FTC: I received a free copy of this book from I Read With Audra in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.
Dangerous To Know by Megan Whitson Lee was an okay book but I did have a hard time staying interested in what was happening in this book. It wasn’t hard staying interested all the times just every once and awhile. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the characters in this book but that is because I am becoming bored with this genre, so it will be quite a while before I read one again. That is no way is a bad thing about this book it just isn’t what I am interested in. I think I am going to hang onto this book and read it again in the future because it is something that I would usually love to read. I did love some of the things that the characters talked about because it shows how far we have come regarding technology and how things are made. I know that if you love historical novels than you will love this one because it is well written it just wasn’t the right fit for me right now.
About The Book
“Don’t look at him, dear. He’s dangerous.”
Isabella Bankmill seeks a husband whose character matches her list of requirements. The man must share her faith, but he must also possess a certain je ne sais quoi. The enigmatical Lord Gregory Gordon Bromby—London’s newest literary sensation—certainly possesses the latter. Despite a deformed foot and alarming views on politics and religion, he attracts the ladies in droves.
Haunted by his past and overwhelmed by his newfound celebrity status, Lord Bromby’s obsession with his own doom leads to reckless behavior. When he is stalked by an obsessive aristocrat seeking an elopement, Bromby’s friends urge him to marry a suitable lady as soon as possible. Intrigued by Isabella’s convictions and hoping to avoid further scandal, Bromby proposes to Isabella.
Isabella also receives an offer of marriage from kind-hearted philanthropist, David Beringer—a man equally devoted to his faith—but she only has eyes for Lord Bromby. Blinded by his talent and good looks, Isabella convinces herself that he’s not as dangerous as everyone claims. But when Bromby’s world violently collides with hers, Isabella must decide once and for all who is lord of her life. God or Bromby?
About The Author
MeganWhitsonLee is an anglophile and a recovering runaway. Over the years, she escaped to England and Australia before finally settling down in the US. These days, she lives a relatively quiet life as a wife, a mom of two greyhounds, an editor for Pelican Book Group, and a high school English teacher. She now escapes by writing novels instead of jumping on planes to foreign countries. Her novel, Captives, won the 2016 Director’s Choice Award and was a finalist for a Selah Award in the women’s contemporary fiction category at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference.
Megan writes women’s contemporary thrillers and historical fiction featuring characters standing at the crossroads of major life decisions.
“Cole is a genius at weaving together heart-racing, suspenseful moments with scorching intimacy and real characters.” —USA Today
One of Book Riot’s “9 Not-To-Be-Missed Romances Hitting the Shelves this Summer!
“The balance between a budding romantic relationship and a dark, dangerous case filled with suspense made my night very short.” —(un)Conventional Bookviews.
Title: Deep Cover
Author: Scarlett Cole
Release Date: July 31, 2018
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Series: Love Over Duty #3
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Page Count: 336
Format: Print and digital
ARE THEY IN TOO DEEP?
Ex-Navy SEAL Cabe Moss always comes when called to duty—at all costs. Even though the death of his fiancée nearly destroyed him, Cabe won’t let his past interfere with any work that has to get done. When his latest task pushes him to team up with FBI operative Amy Murray, a fierce beauty with the undercover skills to match, Cabe must admit that, for the first time in years, he wants to do more than just complete their mission together…
Amy was born ready for this assignment, but working side-by-side with the the strong, silent, and frustratingly professional Cabe seems to be the biggest challenge of all. But when the sparks begin to fly—and the stakes rise to dangerous heights—the only thing Amy is left worrying about is how she can resist him. Their lives may be in danger, but their hearts hold the biggest risk of all…
Amy’s stomach dropped, and her head spun. Despite everything, her heart betrayed her and skipped a beat at the sight of him. It was understandable. Her memory of him had not even begun to do him justice. He wore a navy blue suit tailored to his swimmer’s frame. The jacket hung open, fitting snuggly over his wide shoulders. A pale blue shirt stretched perfectly across his trim torso. She’d bet dollars to donuts that there was one of those hugely attractive six-packs beneath the soft-looking cotton.
She watched him greet one of the analysts assigned to the project, his back now to her. Damn, that butt.
Which she shouldn’t be studying. Because the guy was a jerk. There was no other word for him.
He was joined by the men she’d seen him sitting with in the bar. One was tall, like a Nordic Viking. The other one was equally built, with chestnut hair and a broad grin. They had an easy confidence. It irked her.
Cunningham had joined Cabe and was shaking his hand. Her stomach sank even further as she realized what he was about to do. Yup, there it was. He lifted his hand in her direction, and Cabe’s eyes met hers.
