Tightrope by Amanda Quick-Review and Giveaway
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Description:
An unconventional woman and a man shrouded in mystery walk a tightrope of desire as they race against a killer to find a machine that could change the world.
Former trapeze artist Amalie Vaughn moved to Burning Cove to reinvent herself, but things are not going well. After spending her entire inheritance on a mansion with the intention of turning it into a bed-and-breakfast, she learns too late that the villa is said to be cursed. When the first guest, Dr. Norman Pickwell, is murdered by his robot invention during a sold-out demonstration, rumors circulate that the curse is real.
In the chaotic aftermath of the spectacle, Amalie watches as a stranger from the audience disappears behind the curtain. When Matthias Jones reappears, he is slipping a gun into a concealed holster. It looks like the gossip that is swirling around him is true—Matthias evidently does have connections to the criminal underworld.
Matthias is on the trail of a groundbreaking prototype cipher machine. He suspects that Pickwell stole the device and planned to sell it. But now Pickwell is dead and the machine has vanished. When Matthias’s investigation leads him to Amalie’s front door, the attraction between them is intense, but she knows it is also dangerous. Amalie and Matthias must decide if they can trust each other and the passion that binds them, because time is running out.
Review:
Tightrope by Amanda Quick is the 3rd book in her Burning Cove series. This story takes place during the 1930’s in the small town of Burning Cove, California. Some of the characters we met in the first two books have secondary roles, as we return to Burning Cove. Burning Cove is a small resort town with many Hollywood stars or the very rich, but it seems that is it also a magnet for danger.
We meet Amalie Vaughn, our heroine and a famous trapeze artist, at the start, when she survived a threat against her life. Amalie managed to save herself using her skills as a trapeze artist, and the accoster fell to his death. Amalie moves to Burning Cove to get past that terrible experience and use her inheritance to open a bed n’ breakfast. When her first guest is murdered by a robot he was showing off to an audience, Amalie then fears the curse reputation will ruin her new venture; she is thrown into an intriguing adventure to save her B&B, as well as the new threats against her life.
Matthias Jones, our hero, is in Burning Cove at the request of Luther Pell (previous book hero) to help him solve the disappearance of new prototype cipher machine, which they believe is part of espionage. Matthias suspects that the man murdered was the one who stole the machine, and together with Pell, they will need to find it before the villain does. They know that the murderer is someone from the past , a former operative, who has international ties, and no one knows what he looks like. Matthias decides to move into the B&B, as he begins to care about Amalie and senses she is in danger. Both Amalie and Matthias will work together to look for the machine, and the threats against both of their lives.
The romance between Matthias and Amalie is slow build, and mostly in the background, as the mystery takes center stage, with a lot of excitement and suspense. I really enjoy seeing some of the characters from the previous books, such as Oliver, Luther, Irene & Raina. I really liked Amalie and Matthias together, as they made a great couple, and they blended so well together.
What follows is an exciting story that never lets up, with Amalie and Matthias in the thick of all the action. I thought that Matthias’s ability to be a human lie detector was a major help in learning who to trust and who was truly the culprit. This intriguing story does have a number of twists, that not only threw us off, but also kept us guessing. I do not want to give spoilers, as so many things happen along the way, that saying anything more would ruin the book for you.
Tightrope was a wonderful intense suspenseful story, filled with secrets, betrayals, pulse pounding action, and a sweet romance. Amanda Quick once again gives us a complex mystery that had a bit of everything and the fun of being in the glamorous world of 1930’s. I suggest you start this series from the beginning to enjoy the setting of this series, as well as meet some very good characters.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
Amanda Quick and Berkley Romance is graciously offering a paper copy of TIGHTROPE to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.
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