Tag Archives: Paranormal Romance

The Heart of a Hero by Janet Chapman – a Review

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The Heart of a Hero by Janet Chapman – a Review

The Heart of a Hero

Links to order The Heart of a Hero:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository / Kobo


Description:
New York Times bestselling author Janet Chapman welcomes her fans back to Spellbound Falls, where no one is immune to the magical powers of love…

Originally from the ancient mythical island of Atlantis, Nicholas has spent the last year deep in the mountains of Maine, serving as Director of Security for the Nova Mare and Inglenook resorts. Fully embracing his life in the twenty-first century, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to a trouble-prone employee, and is determined to keep her safe.

The last thing Julia Campbell needs is a man with a hero complex, especially one as handsome and imposing as Nicholas. All she has to do is keep it together until her younger sister turns eighteen, and then she can focus on her own life. But strange things have been happening at the resort—and it’s Nicholas who keeps coming to her rescue. When Nicholas is suddenly the one in trouble, Julia realizes he’s not quite what he seems—and that she’ll do anything to help the man who’s stolen her heart…

Review:

The Heart of a Hero is Janet Chapman’s aptly named, 4th installment in her latest series titled Spell Bound Falls.  This time around readers can enjoy the story of Nicholas, our recently introduced warrior from the Mythical Island of Atlantis…who found himself (happily) divested of his duty as guardian to wild hearted Princess Carolina Oceanus; in book 3.  Having been tasked with this “honor” since the age of seven–upon falling in love with the screaming, minutes old baby girl thrust into his arms while adults rushed to save her mother–Nicholas feels compelled to stay within this time that has brought ‘Lina’ such contentment. 

What is a warrior to do upon suddenly realizing his life now belongs to him, to do with as he sees fit?  Nicholas accepts a job offer befitting this new “world” from Maximillian Oceanus (one of his previous “bosses” from Atlantis, and hero of book 1) and utilizes his warrior instincts, as Director of Security for the Nova Mare; and Inglenook Resorts.  Those of which, are nestled in the mountains of Maine near an inland Sea named Bottomless that “mysteriously” formed a few years ago–and of which was coined as the 9th natural wonder of the world–and made a booming tourist attraction over night.    

Unaware that leagues of local women are plotting on how to garner the attention of the mysterious, dark haired, blue eyed stranger with no last name….Nicholas remains oblivious of the fact that he is considered Nova Mare’s most eligible bachelor, and takes his job dead serious. It isn’t until his attention is required for a suspicious altercation, and his path crosses with Julia Campbell that just Nicholas becomes interested in the chase of a different kind. 

Enter Julia Campbell.  Our heroine avoids the people of  SpellBound Falls altogether as a general rule.  She keeps to herself, works hard, trusts few, dates NEVER, and relies on no one.   Daughter of the town drunk, and labeled “the town slut”–her ex-husband leaves her with a ruined reputation, and a small mountain of credit card debt; to thank her for working 6 years to put him through college.  Lacking the finances to complete college herself, Julia’s sole purpose in life is providing for herself and her younger sister, and to prove everyone wrong.  Finding herself in somewhat of a bind when dealing with her brother, Julia comes face to face with the Resort’s mysterious, and far too handsome; Director of Security. 

Everything changes for Julia that night, in one instant, when she finds herself drawn into the powerful arms of this same man, and thoroughly kissed.  Knowing this stranger’s act was an effort to shelter her from her father’s drunken anger, only done to keep her safe, as is his job, Julia plans to put aside the haunting memory.  Certain the possibility of being shoved off the mountain by a jealous female is very likely, and the possibility for the town slut to receive the attentions of Nova Mare’s most highly sought after single male….not so much.    

Intrigued, and inexplicably drawn to this very private, stubborn, and intensely independent woman named Julia, Nicholas cannot help but make it his personal mission to see to her safety….and to discover if she likes….cats…six in particular…:) 

The stakes are raised when Nicholas is called to action once more as the warrior he is, for Atlantis.  Soon he discovers that someone wants him dead, that there is more to his past than being left on the beaches of Atlantis as a baby; by an ornery “whale” named Leviathian.  And that gaining the affection of one trouble prone 21st century woman…will be the greatest battle of his life.  A battle that cannot be won with use of his sword…but achieved only by The true Heart of a Hero.

