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Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose – Review & Excerpt

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Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose – Review & Excerpt

 

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Description:
There’s no safe place for a child to hide when danger comes from every direction.

Public prosecutor J.P. “Kaj” Cardozo has only lived in New Orleans for six months, and he’s already working on a high-profile celebrity sexual assault case that’s made headlines all over the country. But when his son becomes the target of a kidnapping attempt as a threat to Kaj, he is desperate to keep him safe and turns to a private investigative firm famous for their protection services.

A veteran Marine, Val Sorensen is glad to have found a new career with Broussard Investigations. Her latest assignment as the bodyguard to ten-year-old Elijah Cardozo reminds her why–Val is a kick ass guardian with a tender heart. Through her duties, Val grows fond of the boy–and his handsome father.

But when the high-stakes investigation reveals an explosive network of crime through a revived drug gang, lingering deep-seated corruption in the NOPD, and a group of murderers-for-hire targeting Kaj, Elijah, and his star client, they’re all left scrambling for safety…

 

 

Review:

Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose is the 28th book in her Romance Suspense novels, and the 2nd book in her New Orleans series. As I have mentioned previously, I am a big fan of Karen Rose, as her suspense thrillers are amazing, and unputdownable.  Beneath Dark Waters is another fabulous book that is once again over 600 pages. Rose always creates fantastic heroes and wonderful secondary characters, as well as evil villains; and this does not change in this book, as she writes another masterpiece. Beneath Dark Waters is a tense, violent, exciting, non-stop action filled story that kept me on the edge of to my seat from start to finish.

We meet Assistant DA J.P. (Kaj) Cardozo, when his 10-year-old son, Elijah, who was almost kidnapped.  Kaj fears for his son’s life, especially since he doesn’t trust some of the New Orleans Police Department, and hires Broussard Investigations to protect him. Burke Broussard’s private investigation firm has an excellent reputation, and after talking to Kaj, Burke assigns Val Sorenson, a former marine, to be his son’s bodyguard.

Val is very good at her job, and has been very successful in protecting young kids, as well as having a past connection implicating drug gangs.   Val is a strong, savvy and fantastic guardian, very caring around children; she also ensures that Elijah, being a diabetic, takes his medicines and eats the proper food. Val moves into Kaj’s home, with her dog, Czar (huge dog), who has been trained.  I quickly fell in love with Czar and how close the dog protected Elijah.

Val, Kaj, and other members of the Broussard team, begin to investigate deeper into the kidnapping attempt, realizing that is a more dangerous and explosive crime, between a drug gang, murderers who will stop at nothing to kill anyone standing in their way, as well deep corruption in the New Orleans P.D. Kaj, Val and Elijah, as well as members of the team, find their lives deep in danger.  Kaj is currently working on two high profile cases, involving the death of a doctor, who was beaten to death, as he was blamed for the death of his son; the other is a trial with an actress accuseing an evil man of rape. Both cases have some connection, with a group of evil and dangerous hired killers, who have no qualms of committing murder; as well as the police corruption.

Both Val and Kaj slowly become attracted to each other, not to mention Val also becoming attached to Elijah. They each have their own past trauma, with each sharing their history.  Kaj having lost his wife to cancer, and taking good care of his so; Val was brutally raped by three Marines, which she needed therapy to move on with her life.

Corey Gates, and his friends Bobby and Ed are evil villains, who have involvements in both of Kai’s cases, and will stop at nothing to get what they want, even killing the younger Gates brothers. Throughout the book, from start to finish, there were so many murders, emotions, grief, torture, PTSD, as well as twists and turns. Who will survive the onslaught?

What follows is an intriguing, intense, exciting, and edge of your seat suspense story line that had me holding my breath so many times.  This story was very tense from all the way through, especially with the evil villains constantly killing off many innocent people.  As we raced to the wild climax, I prayed for the for the survival of all the good people, and the demise of the main villain. I do not want to give spoilers, as you really need to read this book from start to finish.

