365 books in 365 days Challenge ... Book #344

Rancher's Perfect Baby Rescue - Linda Conrad
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Harlequin, 2012
ISBN: 9780373277629











My rating

From the back cover:

"Susannah Paul had been grateful to the Devotees for helping her when she was pregnant and alone. But when her baby was born with a minor defect, she discovered the horrible truth about Cold Plains. And she ran. Desperate and exhausted, she found refuge at the Pierce ranch…and a savior in surly Nathan Pierce. 
Nathan had plenty of reasons to distrust the Devotees…and Susannah had been one of them. But as the delicate beauty insinuated herself into his life and his heart, Nathan realized she was different. And very much in danger. Soon nothing mattered more than protecting Susannah and her child from the evil closing in around them."


I'm getting very near to the end of my challenge now!

The heroine Susannah finds shelter in a barn, exhausted after spending all of the day on the run with her two week old baby. She is found by the hero Nathan, whose family owns the ranch she stumbled into, and she reveals to him that she has run away from the town of Cold Plains that has been taken over by a cult called the Devotees, after fearing for her baby's welfare as she was born with a large birthmark. Although initially wary of any that has been involved with the Devotees, Nathan takes Susannah and baby Melody in until they can regain their strength. Nathan has also heard the rumours about the Devotees not allowing anyone not 'perfect' and after his ex-wife got involved with them then ended up murdered he knows Susannah is in danger. He keeps them safe as much as he can as well as trying to help 'deprogram' Susannah from the cult's way of thinking, and he slowly begins to fall for the lost but beautiful woman she is. Susannah has never felt like she belongs as much as she does with Nathan, but she knows that the Devotees are looking for her and the only way to keep her and Melody safe is to leave.

This is the second book in the 'Perfect, Wyoming' mini series, and follows on nicely from the first book (Special Agent's Perfect Cover). But it did feel slightly flat and the suspense part didn't really move forward. The heroine, at times, is frustratingly weak, yes she had had a bad life and had a lot of people walk over her, but she needed a backbone, stat! The issue raised about her having to prostitute herself in the past was not dealt with at all - she said it, then it was forgotten about - I couldn't understand this at all, it's too much of a big thing to just throw in. The hero saves this book, he was just wonderful!

Overall, not a bad book but I was left asking a lot of questions.

Xx

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... Book #331

Special Agent's Perfect Cover - Marie Ferrarella
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Harlequin, 2011
ISBN: 9780373277582

N.B. This is a North American release.









My rating

From the back cover:

"'What have they done to you?' 
Cold Plains, Wyoming, should be a ghost town. Then why are its once-decaying streets gleaming? And why are there only beautiful, smiling Stepford-like wives in those streets? Hawk Bledsoe wants to know…because the woman who broke his heart seems to be one of them. 
Carly Finn is stunned to see Hawk return to town as an FBI agent tracking a serial killer. Hawk doesn't know why she once ended their romance so cruelly—or how much Carly sacrificed for him. But now the two must risk their lives to expose the town's monstrous secret. And danger only revives the desire both try their hardest to resist…."


I have read a lot of Marie Ferrarella's books in the past, but not in this challenge, and I like her style so I thought I would give this one a go.

The hero Hawk is assigned to investigate the murders of five women who all have the small Wyoming town of Cold Plains in common. Unfortunately for Hawk he is also originally from there, and hasn't been back since he left ten years ago. When he arrives, he is shocked to see the town completely changed, with it's inhabitants seemingly brainwashed. Even more surprising for Hawk is that Carly, the heroine, is still living there and seems to be one of the brainwashed. Carly is just as shocked to see Hawk back in town, she has never forgotten him and the love they used to share, or her heartbreak when she had to end their relationship. Carly is desperate to get out of town, she knows that is has been taken over by a cult-like group, but she can't leave her sister, whom has become totally involved. As Hawk investigates, not that he gets anywhere, he also keeps an eye on Carly and pretty soon he has worked out that she is pretending to be involved and they are acting on the passion and love that still between them, despite the fact that this puts both of them in even more danger.

This is the first book in the mini-series 'Perfect, Wyoming' about a town taken over by a cult called the 'Devotees' (think 'The Movementarians' from the Simpsons episode Joy of Sect!). I love cult story lines, so when I found these books I immediately bought them!
Uh, overall this isn't a bad story, and it is a nice introduction to the series. The hero and heroine work well together, and the UST between them plus the issues from their past relationship are both portrayed well and adds to the overall tense moments. The scene where the heroine removes a bullet from the hero is just really stupid, and annoyed me somewhat to be honest! What bothered me most about this book is that the hero didn't seem to actually do much investigating, or it wasn't 'shown' anyway, and this left the story feeling a little hollow.

