. A good thriller novel should capture my attention within the first moments, or my attention can wander away. But from this moment, the main hero, Ben, is on the run. Bullets are flying. People dying. Which normally, I would praise and be happy to see. BUT I had a hard time staying focused. Ben was always on the run. Not that many moments to breathe. Too many other characters to account for. What were they there for? Why were they there? Are they important to the solution to the story? In those moments, I read the story and followed what happened, but I needed more depth. I do not feel like I grew a connection with Ben. I didn’t really care what happened to him. What was the issue that Ben was running from? This was not shown until almost the end of the novel. The scenery was nice since I have never traveled to Europe, but I can’t wait to visit. Hopefully, sometime. Overall, The Paris Betrayal did not really capture my attention like I wanted it to. The story needs more personal connection to the reader.

I received a complimentary copy of  The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal from Revell Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Lisa Harris: The Escape

 By Kelly Bridgewater

US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are thrust into a high-profile case when they are called on to transport two prisoners across the country on a private plane. But when the plane experiences engine trouble en route from the Pacific Northwest to Colorado, the pilots crash-land the aircraft deep in the heart of the sprawling Salmon-Challis National Forest. 

When Madison and Jonas regain consciousness, they find both pilots and one prisoner dead--and one fugitive on the run. They'll have to negotiate the rugged and remote backcountry through Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado while tracking a murderer who is desperate to disappear--and will do anything to stop them.

This high-octane game of cat-and-mouse from bestselling and award-winning author Lisa Harris will have your heart pumping as you try to catch a fugitive with nothing to lose. 

 

My Thoughts:

                The Escape by Lisa Harris starts out reminding me of Con-Air, a plane full of criminals and something goes wrong. While Harris' story does not go as realistic and vivid as Con-Air the movie does, it still captures my attention as I am chasing through the woods of Idaho to Colorado to chase after an escaped criminal. There is a hint of romance, but it definitely is not the most important element of the story, which I truly enjoyed by the way. The suspense is what drives the stories. Every time the hero and heroine get close to capturing the criminal, he throws a loop in their carefully laid out plans and runs for the hills.  Some of the movements by the police officers were predictable. I believe fans of suspense novels will have seen them coming. They have been done before. Even with this, I still enjoyed the story. The heroine's name is mentioned in the next one, so I can't wait to see what other trouble that Harris allows these characters to dive into.

I received a complimentary copy of The Escape by Lisa Harris by Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Lisa Harris: The Traitor's Pawn

By Kelly Bridgewater

When FBI agent Jack Shannon arrives in Corpus Christi, Texas, he is focused on one thing: find the man who has been selling encrypted government secrets to the Chinese through online birding chat rooms. But when a senator is shot during a hunting trip and the woman he was with is abducted, Jack agrees to join the search--especially when he discovers that the kidnapping victim is Aubrey Grayson, a woman he was once in love with.

As the search continues, it becomes clear the senator may not have been the intended victim--and Aubrey may be connected to the other case Jack is supposed to be working on. Can Jack untangle the knots before it's too late? And when he learns the truth, will it be too painful to get past?

Join the hunt for the truth--and a traitor--in this tension-laden story of secrets, betrayal, and second chances. 

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Lisa Harris started her latest novel, The Traitor's Pawn with her guns blazing. Right from the start, she jumps right in and starts the action. Just the way I like a romantic suspense to be. The two main characters have a love interest that they never mentioned to each other. They were best friends who wanted more, but never said anything. I totally understand that. But it bothered me that Harris allowed both of them to hide their feelings for the majority of the novel even though there were tons of underlying emotions. I felt like the hero, Jack should have said something sooner. Maybe just a little hint to make Aubrey scratch her head and wonder why she didn't see it or why she didn't admit to him or even herself. The ending is different. One I haven't seen done at all in any novel, which I really liked, but it still felt like the easy way out. I wanted more. Overall, The Traitor's Pawn wasn't a bad novel. Definitely carried enough suspense and romance to satisfy any reader. Recommended for fans of DiAnn Mills and Colleen Coble.

I received a complimentary copy of The Traitor's Pawn by Lisa Harris, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Lynette Eason: Protecting Tanner Hollow

By Kelly Bridgewater

Lethal Homecoming
Nolan Tanner never got over Kallie Ainsworth's sudden, unexplained departure. Now when he comes to her rescue after an attempt on her life, all the old feelings come rushing back.

Lethal Conspiracy
When professional fundraiser Lillian Maloney sees her father's campaign manager commit murder, she goes on the run from the men he hires to kill her. A close call brings firefighter Jason Tanner to the rescue, but the killer is closing in . . .