No freaking response. Wow.
Nothing.
A body-language expert would get absolutely zero from him.
No telltale lines of concern between his brows, no curl of a smile in recognition. No Oh my god I am so freaking sorry for being a jerk and leaving you standing alone at the bar in front of a room full of people.
As hard as she focused on keeping her gaze equally neutral, she knew she was failing. If her cheeks felt hot—and by her guess were likely a little pinker than normal—there was nothing she could do to control it. Her breathing was a little more erratic than normal. But she took a deep breath as Cabe walked toward her.
“Cabe Moss,” he said calmly, offering her his hand. “Eagle Securities.” His tone was even, not a hint of recognition. Had she been that bland, that uninteresting that he couldn’t even remember her? Amy tried to clear the thought. If he truly didn’t remember her, it was a good thing. It would make working with him even easier.
“Agent Amy Murray.” She reached for his hand, and memories of shaking it in the bar crashed through her. It was just as warm as she’d remembered, and large, his handshake firm and confident.
Not even a freaking blink from him. Or a wink. Or an extra squeeze of the hand. No, he just let go of her hand after a completely appropriate length of time.
Goddamn.
Enter to win A Signed Paperback Set of the Love Over Duty Series!
Want to start from the beginning? UNDER FIRE, the first book in the LOVE OVER DUTY series is on sale now! Get the first installment in this romantic suspense standalone series for only $1.99. This is a limited time sale, so don’t wait! Grab your copy today!
The tattoo across my right hip says it all really. A Life Less Ordinary. Inked by the amazingly talented Luke Wessman at the Wooster Street Social Club (a.k.a. New York Ink). Why is it important? Well, it sums up my view on life. That we should all aspire to live a life that is less boring, less predictable. Be bold, and do something amazing. I’ve made some crazy choices. I’ve been a car maker, a consultant, and even a senior executive at a large retailer running strategy. Born in England, spent time in the U.S. and Japan, before ending up in Canada were I met my own, personal hero – all six and a half feet of him. Both of us are scorpios! Yeah, I know! Should have checked the astrological signs earlier, but somehow it works for us. We have two amazing kids, who I either could never part with or could easily be convinced to sell on e-bay.
I’ve wanted to be a writer for a really long time. Check through my office cupboards or my computer and you’ll find half written stories and character descriptions everywhere. Now I’m getting the chance to follow that dream.
Michelle Hazen is back with INSATIABLE, the next standalone in her Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll series.When a sex addict lead singer falls into friendship with a hard rock diva, he must fight their attraction or risk ruining her life. Fans of rockstar romances will devour this angsty yet heartwarming story about a bad boy who’s a good man.
“Insatiable is a beautiful story about love. There’s romantic love, the love between friends, the often painful love we share with our family, and for Jax, finally the ability to love himself.”—Reads and Reviews Blog
“Michelle gives us a powerful journey, raw emotions and high intensity in this rock and roll romance.” —Cynthia at We All Make Mistakes In Books Blog
“I love Jax. I hope this book finds its way into the hands of anyone with addiction and that they don’t feel alone.
Only read this book if you like rock star romance books with no cheating and full of love, both the friendship type and the steamy type:)” —Michelle, Goodreads reviewer
Title: Insatiable
Author: Michelle Hazen
Release Date: July 2, 2018
Publisher: Self-published
Series: Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll #3
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 322
Jax Sterling is a sex addict with the heart of a golden retriever puppy.
As the lead singer for the Red Letters, it’s easy to hide his loneliness behind his bad boy lifestyle…until he lands on tour with a hard rock goddess who makes him want the relationship he can never have.
Onstage, Ava’s all chains, whips and guitar licks, but the backstage confessions they share are darker than their leather.
She wants Jax, but he wants better for her than him.
But then, bad news drops that threatens the life of one of his bandmates, and the loyalty of the other. Terrified by how little he has left if he loses his best friends, Jax takes the plunge to let someone else into his life.
Until Ava finds out his ugliest sin, and it’s nothing she can forgive.
**This book contains spoilers to earlier books in the series, but can be read and understood as a standalone. No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA guaranteed.**
Please God, let her ask me to hold her. That happens in Jera’s romance novels all the time. And okay, the heroes never pop inappropriate wood, but that’s just because they’re a bunch of pussies.
Ava nods, and I can’t quite read the look in her eye. Her hand feels soft on my arm and when it drops away, my skin tingles. “If you want to trade in truth or dare for a bedtime story next time, I rock at Dr. Seuss. Jera’s daughter can’t get enough of rhyming.” I half-smile. “Songwriter’s kid, you know.”