In Chapman’s signature blend of humor, magic, action, suspense, and romance; we watch the tables turn drastically as Nicholas’s secrets (as well as the secrets of the town itself) begin to unravel; and it is up to Julia to pursue, protect, and provide help for the man who has shown her the joy belonging to someone can bring.  

This was a wonderful read from beginning to end, furthering the wonderful story arc Ms. Chapman began with SpellBound Falls, filled with an entire cast of fantastic main and secondary characters, as well as a few old friends.  Janet Chapman only continues to get better with each book, and I for one cannot wait for the next installment For the Love of Magic.

Reviewed by Miranda

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Dawn of a Dark Knight by Zoe Forward – a Review

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Dawn of a Dark Knight by Zoe Forward – a Review

dawn of a dark knight

Amazon

Description:
In the shadows of our world, a secret band of warriors fights to protect us. They are the last line of defense against an evil no human can stop.

An ancient nemesis has resurfaced. Duty demands that Ashor Vlahos, Scimitar Magi commander, recruit a magical healer to fortify the remaining eight magi. The gods’ choice is the woman who helped him escape torture a decade ago. Ashor couldn’t have imagined a better punishment for his vow-breaker homicidal incidents than for the gods to bind him irrevocably to the only woman in the universe he cannot have. The soul-searing desire she ignites in him is strictly forbidden.

Kira Hardy, M.D. is a brilliant, hardworking internal med resident with big secrets. But when Ashor asks for aid after a brutal daemon attack, she is sucked into his dangerous, secret world. Enslavement to the magi, no matter how hot they are, may be an unattractive life plan, but being targeted for death by their enemies is less tolerable.

She must trust the sexy, tormented Ashor to keep her safe while he must deny his ultimate desire and keep Kira at arm’s length lest he bring destruction down on them both. As a centuries-old evil catches up to them, they face a crucial decision–follow the gods’ rules or follow their hearts.

Review:

Dawn of a Dark Knight by Zoe Forward is her first book in her Scimitar Magi Series, a paranormal romance novel, and this is indeed a great start for Forward. 

In the similar theme of Ward’s BDB series, Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series, Dawn of the Dark Knight is about a group of hot sexy warriors, who fight Daemons, and must protect humans.  Our hero is Ashor Vlahos, who is the group’s leader, a Scimitar Magi. 

They are constantly in battle fighting the Daemons, though they usually win the battles, it is becoming tougher and tougher.  They need to find their healer, destined to help and take care of them. 

Our heroine is Kira Hardy, who is a doctor, and she holds a secret; as she is the missing healer.  She has powers that can heal anyone just by her mind.  Kira once met Ashor, when she was an 18 year old teenager, and saved his life. She watched her mother die at that time, and has kept her powers a secret to protect her own life.  But all these years, she has sexual dreams about Ashor, as he does about her. 

While at the hospital, she has to save the life of a Eric, who turns out to be magi warrior, and he recognizes that there is something different about Kira.  As he escapes he takes her with him. And when she starts hearing Ashor telepathically call her, she reveals she needs to find Ashor.  Eric takes her to their home.

Kira saves Ashor, and heals other Magi warriors, but she refuses to stay and help. She wants nothing to do with fighting deamons.  But her bond to Ashor pulls her sexually, and she cannot control those feelings.  Ashor too knows she is the healer, as well as his mate.  But as the commander, he knows that a magi cannot mate with the healer. 

Ashor is getting close to turning evil, especially with his uncontrollable emotions and need for Kira, and his stickler to the rules of their goddess. This makes him a danger to his team, and anyone around him.

This is a wonderful exciting story, non stop action all the way through.  The love and sexual chemistry between Ashor and Kira is hot and steamy.  What was great about this book was that Forward has created some wonderful characters.  The camaraderie between the magi warriors is great; they are a loyal group, who protect one another, and they are a lot of fun, with much humor.  You will enjoy them all.  Ashor and Kira are wonderful together.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching Kira become close to all the warriors, as they gave her their loyalty also.

Did Ashor and Kira find a way to come together, despite the rules against it?  Were the warriors able to defeat the daemons trying to kidnap Kira, and stop her from becoming their healer?  I suggest that you read this book, as it is a fun and exciting read.  Wonderful new series by Zoe Forward.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

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Enslaved (Eternal Guardians #5) by Elisabeth Naughton-a review

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Enslaved (Eternal Guardians #5) by Elisabeth Naughton-a review

ENSLAVED (Eternal Guardians #5) by Elisabeth Naughton

ENSLAVED is the fifth instalment (November 6, 2012 release) in Elisabeth Naughton’s Eternal Guardians series based in Greek mythology, stories, prophecy and history. All Guardians are descended from Greek gods, but many of the gods still rule. When Hades wife Persephone gave birth to Zeus’s daughter, Hades cursed Maelea to walk alone for over 3,000 years, but now Hades wants something from Maelea, and the Guardian Gryphon is standing in his way.

In the previous storyline, Gryphon has been rescued from the Underworld by his brother Orpheus and Orpheus’s soul-mate Skyla. But the torture and abuse were nothing compared to the insidious voice that continues to haunt his every waking hour. Thinking he is going insane, Gryphon needed to find a way to get rid of the incessant call, and there was only one way to end the torment-he needed to kill the source. His only option was to escape from the Guardians and his friends. But something about the little waif-like ‘ghoul’ known as Maelea, stirred at Gryphon’s cold heart, and he knew that she was his ticket out of this world.

Maelea knew her parents did not want her. Having never met her father, Maelea has been on the run for close to 3,000 years from her mother’s husband, and even her mother rarely acknowledged her existence. But when the Orb of Kronos went missing, everyone wanted a piece of the ‘ghoul’. With her ability to detect energy shifts, Maelea was the perfect weapon in the war to find the Orb but she would not let herself become a pawn. When her only option was to run she did not expect to find herself an unwanted jailer –the ‘insane’ Gryphon, With both of them on the run, Maelea thought she would become the next casualty in the war between the gods. The Guardians, Nick and the Misos, and most of the Underworld were looking to find Maelea and she was damned sure that she would not be used again.

The darkness within Gryphon called to Maelea. Cursed by Hades, Maelea’s own dark side felt the pull from Gryphon but there was something else about Maelea that calmed the voices inside. Gryphon has long watched the woman everyone called a ‘ghoul’, but he knew that there was much more to the quiet, albeit 3,000 year old woman, than what was presented on the surface. Her soul called to his, but he knew that he would only bring her pain and sorrow. A life on the run was no life for the mate of a condemned Guardian. But the powers of the Underworld would continue to threaten both and Gryphon knew there was only one way to end the threat.

Throughout the storyline we see a potential storyline build for the Guardian Titus, when he meets a woman who could very well be his mate. Max’s issues with Atalanta continue to haunt the young man and Nick’s colony of Misos will put a surprising twist to Hades’s rule of the Underworld.

Elisabeth Naughton brings together two lost souls who believe they are cursed to walk eternity alone. The need to run is overshadowed by their soul’s call to each other. I love reading this series and Gryphon’s story is both heart wrenching and cathartic sultry and scandalous.   Elizabeth Naughton ‘s Eternal Guardians  will capture your imagination from the very start.

READING ORDER
1. Marked
2. Entwined
3. Tempted
4. Enraptured
5. Enslaved

LINKS TO ORDER: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository / Books a Million / KOBO

Copy supplied by author.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Mate Claimed by Jennifer Ashley – a Review

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Mate Claimed by Jennifer Ashley – a Review

MateClaimed by Jennifer Ashley, is the latest book in her Shifters Unbound series.  I love this series, and couldn’t wait for this book. 

For those of you are not familiar with the Shifters Unbound series, here is a brief description:

This takes place in a futuristic world, where shifters of all types are delegated to live in their own small towns, and not mingle too closely with humans.  When they came out and announced themselves to the world over 20 years, they were forced to wear collars to control their violent animalistic tendencies, thereby making humans feel safe around them.  But slowly, shifters are finding ways around the collars, as you saw if you read my Pride Mates review.

Review:

In Mate Claimed, Eric Warden is the alpha of his shiftertown in Las Vegas. We have met Eric in the previous books, as he was a visitor to the Morrissey pack in Austin, and is Cassidy’s brother from Wildcat.  We knew that Eric was sure to be in this book, as he met Iona in the last.  I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy Eric, as much as I adored Liam and Sean in the first two books.  But wow, Jennifer Ashley has done it again, Eric is totally awesome.  

Iona Duncan is our heroine, whom we met in Wildcat.  Iona is half human and half shifter, and has never known her shifter father.  She has secretly hid herself as fully human, never revealing her shifter side, and never wearing a collar.  She lives with her human mother and sister, who all run a construction business.  Eric, having met Iona at a shifter bar, awhile ago, keeps his eye on her.  He knows she is a half shifter, and knows that she will be going through her mating frenzy soon.  Iona, of course, avoids Eric like the plague, and wants nothing to do with the shifters.  She does not want to endanger her human lifestyle and her freedom.  On many nights, Iona goes to the woods to shift into her panther to run. Eric, who has been watching, joins her in his Snow Leopard form.  They play, chase and frolic, having fun, which is something Iona never allowed herself to do.  Slowly, she begins to realize that Eric is right;  her mating frenzy will take control, and put her life in danger, or she will go feral. 

You see right away, how much Eric is becoming obsessed with Iona.  She tries to fight off the attraction, though unsuccessfully.  The chemistry between them sizzled, and when they finally gave in to their lust, the steamy hot sex almost melted the pages. They were great together, even though at first Iona fought off Eric’s attempt to protect her from a Lupine Alpha named Graham, who decided he wanted Iona, just to hurt his enemy Eric.

Eric takes Iona to stay with him in his shiftertown, and she gets to meet all his family, friends, and pack members. 

Besides this growing romance, and a wonderful one with Eric and Iona, there was a mystery to be solved.  Graham, came across early, as a jerk, and you hoped Eric would teach him a lesson.  But in time, he is redeemed somewhat, as he helps Eric defend the shifters against a secret experiment being done on shifters.  Some of these experiments go back over 20 years, and Eric’s nightmares come full force, as he remembers those early days when shifters were forced to put on the collar.  This was a great mystery, with a lot of action, excitement, danger, with all our favorites working together to find the answers.

I enjoyed seeing Diego, and Cassidy with their new born baby.  Ashley has developed some great secondary characters that we hope to hear more about, like Jace, Reid, Graham, and Tiger, whom we will see more of in the next book. 

This was a great continuation of this series, with lots of action, mystery, super hero and heroine.  But best of all, I loved the wonderful romance between Eric and Iona.  There was such a caring and giving side that Eric showed Iona, and what he did for her, was beautiful to see. As much as I loved Liam and Kim, they have been equaled with Eric and Iona.  Don’t miss this book and if you have not read this series, it’s time for you to do so.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Pride Mates by Jennifer Ashley – a Review

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Pride Mates by Jennifer Ashley – a Review

Pride Mates by Jennifer Ashley, is the first book in her Shifters Unbound series.  This is a paranormal romance in a different futuristic world.  Shifters came out and announced themselves 20 years ago, but freedom was not what they expected.  The shifters were delegated to their own towns, not allowed to mingle in most human elements, such as flying on an airplane, certain restaurants, etc.  Worse, all shifters were given a special collar to wear, that was spelled by the Fae (whom we do not see much in this book, other then knowing they helped create this collar).  The collar controls their violent animalistic tendencies, thereby making humans feel safe around them.  But they are restricted. 

Kim Fraser, is a human attorney, who is defending a Shifter on a murder charge.  Kim goes to meet Liam Morrissey, who is the go between for his father, one of the leaders of the Austin Shifters. Liam works in a bar, and Kim is amazed how normal he seems to be.  In fact, as she walks through Shiftertown for the first time, she marvels how normal and happy the children and adults seem to be.  She is shocked how they all seemed to hug each other all the time. 