Beneath Dark Waters was very well written by Karen Rose, which was an intense thriller, with non- stop action all the way.  As I have said before, Karen Rose never fails to give us an amazing fantastic well written thriller that is intense, always on the edge, with fantastic characters, evil villains and a wonderful family you care for. If you love suspense, with a touch of romance and a thriller all the way, then look no further then Karen Rose.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

BENEATH DARK WATERS by Karen Rose
Berkley Hardcover | August 15, 2023
                                    Excerpt

“Morning, Val,” Burke rumbled in that deep Cajun drawl of his. “You have a new client. Bring a cupcake for him.”

Okaaaay. Holding the two cupcakes, Val walked to Burke’s office door, hearing the whir of Joy’s motorized wheelchair as the older woman followed her, unabashedly curious. A shiver of trepidation raced down Val’s spine.

A moment later, she knew why. Assistant District Attorney Jean-Pierre Cardozo was coming to his feet, having been seated in one of the chairs in front of Burke’s desk. She’d first met him at a party back in the summer. Burke and his staff had been celebrating with some clients after closing an all-hands-on-deck case when Cardozo had arrived, dressed in an expensive black suit that made him look like a Fortune 500 CEO.

He’d been charming as hell and impossible to ignore, despite her best efforts-that day and later. Unable to resist, she’d found herself googling him later that evening, learning surprisingly little personal information. Other than a few of the cases he’d tried up in the New York City courts, the man had no real internet presence, which took a lot of talent. Burke’s IT guy, Antoine, would surely have been able to dig up a lot more, but she’d been unwilling to ask. Unwilling to voice aloud that the man had fascinated her.

She knew only that he’d recently moved from New York and that his first name was spelled K-a-j, but pronounced Kai, rhyming with pie. And she only knew those tidbits because she’d overheard Burke telling someone else in the firm.

After that day, she’d seen Cardozo twice. Once a couple weeks ago at another party at a friend’s restaurant, Le Petit Choux. He hadn’t stayed long, and she’d managed to avoid him. Their most recent crossing of paths had been in a courtroom the week before, a plea hearing for one of the criminals whose crimes Burke’s group had exposed. No words had been exchanged between them either time, but Val had noticed the man’s every movement.

He moved so very nicely. And he was a good guy, prosecuting bad guys, but that smile he’d worn . . . He could get her to trust that smile. Which meant he was dangerous.

He didn’t look anything like that now. He was as handsome as before, his dark brown hair neatly combed, his face freshly shaven. His khakis were unwrinkled, the sleeves of his casual button-up shirt rolled up, exposing tanned forearms. He even wore a tie printed with whimsical dinosaurs. But his expression appeared haggard, as if he hadn’t slept at all.

And his dark eyes were full of fear.

Val glanced to the corner of the room, revealing the source of his fear. A boy of about nine or ten sat at Burke’s little meeting table. His hair was white-blond, unlike Cardozo’s. But their faces were too much alike for them not to be related. Father and son, she thought.

She hadn’t realized that Cardozo had a child, and she didn’t want to think about why that disappointed her. It didn’t matter that the child had a mother, that Cardozo had a significant other. It didn’t matter because she was not interested in ADA Cardozo, first name Kaj that rhymed with pie.

The child, however, had captured her attention. He clutched a tablet in his hands, staring down at it with a vacant look that Val recognized all too well.

She’d seen it in the mirror plenty of times.

He’d been traumatized. He didn’t look up, so Val turned back to his father.

“Hey,” Val said quietly, because the mood in the room was brittle. “It’s good to see you again, ADA Cardozo.”

The man’s throat worked as he swallowed. “Likewise. This is my son, Elijah. Elijah, this is Miss Sorensen.”

My new client? Val wondered. She looked at Burke, who inclined his head toward the boy, gesturing her to engage.

“Hi, Elijah,” she said, approaching the table. “I’m Val.”

The boy didn’t look up until Val put the cupcake in front of him. “Hi,” he whispered.

It was one tiny word, but said with a determination that won her respect. She pointed at the cupcake. “That’s yours.”

“And that one, too?” Elijah asked, pointing at the cupcake still in her hand.

“Pfft. No,” she said, using her best duh tone. “This one is mine. You’re a greedy one, aren’t you?” She smiled so that he would know she was teasing.