“Sorry. You should go catch a nap before the plane lands. I need a new damn boyfriend is all.” Ava sighs. “Hate sleeping alone.”
My heart jolts and I briefly debate the wisdom of jumping up and down, waving my arm in the air. Decide against it on the basis of possible un-coolness points. “You could try your bodyguard. Judging by the look he gave me when I was on my way in here, he’s dying to play Big Spoon.”
Ava laughs. “Yeah, not even a little bit. Plus, his wife is in my knitting group back home.”
“AVA knitting? From the girl who started the skull-with-pink-bow trend, that’s some serious blackmail, so now we’re even.” She still looks glum, so I skim my knuckles down her arm. “Come on, you’re not really alone. You’re on a tiny plane with the world’s most prescient flight attendant, a vampire bat, and a makeup artist whom I suspect of reading the dictionary. For pleasure.”
She laughs, squirming around until she’s straight on the bed again and squinting up at me as a tiny curl falls into her eyes. “You’re crazy weird, you realize that, right?”
“They’re your hand-picked staff, not mine.” I head for the door and pause with my hand on the knob. “I’ll totally stay and cuddle with you, you know. As long as you have sex with me three, maybe four times first.”
“Four?” She pushes her hair out of her face. “Oh, is that all?”
I wink. “‘If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.’”
“Oh my God, did you just sex-quote Dr. Seuss at me?” She explodes into my favorite laugh, the gasping snorty one.
I close the door, grinning. Which sucks, because I look like a fool when I realize her bodyguard is still awake, swiveled so he can watch me come out of her airplane’s bedroom.
And he still hasn’t blinked.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card! Two-Runner Ups will win eBook copies of A CRUEL KIND OF BEAUTIFUL and PLAYING THE PAUSES! a Rafflecopter giveaway
About Michelle Hazen:
Michelle Hazen is a nomad with a writing problem. Years ago, she and her husband ducked out of the 9 to 5 world and moved into their truck. As a result, she wrote most of her books with solar power in odd places, including a bus in Thailand, a golf cart in a sandstorm, and a beach in Honduras. Currently, she’s addicted to The Walking Dead, hiking, and Tillamook cheese.
MAKE ME CRAVE, an all-new enemies to lovers story from Katee Robert is LIVE!
In MAKE ME CRAVE by NYT Bestselling Author, Katee Robert, Roman Bassani will do anything to close a deal. Even chase down Allie Landers on her Caribbean vacation to make an offer on her company.
Add MAKE ME CRAVE to your TBR pile on Goodreads then keep reading to get a sneak peek excerpt and enter the giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card or one of three (3) ebooks from Katee Robert’s backlist!
Title: Make Me Crave
Author: Katee Robert
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 1, 2018
Publisher: Harlequin Dare
Series: Make Me
Page Count: 144 pages
Format: Digital
ASIN: B0779DL61K
“I crave you…”
Can their hunger be satisfied?
Roman Bassani will do anything to close a deal. Even chase down Allie Landers on her Caribbean vacation to make an offer on her company. He expects a challenge—but not their immediate intense attraction. After an accidental one-night stand they agree to put business aside—for now. The island lulls them into a heated sexual journey…but what happens to their opposing interests when they return from paradise?
“Dare is Harlequin’s hottest line yet. Every book should come with a free fan. I dare you to try them!”
“Make me Crave by Katee Robert is such an amazing and captivating read that you will not put it down. Sexy, fiesty, hotness, chemistry, laughter and love Make me Crave is a must read for all book lovers. This is hands down in my opinion the best book that I have ever read by Katee Roberts.”—Goodreads review
“Wow! I can’t emphasize enough how much I loved Make Me Crave (Make Me #2). It has sass, steam and great characters with loads of chemistry. Katee Robert is definitely an author on my ‘must read’ list.”—Goodreads review
“Hello Adonis! Roman is just…yeah. I mean, sex on a stick with a good heart (despite his past misdeeds), and a more than capable brain! Allie is his perfect match and their time together sets the pages on fire while making you root for them to get more than just the pleasure they find from each other on the island! A great book!”—Goodreads review
Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card or one of three (3) ebooks from Katee Robert’s backlist!
Allie was so furious, she could barely put two words together. “You don’t get to just decide that we’re having a conversation and haul me out here to do it.”
“If I was going to haul you anywhere, it’d be over my shoulder.”
