The Pretender (Games People Play #3) by HelenKay Dimon-Review and Book Tour

THE PRETENDER
Games People Play #3
by HelenKay Dimon
Release Date: December 26,2017
Genre: adult, contemporary,romantic suspense

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They say it takes a thief to catch a thief, and Harrison Tate is proof. Once a professional burglar, he now makes a lawful living tracking down stolen art. No one needs to know about his secret sideline, “liberating” artifacts acquired through underhanded methods. At least until one of those jobs sees him walking in on a murder.

Gabrielle Wright has long been estranged from her wealthy family, but she didn’t kill her sister. Trouble is, the only person who can prove it is the sexy, elusive criminal who shouldn’t have been at the island estate on that terrible night. She’s not expecting honor among thieves—or for their mutual attraction to spark into an intense inferno of desire.

Under the guise of evaluating her family’s art, Harris comes back to the estate hoping to clear Gabby’s name. But returning to the scene of the crime has never been riskier, with their hearts and lives on the line.

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REVIEW:THE PRETENDER is the third full length instalment in HelenKay Dimon’s contemporary, adult GAMES PEOPLE PLAY erotic, romance series focusing on a tight knit group of life-long friends, known as the Quint Five, whose business it is to investigate and ‘fix’ whatever has gone wrong for the rich and famous. This is former professional thief Harrison ‘Harris’ Tate, and Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Wright’s story line. THE PRETENDER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Gabby and Harris) THE PRETENDER focuses on the hunt for the truth. Fourteen months earlier, while on ‘assignment’ to procure a missing piece of art Harrison Tate walked into the aftermath of a fatal attack against Tabitha Wright- a woman left for dead by an unknown assailant. Running from the scene of the crime Harrison will come face to face with Gabby Wright, the victim’s sister, and the woman with whom he would fall in love. Fast forward to present day wherein Harrison must return to the Tabitha Island to prevent Gabby’s uncle Stephen from destroying her life, having blamed our heroine for everything that went wrong. What ensues is the building relationship between Gabby and Harrison, as they endeavour to uncover the truth, along with Harrison’s partner Damon Knox, about the death of Tabitha Wright, and the potential fall out when the truth about Harrison’s presence, and his appearance fourteen months earlier, that could have stopped months of grief and accusations against our story line heroine.

Gabby Wright has struggled to come to terms with the brutal murder of her sister but as the primary suspect our heroine is no closer to proving her innocence in light of the truth. As her uncle Stephen continues to accuse our heroine of killing Tabitha, an investigator /auditor is called in to itemize the contents of the house on Tabitha Island, and find evidence that will prove Gabby is guilty of the heinous crime. Harrison Tate, a man whose guilt about that day fourteen months earlier, found our hero on the run, in the hopes that his identity would not be revealed but Harrison’s friend and ‘fixer’ Wren forces Harrison to face the woman in an attempt to prevent further harm or accusations thrown her way. As Gabby, Damon and Harrison search for the truth, a series of break-in, fires and threat aimed at our heroine begin to take their toll.

The relationship between Harris and Gabby is one of mutual and immediate attraction but Gabby suspects Harris is lying about his true reasons for coming to the island. Their physical relationship begins soon after Harrison arrives on the island, a relationship that could be destroyed by the truth. The $ex scenes are intimate, seductive and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a small ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Gabby’s uncle Stephen, estate groundskeepers Burton Kramer and his son Ted, ferry service owner Craig Pak; as well as Harrison’s friends Damon Knox, Garrett McGrath, Levi ‘Wren’ and Emery Finn (The Fixer). Damon’s story line is next in THE PROTECTOR.

THE PRETENDER is a story of romance and suspense; of mystery and betrayal; of forgiveness and falling in love. The premise is entertaining and engaging; the characters are edgy and tragic; the romance is energetic and passionate. My only complaint is the lack of background information about our leading hero. THE PRETENDER is a provocative, moving and intriguing story line.

Reading order and previous reviews
The Fixer
The Enforcer
The Negotiator
The Pretender

Copy supplied by Edelweiss

Reviewed by Sandy

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HelenKay Dimon spent the years before becoming a romance author as a…divorce attorney. Not the usual transition, she knows. Good news is she now writes full time and is much happier. She has sold over forty novels and novellas to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Kensington, Harlequin, Penguin Random House, Riptide and Carina Press. Her nationally bestselling and award-winning books have been showcased in numerous venues and her books have twice been named “Red-Hot Reads” and excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine. She is on the Board of Directors of the Romance Writers of America and teaches fiction writing at UC San Diego and MiraCosta College. You can learn more at her website: www.HelenKaydimon.com

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