Genre: Romantic Suspense

The Weekly Recap (144)

Posted January 13, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

Happy Monday, everyone!

I hope you guys had a good week last week and that this week treats you well. My week was pretty busy at work and then I had some social things that I needed to attend over the weekend so I didn’t get to read as much as I wanted. I still got some reading done so it wasn’t too bad. I went to a baby shower over the weekend and was able to see one of my best friend’s younger sisters who came down to L.A. from Arizona and it was so good to see and catch up with her that it made my entire weekend.

But you know what made my entire week? CAIDEN’S A BIG BROTHER NOW!!

Chloe (Caiden’s Mom) gave birth to Baby Lasi two weeks early and Baby Lasi doesn’t even look like a premie. She’s a big baby already but oh man is she adorable. Everyone has said that Baby Lasi looks like Markus (her Daddy), Caiden but to me, she looks dead on like her Mama did when Chloe was a baby. Baby Lasi is just a little darker than Chloe was and Lasi doesn’t have a strawberry on her forehead the way that Chloe did either. She’s super cute and everyone has already met her except for us California folks. Grandma Blanche and Aunty Blue drove out to meet Baby Lasi yesterday but us folks that couldn’t take the time off have to wait until the end of February to meet her when they come to California for Baby Lasi’s first trip to her California home. I can’t wait!

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (144)The Witness
by Nora Roberts
Published by Penguin on April 17, 2012
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Point of View:Third Person
Pages: 492
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 A-Z Challenge, 2020 Goodreads Challenge

Daughter of a controlling mother, Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever.

Twelve years later, the woman known as Abigail Lowery lives on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she designs sophisticated security systems -- and supplements her own security with a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. But Abigail's reserve only intrigues police chief Brooks Gleason. Her logical mind, her secretive nature, and her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated. He suspects that Abigail needs protection from something -- and that her elaborate defenses hide a story that must be revealed.

With a quirky, unforgettable heroine and a pulse-pounding plotline, Nora Roberts presents a riveting new read that cements her place as today's most reliably entertaining thriller -- and will leave people hungering for more.

I’m about halfway through The Witness by Nora Roberts and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve got to read it for book club next week and it was my choice so I’m glad that so far, it’s good. Even Therese is enjoying the book and she doesn’t enjoy very many of our book club books.

What I Read

The Rebel King (All the Kings Men #2) by Kennedy Ryan (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5
Heartland (True North #7) by Sarina Bowen (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5

What I Reviewed

Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne | 3.5 out of 5
The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole | 4 out of 5
The One for You by Roni Loren | 5 out of 5
Grand Theft N.Y.E. by Katrina Jackson | 4 out of 5
Grumpy Jake by Melissa Blue | 4.25 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (143)

What I Got

Pulling Doubles (The Wright Brothers #2) by Christina C. Jones
Bending the Rules (The Wright Brothers #3) by Christina C. Jones
Christmas with the Wrights (The Wright Brothers #4) by Christina C. Jones

What I Got for Review

Heartland (True North #7) by Sarina Bowen
Forbidden Promises by Synithia Williams
One Last Chance (One Day to Forever #3) by Therese Beharrie

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

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Throwback Thursday: Gone too Far by Suzanne Brockmann

Posted August 16, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Each week, I’ll be writing a review for an oldie but goodie that I’ve read through again to see if these books are holding up for me. I’m a different person than I was when I read these books, older and wiser (at least I hope) so I’m curious to see if books that I used to love can stand the test of time.

Throwback Thursday: Gone too Far by Suzanne BrockmannGone too Far
by Suzanne Brockmann
Series: Troubleshooters #6
Published by Random House, Ballantine on March 2, 2004
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Romantic Suspense
Point of View:Alternating Third Person
Pages: 536
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
four-stars

In her sizzling, award-winning novels of suspense, bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann delves into the adrenaline-rushed world of counter terrorism–and taps into the real passions of its brave men and women. Now in her widely anticipated hardcover debut, she spins a story of action, intrigue, and romance, as a U.S. Navy SEAL and an FBI agent race to unravel a mystery–while confronting their own unresolved feelings for each other. . . .

In his career as one of America’s elite warriors, Lt. Sam Starrett can do no wrong. In his private life, Sam–the king of one night stands–has done little right. Now, he’s waiting for a divorce and determined to stay active in his young daughter’s life. But when Sam shows up at the door of his ex-wife’s home in Sarasota, Florida, he makes a grisly discovery. His daughter is gone and the body of a woman lies brutally murdered on the floor.

FBI agent Alyssa Locke’s relationship with Sam has been overwhelmingly intense and nearly catastrophic, yet it refuses to end. The last time she saw Sam was six months earlier, when they worked together to stop terrorists from assassinating the U.S. President. Much to her dismay, Alyssa is assigned to lead the murder investigation and once again the two are face to face. When explosive information surfaces linking Sam to the still unsolved assassination plot, the stakes are raised. With her reputation hanging in the balance, and her loyalties in question, Alyssa is faced with an impossible dilemma:arrest a man she believes to be innocent, or risk her career.

While Alyssa tries to fight their intense attraction, Sam is determined to heat things up between them once again. And the complex case pushes them both to the wrong side of the law–and on the run to discover the truth. As more agents step into the chase, and with Sam’s daughter still unaccounted for, neither Alyssa nor Sam can predict just how deadly hot this situation is about to become. . . .

A thrilling novel that ranges back into the days of World War II, into friendships, families, liaisons, betrayals, and the code of honor that binds the U.S. Navy SEALs, Gone Too Far is an electrifying experience in suspense–and a brilliant tale of lives lived on the edge.