Her body clenched at the thought of him doing exactly that, but she fought her reaction back. “You are insufferable. Do you know when the last time I had a vacation was? Ten goddamn years ago when I was still in freaking high school and on spring break. Ten. Years. Becka had to twist my arm to get me here, but I was enjoying myself—”
“I know exactly how thoroughly you were enjoying yourself.”
She ignored that because if she tried to deny it, she’d be a red-faced liar. “That changes nothing. The point is that I’m not enjoying myself now, and the only one to blame for that is you.” She went to push him back a step, but her hands had a will of their own. They stayed on his chest, and she sucked in a breath at how warm his skin was. The man might be a corporate suit, but he looked perfectly at home in his shorts without a shirt on here in the growing darkness near the beach. It was almost enough to forget all the reasons she never wanted to see him again.
Allie stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Nothing you say can make me believe you’re anything but a goddamn shark.”
“Who said I’m trying to convince you of anything?” The words brushed her mouth as he leaned down, just a little. “I am a shark, Allie. I’ve never pretended to be anything else.”
She started to call him a liar, but he was telling the truth. He hadn’t tried to seduce her with sweet words to get her into his bed—he’d offered her exactly what she wanted in as many words. Black-and-white. Simple.
It wasn’t simple at all.
“I despise you.”
“You want me.” His hands rested lightly on her hips. “It tears you up inside that you crave my cock, but you can’t fight it no matter how hard you try.” He backed her up, step by slow step, until she bumped a tree. Roman kept coming, the side of his face brushing hers. “Did you think about how good it’d feel to have my fingers sliding into these yoga pants?”
“No.”
“Who’s the liar now, Allie?” His lips caressed her earlobe. “I’d love a private yoga session. Just us. No friends, no instructors, no clothes. How long do you think we’d last before I was on my back and you were riding my cock?”
She couldn’t breathe. Her skin felt too tight, as if it were several sizes too small, and her core pulsed in time with her racing heart. “I would never—”
“No, Allie. No more lies between us. You’re pissed that I’m here—I get that—and you’re even more pissed that you want me. Trust me, I know the feeling. I was never supposed to fuck you, and if I’d known who you were…”
She leaned back enough to look at his face—or what she could see of it in the darkness. “If you’d known who I was, you wouldn’t have gone there with me.”
Roman cursed. “Even if I’d known your name, that wouldn’t have stopped me from wanting you. Needing you.”
She stroked her hands down his chest to the waistband of his shorts. “Do you need me now?”
“I never stopped.”
This was the worst idea. She needed her head clear, and it was nothing but muddled around Roman. He was too big, too beautiful, too overpowering. Even now, she leaned forward, the few inches between them too much distance. He let her, his hands on her hips branding her—but not trying to guide her. Allie inhaled deeply. “Do you drug your cologne? Because, seriously, how am I supposed to think straight when you smell so good?”
He chuckled. “I’m not wearing any.”
He was gorgeous and a god in the bedroom, and he had to smell good naturally. Because of course. “I don’t like you.”
“You don’t know me.”
She could argue that, but it didn’t feel completely accurate. Allie traced the waistband of his shorts with her fingers. She shouldn’t…but she was going to. She unbuttoned his shorts and slipped her hand in to grip his cock. “I don’t have to know you—I know this.”
“You’re playing with fire.”
“Maybe.” Definitely. If she was smart, she’d release him, walk away and spend the rest of her vacation in as close to bliss as she could get, throwing herself into relaxation before she had to go back to reality. She stroked him again, liking the way his body went tense but his hands stayed still on her hips.
As if he was waiting for permission.
The realization sent a thrill through her. She kept stroking his cock, teasing him. “Did you really think it would be that easy?”
“What would?” He spoke through gritted teeth, and her body gave another thrill of pleasure.
“Getting your way.” She squeezed him around the base and nudged his pants down a little farther so she could cup his balls with her free hand. “You thought you’d show up here, interrupt my vacation and, what? I’d fall all over myself to give you exactly what you wanted?”
Roman released one of her hips and braced his hand on the tree behind her. The move brought him closer to her, but not so close that he impeded her movements. She stroked him harder as he slid his cheek against hers, his breathing hitching with every downstroke. He nipped her earlobe. “Isn’t that exactly what happened last night?”
She glared and gave his balls a squeeze that was just shy of vicious. “You’re awfully cocky for someone who’s got their nether bits in my hands.”
“They’re very capable hands.” He shifted to press butterfly kisses along her jaw and down her neck even as his hand on her hip squeezed her. “Don’t stop.”
“I should.” She didn’t. “I should stop right now and leave you with a wicked case of blue balls.” Why was her breath coming as harshly as his? He’d barely touched her, but having his cock in her hands and him so close… Intoxicating. There was no other word for it.
