Evidence of Passion

Evidence of Passion Shadow Agents: Guts and Glory by Cynthia Eden

Publisher: Harlequin

August 2014

ISBN: 978-0-373-69777-9

Pages: 219

Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

Washington, DC

Rachel Mancini is an ex-lawyer now an EOD agent that trusted the wrong man and almost lost her life because of it.  Now the killer is back years later to finish the hit he missed.  Rachel’s gorgeous partner, Dylan Foxx is determined that is not going to happen as long as he is on the case.  Dylan and Rachel have been friends for years and he will do anything to keep her safe.  Knowing it could prove fatal he wants her in his arms and his bed. 

Dylan being an ex-SEAL has the skills and determination to meet every danger the twisted assassin that is obsessed with Rachel can unleash.  Dylan never had a place for a relationship in his life until the moment he sensed that Rachel wanted him as badly has he wants her. 

This is another great book in a series that is proving to have all the action any reader could possibly wish for.  The plot is different and has some great twists in it that makes for a great read.  Rachel has some damage that she has to overcome to get her happy ending and as she works through the emotional toll that her past has taken on her life it makes for an engrossing read.  Readers will hate to see this one end because it is so very intriguing and pulls the reader in with every page they turn.  This is proving to be a series that shouldn’t be missed. 

I give this one 5 red roses

LRH

State of Grace

State of Grace by Elizabeth Davies

Publisher: Elizabeth Davies

January 2014

Pages: 251

Time Travel Romance

Brecon, England

Grace only has a few months left to live and being only 27 years old she returns to her home town of Brecon.  Being in Brecon somehow catapults her 1800 years into the past.  Grace first thinks what is happening to her are hallucinations that are being caused by the tumor in her brain.  Then the visions become more detailed and closer to her time period.  She also becomes involved with Roman that is somewhat inhuman and wickedly handsome and who has an obsession with blood.  Grace is forced to face her fears as the past begins to intrude on the present and she falls deeper in love with her phantom man. 

This is the start of a trilogy that pulls the reader right in and will have them mourning when they get to the very last page. It will also have them reaching for the second book.  The characters are interesting and very relatable. The story also comes to life for the reader with every word that is read.  It is easy to picture the world Grace finds herself in with the detail that the story gives.  Reading how Grace learns to navigate a world that is completely foreign to her is fascinating especially as the rules of society are so very different then than they are now.  It makes for a book that is very hard to put down once the reader starts it.  If the other two books are like this one it is going to be a fantastic trilogy to read.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

Only With You

Only With You by Lauren Layne

Publisher: Forever

July 2014

ISBN: 978-1-455-54607-7

Pages: 368

Contemporary, Seattle, Washington

Sophie Dalton is a cocktail waitress without a life plan.  She is happy being everyone’s favorite party girl.  Suddenly at a Las Vegas bachelorette party that goes awry and she is mistaken for a prostitute by an uptight businessman she starts to wonder if she needs to rethink her priorities.  Sophie slinks back home with her damaged pride, a major hangover and swearing off her thigh high boots for good. 

Grayson Wyatt is in Seattle to open a new office and meets his newest employee.  He finds out what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay there when the new employee turns out to be the very same woman he recently called a hooker.  Gray is wealthy and gorgeous and used to getting what he wants.  He quickly realizes that Sophie is smart, sassy and sexy and she is everything he has been looking for.  Now their late nights at the office are turning into hot morning-afters and they are coming to realize that their Vegas misunderstanding just might be turning into the real thing. 

This is a story that starts out fast but leads to a wonderful book that will emotionally suck the reader in.  The characters are well written and relatable.  Reading how Gray and Sophie work through their pasts and issues proves to be an engaging read.  The reader won’t want to put this one down until they find out if Sophie and Gray get their happily-ever-after.  If the other books in the series are like this one this is going to prove to be a very interesting series.  This is one book that is worth checking out. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

Chill Factor

Chill Factor by Sandra Brown

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

June 2008

ISBN: 978-1-416-59352-2

Pages: 562

Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

Clearly, North Carolina

Clearly is the type of town that the biggest criminal activity is parking violations.  Now though there have been four women that have disappeared without a trace over the past two years.  The only clue is a blue ribbon left at each of the abduction sites.  There are no suspects for who is abducting the woman.  Now another woman has disappeared without a trace. 

Lilly Martin has returned to the sleepy mountain town of Clearly to close on the sale of her mountain cabin that is marking the end of her marriage to Dutch Burton the town of Clearly’s chief of police.  Dutch is having a problem letting her go which is proving to be an obstacle for Lilly.  Trying to out run the storm that is bearing down on Clearly Lilly ends up skidding her car on the icy road and strikes a man that has emerged out of the woods on foot.  Lilly quickly recognizes Ben Tierney as the injured man and who she met the previous summer.  Now with the storm on top of them they are forced to wait it out at the cabin.  As the length of their confinement mounts Lilly begins to wonder if the storm is the biggest threat she faces.  The biggest danger just might be the man that is beside her. 

Now Lilly has to figure out if Ben Tierney is the feared abductor or is who he claims to be is the truth.  The man that has rescued her from harm and from the tragedy that haunts her.