But, I enjoyed this book. There is some good suspense parts, and the relationship is well written and believable.

Xx

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... Book #294

Tempted by His Target - Jill Sorenson
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Harlequin, 2011
ISBN: 9780373277483












My rating

From the back cover:

"Wanted for the murder of a Mexican drug lord's son, party girl Isabel Sanborn fled to Oaxaca. Now she owes her life to Brandon Knox, a passing tourist who just saved her from a hit man. But Knox is no accidental hero—he's an undercover U.S. marshal assigned to bring Isabel to justice. Instead, wanting to protect her, he joins her on the lam…with cartel goons and corrupt police in hot pursuit! 
And as the danger escalates, sexual tension sizzles. For the first time in his career, Brandon considers jeopardizing his mission to safeguard his target. And though Isabel can elude the authorities,she can't escape her feelings…"


I have been eyeing up this one from the Harlequin ebook store for a while and decided to give it a go.

The hero Brandon is a U.S. Marshall whose newest assignment is to find and escort back to the US fugitive Isabel, the heroine. Isabel has been on the run for two years, from both the US authorities and a dangerous Mexican drug cartel. After spending most of her adult life jumping from party to party, drinking, and doing drugs, all to escape the disappointments in her life, being on the run has enabled her to clean up and reform her ways. Waking up next to the dead son of the cartel leader and having no idea of what happened, caused Isabel to flee in fear, and she has had to grow up a lot in the last two years. Brandon manages to make contact, despite her prickliness, and also gains her trust. However when members of the cartel find her they are forced to flee together. Brandon and Isabel grow close as they try to make their way through Mexico, Isabel begins to trust Brandon enough to tell him her story, and Brandon soon begins to wish he could help her rather than his eventual betrayal.

When I started reading this book I actually didn't like it. The use of a lot of surfer slang kind of put me off (!) and the hero was a little too young for my liking. BUT, I kept with it and ended up really loving it. The suspense in this book is pretty much perfect, there is plenty of edge-of-your-seat action, as well as mystery. The passion between the hero and heroine is intense, it jumps off the pages. The rushed nature of the relationship is very exciting, and reads well. Although I do think the HEA is a little too 'wrapped up', if you know what I mean.

But overall, this is an exciting, fast paced, and emotional book.

Xx

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #64

Sheriff's Runaway Witness - Kathleen Creighton
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Harlequin, 2011
ISBN: 9780373277261

N.B. This book is a North American release


My rating




From the back cover:

"Pregnant and on the run, Rachel Malone Delcorte is the only witness to the murder of two federal agents. Mob boss Carlos Delcorte wants her baby—his grandson—and he wants Rachel dead. But as fate would have it, sheriff's deputy Jethro "J.J." Fox gets to Rachel first.
After delivering her baby and seeing her safely to her billionaire grandfather's estate, he's sworn to protect the beautiful widow. Keeping mother and son safe isn't the problem for J.J.—he's used to handling the bad guys. Matters of the heart—that's a whole different story. He's always had his own agenda. One he's not sure Rachel can accept…"


This was one of the books I bought while I was in NYC and was quite excited to read it as the 'Romantic Suspense' line is not available in the UK. I enjoyed it.

The story begins with the heroine Rachel escaping the home of her father-in-law, we discover that Rachel was married to the son of a very powerful and dangerous mafia boss. She is also witness to a shooting, which killed two federal agents and her husband, and she is nearly 9 months pregnant. Fearing for her life she escapes but her car breaks down in the desert where she collapses from exhaustion. The hero J.J., the local Sheriff, finds Rachel and tries to get her to safety but when Rachel goes into labour he helps deliver her son. When he discovers Rachel's identity he sees her as a chance to regain his former life as a homicide detective by persuading her to testify what she knows about the federal agents murder. When Rachel and her son are threatened in the hospital, J.J. takes her into his protective custody and takes her to the home of her reclusive grandfather. Rachel and J.J. grow close to each other and both develop feelings, however J.J. is still determined to convince Rachel to testify against her father-in-law.

This was a riveting read, and at times quite exciting. Rachel was a great character, she started off lonely and unsure of herself but as the story progressed she became stronger and stronger. J.J. was an OK character although at times I felt he wallowed in his own self pity a little too much. I felt the 'action' sequences didn't quite work and seemed a little rushed. The romance between Rachel and J.J. was well written and believable.

This is the first book in the 'Scandals of Sierra Malone' mini-series, running alongside Rachel and J.J.'s story is also that of Rachel's grandfather, who after years as a recluse has decided to reach out to his grandchildren. The parts with his story were really interesting and I will be interested in seeing how his story plays out.

Xx