Roman gave her collarbone an openmouthed kiss and dragged his hand up her side to palm her breast. “I’ll just go back to my villa and jack myself off thinking of your sweet pussy. Not as good as the real thing—nothing is—but you gave me more than enough inspiration to get the job done.” He tugged the strap of her tank top off her shoulder. It was one of those things with a built-in bra, so the motion freed her breast. He repeated the move with the other side, and she shivered as the breeze coming in off the water teased her nipples. “Beautiful,” Roman murmured.
“You go overboard with the compliments.” She kept up her leisurely stroking. It was like the rest of the world ceased to exist outside their little sphere. It was just her and Roman, driving each other crazy.
“I give credit where credit is due.” He bent and sucked one nipple into his mouth. The position meant she had to let go of his cock, which she did with reluctance. He cupped her through her yoga pants, the coolness of the tree against her back only highlighting how warm his body was. “If I slipped my hand in here, would I find you wet and wanting? I think so.” He traced a single finger up the seam of the pants—right over her clit. “I think having my cock in your hands turned you on as much as the fact that we’re ten yards away from the bar and anyone coming up from the beach will get the show of their life.”
She pushed back against him even as her hips rolled into his touch. “That’s not true.”
“Liar.” She felt more than heard the word as his breath caressed her neck. “You get off on this as much as I do.” Another stroke through the fabric. “Would you take my cock right here, right now?”
She started to say yes, but common sense reared its ugly head. “I’m not fucking you without a condom.”
“Mmm.” He kissed her neck. “I know.” Roman pulled her pants down in a swift movement. She started to protest, but he went to his knees in front of her and yanked her foot free. Oh. He looped one leg over his shoulder and she caught the glimpse of white teeth when he grinned. “Have a little faith, Allie. I’m not a complete monster.” And then his mouth was on her pussy and she didn’t have the breath to argue.
About Katee Robert
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it ‘a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension.” When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.
Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis was another great book by this author. I have read so many books by this author that I would be shocked if I ever read a book by her that I didn’t enjoy. This is the second book in the Wildstone series, but you don’t have to read them in order because I didn’t read the first book and I wasn’t lost. I love this author’s books because you don’t have to read the series if you are only interested in one of the books. I fell in love with Lanie right from the start. I felt so bad for her and everything that she had to go through. It took a few chapters for me to like Mark. It is almost like he grew on me after I was a few chapters into the book. I was sad when this book was over because I really fell in love with the characters in this book. Anyone who loves to read chick lit should pick up this book because I know that they will love this book and any of the other books that this author has written.
About The Book
Following the USA Today bestseller, Lost and Found Sisters, comes Rainy Day Friends, Jill Shalvis’ moving story of heart, loss, betrayal, and friendship.
Six months after Lanie Jacobs’ husband’s death, it’s hard to imagine anything could deepen her sense of pain and loss. But then Lanie discovers she isn’t the only one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left behind several other women who, like Lanie, each believe she was his legally wedded wife. Rocked by the infidelity, Lanie is left to grapple with searing questions. How could she be so wrong about a man she thought she knew better than anyone? Will she ever be able to trust another person? Can she even trust herself?
Desperate to make a fresh start, Lanie impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery. At first, she feels like an outsider among the boisterous Capriottis. With no real family of her own, she’s bewildered by how quickly they all take her under their wing and make her feel like she belongs. Especially Mark Capriotti, a gruffly handsome Air Force veteran turned deputy sheriff who manages to wind his way into Lanie’s cold, broken heart—along with the rest of the clan. Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of River Green changes all that. The fresh-faced twenty-one-year old seems as sweet as they come…until her dark secrets come to light—secrets that could destroy the new life Lanie’s only just begun to build.
About The Author
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, http://www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
Anxiety Girl, able to jump to the worst conclusion in a single bound!
Most of the time Karma was a bitch, but every once in awhile she could be surprisingly nice, even kind. Lanie Jacobs, way past overdue for both of those things, told herself this was her time. Seize the day and all that, and drawing a deep breath, she exited the highway at Wildstone.
The old wild-west California town was nestled in the rolling hills between the Pacific Coast and wine/ranching country. She’d actually grown up not too far from here, though it felt like a lifetime ago. The road was narrow and curvy, and since it’d rained earlier, she added tricky and slick to her growing list of issues. She was already white-knuckling a sharp turn when a kamikaze squirrel darted into her lane, causing her to nearly swerve into oncoming traffic before remembering the rules of country driving.
Never leave your lane; not for weather, animals, or even God himself.