Lethal Secrets
Someone wants Honor McBride dead. When Eli Murphy helps her change a flat tire and discovers the danger Honor is in, he longs to help--but Eli has secrets of his own that could get them all killed.

Lethal Agenda
When Detective Derek St. John rescues a woman he's met only once before--and has never been able to forget--he finds himself falling for her. But he'll have to keep Claire Montgomery alive if they're to have a future together.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Protecting Tanner Hollow is a collection of four novellas by Lynette Eason. Three of them have been previously released in e-book format before while the newest one "Lethal Agenda" is a new addition to the collection. I really enjoyed the first three novellas and how they all feature reoccurring characters in the small town of Tanner Hollow, North Carolina. The plots had plenty of action and quick developing romances that fit well into the novella sphere of space. Getting to know the seven individual characters was nice and comforting. "Lethal Agenda" included Derek St. John, so if readers are familiar with Eason's Code of Justice series than the last name should mean something. He is only child who did not have his story told in that series. While I adore Eason's writings, "Lethal Agenda" seemed to move to quickly for my taste. In the preceding three novellas, the suspense took a while to come to its climactic moment. But in "Lethal Agenda," the story felt like it just started, and Eason threw readers into the climactic moment within pages. The romance felt a little out of place too. As for the unveiling of the villain. I was a little confused. I had to go back and reread the climactic moment a couple of times to fully grasp what happened. Overall, Protecting Tanner Hollow by Lynette Eason is a must-have to add to any fans of Eason library. All but the last one excited me. If readers enjoy Eason's novels, then I say pick this one up too.

I received a complimentary copy of Protecting Tanner Hollow by Lynette Eason from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Natalie Walters: Deadly Deceit

By Kelly Bridgewater

Independent and tenacious journalist Vivian DeMarco is back in Walton, Georgia, for one reason--to do her job and get out. When her boss suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances, Vivian's only hope for finding the truth--and the next big story--is small-town law enforcement's lanky poster boy, Deputy Ryan Frost. But the deeper they dig, the more twisted the truth becomes, and Vivian finds herself fighting for not only answers but also her life. False leads, incriminating emails, and someone called The Watcher force Vivian to confront the secret of her past and decide: How much is she willing to risk for the sake of a headline?

Author Natalie Walters welcomes you back to Walton, Georgia, where everyone knows your name--but no one knows your secret.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters is a non-stop tension driven novel with a hint of romance. Romantic suspense can go one way or other. Either too much romance or too much suspense or a nice balance of both. With Walters newest novel, the story leans more to the suspense side, which is my taste anyways. The romance is there and hinted at, but it doesn't take over the whole hunt for the Watcher. The idea of the Watcher has been done before and quite predictable, but I had a hard time buying who the Watcher was at the end of the novel. While the reality of the bad guy had me shaking my head, Walters is a fabulous writer who gives fans of the romantic suspense genre what they are looking for. The romance kept beating on just like the suspense and came to its predictable ending. Overall, Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters is a romantic suspense novel just right for the fans of the genre. With transformation characters, a good dose of suspense, and a budding romance, Deadly Deceit will definitely fit onto the shelf alongside DiAnn Mills, Irene Hannon, and Colleen Coble.

I received a complimentary copy of Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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About the Author:

From Amazon

My world revolves around GIJOE and our three adult (or almost adult) children who keep my life anything but predictable. Our boots hit the ground wherever the Army sends us but home is when we're all together no matter the zipcode. My passion is writing stories where adventure meets love and share my belief that life rooted in purpose is a story worth telling. (Taken From Amazon.)

Elizabeth Goddard: Always Look Twice

By Kelly Bridgewater

At the advice of her therapist, homicide survivor Harper Reynolds has traded her job as a crime scene photographer for a more peaceful life taking photographs of the natural world. But her hopes for a life surrounded by the serenity of the outdoors are dashed when she inadvertently captures a murder being committed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She flees the scene in fear--and loses the camera.

Former Green Beret Heath McKade is a reserve deputy in an understaffed county who has been called in to protect Harper, a childhood friend he is surprised to see back in the area. When Harper learns that the sheriff's department can't find any evidence of the murder she witnessed, she is determined to do what she can to see that justice is done. What neither Harper nor Heath could know is how many explosive secrets from the past will be exposed--or how deeply they will fall for each other.