The boy’s lips quirked up before returning to a grim line. “Was worth a try.”

“It’s always worth a try when cupcakes are on the line. Are you my new client?”

Elijah pushed Harry Potter-style glasses up on his nose. “I guess so.”

“May I sit down?” She waited until Elijah nodded before taking the seat beside him. From this vantage point she could see the boy’s face as well as that of his father.

Cardozo lowered himself back into his chair in front of Burke’s desk, his face still frozen in a rictus of fear.

Whatever had happened, it had been bad.

Excerpted from Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose Copyright © 2023 by Karen Rose. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

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North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan – a Review

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North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan – a Review

 

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Description:
After five years in hiding from their murderous father, the day Kristin and Ryan McIntyre have been dreading has arrived: Boyd McIntyre, head of a Los Angeles crime family, has at last tracked his kids to a small Montana town and is minutes away from kidnapping them. They barely escape in a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. The pilot, a man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash land in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The siblings hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety—unaware of the severity of the approaching storm.

Boyd’s sister Ruby left Los Angeles for the Army years ago, cutting off contact in order to help keep her niece and nephew safe and free from the horrors of the McIntyre clan. So when she gets an emergency call that the plane has gone down with the kids inside, she drops everything to try save them.

As the storm builds, Ruby isn’t the only person looking for them. Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them home. And rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows these mountains better than anyone and doesn’t understand why the kids are running, is on their trail too.

But there is a greater threat to Kristen and Ryan out there. More volatile than the incoming blizzard, more dangerous than the family they ran from or the natural predators they could encounter. Who finds them first could determine if they live or die.

 

 

Review:

North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan is another one of her fantastic thriller novels. North of Nowhere is a story revolving around an evil mafia family, that has been looking for their kidnapped children. It has been 5 years, since Kristin and Ryan McIntyre were saved by Tony, who was a former member of the mafia family; both Kristin (16 years old) and Ryan (10 years old, also deaf) love Tony and call him Dad.  They live in a small Montana town, close to the wilderness, with Tony working for rancher Nick Lorenzo.

Now, as the McIntyre family is closing in, they need to run, and Tony takes Lorenzo’s plane to escape, but he is shot by a member of the McIntyre family and he is forced to crash land the plane. An injured Tony forces Kristin and Ryan to run, especially with a major snow storm approaching, before Boyd McIntyre (the kid’s father) finds him. Tony calls Ruby, the kids aunt, who had also run away all those years ago, and asked her to help save the kids.

Ruby, a former marine, immediately goes to Montana to save the kids.  Nick Lorenzo, is determined to find them faster, as he needed to understand why they were running.  Kristen was strong and did all she could to take care of Ryan. Boyd McIntyre had a number of men, including a tracker, to struggle through the storm to find his kids, even though they never wanted to be found.  This was a nonstop wild action thriller, with a race against time to find Kristin and Ryan; with Boyd and his group willing to kill those in the way.  To say too much more would ruin the book, as you need to read this fantastic thriller.

“North of Nowhere” is a heart pounding gripping thriller that kept me unable to put the book down. I really liked Kristin, who was strong and determined.  I also liked both Ruby and Lorenzo, who would do anything to save the children. North of Nowhere was so very well written by Allison Brennan. This was a great psychological thriller that had so much going on from start to finish; filled with blizzard, hostile conditions, family, escape, betrayal, murder, organized crime, and an evil grandmother.   I wholly suggest you read North of Nowhere.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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You Can Die (Laurel Snow 3) by Rebecca Zanetti-a review

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You Can Die (Laurel Snow 3) by Rebecca Zanetti-a review

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 25, 2023

Set against the atmospheric snowy backdrop of rural Pacific Northwest, New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti’s thrilling suspense series follows FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow as she strives to navigate her complicated family life when the father Laurel never knew turns up dead as the latest victim in a series of murders targeting men in the area. But solving his murder and the rest of the killings might be harder than she antcipates if her sociopathic half-sister has any say in the matter. The Blacklist meets The Profiler meets Justified in this fast, page-turning thriller that will have readers guessing until the very end!

