Midnight Sacrifice
(Midnight, #2)
By: Melinda Leigh
Publisher: Montlake Publishing
Published: April 16, 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense
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One by one, people are
mysteriously disappearing from a small Maine town. Four months ago, a
ruthless murderer killed two people and kidnapped three more, including
Danny Sullivan's sister, who barely escaped. Unfortunately so did the
killer, vanishing without a trace into the vast wilderness. When the
police fail to find his sister's captor, Danny returns to Maine to hunt
him down. He begins his search with another survivor, bed-and-breakfast
owner Mandy Brown, but her refusal to cooperate raises Danny's
suspicions. What is the beautiful innkeeper hiding? Mandy Brown has a
secret. But sexy Danny Sullivan, his relentless questions, and the
desire that simmers between them threaten to expose the truth ? a
revelation that puts her family in danger. As more people disappear, it
becomes clear the killer is planning another ritual?and that he's
circling in on Mandy.
This story is sort of a continuation of the last book (Midnight Exposure) but focuses on a couple of the background characters. Parts of this review will have spoilers for the previous book.
In
the last book we met Jayne and Reed. Jayne is Danny's sister who was
kidnapped by the homicidal Druid. Mandy was the homicidal Druid's booty
call. No one knew that they were shacking up since he was her employer
at the diner she worked at, as well as the towns Mayor. In the end of
the last book, Nathan (the homicidal Druid) tried to kidnap Mandy during
his escape and Danny, who was looking for his sister Jayne, stumbled
across the altercation and saved Mandy. So... needless to say, you kind
of need to read the first book in order to really connect with not only
the murderer, two main characters, but the story as a whole.
With
that being said, I didn't find myself gravitating to their story like I
was with Reed and Jayne. Maybe because I already knew who the killer
was? Although the author did add another player into the mix to help
spice things up. I think I may have just not enjoyed the main characters
in general? I really don't know.
I will say this, the suspense
was intense just like the last book. Nathan get's his hands on more
unsuspecting victims and with seeing it through the eyes of both the
victims and Nathan's perspective really put a chill in the air.
Even
though I enjoyed the first book more, I still enjoyed this story. I
think I just connected more with Jayne and Reed than Mandy and Danny.
Either way, if the author continues this story line, I will definitely
be picking it up.
This just shows how intense parts of the book are.
"The
shaking started in his hands and spread until his entire body quaked.
Tears socked Hunter's hair as Kevin contemplated whether he's have the
strength to strangle his son before the flames burned them alive."
Previous reviews from Midnight
Midnight Exposure
An Affair of Deceit
By: Jamie Michele
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Published: March 30, 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
Diligent attorney
Abigail Mason doesn't have a lot of time--not for the father, a
legendary spymaster, who abandoned her years ago, and not for the
charming CIA agent who's suddenly asking questions about his
whereabouts. But her interest is definitely piqued--just what has her
father done to find himself in the agency's crosshairs?
A
trained psychologist, Agent James Riley doesn't need his degree to
figure out that the persistent, sexy Abigail will be a problem? both for
his investigation and his heart. And while he needs her cooperation,
he's not ready for the hands-on, dangerous role she insists on taking in
the search for her father.
As the two uncover startling truths
about a secretive past, can Riley shield the woman he's come to love
from a madman who wants her to pay for the sins of her father?
Even though reading the
first book, An Affair of Vengeance isn't 100% necessary, I highly
recommend it. You see, in the first book the two main characters are
trying to take down this kingpin weapons dealer. In this book, we meet
Abigale who's father is the spymaster for one of the agents from the
previous book. Apparently, he and the kingpin, Kral, have gone missing
along with all the missiles. So there is a lot of reference to the first
book, and even though the author does a good job of filling you in,
it's still nice to have known everything that took place prior.
Even
though we know of agent Mason before going into this book, we really
don't know him as a person. Since Abigale hasn't seen her father in over
20 years when her and her mother moved to America, she doesn't really
know anything about him. So as the book progresses the readers, as well
as Abigale, learn a little more about who Mason is. You start guessing
whether he is in on the whole thing or a hostage.
I enjoyed the
mystery behind the story but I also enjoyed the characters as well.
Every character plays a role in this and is sort of like a puzzle piece.
After finishing the book, you think back to all the interactions with
the other characters and it makes sense.