In this suspenseful page-turner, bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard keeps you on the edge of your seat as you discover that uncommon justice lies just on the other side of fear.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Romantic suspense novels must have non-stop action with death knocking on the heroine and the heroes door with a budding romance between the two. With Always Look Twice by Elizabeth Goddard, her story does definitely that. From the first chapter, I was thrown into a hair raising situation with Harper and wanted to know how the man behind the shotgun was too. Throughout the entire novel, Goddard did a fabulous job at tightening the noose around Harper's neck. Even so far as to have the police suspect her for a moment. As for the romance, it grew from childhood friendship into something deeper, which is completely predictable for this genre. There wasn't much spiritual elements to the characters. It was a hit or miss moments. Not really that important to the characters or the plot. A little disappointing. I wanted them to have a deeper faith and transform by the end of the novel. As for character's transformation, there really wasn't any. When you meet Harper and Heath at the beginning of the novel, they stay the same by the end of the book. Overall, Elizabeth Goddard crafted a high tension, flowering romance , but the characters really didn't have that deep change moment from their dark moment. Fans of Irene Hannon, DiAnn Mills, and Colleen Coble might enjoy adding this novel to their forever shelves.

I received a complimentary copy of Always Look Twice by Elizabeth Goddard, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Regina Scott: A Distance Too Grand

By Kelly Bridgewater

Meg Pero has been assisting her photographer father since she was big enough to carry his equipment, so when he dies she is determined to take over his profession--starting with fulfilling the contract he signed to serve on an Army survey of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 1871. What she doesn't realize is that the leader of the expedition is none other than the man she once refused to marry.

Captain Ben Coleridge would like nothing more than to leave without the woman who broke his heart, but he refuses to wait even one more day to get started. This survey is a screen for another, more personal mission, one he cannot share with any member of his team.

As dangers arise from all sides, including within the survey party, Meg and Ben must work together to stay alive, fulfill their duties, and, just maybe, rekindle a love that neither had completely left behind.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

What is better than a novel that takes a reader back to the early survey and settlements of some of our great American Wonders? Regina Scott has decided to do that with her American Wonders Collection series. In the novel A Distance Too Grand, Scott takes readers on a journey to the depths and heights of the Grand Canyon. As someone who has personally never seen the Grand Canyon, it sounded wonderful. The writing is wonderful. Scott does a fabulous job at describing what the Canyon appears like with a variety of word choices. As for the plot, I, personally, wasn't wowed by it. There was a predictable romance with a predictable bad person trying to ruin the expedition. Overall, the plot didn't seem to really do anything. Take some pictures here. Take some there. Survey a little ground. Move to another sight. Fight some romantic feelings between Ben and Meg. Then back to the fort to explain their findings. And another thing that bothered me is that Ben's mother couldn't stand Meg because she was afraid Meg just wanted to marry Ben for his name and career, which would make her an asset to society, but in a blink of an eye, Ben's mother accepts and adores Meg. Now it is okay for Meg and Ben to marry. AAAH!! Bothered me a lot. As for a spiritual thread, I don't remember much about conversations or an opportunity for any of the characters to change. Who readers meet at the beginning of the novel is the same person you encounter at the end. Overall, A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott held the promise to be a wonderful, exciting book, but for me, it fell extremely short. If you enjoy this idea than Karen Barnett has a series entitled Vintage National Parks Novels that were well-written and captured my attention more.

I received a complimentary copy of A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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About the Author:

From Amazon

Regina Scott started writing novels in the third grade. Thankfully for literature as we know it, she didn't actually sell her first novel until she'd learned a bit more about writing. After numerous short stories and articles in magazines and trade journals, and a good kick in the backside from her husband, she got serious about writing. Since then, she's had published more than 40 clean historical romances for adults and young adults. Her traditional romances have earned praised from reviewers and readers alike. Booklist calls her work "quietly compelling" and "impeccably written." Huntress Reviews says, "Regina Scott delivers," and "I will always buy a book with Regina Scott's name on it."

Regina Scott is the author of the Frontier Bachelors series set in pioneer Seattle (The Bride Ship, Would-Be Wilderness Wife, Frontier Engagement, Instant Frontier Family, A Convenient Christmas Wedding, Mail-Order Marriage Promise, His Frontier Christmas Family, and Frontier Matchmaker Bride). She is also the author of more than two dozen sweet historical romances set in Regency England in such series as Fortune's Brides, Uncommon Courtships, the Everard Legacy, the Master Matchmakers, and the Lady Emily Capers. She has twice been awarded best book of the year for her type of story from industry favorite RT Book Reviews.

Regina Scott has learned to fence, driven four-in-hand, sailed on a tall ship, and dressed as a Regency dandy, all in the name of research, of course. She makes her home in the Puget Sound area of Washington State with her beloved husband. Find her online at her website www.reginascott.com, the blog she shares with author Marissa Doyle at www.nineteenteen.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorreginascott, and on Goodreads at www.goodreads.com/reginascott. (Taken from Amazon.)