It’s an especially deadly winter in the Pacific Northwest, as rising star FBI profiler Laurel Snow hunts down a serial killer with a chillingly bitter M.O., in New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti’s edgy thriller . . .

Men are dying in the Pacific Northwest, their bodies found near churches, charities, and counseling centers–each with valentine candy hearts shoved down their throats. They’re good men with families and community ties–or so they seem until Laurel Snow and her team begin to investigate. Then the case takes a shockingly personal turn when the father she’s never met, a former pastor, turns up among the dead.

Now, besides solving her father’s murder, Laurel is on the hunt to discover the truth of his past. Complicating things is Laurel’s troubled half-sister, Abigail, a brilliant sociopath determined to prove that they’ve both inherited their father’s malignant narcissism.

Assisting Laurel is Washington Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers, a dangerous loner whose reliance on gut instinct puts him at odds with Laurel’s coolly analytic approach. But the choice may be moot when the killer hones in on Huck’s own dark secrets–putting him and Laurel squarely in the crosshairs.

••••••

REVIEW:YOU CAN DIE is the third instalment in Rebecca Zanetti’s contemporary, adult LAUREL SNOW suspense thriller focusing on FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow. YOU CAN DIE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as there is an ongoing plot line throughout.

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

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Laurel YOU CAN DIE follows FBI profiler Laurel Snow as she begins to investigate another possible serial killer, someone who is making the killings personal, leaving Valentine candy hearts in their wake but as Laurel begins to ferret out the clues, a connection to the past merges most if not all of the murder victims to a local attorney’s office. Meanwhile, Laurel Snow continues to suspect her half-sister Abigail is somehow involved in another string of murders, as her sister’s proclivities are questionable at best. As Laurel and her team, including Washington Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers, amass a list of potential suspects, sins of the past force Laurel to navigate a potential minefield of betrayal and madness.

While our heroine Laurel Snow appears to be on the autism spectrum, a woman with several degrees and doctorates who struggles with basic day to day interactions, her half-sister Dr. Abigail Cane’s degrees and doctorates hide a psychopathic and narcissistic personality, rife for manipulation and murder.

The relationship between Laurel and Captain Huck Rivers is both professional and personal. Captain Rivers is often involved in the murder investigations as the locations and sites are in his jurisdiction but after hours Huck and Laurel spend their time commiserating out the days’ events, and talking about a future together.

YOU CAN DIE is a story of dysfunctional family beliefs in opposition to Laurel’s sense of duty and honor; betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, and retribution for sins of the past. The premise is detailed, intriguing, dramatic and intense; the characters are dynamic, purposeful, questionable and lost.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

You Can Run
You Can Hide

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner – only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She writes contemporary romances, dark paranormal romances, and romantic suspense novels.
Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day—or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.

Website  * Facebook * Amazon * Goodreads

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The Bitter Past (Porter Beck 1) by Bruce Borgos-a review

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The Bitter Past (Porter Beck 1) by Bruce Borgos-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 18, 2023

Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, north of Las Vegas. Born and raised there, he left to join the Army, where he worked in Intelligence, deep in the shadows in far off places. Now he’s back home, doing the same lawman’s job his father once did, before his father started to develop dementia. All is relatively quiet in this corner of the world, until an old, retired FBI agent is found killed. He was brutally tortured before he was killed and clues at the scene point to a mystery dating back to the early days of the nuclear age. If that wasn’t strange enough, a current FBI agent shows up to help Beck’s investigation.

In a case that unfolds in the past (the 1950s) and the present, it seems that a Russian spy infiltrated the nuclear testing site and now someone is looking for that long-ago, all-but forgotten person, who holds the key to what happened then and to the deadly goings on now.

•••••

REVIEW:THE BITTER PAST is the first instalment in Bruce Borgos’ contemporary, adult, mystery suspense, crime thriller series focusing on Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck.