Luckily the squirrel reversed direction, but before she could relax a trio of deer bounded across the road. “Run, Bambi,” she cried, hitting her brakes, and by the skin of their collective teeth, they all missed each other.
Sweating, nerves sizzling like live wires, she finally turned onto Capriotti Lane and parked as she’d been instructed.
It took a moment for her pulse to come down from stroke level. She’d been taught anti-anxiety techniques, but she’d never quite figured out how to make any of them work while in the actual throes of an anxiety attack.
It’s all good she told herself but because she wasn’t buying what she was selling, she had to force herself out of the car like she was a five year old starting kindergarten instead of being thirty and simply facing a brand new job. Given all she’d been through, this should be easy, even fun. But sometimes adulthood felt like the vet’s office and she was the dog excited for the car ride — only to find out the real destination.
Shaking her head, she strode across the parking lot. It was April, which meant the rolling hills to the east were green and lush and the Pacific Ocean to the west looked like a surfer’s dream, all of it so gorgeous it could’ve been a postcard. A beautiful smoke screen over her not-so-beautiful past. The air was scented like a really expensive sea-and-earth candle, though all Lanie could smell was her forgotten hopes and dreams. With wood chips crunching under her shoes, she headed through the entrance beneath which was a huge wooden sign that read:
Capriotti Winery, from our fields to your table…
Her heart sped up. Nerves, of course, the bane of her existence. But after a very crappy few years, she was changing her path. For once in her godforsaken life, something was going to work out for her. This was going to work out for her.
FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Partners In Crime Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.
The Consultant by TJ O’Connor this was a good story, but it was hard for me to get through. I say that because I found that I had to really pay attention to was going on so that I wouldn’t get lost. Even with that being said I really did enjoy this story because it is something that I wouldn’t usually pick up and read. This book did keep me guessing right from the start. This book had suspense right from the start which is something that I really enjoyed about this book. I love books that are super suspenseful right from the start and this one is one of them. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Hunter throughout the entire book and I am not sure why I didn’t like him, but he just seemed to get on my nerves. If you love thrillers I would recommend this book to you because I know you will enjoy it but just know you have to pay attention to what going on or you might get lost.
About The Book
Genre: Thriller Published by: Oceanview Publishing Publication Date: May 15th 2018 Number of Pages: 432 ISBN: 1608092836 (ISBN13: 9781608092833) Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Terrorism hits Main Street America
When a rogue CIA consultant goes AWOL from his Middle Eastern post in response to his brother’s plea for help, he arrives just in time to witness his brother’s murder. For years, Jonathan Hunter and his brother Kevin Mallory had not spoken―until Kevin’s final words, “… Khalifah … Not Them … Maya.”
Pursuing his brother’s killer, Hunter stumbles into a nest of horrifying terrorist activity by Middle Eastern refugees, which sparks a backlash across America. In the shadows, Hunter’s mentor, the omnipotent Oscar LaRue, is playing a dangerous game with Russian Intelligence. Neither Hunter nor LaRue realizes that a new threat―the Iranian threat―has entered the game. Stakes rise as two shadowy players are one step ahead of Hunter and LaRue―Khalifah, a terrorist mastermind, and Caine, a nomadic assassin who dances with the highest bidder.
As attacks escalate and the country drifts toward another Middle East conflict, innocent refugees become trapped between the terrorists and the terrorized. Prejudice, hate, and fear vent everywhere. Is this who we’ve become? Before the country explodes, Hunter must find Khalifah, learn the next terror target, and pray he’s in time to stop further annihilation.
About The Author
Tj O’Connor is the author of The Consultant, the first of The Jonathan Hunter Thriller series and four paranormal mysteries.
Tj is an international security consultant specializing in anti-terrorism, investigations, and threat analysis—life experiences that drive his novels. With his former life as a government agent and years as a consultant, he has lived and worked around the world in places like Greece, Turkey, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and throughout the Americas—among others. He was raised in New York’s Hudson Valley and lives with his wife and Labrador companions in Virginia where they raised five children.
Dying to Know, Tj’s first published novel, won the 2015 Gold Medal from the Independent Publishers Book Awards (IPPY) for mysteries and was a Finalist for both a 2015 Silver Falchion Award and the 2014 Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Mystery Book of the Year.
Day 1: May 15, 2130 Hours, Daylight Saving Time
East Bank of the Shenandoah River, Clarke County, Virginia
The gunshots took me by surprise and, without luck, might have killed me. The first shot splayed a spiderweb across my windshield before it whistled past my head, peppering glass needles into my face. The second smashed my driver’s-side mirror. An amateur might have panic-braked and skidded to a stop—a fatal mistake. The shooter hesitated, anticipating that decision, and readied for my failure.
