FOX HUNT (The Femme Vendettas #1)by S.M. Stelmack- a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca

RELEASE DATE: March 2013

No good deed goes unpunished. Brian Chanse, self-diagnosed adrenaline junkie and all-round good guy, is driving through a freak rainstorm in New Mexico when he takes pity on a hitchhiker. Little does he know that his passenger has loads more problems than mild hypothermia. It turns out that ex-cat burglar Delta Fox is running for her life. Why and from whom, she doesn’t know, but the answers lie in her old stomping grounds in L.A.

After Brian outmaneuvers the Yakuza in a high-speed car chase, Delta appreciates his talents but resists his offers of help. But when the Yakuza threatens his staff, Brian insists they team up. So begins their partnership into the L.A. underworld, into a twisted place of murder and seduction, betrayal and revenge. Between her stealth skills, his stunts and their compulsion to watch over each other, they just might survive the hunt.

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REVIEW: FOX HUNT is the first storyline in The Femme Vendetta romantic/suspense contemporary series by the writing team of Serge and Moira Stelmack.

The storyline focuses on Brian Chanse and Delta Fox. Like the blurb says, one rainy night Brian picks up a lone stranger and his life will never be the same. Delta is on the run; as a proficient cat-burglar who steals back from those who have stolen from others, Delta learns she has been framed for the murder of a young teen. There are hit men after her and everyone she knows is either dead or lying to protect themselves. And to complicate matters, the law has caught up with her endeavors and she is facing prison time.

The relationship between Brian and Delta is interesting. Delta is ill when Brian first discovers her on the roadside to nowhere and he must nurse his ailing passenger but he soon finds himself falling for the beautiful thief. He is quick to accept her quirks and life-style, as he too, is a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Hoping to be of some assistance, Brian agrees to help Delta prove her innocence but along the way he will lose his heart and almost his life to the woman with whom he is falling in love.

Fox Hunt is a well-written storyline. I enjoyed the relationship between Delta and Brian very much. I also like the fact that although Delta is a strong, independent heroine, she wasn’t above asking for help and she had the ability to feel. Her emotions were not closed off or hidden behind what I call ‘the b*tch with attitude’.

The character building is fluid. There are no missteps with the background information to many of the secondary characters. But they are plenty of secondary characters involved in the action and chase scenes as well as throughout the building of the storyline.

We are introduced to several secondary characters including Brian’s assistant Gina and his manager Ursula aka The Nun. There are many humorous moments involving Gina and Ursula, especially when one is the polar opposite of the other and they butt heads at every opportunity including how to take care of their boss. The reader will be happy to know that Gina will have her story told in the next installment-Gina Takes Bangkok.

S.M. Stelmack (Serge and Moira) have written a fascinating storyline of action, suspense and romance where the reader becomes part of the action. The connection between Delta and Brian evolves throughout the storyline. Brian falls hard for the feisty female, but Delta holds back knowing that she will be placing Brian’s life in danger as the hunt for a killer, unfolds. In the end, Delta must accept the consequences of her actions and Brian will be waiting with open arms and an open mind.

Copy supplied by the authors.

Reviewed by Sandy