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

Told from dual time lines (1957 and the present), using first person (Porter) and third person (Freddie) THE BITTER PAST follows several converging paths. In the past, the reader is up close and personal during the Cold War between the US and Russia, and the fight for nuclear domination. In the present, Sheriff Porter Beck must contend with the suicides of or potential murders of several local elderly gentlemen, murders that have brought in the FBI. Meanwhile, a young seventeen year old LDS woman, a newly married wife goes missing, and Porter’s team must decide whether she is on the run, or a victim of foul play but as his team searches for both the missing woman, and the people responsible for a string of elderly murders, the FBI reveals the Cold War between Russia and the US has now taken control in the present, as the murder victims are all connected to the same time period of 1957.

The world building focuses on two time lines. We are up close and personal with a physicist in 1957 who works security within and around the nuclear testing zone but said physicist is not whom he presents himself to be, and finds himself caught in a life and death struggle with the people in charge. Fast forward to present day, and the Russians have begun cleaning house, taking down anyone connected to the 1957 nuclear fiasco.

We are introduced to Porter Beck’s team of deputies and investigators, as well as his sister / arms specialist Brinley Cummings, his father Joe Beck, and Agent Sana Locke. The requisite evil has many faces. As the characters begin to reveal themselves, covert agents and spies, infiltrate what was and what is.

THE BITTER PAST is a story of secrets and lies, twists and turns, power and control, murder and mystery, espionage intrigue and suspense. The premise is detailed, complex, twisted and tangled; the characters are energetic, determined and dynamic but all are not whom they present to be.

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

Bruce Borgos lives and writes from the Nevada desert where he works hard every day to prove his high school guidance counselor had good instincts when he said “You’ll never be an astronaut.” He has a lifelong obsession with words and stories and a fascination with how telephones work. When not writing, you can usually find him at the local wine store.

Visit his website at: https://www.bruceborgos.com/
or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BruceBorgos
or catch him on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/bruceborgos….

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Shattered Dreams (Beautiful Nightmare 3) by Abbie Roads-review tour

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Broken Dreams / Shattered Dreams (Beautiful Nightmare 2 & 3) by Abbie Roads-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 11, 2023

A crooked cop. Corruption. A woman convicted of murder. A man determined to prove her innocence.

When Helena Grayse is released from prison, all she wants is to say a final goodbye to her old life. But when a man finds her trespassing on his property, instead of turning her in, he takes her in. Accepts her. Loves her.

But someone decides to serve Helena with a death sentence.

••••••

REVIEW:SHATTERED DREAMS is the third instalment in Abbie Roads’ contemporary, adult FATAL DREAMS paranormal, romantic suspense series. This is police department consultant Thomas Brown, and former inmate Helena Grayse’s story line. SHATTERED DREAMS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for back story. SHATTERED DREAMS is the re-release of the author’s NEVER LET ME FALL (Fatal Dreams Series).

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may not be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several third person perspectives including Thomas and Helena SHATTERED DREAMS follows the building relationship between police department consultant Thomas Brown, and former inmate Helena Grayse. Ten years earlier Helena was sentenced to prison for a crime she did not commit but Helena found herself the target of a prison gang, a gang determined to end her life. Upon release from prison, a battered and battle -scarred Helena headed back to the family home, a home now owned by consultant Thomas Brown. When the attacks against Helena’s life continue on the outside, Thomas is determined to protect the woman that literally calls to his heart, a woman with whom he is psychically tethered. What ensues is the building but struggling relationship between Thomas and Helena, and the potential fall-out as Thomas’s past is determined to own him body and soul, a malevolent past that is closely connected to the woman he loves.

Thomas Brown has a special ability of which only a few are aware. With his ability to ‘read’ and ‘see’ the shadow of death, Thomas is surprised when Helena’s aura is a beacon of colour and light, colour he hasn’t seen in too many years. Helena has survived the prison abuse but was unaware of the how and why. Keeping to herself, remaining quiet in the face of danger and death, Helena continues to be targeted for sins of the past.

The relationship between Thomas and Helena is one of immediate attraction. Thomas knows immediately, with one touch, that Helena is his soulmate -her nearness allows Thomas to see colours and light; his touch heals that which would have killed a lesser human. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

SHATTERED DREAMS is a story of heartbreak and pain; family and loss; betrayal and vengeance. The premise is dark, gritty and raw; the romance is fated; the characters are broken, damaged and lost.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Dangerous Dreams
Broken Dreams (see below)

Copy supplied for review by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

_______

BROKEN DREAMS (Beautiful Nightmare 2) by Abbie Roads

ABOUT THE BOOK: Re-release Date June 13, 2023

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

A stalker. A killer. A virgin hero who will sacrifice himself to save the woman he loves.