Training. Muscle memory. Response.
I gunned the engine, wrenched the car to the left to put more steel between me and the shooter, and sped forward, looking for cover.
My headlights exploded and flashed dark. Bullets breached the windshield. The rearview mirror and rear window were gone. Had I not flinched, one shot would have found my right eye but shredded my headrest instead.
I careened to a stop at the bottom of the boat launch— vulnerable. The shooter was ahead in the darkness, likely maneuvering for another shot. A closer shot. The kill shot. He’d be closing the distance and finding a new advantage.
Luck had its limits, so I dove from the car and rolled to cover behind it. I fought to control the adrenaline and bridle my thoughts.
Easy, Hunter, steady. Listen—watch—survive.
I stayed low and crept along the side of the car, looking for better cover. Spring rain made the darkness murky and dense. The Shenandoah River was to my left some fifty feet. A blind guess. Overhead, two dark spans of the Route 7 bridge blocked what little light there was but provided some cover from the rain. The six substructure supports in front of me might afford me cover. They also afforded the shooter cover. He was hidden and waiting. Still, Kevin Mallory was nowhere to be seen. Under normal conditions—and normal is relative with me—I might have judged the shots’ origins. Driving headlong into an ambush on terrain I’d long ago forgotten, in darkness and rain, I was all but defeated.
Silence.
Easy, Hunter, easy. Count your breaths. One, two, three.
Out there, somewhere, someone wanted me dead.
Worse. I was unarmed and alone.
Jesus. Where was Kevin?
The boat launch was just a small gravel lot tucked beneath the expanse of the Route 7 Bridge across the Shenandoah. At night it should have been empty. It was nearing ten p.m. and I hadn’t expected to find anyone but Kevin. Yet, while we’d been estranged for years, under bad circumstances, I doubted he was hunting me.
Although, I do tend to bring out the worst in people.
Ahead, perhaps seventy-five feet, a dark four-door SUV faced an old pickup. The vehicles were nose to nose like two dogs sniffing each other.
No movement. No sound.
One, two, three. I ran to the nearest bridge support, stopped, listened, and bolted to the rear of the SUV.
Silence. Safety. But something else—a dangerous odor. The pungent scent of gasoline. A lot of gasoline.
I got down on one knee and looked around. The dome light was on and the driver’s door was ajar. Something lay on the ground near the left front fender. A large, bulky something that washed an angry tide of flashbacks over me.
I’d seen silhouettes like that before.
A body.
Bodies look the same in any country, under any dark sky. It didn’t matter if it were the rocky Afghan terrain or along a quiet country river. Their lifeless, empty shells were all hopeless. All forsaken. All discards of violence. The silhouette three yards away was no different. Except this wasn’t Afghanistan or Iraq. It was home.
I made ready.
No muzzle flash. No assassin’s bullet. I crept to the SUV’s rear tire, crouched low, and slithered to the front fender.
The body was a man. He lay three feet in front of the fender and precariously vulnerable beneath the spell of the SUV’s dome light. He was tall and bulky. Not fat, but strong and muscled.
No. No. God, no!
After fifteen years of silence and thousands of miles, I knew the body—the man. His hair had grayed and his face was creased with age and strain. The years had been hard on him. Years he was here while I was forever there. Always elsewhere. He’d built a life from our loss while I’d escaped—run away. He once warned me that my life’s choice would leave me as I found him now, alone and dead. The irony churned bile inside me.
Kevin Mallory.
“Kevin,” I blurted without thinking. “Kevin, it’s me. It’s Jon.”
My mouth was a desert and the familiar brew of adrenaline and danger coursed through me. In one quick move, I leaped from the SUV’s shadow, grabbed his shoulders, and tried to drag him back to safety.
No sooner had I reached him when a figure charged from the darkness toward us. His arm leveled—one, two, three shots on the run—all hitting earth nearby. I threw myself over Kevin. Another shot sent stone fragments into my cheeks and neck. The figure reached the rear of the pickup, tossed something in the bed, fired another wild shot, and retreated at a dead run.
Lightning. A brilliant flash of light, a violent percussion, then a whoosh of fire erupted from the pickup. The flames belched up and over the side panels. They spat light and heat. The truck swelled into an inferno.
The heat singed my face. I gripped Kevin’s shoulders and dragged him the remaining feet behind the SUV. He was limp and heavy. The raging fire bathed us in light, and I finally saw him clearly. His eyes were dull and vacant. His face pale—a death mask. If life was inside, it was hidden well.
