SEARING NEED ( Steele Ridge : The Kingstons #3) by Tracey Devlyn-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 9, 2018
To escape a brutal killer, a brilliant researcher teams up with a tortured soldier who poses an even greater threat . . . to her heart.
Her sister might be the law and her brothers the brawn, but Riley Kingston is definitely the brains of the family. She’s a talented botanist well on her way to a PhD—so why does she feel like a failure? Fired from a dream project in Costa Rica, Riley’s stuck back in her hometown. Cataloguing plants on Steele land keeps her busy, but it’s far from compelling work. Until she discovers a fascinating new specimen. One with a body made for pleasure . . . and eyes filled with a pain she longs to understand.
Delta Force operator Coen Monroe doesn’t want to be studied. Not even by the sexy scientist whose inquisitive glances stir up desires he isn’t ready to handle. He came to Steele Ridge to be alone, to battle his nightmares and the memories triggering them. But Riley’s gentle seduction is as relentless as her curiosity. She soothes his wounded soul . . . and fires up his defensive instincts. But when her research sparks a deadly conspiracy, Coen is exactly what she needs.
When Riley is targeted by a sociopath bent on silencing her forever, Coen will do anything to protect her. But can he save the woman he loves without losing himself in the process?
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REVIEW: SEARING NEED by Tracey Devlyn is the third instalment in the multi-authored STEELE RIDGE: THE KINGSTONS romantic suspense series-a spin off from the authors’ STEELE RIDGE series. This is ethnobotanist Riley Kingston, and Delta Force operator Coen Monroe’s story line. SEARING NEED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment or original series is revealed where necessary.
NOTE: SEARING NEED contains scenes of graphic violence and torture, and may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.
Told from several third person perspectives including Riley and Coen, SEARING NEED follows the building romance and relationship between is ethnobotanist Riley Kingston, and Delta Force operator Coen Monroe. Riley Kingston’s life spiralled out of control when she was abruptly sent home in the middle of a Costa Rican research project. When her cousin Britt Steele offered her a job ‘cataloguing’ the local vegetation on the family-owned Steele-Shepherd Wildlife Research Center, our heroine never expected to run into a naked man, apparently squatting on the family land. Enter Delta Force operator Coen Monroe, and the man with whom Riley will fall in love. What ensues is the building but combative relationship between Riley and Coen, and the potential fall-out as Coen struggles with severe PTSD, and Riley’s past is threatening any chance for a happily ever after.
Three months earlier Delta Force operator Coen Monroe witnessed horrific atrocities on his last mission to South America, a mission where he lost everything including his peace of mind. Unable to move forward Coen was offered some alone time by friend and fellow soldier Reed Steele, at the Steele-Shepherd Wildlife Research Center, time Coen spent struggling with memories of the past. Running into Coen Monroe found our heroine more than intrigued about the who, how and why of Coen’s past but Riley Kingston never expected to fall in love with the damaged and broken Coen Monroe, love that will be tested when Riley’s past seeks something Riley doesn’t have.
The relationship between Riley and Coen is slow to develop as Coen struggles with social interactions as he battles the demons that control his life. Riley is determined to help the man with whom she is falling in love but sometimes the demons are too hard to control. 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 secondary and supporting characters including Britt Steele and Randi Shepherd; Reid Steele; Gage Barber; Riley’s sister and local sheriff Maggie, and their brothers, Cash, and Shep aka Harris Kingston. We are introduced to Riley’s former co-workers Nick Landry, Dr. Hathaway, and Camilla; as well as Coen’s commanders General Delarosa and Colonel Walsh.
The world building focuses on the post traumatic stress of soldiers returning from war: their inability to let go of the horrendous atrocities witnessed, and the torture inflicted as prisoners of war. A heart breaking disorder with little to no cure, PTSD is central to Coen’s relationship with Riley, as our heroine struggles to accept the probability that Coen may be damaged for the rest of his life.
SEARING NEED is a raw, real and gritty story line of one soldier’s battle to get on with his life, and one woman’s endeavour to save the man that she loves. The premise is thought provoking and strong; the characters are complex, spirited and flawed; the romance is spirited and moving. SEARING NEED does not end on a happily ever after but on a happily ever after-for now, as our couple embark on separate journeys in an effort to move forward in their respective lives. The reveal as to the person responsible for the threats against our heroine’s life is predictable but entertaining, none the less.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
He swore. “Let’s make this quick.”
She nodded, flexing her fingers inside her leather gloves. Kneeling at the pit’s edge, she crooned to the frightened, trapped kit. “It’s okay, little one. We’ll have you out of there in a blink.” Looking up at Coen, she asked, “Ready?”
“I’m not the one going into a confined space with a rabid animal.”
“Not every wild creature is rabid. Sometimes they’re just scared.”
He studied her for the space of a breath before motioning to her to get into position. “What do you need?”
“Hold my ankles until I signal that I’ve got the kit, then pull like hell.” She placed the butt of the penlight between her teeth, and without another word, the botanist lay on her stomach, arrowed her arms into the hole, and slid beneath the earth’s surface.
Scrabbling to grasp her ankles, he couldn’t decide if she was one of the most fearless people he’d ever encountered or one of the most reckless.
She lowered her entire torso into the pit, which left him with a perfect view of her firm, well-rounded ass. Heat speared into his gut.
Reid’s cousin, Reid’s cousin, Reid’s cousin.
He forced himself to look away.
While he’d been preoccupied by the botanist’s assets, the adult fox had moved several feet closer. He tightened his grip around her ankles.
“Hurry up,” he demanded.
He received a garbled reply in return. Then the muscles in her calves tautened and her body jerked.
“Do you have it?” he asked.
More garbled words. She couldn’t speak with the damned penlight in her mouth.
“Do you have it?” he pressed.
She must have removed the flashlight long enough to bark out a loud whispered, “No.”
His attention whipped back to the adult sentinel. The fox now sat no more than ten feet away. Way too close for his comfort.
“Ten more seconds and then I’m pulling you out.”
He began the countdown in his head while he kept one eye of the fox. Once he hit ten, he said, “Time’s up.”
Riley began to struggle in his grip, but he dragged her out of the pit, inch by inch, his muscles flexing and straining. When her head cleared the opening, he held his breath, hoping he’d given her enough time to secure the kit.
She spit the penlight out of her mouth and used her free hand to raise herself into a kneeling position. Slowly her other hand cleared the pit and a small, red ball of fluff dangled above the ground.
The adult fox stalked closer, its black-socked paws taking measured steps toward its offspring.
“Set the kit down, Riley.”
“I need to first make sure it’s okay.”
“Set it down.”
She must have picked up on the tension in his voice, for she did as instructed.
They both watched as the kit shuffled away, panicking, before noticing the adult nearby. Body low, the kit beelined for the safety of its parent. The two touched noses before sprinting into the woods.
Watching the two foxes reunite helped banish the remnants of his nightmare. He looked to where Riley sat on the ground. Wisps of dark hair framed her flushed face, and dirt streaked her white tank top. Her breasts rose high with each excited breath.
Pushing her glasses up, she gave him a broad, joyful smile.
Something in his chest cracked.
Tracey Devlyn is an award-winning author who writes historical romantic thrillers (translation: a slightly more grievous journey toward the heroine’s happy ending). She’s a co-founder of Romance University, a group blog dedicated to readers and writers of romance, and Lady Jane’s Salon-Naperville, Chicagoland’s exciting new reading salon devoted to romantic fiction.
An Illinois native, Tracey spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends torturing her characters. For more information on Tracey, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her website.
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