Cold Cruel Kiss (Crossfire 4) by Toni Anderson-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 28, 2021

When the daughter of the US Ambassador to Argentina is kidnapped in broad daylight on Christmas Eve, the FBI sends one of its best negotiators to investigate.

Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne arrives at an embassy thrown into chaos as US and local law enforcement hustle to track the young woman. Is this a simple kidnap for ransom, or part of a political agenda? Could it be something more sinister?

Lucy Aston has something to hide. Preferring to stay in the shadows, the lowly, fashion-challenged office assistant resents being assigned to help Max. But Max can’t resist a puzzle…he’s starting to suspect Lucy Aston is not what she seems.

When rumors emerge of a suspected Russian spy operating out of the embassy, Lucy’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble. As she and Max race to rescue the ambassador’s daughter, Lucy has to do whatever it takes to keep her cover from being blown—even if that means betraying the man she’s falling for.

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REVIEW:COLD CRUEL KISS is the fourth Toni Anderson’s contemporary, adult COLD JUSTICE: CROSSFIRE romantic suspense series-a a spin off/crossover with the author’s COLD JUSTICE series. This is FBI Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne, and office assistant Lucy Aston’s story line. COLD CRUEL KISS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments or the original series is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person perspectives including Max and Lucy, COLD CRUEL KISS focuses on the search and rescue of two seventeen year old American girls, including the daughter of the US Ambassador, kidnapped while Christmas shopping in a market in Argentina. Enter FBI and Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne, called in to help negotiate the ransom and release of the two young women but Max finds himself working with the US Ambassador’s office assistant, a women who is hiding behind oversized clothes and too big glasses. Enter Lucy Aston. What ensues is the back and forth, hunt for a kidnapper, and the possible connections to a kidnapping cartel, and a suspected Russian spy.

Max Hawthorne knows that time is precious when negotiating a ransom and the release of two young woman, and working with office assistant Lucy Aston forces our hero to see beyond the frumpy exterior, hiding a beautiful, smart and secretive woman who stirs something deep within our story line hero. Lucy Aston wears a mask in a effort to hide the woman she was, and the woman she would become. Saving her young charge is Lucy’s first priority, a priority she is willing to risk her life and her reputation in order to save.

The relationship between Lucy and Max is one of immediate attraction but no one understands what Max sees in the frumpy office assistant. Max sees beyond the façade of a young woman who has seen more than most but when the truth is revealed, Max isn’t sure he ever saw the woman before. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including the kidnapping victims Kristen and Irene: Kristen’s parents ambassador Catherine Dickerson and her husband Phillip; Catherine’s PA Miranda Foster; several Deep Ops warriors; the FBI; local law enforcement ; and federal police and Official Inspector Hector Cabral.

COLD CRUEL KISS is a story of money and power; betrayal and vengeance; spies, agencies, secrets and lies. The premise is intriguing and captivating; the characters are dynamic and charismatic; the romance is seductive, and enticing

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Cold and Deadly
Colder Than Sin
Cold Wicked Lies

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Toni Anderson is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, RITA® finalist, science nerd, professional tourist, dog lover, gardener, mom. Originally from a small town in England, Toni studied Marine Biology at University of Liverpool (B.Sc.) and University of St. Andrews (Ph.D.) with the intention she’d never be far from the ocean. Well, that plan backfired and she ended up in the Canadian prairies with her biology professor husband, two kids, a rescue dog, and a laid-back leopard gecko. Toni started writing while pregnant with her first child and never stopped. Her greatest achievements are mastering the Tokyo subway, climbing Ben Lomond, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and surviving fourteen Winnipeg winters (fingers crossed). She loves to travel for research purposes and was lucky enough to visit the Strategic Information and Operations Center inside FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2016, and she also got to shove another car off the road during pursuit training at the Writer’s Police Academy in Wisconsin. Watch out world!

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