My only complaint about
this story is that there is a lot of rehashing of previous events
during conversations. In the beginning, James and his superior go over
all the details from the mission that took place when Mason and Kral
went missing. That was fine since for readers who may have forgotten
what took place in the previous book are caught up to speed. However,
there were lengthy discussions about events that were already discussed
or took place in this book and it happened more than once. Aside from
these hiccups, the story progresses smoothly and you're never left
bored. There is always something taking place.
This story leaves you guessing as to what will happen next all the way until the end. If you are a fan of spy type romances, then this is a great series to pick up.
"Man, for being a psychologist, you sure are shit at reading women."
Previous reviews from the series
An Affair of Vengeance
Seal of Honor
(Hornet, #1)
By: Tonya Burrows
Publisher: Entangled Select
Published: May 28, 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
It’s a good thing Gabe
Bristow lives and breathes the Navy SEAL credo, “the only easy day was
yesterday,” because today, his life is unrecognizable. When his
prestigious career comes to a crashing halt, he’s left with a bum leg
and few prospects for employment that don’t include a desk.
That
is, until he’s offered the chance to command a private hostage rescue
team and free a wealthy American businessman from Colombian paramilitary
rebels. It seems like a good deal—until he meets his new team: a drunk
Cajun linguist, a boy-genius CIA threat analyst, an FBI negotiator with
mob ties, a cowboy medic, and an EOD expert as volatile as the bombs he
defuses. Oh, and who could forget the sexy, frustratingly impulsive
Audrey Van Amee? She’s determined to help rescue her brother—or drive
Gabe crazy. Whichever comes first.
As the death toll rises,
Gabe’s team of delinquents must figure out how to work together long
enough to save the day. Or, at least, not get themselves killed. Because
Gabe’s finally found something worth living for, and God help him if he
can’t bring her brother back alive.
This
romance is heavy with suspense. You have the rescue of Audrey's brother
that starts the whole ball rolling but you end up with the snowball
effect. Because, pretty soon the guys are in over their head and you are
left with one huge snowball full of chaos.
I liked that the
guys had to learn to communicate and work together in order to complete
their mission. You see, they were all thrown together based off of their
skills, not their compatibility. So they pretty much all butt heads and
have their little squabbles right from day one. Towards the end they
start working together as a team and become a tight knit family. The
whole transition to that point, I felt, was very important. You got the
see the men grow together as one cohesive unit. One thing I wasn't
overly thrilled with were the stereotypes. For instance we have a
southern cowboy (stetson and all), a bad ass leather wearing tough guy,
the computer geek decked out in glasses and a drunk "ragin' Cajun"...
you get my point. I would have liked to have saw some originality, maybe
have the Cajun wear a cowboy hat simply because he likes the style. Or a
guy who just wears jeans and a t-shirt and is normal. But that's just
my personal opinion.
The suspense was probably my favorite of the
whole story. Yes the romance was sweet but a lot of times in these
types of stories, the threat is all but forgotten in the romance.
However, we jump between Gabe and Audrey (who happen to get captured
early on), the team at the safe house who are scrambling to find and
save Audrey's brother as well as figure out what happened to Gabe,
Audrey's brother, and the kidnappers. Even when things got a little hot
and heavy with Gabe and Audrey, we were thrown back into the action with
the other characters in the story.
"Control.
Yeah, right. With her, it was nothing but a pretty illusion, and he was
already lost. In her eyes. In her body. In her soul. He's never had any
control when it came to her." -Gabe
Writing has always been my one true love. I wrote my first novel-length story in 8th grade and haven't stopped since. I received a B.A. in creative writing from SUNY Oswego and I'm now working on a MFA in popular fiction at Seton Hill University.
When I'm not writing, I spend my time reading, painting (badly), exploring new places, and enjoying time with my family. Give me a good horror movie over a chick flick any day. (And, let's be honest, I'll take a bad horror movie too!) I'm a geek at heart and pledge my avid TV fandom to Supernatural and Doctor Who. I'm also a big fan of The Voice. What can I say? Guilty pleasure.
I share my life with two dogs and a ginormous cat. We live in a small town in PA, but I suffer from a bad case of wanderlust and usually end up moving someplace new every few years. Luckily, my animals are all excellent travel buddies.