Liam is a feline Shifter, but we do get to meet other shifters, such as Lupines (wolves), Ursine (bears).  He is immediately enamored by Kim, who is determined to help her client, even if he is a Shifter.  She does not allow herself to be afraid, and stubbornly insists that she needs their help to find out more information.  Of course, the leaders do not want anyone to know anything about them.  The main leader of the Shifters is Fergus, whom we hear a lot about, but don’t see much of him until the later part of the book.  But you know early on that Fergus, is one of the bad guys.

Liam marks Kim early on, to protect her from other shifters.  But, when a feral shifter goes after Kim, the game changes.  Liam, with the help of his family (Dylan his father, Sean his brother, and Conner is nephew), protect Kim from the dangers of her becoming involved with the Shifters, as well as those who do not want her defending the shifter on trial.  They force her to stay with them in Shiftertown, and despite her stubbornness that she has work to do, Kim finds herself falling for Liam, who is not only a gorgeous sexy hunk, but he is truly  a charming nice guy, whom everyone likes.  Liam already knows that he wants Kim, as she is his mate. 

Ashley has done a wonderful job in bringing together this romance of a shifter and a human.  Watching both of them fight the attraction, and then give in to their lust, was fun to watch.  I enjoyed the banter between them and Liam’s family; especially Connor, who I adored, and I loved Sean. 

The last half of the book was very exciting, as first Liam and his family are threatened by Fergus, and Kim is the one who must bring them to face Fergus.  In order to save Kim from the bad guy, Liam comes to her rescue and claims her as his mate.  This is still early on in the first half, which leads to many reveals, and an exciting climatic ending.  This book had everything from an interesting storyline, leading us into future books of this series; a fabulous romantic couple in Liam and Kim; great steamy sex; wonderful secondary characters in Sean and Conner; a suspenseful tense and exciting fight at the end, and a terrific end.  Pride Mates was a great and fun read, and this series is just beginning. I have added this series to my automatic buy.

Reviewed by Barb

 

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A JAGUAR’S KISS by Katie Reus-a review

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A JAGUAR’S KISS by Katie Reus -a review

A JAGUAR’S KISS by Katie Reus

A JAGUAR’S KISS is the latest novella from Katie Reus and the October 1, 2012 release in her paranormal romance line of books.

Gabriela (Gabby) Segura hadn’t been home to Bear Mountain Montana in close to 5 years. With the recent loss of her entire CIA team, Gabby needed some down time and reluctantly decided to head home, but she was unaware that there were problems between the shifters in town-Gabby walked into a storm of anger. Jaguars had been attacking humans and Gabby was a jaguar shifter. When the brother of her ex-boyfriend pulled a gun, she knew it had been a mistake to come home. The last thing she wanted was to get involved with Owen Wright and his family of wolves- Owen had broken her heart when she was 16 years old and now she was taken hostage by his younger brother.

Owen and Ethan Wright were wolf shifters, and Owen had a past with Gabriela Segura. As the new Alpha of the Wright pack, it was Owen’s responsibility to keep his wolves under control, but realizing his brother had kidnapped the only woman he had ever loved, Owen was beyond angry. He hadn’t spoken to Gabby in 10 years when he left to join the army, and now he was convinced that her family knew who was behind the killings. But first he needed to know why she left him all those years ago. And a surprise announcement would find both families joined together in more than just a hunt.

Owen is convinced that Gabby is his mate, but Gabby is mourning the loss of her friends. She is unwilling to, once again, open herself up to the man whom she blames for breaking her heart on the eve of her 16th birthday. She is willing to offer him ONE night together but Owen wants a life time. As the hunt for the elusive jaguar continued, to Gabby’s surprise she discovered the reason behind the attacks and would find herself fighting for her life.

A JAGUAR’S KISS is another wonderful storyline in Katie Reus paranormal romance storylines from Nocturne Cravings and Harlequin. This particular line of shifter stories is a series of stand-alones but can be grouped together. Katie writes a fast-paced short story where the central characters have a mutual but stormy history-therefore there is no need to prolong the inevitable. I enjoy Katie’s series of short stories-they are a perfect read before you go to bed.