FBI Special Skills Consultant Lathan Montgomery has a genetic anomaly that he uses to solve cold cases, but it forces him to live in seclusion. When he saves a woman from a roadside attack, instead of her presence causing him to lose control, she soothes him. For the first time in his life, he experiences love.

But someone is watching them and planning to make them both suffer.

Broken Dreams is the second book in Abbie Roads’ Beautiful Nightmare Series of dark romantic thrillers. It features a virgin hero who never thought he’d find love. If you devour true crime and romance novels then you’ll love a series that combines both in a roller-coaster ride of danger, mind games, and swoon worthy love.

•••••••••••

REVIEW:  BROKEN DREAMS is the second instalment in Abbie Roads’s contemporary, adult BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE paranormal, romance series. This is FBI consultant Lathan Montgomery, and waitress Evanee Brown’s story line. BROKEN DREAMS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. BROKEN DREAMS is the re-release of the author’s  HUNT THE DAWN (Fatal Dreams 2).

NOTE: BROKEN DREAMS contains graphic and implied scenarios of violence, torture, sexual and emotional abuse.

Told from several third person points of view including Lathan and Evanee BROKEN DREAMS focuses on the hunt for a serial killer. Lathan is a special investigations consultant with the FBI and his latest assignment is the search for a serial killer whose number of victims is increasing at an alarming rate. Enter Evanee Brown, a young woman whose nightmares become tangible in the presence of our story line hero. What ensues is the building relationship between two people caught in the supernatural world of psychic abilities, and a psychopathic murderer.

Lathan Montgomery suffers with debilitating scent memories -odors and smells trigger memories of the people around him. Along with the olfactory abnormality touch brings about another form of memory recall. Evanee’s abusive past is darkened by a familial connection that wants to rekindle the dark relationship. With her connection to Lathan Montgomery Evanee’s nightmares become real as our heroine connects with the serial killer’s victims. Lathan and Evanee together will protect one another from the approaching demons and a psychotic killer.

We are introduced to Lathan’s friend and FBI partner Gill Garrison whose relationship with Lathan struggles as our hero finds solace in Evanee Brown. Lathan’s parents battle with their son’s idiosyncrasies; and Evanee’s past is out to destroy any semblance of love for our story line heroine. Xander Stone and Ileen Walker (Race the Darkness #1) play secondary characters. The requisite evil has many faces and names.

BROKEN DREAMS is a dark and gritty story line; an emotional and moving story about two people on the periphery of ‘normal’ society whose abilities single them out from the ‘maddening’ crowd. The premise is intense and inventive; the characters are passionate and dynamic; the romance is intimate and fated. BROKEN DREAMS is a suspenseful and enthralling look into the mind of the supernatural, and a serial killer.

Own a Copy

Abbie Roads loves Snickers Parfaits and acrylic pour painting. It’s her new obsession. The pour painting. Not the parfaits. Though the parfaits would qualify as an obsession too. She spends her days a mental health counselor always looking on the brightside, but at night she likes to write dark and dangerous things—with kissing and sexy times. She loves reading inspirational quotes and stories about serial killers. She is married to her favorite fellow and they have two cranky old rescue dogs that are not spoiled. Not at all. Okay. Maybe a little. Alright, the dogs are terribly spoiled, but they do give lots of cuddles and kisses in return.

Her first book RACE THE DARKNESS was a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Pick for Fall.

You can find Abbie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…and Pinterest.

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Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins – a Review

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Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins – a Review

 

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Description:
Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother, Jason. More than that, the two have been devoted best friends since Jason introduced them. To Sienna, Jason can do no wrong, and although Julia knows he’s not perfect, they’ve built a comfortable life and family together. Recently, Jason has been putting in long hours to secure a promotion at work, so when his boss is found brutally murdered–his lips sewn shut–the Larkins are shocked and unsettled, especially as local gossip swirls.