The truck was engulfed in flames, and the heat was tremendous. It reached us and felt oddly comforting amidst the spring dampness and dark.
“Kevin, hold on. Hold on.” I looked for an escape.
I saw the next shot before I heard it—a flash of light where none should be—uphill near River Road. Seasoned instincts threw me atop Kevin again. Glass crackled overhead and rained down. I grabbed for the familiar weight behind my back, but my fingers closed on nothing.
Dammit.
I hastily searched him. No weapon. All I found was an empty holster where his handgun should have been. Where was it? In a desperate move, I rolled off and snaked forward beneath the truck’s firelight and groped around where he’d been. It took several long, vulnerable seconds. I dared not breathe or even look for the shooter, fearing I’d see the shot that would end me. Finally, my fingers closed on a wet, gritty semiautomatic.
As I retreated to the SUV, something moved in the darkness. I pivoted and fired two rapid shots, spacing them three feet apart.
Response. A shot dug into the gravel inches away to my left.
Rule one of mortal combat—incoming fire has the right of way.
Retreat. The flash was a hundred feet away. The shooter had withdrawn and angled south down River Road.
Should I take him? Could I?
One, two, three. Reason, Hunter, reason.
The shooter had fired at least fifteen rounds. Fourteen at me and at least one into Kevin. Had Kevin returned fire? How many rounds did his semiautomatic have left? I was on turf all but forgotten, armed with a handgun that was perhaps near-empty. The shooter must have a high-capacity magazine with plenty of ammo to cut me to pieces. He’d already proven willing and capable of killing. He knew my location. I knew nothing.
Revenge would wait.
I sat back against the SUV’s tire and pulled Kevin close, keeping one arm around him and the other holding the handgun ready. The truck fire raged but was easing. The gasoline that had been splashed over it was consumed and only the paint and rubber were burning.
Soon, though, the fire might breach the gas tank.
I pulled Kevin close and braced myself.
“Kevin, wake up. It’s me—Jon. I’m here.”
“Jon?” His eyes fluttered and half-opened. “I . . . so sorry . . . Khalifah . . . he’s . . . find G. Find G . . .” He gasped for breath. “Khalifah . . . G . . . Baltimore . . . it’s not them. Khalifah . . . so sorry . . .”
“Sorry for what? Who’s Khalifah? Did he shoot you?”
“Tomorrow . . . not them. G . . . Khalifah is . . .” His body went limp.
I shook him easily. “Kevin, I don’t understand. Tell me again.”
“Find G . . .” His eyes fluttered again, and he clutched my arm with limp, sleepy fingers. “Find . . . Hunter . . .”
“Tell me who did this.”
“G . . . Jon . . . tell no one. Maya . . . Maya . . . Maya in Baltimore . . .” He fumbled with something from his pants pocket. He gasped for breath and pressed that something into my hand. “So sorry . . .”
I opened my hand. He’d given me a small, ripped piece of heavy folded paper with handwriting scrawled on it. I couldn’t make out the writing and stuffed it into my pocket. “Kevin, what are you saying? Hold on. Dammit, hold on.”
“Go . . . please . . . not them . . . it’s not . . .” He tried to breathe but mustered only a raspy gag.
“Kevin!”
Silence.
His body shuddered. A long, shallow sigh.
No. No. No . . .
My fingers found warm, sticky ooze soaking his shirt. The rain had slowed to a faint mist and, except for the river’s passing and the grumble of fire, there was only silence. Then, somewhere along the highway miles in the distance, sirens wailed.
“Hold on, Kevin. They’re coming. My God, hold on.”
I checked his pulse and wounds. Both were draining away life.
I pressed my hands into the ooze but couldn’t force its retreat. For a few seconds, I was fourteen again. The dull sickness invaded me as my parents were lowered side by side into the earth. The ache started in my gut and swelled until I spat bile and rage.
It was happening again.
The man who raised me—the man I’d abandoned—slipped away. The emptiness and loss attacked. I had to fight or it would destroy me again. This time, there was nowhere to run.
I closed my eyes and willed the anger in, commanding it to take hold and fill me.
I remember, Kevin. I made you a promise. I’m late, but I’m here.
He was limp, and I clutched him. A rush of words filled me that I’d wanted to say for so many years. But before I could speak just one, my brother was gone.
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Tj O’Connor. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card and 4 winners of one (1) print OR eBook copy of Tj O’Connor’s The Consultant. The giveaway begins on July 1, 2018 and runs through August 1, 2018.
Open to U.S. addresses only. Void where prohibited.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret
