THE SAPPHIRE HEIST (Jewel #2) by Lauren Blakely-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway
THE SAPPHIRE HEIST
Jewel #2
by Lauren Blakely
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense
Release Date: August 16, 2016
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / BAM /
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 16, 2016
Keep your lover close and your enemy closer…
After giving in to a fiery night of passion, island adventurer Steph Anderson and bounty hunter Jake Harlowe are back to square one. With millions in stolen jewels at stake, it’s hard for Steph not to question her new partner’s true motives—no matter how sexy he might be. Jake is hungry for more of Steph, but he can sense her growing mistrust, which only fuels his own doubts. Worse, there’s undeniable evidence that someone else is now after the jewels—and that they are both in real danger.
Fighting against their magnetic attraction is a distraction these two can’t afford. In order to survive, they’ll have to pull off one more heist—and trust each other with something even more precious than jewels: their hearts.
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REVIEW: THE SAPPHIRE HEIST is the second installment in Lauren Blakely’s contemporary, adult JEWEL romantic, suspense duology focusing on bounty hunter/professional retriever Jake Harlowe, and Island Adventure tour operator Steph Anderson. THE SAPPHIRE HEIST should not be read as a stand alone as the story line picks up upon the events and cliff hanger of book one-The Sapphire Affair.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Jake and Steph) THE SAPPHIRE HEIST begins immediately following the events of book one. Steph and Jake have partnered together in the search for ten million dollars in missing money and diamonds with Steph’s step-father the prime suspect. But Steph believes she has been played by the man who currently holds her heart, and sets out to uncover the truth on her own. THE SAPPHIRE HEIST continues to follow the hunt for the missing diamonds focusing on more than one potential player in a game of cat and mouse.
Lauren Blakely’s THE SAPPHIRE HEIST is a suspense filled story of mystery, betrayal, lies and deceit. Lauren drops a few hints and clues throughout the story adding a couple of twists to an already entertaining tale of intrigue and romance. Our heroine doesn’t want to believe her step-father is responsible for a ten million dollar embezzlement scheme, and she begins to point the finger in another direction. A lack of trust is a presiding theme throughout the story. A great series with a sexy romance, intriguing premise, and interesting characters.
Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one THE SAPPHIRE AFFAIR
Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley
Reviewed by Sandy
He had to try to talk to her about some of the harder topics. If not, this would be Rosalinda and the Medici job all over again.
“Just look,” he said, gesturing to the vast sea.
She gazed toward the water. “It’s gorgeous.”
“It is. And I’m showing you to make a point.”
“Over the view?” She parked her hands on the railing.
He turned to her and met her eyes. “Yes. I’m showing you this because it’s beautiful. Because you love the water. Because you are an outdoor girl through and through. Because I know these things about you,” he said, taking her hands and clasping them in his. He squeezed. “I know already that the water calms you. I know the sunshine is like some kind of magic to you. And I know you love your mother with a fierceness that can move mountains. You’re like this warrior princess who’d go to battle for her, and even though I’ve never met her, I can pic¬ture her. I imagine she is the gentlest, kindest person in the world who wouldn’t hurt a fly, and you fight for her. Not because she’s the kind of woman who won’t fight for herself, but rather because she chooses not to. Am I right?”
Steph drew in a deep breath and nodded. A warm breeze blew by, stirring up the ends of her pretty blonde hair. “Yes. You’re right.” Her voice was soft.
As the waves lapped the shore in the distance, and boaters skipped over the blue waters, he grasped her arms. “But what do you know about me?”
She opened her lips but didn’t speak.
“Steph,” he said, fixing her with a sharp gaze, and then asked again, needing to set her straight, desperate to avoid another on-the-job mis¬take. “What do you know about me?”
“That you like ice cream?” She said it like a question, her expres¬sion confused.
He nodded, a sliver of a smile appearing briefly. “That’s a good start. What else?”
“That you like to tell jokes?” she asked, squinting as the sun shone brightly overhead.
“Keep going.”
“That you’re motivated by your family,” she said with more confi¬dence now in her tone.
“Good. Keep going.”
“That you do what you do because of them. To take care of your little sister and brother, and your big sister’s kid.”
“I do.”
“And that you hate when bastards get away with anything.”
He tapped his finger to his nose. Bingo. “Know what else?”
“What?”
A knot of discomfort clogged his throat. He pushed past it, speak¬ing plainly, honestly. “I went out with a woman who nearly cost me a job. Who tried to steal the artifact we’d teamed up to find,” he said, the memory blasting through him of how foolish he’d felt when Rosalinda stole it from him. “I trusted her. I thought she cared about me. She only cared about the prize.”
“I don’t even want the prize,” Steph said, raising her chin, meeting his gaze. “I’m not after money. I’m after the truth.”
“But it seemed this morning that you were playing me,” he said, his tone turning rougher. “That when you saw me at the café, you were all sexy snuggly because you thought I’d run. And outside the gallery, you were pretending to get cozy when you put your hands in my shorts, but you were only searching for stones even after I told you there weren’t any.”
“I was,” she said through gritted teeth. Her expression was one of frustration and embarrassment.
“Don’t fuck with my feelings. You know I want you. You know I like you. Just don’t fuck with me,” he said, yanking her close to him.
“I’m not. I won’t. I’m sorry,” she said, her tone full of contrition.
That knot unwound, and he nodded. “So tell me the truth. Do I seem like the type of guy who’d screw you over?”
Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and she has had eight books on the New York Times Bestseller list and fifteen on the USA Today Bestseller list. Like the heroine in her novel, FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. She loves hearing from readers! Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire. She recently released SWEET SINFUL NIGHTS, the first novel in her new sexy romance series Sinful Nights that became an instant New York Times Bestseller. Her new adult forbidden romance, 21 Stolen Kisses, hit e-readers in May and landed on the USA Today Bestseller list. In January, she’ll release BIG ROCK, a standalone contemporary romance sure to make you swoon. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, text BLAKELY + your email address to 678-249-3375 (please use the actual + sign).
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