A few days later, Julia and Sienna’s lives are upended when Jason gets into a car accident and is placed in a medically induced coma. Worse, the police arrive with news that he’s the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With Jason unable to respond–and with Julia and Sienna working to clear his name–the two women find their friendship threatened for the first time: Sienna staunchly maintains her brother’s innocence, but as their investigation uncovers a complicated web of secrets, Julia is less sure she’s willing to defend her husband.

 

 

 

Review:

Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins is a very good standalone novel.  The story revolves around Julia and Sienna Larkin, who are sisters-in-law, as well as best friends; Julia is married to Sienna’s brother, Jason.  Julia and Sienna are partners in their own business, and in Sienna’s eyes, her brother can do no wrong; but though she still loves her husband, Julia has not been happy with some issues of recent; which has also affected their son, Aiden, who has become distant.  Though they are extremely close, both Julia and Sienna have kept some secrets from each other.  Julia never told her about some problems with Jason, which included withdrawing 10 thousand dollars from the joint account, that was being saved for a special occasion. Sienna has kept her secret from Julia, about her having resumed her affair with her ex, Wyatt (who had previously cheated on her). 

A few things happened that drastically changes everything.  Jason’s boss, is found brutally murdered, with his lips sewn shut. A couple of days later, Jason was in a terrible car accident, and is put into a medically induced coma.  Shortly thereafter, to their shock, the police arrive at the hospital to let them know that Jason is now the prime suspect in the murder investigation.  With Jason in a coma, both Julia and Sienna team up to prove his innocence.  Sienna is determined to convince the police they are looking at the wrong man, but when they keep finding evidence, Julia begins to worry that Jason is in fact a suspect. This will cause some friction between Julia and Sienna, especially with Jason’s co-worker, Maeve, revealing even more information.

What follows is an exciting and intense story, with filled with secrets, lies, family, drama and truths to be revealed. When Jason comes out of his induced coma, what will he reveal? Thicker Than Water is an excellent mystery thriller, with a family in the center of this drama.

Thicker Than Water was so very well written by Megan Collins.  I loved Julia and Sienna being the major part of the story, their determination to find the truth, as well as their wonderful friendship. The last half of the book was so exciting, I was unable to put the book down.  You need to read this book, without me revealing what happens.

Reviewed by Barb

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Last Rites by Sharon Sala – a Review

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Last Rites by Sharon Sala – a Review

 

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Description:
There’s nothing a community won’t do to protect its own…

Shirley Wallace and her four sons return to her childhood home on Pope Mountain in Jubilee, Kentucky, with a lifetime of hardship behind them, hoping to find peace and begin their lives anew. Eldest brother Aaron Pope returns to his life as a police officer, and is settling in just fine. Then Aaron’s investigation into an attempted murder leads him right to Dani Owens. She may hold the key to a long-lost part of the Pope family’s past, and more importantly, she may hold the key to Aaron’s heart.

 

Review:

Last Rites by Sharon Sala is the 2nd book in her romance suspense series, Jubilee, Kentucky. I am a fan of Sharon Sala, having read and loved her previous series; and I looked forward to reading this series, as the first book was great.  The story starts off with the Wallace family, after her abusive husband is convicted of murdering two store employees, and everyone treats them badly in their Arkansas town. After her divorce, all of them lost their jobs due to her husband’s terrible actions.  Shirley and her four sons decide to officially change their names to her maiden name, Pope; and they move to her childhood home in Jubilee, Kentucky. When they arrive in Pope Mountain, they are welcomed with open arms, moving into the house she had inherited from her deceased mother.

The oldest son, Aaron was a police officer in Arkansas, and now in Jubilee, he is offered a job, especially with his overall experience and record.  When a child is shot, Aaron becomes involved the investigation, and a young woman comes to the police station to drop off a journal she found on the street. Aaron meets Dani Owens, a new resident in town, who is an elementary school teacher; she tells him she saw the man drop something while in a hurry, and gets her to help get a sketch of the man. The journal plays an important part in the story, as it relates back almost 150 years (Civil war), when a member of the Pope family disappeared and was never found; as well as the possibility of buried treasure (gold).

Dani just recently moved to Jubilee, as she was terrorized by a former boyfriend and his brother, and their attempt to kill her. She lived in fear, until she was able to trick her attacker, and save her own life; with the attacker in prison. When Aaron learns more about her past, he realizes she is very much in danger, by the other brother, and he makes sure he sets himself to protect her, and manages to stop the attempt on her life. In a short time, Dani and Aaron will fall in love, as they go from being friends to lovers. 

What follows is an exciting, tense story that held my breath throughout; with two attempts to murder innocent people. It was great to see Cameron Pope and Rusty (book One), as well as their wonderful dog, Ghost.  Cameron was determined to discover the secrets of the journal and past history of Pope Mountain. I really loved Shirley, and her wonderful 4 boys (including Aaron), and how they became so happy returning to Jubilee. I also loved Aaron and Dani together.

Last Rites was so very well written by Sharon Sala.  I loved the characters, the town, and especially our couple.   I can’t wait to see what Sala has next.  If you like exciting suspense, and romance, I suggest you read Last Rites.

Reviewed by Barb

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Try Not to Breathe by David Bell – a Review

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Try Not to Breathe by David Bell – a Review

 

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Description:
An ex-cop sets out to find her missing sister and discovers the horrifying truth about her family…

A traumatic experience in the line of duty forces thirty-year-old Avery Rogers to abandon both her relationship and her position as a Kentucky State Police officer. She retreats to a college town where she works an unfulfilling job as a security guard, breaking up fights between drunken frat boys.

But a frantic phone call turns Avery’s life upside down. Her father—a retired cop who never fails to convey his disappointment in Avery—says her half sister is missing and in danger. Avery is sure Anna’s just crashing with friends, but her father strong-arms her into searching for the sister she barely knows.

Anna Rogers is fed up with her family—a half sister who resents her existence and a domineering father who thinks it’s okay for cops to shoot unarmed civilians. She hits the road to attend a protest against police brutality, unaware of the danger that awaits her there.

Just after catching a glimpse of Avery at the protest, Anna receives a shocking text. Now she’s no longer road-tripping; she’s running, pursued by an older sister she doesn’t trust and a violent stranger who has been stalking her for weeks.

When Avery discovers Anna’s hiding place near a remote cave system, she risks everything to save her. Little do the sisters know that the past is catching up with them—including the explosive secret at the very heart of the Rogers family.

 

 

Review:

Try Not to Breathe by David Bell is a standalone exciting thriller.  Avery Rogers, our heroine, is a former cop, who came close to getting herself killed, and decides to walk away from her job. She gets a job to work at a college, as a security guard, which she felt was safer; her father, a former cop, constantly taunts her for leaving her job as a police officer.  Avery remains distant from her parents, as well as her two sisters.  She then gets a call from her father, that her sister, Anna, disappears from campus, and is missing.  

We meet Anna Rogers, who is also distant from her family, as she is fed up with her father, as well as her sister, Avery. Anna lives with a roommate at school, and she leaves school to attend a protest against police brutality, unaware that someone is following her.

Avery agrees to find Anna, especially now that her roommate was murdered, something Anna is not aware of. At the protest, Avery spots Anna, and tries to get her out of harm’s way; but with help from a former cop, everything falls apart, as the danger escalates, and people are injured.

Anna receives a message that changes everything, and she goes to meet someone to learn the truth about her life, with secrets and lies endangering both Anna and Avery.   Avery managed to find Anna, but when some secrets are exposed, can she save her, and will she survive?

What follows is a wild last half of the book, that will keep you unable to put the book down, with so much going on throughout. Desperately trying to convince Anna to leave with her, Avery puts her own life in danger. Avery manages to step up, using her strength to fight, and at the same time overcome her fears.  There are a lot of things going on in this story, such as family drama, parents, sisters, as well as family secrets that need to be revealed.

Try Not to Breath was very well written by David Bell, as it was intense and exciting. As we reach close to the end, the sisters will bond, and discover the explosive family secrets that are catching up with them. I suggest you read this book, as it will keep you engrossed throughout. 

Reviewed by Barb

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