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Rev It Up
(Black Knights, #3)
By: Julie Ann Walker
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Published: Oct. 2, 2012
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
He Never Misses a Target
Jake
"the Snake" Sommers earned his SEAL code name by striking quickly and
quietly—and with lethal force. That's also how he broke Michelle
Carter's heart. It was the only way to keep her safe—from himself. Four
long years later, Jake is determined to get a second chance. But to
steal back into Michelle's loving arms, Jake is going to have to prove
he can take things slow. Real slow...
She Aims to Make Him Beg
Michelle
Carter has never forgiven Jake for being so cliché as to "love her and
leave her." But when her brother, head of the Black Knights elite ops
agency, ticks off the wrong mobster, she must do the unimaginable: place
her life in Jake's hands. No matter what they call him, this man is far
from cold-blooded. And once he's wrapped around her heart, he'll never
let her go.
When
a madman starts targeting the Black Knights loved ones in order to get back
for the death of his brother, Jake becomes Michelle's body guard. They
had a past which of course ended badly and even though Jake is ready to
lay it all out there for Michelle, she isn't very forgiving on the way
Jake ended things.
Since the last book ended with Jake storming
in demanding to see Michelle, I knew their story was next. I didn't know
anything about these two characters, so I was looking forward to
starting fresh. Granted, you can't start the series with this book since
there is a lot that happens that you need to have read the books in
order but it was nice to not have a preconceived idea of what these
characters are like.
The story starts off in the past. The night
when everything went bad and Jake drew into himself and took off. As
the story progresses we find out more and more about Michelle and Jake's
rocky relationship prior to him leaving and the events that followed. I
think getting a back story really helped understand where the
characters were coming from a bit more.
I'm still a big fan of
how the author weaves multiple stories and point of view's into one
novel. We get the main characters, the villain, and upcoming headliners
in one sitting. So we don't follow the same two people around the entire
time.
My only complaint was Jake. The extensive use of what I
guess is surfer terminology really pulled me away from him. After reading "Yo" 3
times in a paragraph, I just wanted to hit him. I wouldn't mind if his
"surfer slang" popped out here and there but it seemed a bit excessive
at times and made it seem like the author was trying too hard to keep
the surfer vibe alive. Aside from that though, I thought the story was
great. I liked the suspense in this one a lot more than the last book
and I also liked the big surprise moment in the story as well. I can't
wait to read more of the series.
"Tell me, what size must a guy's balls be in order to walk up to his former comandin' officer and declare his intent to plant his flag, so to speak, in the man's baby sister? Texas-sizes, maybe? Alaska-sized?" -Rock
An Affair of Vengeance
By: Jamie Michele
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Published: Nov. 6, 2012
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Undercover CIA officer
Evangeline Quill stalks Oliver McCrea for one reason: the handsome
scoundrel can lead her to the untouchable shipping magnate who ordered
her parents’ assassination. She doesn’t want to see the pain in his
golden eyes. Compassion for an outlaw, however chivalrous he may be,
won’t help her exact revenge on her nemesis.
But Evangeline is
the first good thing that battle-weary McCrea has touched in five long
years, and even though he knows he should evade her pursuit, he can’t
bring himself to turn away from her. She reminds him of the man he used
to be, a man he isn’t sure he can ever be again, not with the ugliness
of the underworld slowly disintegrating his humanity.
The closer
they get, the hotter their forbidden desire becomes, but they’ll need
more than passion to escape a deadly trap set by the criminal mastermind
who manipulates both their lives.
Evangeline has been
undercover in France for over three years trying to track down the man
who's responsible for killing her parents. While trying to gain access
to the men who associate with Kral, she comes across a man who is
looking to buy weapons for his boss through Kral's men. Evangeline
decides to try and get close to McCrea in hopes of getting close to
Kral. McCrea is instantly on alert around Evangeline and knows that
she's up to something, but he doesn't know what. Neither person knows
that the other is an undercover agent looking to take down the same
boss.
I'm not going to lie, what really drew my attention with
this story was the Scottish SOCA (British FBI) and the American CIA
agent pairing in France. They are both not used to working with a
partner and when they are forced to pair up, it takes some adjusting.
There
was a bit of suspense when McCrea and Evangeline start to get close to
Kral but there wasn't a lot of fighting or crazy James Bond stuff going
on. But I was okay with that because there was a lot going on between
the agencies, finding evidence and getting close to Kral while trying to
keep their true identities a secret.