This is a story that keeps the twists and turns coming throughout the whole book.  The suspense keeps building until the very end.  This is one book that pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go until the very end when everything is completely revealed.  Just as the reader thinks they have it figured out another twist comes to make them doubt everything they think they know about this one.  The action and suspense keep the story moving along at a fast pace but the reader is never lost and will stay in a story that comes to life with every word that is read.  This definitely one book that readers should take the time to read. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

Catch a Ghost

Catch a Ghost by SE Jakes

Publisher: Riptide Publishing

September 2013

ISBN: 978-1-62649-038-3

Pages: 260

Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, m/m

Prophet is a former Navy SEAL and CIA spook.  He is currently a full-time pain in the ass.  And he works alone.  Working at Extreme Escapes, Ltd. his boss has now decided Proph needs a new partner.  They have also been assigned to a case that is haunted by the ghosts from Proph’s past.  Now he has to confront both head-on.

Tom Boudreauz has failed as both an FBI agent and as a sheriff.  He is a full-time believer in bad luck.  What he can’t figure out is why the head of a private contracting firm has contacted him after hunting him down.  This time around he is determined to succeed. Tom finds out that to succeed it means being the partner of EE’s most successful, lethal and annoying operative.  This first case is resurrecting his painful past though. 

Prophet and Tom must find a way together to take down the killers that are operating in the dangerous world of underworld cage matches.  It isn’t helping that they must also fight the attraction they feel for each other.  Now they are in the crossfire and these two loners must trust each other and work together so they can overcome their ghosts otherwise they will pay the ultimate price. 

This is a story that starts a series off with a bang.  It is full of action and suspense and is a book that once the reader starts they won’t want to put it down until the very last page.  It will also have them wanting the next book in the series.  If this is how the whole series goes this is going to be one series that proves to be a keeper.  The characters are interesting and damaged and reading how they work to overcome their pasts proves to be an engrossing read.  There are also humorous parts that keep it from getting too dark and gloomy.  The characters are very well written and prove to be likeable even with all their baggage.  This book leaves some threads dangling but the storyline is wrapped up very nicely. For readers that enjoy this genre this is one series that they should definitely check out.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

Beneath a Navajo Moon

Beneath a Navajo Moon by Lisa Carter

Publisher: Abindgon Press

March 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4267-5799-0

Pages: 307

Inspirational Romance

1906 and Present Navajo Nation, Arizona

Erin Dawson is a cultural anthropologist that has gone to Cedar Canyon on a search for a woman that disappeared in 1906.  A place where the Navajo traditions are kept well hidden amid the red rock walls and mesas.  What also might be hidden there is evidence of criminal activity.  Erin’s search leads to her crossing paths with tribal policeman Adam Silverhorn no matter where she turns. Though when they first meet it is hardly love at first sight but every time they meet after that the sparks fly between them.

Erin and Adam are suddenly thrust into a battle that is more dangerous than either could have expected especially as they are fighting their feelings for each other.  A battle to stop an insidious drug cartel that has lead to a rise in gang violence on the reservation.  With Adam, Erin gets a view into the life of the Navajos, a view that very few outsiders ever get the chance to see.  She also gets a view into a crime ring that no one imagined existed.  As the danger rises around them Adam and Erin wonder if they will ever be able to tell each other how they truly feel.

This is a story that brings a small glimpse into the Navajos that makes for an excellent read.  For readers that enjoy inspirational romances this is one that is sure to please them.  It basically has two stories in one.  One from the past and one from the present and the way the two are interwoven together makes for a very enjoyable book.  The mystery that is woven into each story makes for a story that will keep reader turning the pages to see what will happen next and if Erin and Adam will be able to make it through the danger okay.  It will also have readers turning the pages to see if things will work out for Adam and Erin.  The story and scenery comes to life with every word that is read and readers will find it very easy to picture the mesas and canyons that are in this book. 

I give this one 4 red roses

LRH

The Kiss of Deception

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

July 2014

ISBN: 978-0-8050-9923-2

Pages: 496

Historical, Fantasy, Young Adult

Princess Lia lives a life in a society steeped in tradition and one that follows a preordained course.  She is a First Daughter and expected to have the revered gift of sight.  Though she doesn’t have it and she knows her parents have perpetrated a sham especially when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom.  Also to a prince she has never met.

The morning of her wedding Lia flees to a distant village.  She finds a new life and becomes hopeful when two handsome and mysterious strangers arrive.  What she doesn’t know is that one is the jilted prince and the other is an assassin sent to kill her.  Lia is on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets even as deception abounds and she finds herself falling in love.

This is story that draws readers in with the mystery that is woven through the romance.  It will keep readers turning the pages to find out what will happen next.  The story comes to life for the reader with the vivid picture that is painted with every word that is read.  The reader will find themselves getting lost in Lia’s world and wondering how things will work out. This is the first book in a series so while some of the questions are answered it does leave a cliff hanger at the end and the overall plot is not resolved in this book.  So while there are still many questions that need to be answered it is still a great story that will have readers eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH