Secret Vendetta/Silent Vendetta (Vendetta duet) by Kathy Lockheart-review tour

Secret Vendetta
Vendetta Duet 1
by Kathy Lockheart
Release Date: December 22, 2023

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LUNA
Baptized in blood, I’m marked for death.
Each time it comes, he appears. My masked protector.
Saving me for reasons only known to him.
But the Vigilante is playing a deadly game.
One I must stop before he claims another soul.
My new love, Hunter, vows to keep me safe.
But will we survive the Vigilante’s secret vendetta?

VIGILANTE
I’m the most dangerous man in the city.
Hiding in the shadows, stalking my next victim.
I watch them take their last breaths before bathing the city in their blood.
Now, I watch her.
I end the lives of the men who come for her.
But I fear my pervasive darkness…
…is about to make her its ultimate prey.

••••••

REVIEW:SECRET VENDETTA is the first instalment in Kathy Lockheart’s contemporary, adult VENDETTA dark,erotic, romance series focusing on ADA and prosecutor Hunter Lockwood, and defense attorney Luna Payne.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from three first person perspectives (Hunter, Luna, Vigilante) SECRET VENDETTA follows in the aftermath of a trial in which Luna’s client is murdered, and our heroine quickly discovers she will be targeted for something she knows nothing about. Years earlier, Luna’s father was charged and sentenced for a crime he did not commit, and Luna promised she would do everything to prove her father’s innocence but Luna never expected to fall for ADA Hunter Lockwood, who proclaims himself Luna’s guardian and protector. As the threats against Luna become deadly and dark, Hunter goes on the offensive searching for the people threatening the woman he loves. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Luna and Hunter, and the potential fall-out as the Vigilante declares open season on anyone he deems on the wrong side of the law.

The world building focuses on love and retribution. Luna lost her father to a wrongful conviction, and Hunter lost his father to a murder’s gun. As adults, both Hunter and Luna are struggling to down the killers but from opposite sides of the law. As the threats against Luna increase, Hunter provides Luna with shelter and love, a shelter that is about to become something more.

The relationship between Luna and Hunter begins as professional as they will meet one another in court. When Luna’s client is murdered, Hunter becomes protector of the woman with whom he will fall in love but everything is not as it appears to be, as the threats against Luna are often taken down by a Vigilante seeking justice for those who have been wronged. In the early stages Luna refuses to accept that her life is in danger, often placing herself in the direct line of fire, thusly TSTL would be an apt description. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to a strong cast of secondary and supporting characters: Luna’s father Richard Payne, as well as Hunter’s brothers Jace, Grayson and Bryson, .their uncle Alexander; Luna’s best friend Sean, Detective Rinaldi, as well as several security specialists, and private investigator Barry Mansfield; Luna’s client Dominic, and his brother Franco. The requisite evil has many faces.

SECRET VENDETTA is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, obsession and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing, dramatic and dark; the romance is seductive and provocative; the characters are desperate, determined and tenacious. SECRET VENDETTA ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

_____

SILENT VENDETTA
Vendetta Duet 2
by Kathy Lockhart
Release Date: December 22, 2023

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LUNA
I just uncovered the secret identity of the Vigilante.
Now, he holds me prisoner in his vault of vengeance.
And nothing is as it seems.
Bound in this abyss of secrets and darkness,
I ache for Hunter’s warmth and light.
And vow to reclaim my freedom.
But how does one escape…
…being the obsession of a killer?

VIGILANTE
The monster inside of me always hungered for death.
But it became unhinged when men stole her from me.
I savored torturing them,
ending their lives with my serrated blade of justice.
I long for her to see the crimson on my hands as a stain of honor,
and to convince myself I’m worthy of something other than her disgust.
But what if she doesn’t embrace my darkness?
What if she becomes its most tragic casualty?

•••••

REVIEW:SILENT VENDETTA is the second instalment in Kathy Lockheart’s contemporary, adult VENDETTA dark, erotic, romance duet . This is the continuing story of prosecutor Hunter Lockwood, and defense attorney Luna Payne. SILENT VENDETTA should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events of book one SECRET VENDETTA. For fans of Lockheart’s writing, there is a slight cross-over with the author’s SECRETS AND THE CITY series.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Hunter, Luna ) SILENT VENDETTA follows in the of Luna’s discovery of the real identity of the person known as The Vigilante. Chicago’s crime scene has been aided by a person cleaning up when law enforcement fail to do their jobs but Luna is about to discover the identification of the person, a person who takes our heroine prisoner in the face of another betrayal. As Luna struggles with the who and why, our couple continue to search for the truth behind the murder of Hunter’s father, and the unlawful imprisonment of Luna’s dad. As Luna and Hunter begin to unravel the truth, lives will be lost, and our couple must face the possibility that everything they thought they knew, has been a lie.

The world building continues to focus on the building but slowly fracturing relationship between our story line couple. Luna is determined to prove her father’s innocence but in doing so has rattled the proverbial chains of some powerful people. As Hunter’s private investigator discovers a few anomalies about the circumstances surrounding his father’s death, our hero begins a spiral from which he may not come back.

The relationship between Luna and Hunter continues to grow but secrets and lies threaten any possibility of a happily ever after. Hunter’s own secrets reveal a dark and troubled life, while Luna is forced to face a life without the men that she loves. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, we are reintroduced to Hunter’s brother Grayson, whose own secrets are dangerous and dark; as well as Luna’s father Richard Payne, Hunter’s brother, Grayson, their uncle Alexander; Luna’s best friend Sean, Detective Rinaldi, several security specialists, and private investigator Barry Mansfield. The requisite evil has many faces.

SILENT VENDETTA is a story of secret and lies, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, forgiveness, acceptance and love. The premise is revealing, dark, and dramatic; the romance is impassioned; the characters are broken, desperate and struggling to heal.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Kathy Lockheart is an author of Romantic Suspense novels. Her books—which have a unique blend of emotional elements typically found in women’s fiction and the romance and danger elements found in romantic suspense—contain themes of dark romance, antiheroes, and forbidden romance. When she’s not writing, you can find her silently cursing the person who put fluorescent lights in dressing rooms.

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