CLICK the link below for our review of some of Katie’s other novels and storylines in her paranormal romance series.

1. Destined Mate
2. Protector’s Mate

 

LINKS TO ORDER:
Amazon Kindle
B&N Nook
Books a Million

Copy supplied by author.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Stolen Trilogy by Elisabeth Naughton – a synopsis

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Stolen Trilogy by Elisabeth Naughton

Since we have been featuring Elisabeth Naughton this week, we have been concentrating mainly on her Eternal Guardians series, as she has just this week released her latest book in the series…Enraptured.  But Elisabeth has an earlier trilogy that we thought you would enjoy.  Below is a synposis direct from Elisabeth’s site for you to read.

Stolen Trilogy

Stolen Fury – Book 1

Elisabeth Naughton: STOLEN FURY combines my love of Greek mythology and archaeology. The heroine, Lisa Maxwell, is a mini-female-version of Indiana Jones.

Synopsis:
To unearth a centuries-old secret, an archaeologist must team up with the rakish thief who’s stolen both an ancient relic and her heart…

Oh, is he handsome. And charming. And sexy as all get out. Dr. Lisa Maxwell isn’t the type to go home with a guy she barely knows. But, hey, this is Italy and the red-blooded Rafe Sullivan seems much more enticing than cataloging a bunch of dusty artifacts.

After being fully seduced, Lisa wakes to an empty bed and, worse yet, an empty safe. She’s staked her career as an archaeologist on collecting the three Furies, a priceless set of ancient Greek reliefs. Now the one she had is gone. But Lisa won’t just get mad. She’ll get even.

She tracks Rafe to Florida, and finds the sparks between them blaze hotter than the Miami sun. He may still have her relic, but he’ll never find all three without her. And they’re not the only ones on the hunt. To beat the other treasure seekers, they’ll have to partner up—because suddenly Lisa and Rafe are in a race just to stay alive.

Stolen Heat – Book 2
Elisabeth Naughton:  The love story in STOLEN HEAT is a combination of all things I love most about reunion stories – lies, betrayal, a deep emotional commitment and two people who are meant to be together.

Synopsis:
His past tore them apart. Her lies thrust them back together. Now a killer’s out for revenge, but the biggest threat for both may just be the heat they thought they’d already lost…

Antiquities dealer Peter Kauffman walked a fine line between clean and corrupt for years. And then he met the woman who changed his life—Egyptologist Katherine Meyer. Their love affair burned white-hot in Egypt, until the day Pete’s lies and half-truths caught up with him. After that, their relationship imploded, Kat walked out, and before Pete could find her to make things right, he heard she’d died in a car bomb.

Six years later, the woman Pete thought he’d lost for good is suddenly back. The lies this time aren’t just his, though. The only way he and Kat will find the truth and evade a killer out for revenge is to work together—as long as they don’t find themselves burned by the heat each thought was stolen long ago…

Stolen Seduction – Book 3
Elisabeth Naughton:  When I set out to write this series, I never intended to write STOLEN SEDUCTION. But I fell in love with both characters—Shane & Hailey—who appear in both of the first two books. After I got to know them better, I couldn’t not write their story.

Synopsis:
The individual who collects all six statues and deciphers the code locked within will be awarded controlling interest in Roarke Resorts.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS ENDEAVOR IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.

Hailey Roarke was never interested in her family’s fortune. That’s why she became a cop. But with her father and now her cousin dead, she’s suddenly on the wrong side of a police interrogation. The only way to clear her name is to solve the riddle before the real killer. Without getting killed herself.

Detective Shane Maxwell can’t deny the spark of lust he feels every time Hailey is near. But the woman is clearly hiding something. Trusting his gut—and the heat in her eyes—he joins her on an elaborate global treasure hunt staged by her late father. Caught between a sizzling seduction and a maniacal murderer, for Hailey and Shane the biggest reward of all will be making it out alive.

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