From the Hardcover edition.

It’s been a long ass time since I’ve read this book and when I think back to how obsessed I used to be over the entire Troubleshooters world and with Sam Starrett in particular, I laugh because it was low key embarrassing. Not that I regret my obsession because Suz Brockmann is a legit author who wrote a fantastic romantic suspense series with characters that to this day, I’m still mad over and Sam Starrett is still one of my top ten favorite heroes of all time and I still don’t care what my friend Holly says about that. And him. Haha.

Re-reading this book was like reading it for the first time because so much of what happened, I didn’t remember. That didn’t stop me from jumping right into the magic that is Sam and Alyssa though. There’s a lot going on in this book and in true Suz Brockmann fashion, she handles it all extremely well. I read the entire thing and was invested in what was happening with everything and everyone. I was taken right back to being scared that the person Sam finds when he shows up at Mary Lou’s house was her, worried about what happened with his daughter and happy when Alyssa shows up and the connection between her and Sam opens up again.

There’s a lot of fast-paced action going on in this book, with Sam and Alyssa trying to get answers and Sam trying to find his daughter, Haley and ex-wife Mary Lou. Throughout the Troubleshooters series, Sam and Alyssa have circled each other and when wrenches were thrown into the mix, they part and try to move on. Alyssa is not happy that Sam Starrett refuses to stay out of her life but I really enjoyed their interactions with each other. I loved seeing them learn about what made them the people that they are now. They both have dark pasts that they overcame and I loved seeing them come to care and accept each other for who they are now and not who they were before.

One of the things that I remember the most about this series is how Brockmann would tell many stories that bring the main story together and that wasn’t any different in this book. I enjoyed seeing Mary Lou use the smarts that she learned from Sam to keep her and Haley safe. I enjoyed the romance between Sam and Alyssa and I just really enjoyed the whole thing. If you’re a fan of romantic suspense novels and military romances then you should definitely give this book a go. It’s good stuff and though Sam Starrett can be hard to take at times, I promise he’s such a compelling and charming character that you won’t help but fall for. Alyssa is his perfect match and this story brings them together in such a great way that I was completely satisfied with the ending. So, so good.

Buy the Book

AMAZON || BARNES AND NOBLE || GOOGLE BOOKS || KOBO || THE RIPPED BODICE

Final Grade

4.25 out of 5

Troubleshooters Series

four-stars

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Throwback Thursday: Dying to Please by Linda Howard

Posted August 2, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Each week, I’ll be writing a review for an oldie but goodie that I’ve read through again to see if these books are holding up for me. I’m a different person than I was when I read these books, older and wiser (at least I hope) so I’m curious to see if books that I used to love can stand the test of time.

This week’s book is Dying to Please by Linda Howard. For my other book blog’s summer reading challenge, I was assigned with reading Midnight Rainbow by Linda Howard and instead of starting that one, I picked this one up instead.

Throwback Thursday: Dying to Please by Linda HowardDying To Please
by Linda Howard
Published by Random House, Ballantine on November 4, 2003
Genres: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense
Point of View:Alternating Third Person
Pages: 416
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
four-stars

Alternate-cover edition can be found here

Loyal. Beautiful. Professional. Impeccably organized. Potentially lethal.

Sarah Stevens is a woman with many distinct qualities. First and foremost a butler par excellence, skilled at running large households smoothly and efficiently, she is also a trained bodyguard and expert marksman—indispensable to her elderly employer, a courtly gentleman whom Sarah has come to respect and love as a father. Then one night she thwarts an attempted burglary, a courageous act that awards Sarah her requisite “fifteen minutes of fame” with the local press. But the exposure is enough to catch the attention of a tortured soul who, unbeknownst to Sarah, will stop at nothing to have her for himself...

I’m really happy to report that even though I didn’t exactly LOVE this book the way that I did when I first read it, I was still really happy with the story that Linda Howard wrote for Cahill and Sarah.

If you’re new to this book or haven’t read it then this story features Sarah Stevens and Thompson Cahill. Sarah Stevens is a modern day butler/bodyguard and when she comes home from her day off to find her boss dead, her life is thrown upside down. Cahill is the detective on the scene and meeting Sarah Stevens knocks him on his ass. Of course, the first time they meet and he finds out that she’s a butler, he assumes she’s the judge’s mistress or plaything and I loved seeing him wise up in all things Sarah.

The mystery surrounds trying to find out who is killing all of Sarah’s employers and I’ll be honest, that part of the story is pretty weak. I knew who the killer was right away but that wasn’t what I loved about the book. I loved the romance that developed between Cahill and Sarah. I loved getting to know both of their characters and I still really love that wrestling scene.

I remember loving how strong and resilient Sarah was and that didn’t change here. I also remembered how much I adored Cahill but this time around, it was all Sarah for me. She was the bomb and I still think she can take The Rock on and come out on top. She’s smart, she’s strong and what you see is what you get. She’s got that take no nonsense kind of attitude that could be taken so many different ways but for me, it really worked for her character. There was a warmth to her and I was completely charmed. I seriously want to be Sarah Stevens when I grow up.

Cahill and Sarah made sense together and I really enjoyed each scene that they’re in together. Cahill’s honesty and Sarah’s take-charge attitude just worked for me and I loved how hot they were for each other. Linda Howard really shines at character development and I thought she did a nice job of letting us get to know these two. It’s a winner in my book and I definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for a little suspense, some hot loving and two strong characters that are just made for each other. This is a good one.

Buy the Book

AMAZON || BARNES AND NOBLE || GOOGLE BOOKS || iBOOKS || KOBO || THE RIPPED BODICE

Final Grade

4 out of 5

four-stars

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