I did really enjoy the
sexual tension in the story though. At first the two almost hook up but
McCrea decides to call it off because he doesn't think it's fair to
seduce a woman when she has no idea who he really is. Of course,
Evangeline takes that as rejection and tries to keep her distance from
him. But when the CIA and SOCA find out about the agents in the same
location they decide to team up and have the two pretend to be a couple.
Like I said, there wasn't too much fighting taking place but
that's okay because I still really enjoyed the story. I thought the
characters were believable and likable. The storyline was interesting
and Jamie doesn't fill it with a bunch of unrelated nonsense. She keeps
the story on point and doesn't go off on too much inner dialogue (which
drives me nuts). I am a fan of her writing style and I think she did a
great job with her debut novel. I look forward to continuing the Affair
sequence.
"What
do you expect? I love Americans, but sometimes we make me cringe.
Yesterday I saw a guy wearing a shirt that said, 'I shaved my balls for
this?'"
Midnight Exposure
(Midnight, #1)
By: Melinda Leigh
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Published: Aug. 21, 2012
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Point, click, die.
When
two hikers disappear, their hometown in Maine blames the blinding
storms. But the truth is far more sinister. Unaware of the danger,
tabloid photographer Jayne Sullivan follows an anonymous tip to find the
most reclusive sculptor in the art world. Instead, she finds sexy
handyman Reed Kimball—and a small town full of fatal secrets.
Five
years ago, Reed buried his homicide detective career along with his
wife. But when a hiker is found dead, the local police chief asks Reed
for help. Why was a Celtic coin found under the body? And where is the
second hiker? Avoiding the media, Reed doesn’t need a murder, a missing
person, or a nosey photographer. Then Jayne is attacked, and her courage
is his undoing.
Reed must risk everything to protect her - and find a cunning killer.
The
story starts off with two buddies who are wandering around the woods
lost during a camping trip. They end up stumbling across some weird
Druid ritual which ends in a human sacrifice. The story then fast
forwards a couple of months to Jayne arriving in a small town (where
everybody knows your name) for work. She's a photographer for a tabloid
and her current mission is to get a photograph and identity of the
famous sculptor who's identity is unknown. While scoping out a potential
home of residence, she runs into Reed. She makes up some story that
she's lost, he gives her gas and directions, and sends her on her way.
Only it's not the last time they bump into each other and pretty soon
the Druid sets his sights on Jayne for his next sacrifice.
I will
be honest that the only reason why I read this story was because I was
given a copy of Midnight Sacrifice for review and I knew that I had to
read this one first since it involves the same group of people. I'm
actually glad that I stumbled across this series because it's really
good. I normally don't go for suspense but this one really got my heart
beat pumping. There were a couple of times in the story where the house
could've been on fire and I wouldn't have been able to move because the
story was that tense.
"Bad things happened when he disobeyed.
He turned and
looked across the few feet of space to his matress. So far. Too far. His
body curled into itself, wrapped in the fear of an unknown fate. As his
eyelids drifted shut, he felt his humanity slip further away."
There was also that hint of romantic interest between
the two main characters that added another layer to the story. Jayne was
attacked a few years ago and was the victim of a serial raper/killer,
only she was able to escape and survive. Since then she's not let anyone
outside of her brothers get close to her. Reed on the other hand is a
widower who's running from his past. Which is why he dropped off the
face of the earth, changed his name and started over with his son in a
small town. Neither of these characters were looking for a companion but
Jayne brings out his protectiveness and Reed is the only person who's
ever made her feel safe.
This is the first book by this author
that I've read but I look forward to continuing with this series. Even
though there were some parts that were a bit lengthy and could have been
shortened, I was sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time.
"John's parents had thought he'd be safer attending college out here. Not. Didn't they know Stephen King was from Maine."
Ctrl Z
By: Danika Stone
Publisher: Self-published
Published: March 4, 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Goodreads | Amazon
Indigo Sykes has spent
years trying to forget where she came from. She has a degree, a new
life, and a quiet existence. Everything she ever wanted... But all of
this comes to a screeching halt when an unexpected meeting with computer
hacker, Jude Alden, changes her plans. Romance blooms between the
mismatched duo, even while entanglements from Indigo’s past threaten to
pull the two of them apart.
Dogged by a history of running,
Indigo’s hard-won security is shattered when Jude’s illegal activity
drags both of them into a dangerous game. As the net of hacking and
underworld crime tightens around Jude and Indigo’s dark history is
exposed, the two of them must find a way out or risk bringing the
consequences down on them both.
Indigo was in a sullen mood to begin with, and drinking wasn’t helping. Five shots down and she was only starting to buzz, melancholy dampening her mood like a wet coat. Around her, friends drank and danced. Shireese was off somewhere with Tanis, celebrating the success of tonight’s gig, but Indigo couldn’t join in. Tonight she wanted to forget about the mess of her life. Say ‘fuck you’ to all the broken promises the last year had wrought. She knew she should tell Shireese what had happened earlier that evening, but she couldn’t bear the “I told you so” that would certainly follow.
Not yet.
Fighting angry tears, she lifted her last shot glass, swallowing liquid fire and revelling in the heat drawing a line from throat to stomach. When she slammed the glass down on the table, someone stood across from her. Recognition flickered. She’d noticed him when she’d first walked into the bar tonight. She had the same thought now that she’d had then: the guy was completely out of place. He wore clothes two grades above this dump, his dark prep-school hair neatly combed, button-down shirt rolled up to the elbows, and jeans still creased down the center of his knees.
His expression kept her from looking away. He looked soft, where the rest of the men in the bar looked hard. He’d get rolled tonight if he wasn’t careful, Indigo thought. She’d done it herself a time or two and O’Reilly’s was full of grifters. She smirked, and the man – whoever he was – smiled back.
“I’m Jude,” he said, his voice lifted over the din of the bar.
Indigo nodded, but didn’t answer. This wasn’t the first guy who’d tried to pick her up tonight, and the truth was, she wasn’t interested. She didn’t turn him away though, not yet. He stuck out just enough to make him intriguing. He had a bright smile and straight teeth, but more telling than that was a faint Brooklyn accent that had been smoothed away under the file of good schools and money. In the darkness, she couldn’t tell what colour his eyes were, but she liked their shape. They looked kind.
“I’m here in the city with friends,” the man added.
“Hmmph.”
His smile faded. He had to be in his late twenties, Indigo decided, but with the uncertainty of his expression, he seemed younger. He glanced over his shoulder, and then back to her.
“Well, um… sorry for bothering you,” he said, taking a single step back.
Indigo spun into motion, her hand snaking out and flattening against the table with a slap, eyes narrowed and glittering. She knew she looked like shit, the rain had seen to that, but she still wanted to forget. Someone like this, a frat boy who was looking for some fun, someone who was out of place and completely out of her league was exactly the kind of guy she wanted. If some part of her knew that this was what’d gotten her into the mess in the first place, she pushed the thought away.
“That’s a shitty pick up line,” she snarled. “You want to get somewhere with me, then you’ve got to do better than that.” She smiled just enough to take the barb out of her words.
He laughed nervously.
“C’mon then,” she growled, tipping her head to the side. “I’m waiting.”
His brows pulled together like he was taking an exam. A second passed, then two.
“You’re gorgeous,” he said earnestly. “You could be a model or something.”
She laughed aloud, her head tilting back, exposing her neck, as if that was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Guys loved that, she knew. Made them feel powerful.
“You’re a bad liar,” she said. “I look like a drowned cat.” His face fell and she felt a twinge of guilt. “But you can still stay, honey.” She winked. “‘A’ for effort and all that.”
He chuckled, and moved closer. This time when Indigo smiled, it was real. The man’s eyes were green, she saw, with a navy ring around the iris. Not brown like his. And that was all she needed tonight.
“Well, if you’re giving out points for effort,” he said, dropping his chin. “I might do alright after all.”
Indigo gave him a slow smile, her eyes moving down his body, measuring the hint of musculature under crisp cotton.
“Mm-hmm,” she murmured, “yes, Jude, I think you might.”
Danika Stone is a writer of contemporary fiction with a focus on strong female narratives. An educator, artist, and mother of three, her involvement in the Arts and New Media has spanned a decade and a half. Danika's personal experiences and numerous friendships with contemporary artists are the inspiration behind Intaglio, while her technology background founds the basis of her newest novel, Ctrl Z. Her favourite reader and collaborator is her husband of fifteen years, D, who met Danika in a university Art class.
Danika is also making Ctrl Z free on Amazon (today only) for our readers!
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