The Rogue River Series (Book 1 & 2) by Kendra Elliot & Melinda Leigh – Reviews

 

Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh, amazing individual authors, have generously collaborated to gift us with the Rogue River Romance Suspense Novella Series. There are 4 novellas in which both Elliot and Leigh will do two each.  Below are the first two book in this series.

We discovered that the only thing better than having writer buddies is having one to help you plot murder. On paper, of course.

                                                            Kendra Elliot ~ Melinda Leigh

 

On Her Father’s Grave
Rogue River – Book #1
by Kendra Elliot
Release Date: October 7, 2014

Amazon

Description:
In a small town like Solitude, Oregon, keeping a secret can be murder.

Stevie Taylor had left her sleepy Oregon hometown for a more exciting life. But after her police chief father passes away, the LAPD cop returns to Solitude and signs on as a patrol officer, hoping to heal from her loss…and from the horrific things she’s seen in the city.

In Solitude, everyone knows everyone else’s business—and, to Stevie’s dismay, local gossip soon ties her to the new police chief and a man from her past. Tragedy then shakes up the small town when a teenager dies after taking a strange new drug. Now, the seasoned LA cop must hunt down the dealer while investigating the most important case of her life, one that could divide her tranquil town.

 

Review:
Stevie’s “escaped from L.A.” to her childhood town of Solitude in the Pacific Northwest. Life was teeming with crime in the big city, so she wanted to part ways and surround herself with familiar faces. Perhaps the death of a well-known teenager (the day before her first day as a police officer), following the death of her father the local police chief (just ten days ago), was too overwhelming to be a first case? No time like the present for this as#-kicker.

The mysterious death of a popular teenager has set the small town of Solitude into an uproar. Rumors and teen shoulder shrugs (secrets) call for a swift solution to restore peace, but Zane, the new Chief of Police has yet to settle into the position (aka, gain approval from the sleepy community). When the findings of a second death too closely resembles the unsolved first murder (no visible markings of foul play), a silent killer must be brought to the light.

The investigation was intriguing, Ms. Elliot is recognized for her thrillers, but the romance was subtly intoxicating! You can sense a mutual interest, an attraction at the very least, but it’s enough to keep you hopeful. Throw in Stevie’s ex-HS-BF and things just got competitive.

“Yes, that happens, doesn’t it? Then something new shows up and that’s all you can see.”

I don’t know what their collaborative process was or how Ms. Elliot was chosen to lead, but its taken life and I’m excited to read where it’s headed. What a beginning!

 

Gone to Her Grave
Rogue River – Book #2
by Melinda Leigh
Release Date: October 21, 2014

 Amazon

 

Description:
When she believes a teen is falsely accused of drug dealing, social worker Carly Taylor takes on a high-risk case and her estranged husband—the detective in charge of the investigation—to prove the boy innocent. A deadly new designer drug has taken hold of her small rural hometown of Solitude, Oregon, and Carly is determined to find the real dealer and clear the teen’s name. But the deeper she digs into the case, the more danger she unearths, until someone decides it’s time for Carly to move on…permanently.

Investigator Seth Harding knows he can’t stop his wife when she has a child to protect. But he risks any chance of reconciliation with Carly if he can’t learn to accept her dangerous job. When a drug dealer decides Carly is getting too close, will Seth lose her altogether?

 

Review:
A spoiler-free sequel review requires Herculean effort to tiptoe around plotlines, but I endeavor to do so. I will have to offer some insight, but intend to keep the suspense intact.

Solitude seemed to sit right in the middle of the current drug infestation

Gone to Her Grave, written by Melinda Leigh, is book #2 in the Rogue River series, in collaboration with author, Kendra Elliot. While Ms. Elliot was a pleasant surprise for me, I’m a huge fan of Ms. Leigh’s (her Midnight novels reviews can be read here) and I expect she will continue to thread the needle of this beautiful tapestry woven in Solitude.

Drugs are the culprit. Their effects: Deadly. Who is supplying the poison remains to be unearthed. Carly is a social worker (and younger sister of Stevie from book #1) who comes to the aid of an abuser’s family, and inadvertently becomes prey. Though currently separated from her husband, Seth, a Rogue County Sheriff’s investigator, both of them will have to put personal issues aside and join forces to defeat the harm permeating Solitude.

Although their divorce is pending, love isn’t the issue — the lack of respect and appreciation has strained the marriage to a breaking point. When Seth and Carly are forced into a corner, will inventory of life’s essentials resuscitate the waning relationship or emphasize their fundamental differences?

These women knew what their vision was, played to their strengths, and wrote an intriguing series. The combination of suspense, romance, fear, and other terrific elements has fans crying out for more. The third installment, Her Grave Secrets, penned by Kendra Elliot, is released Tuesday, November 4^th. Not to be outdone is the finale of the series, Walking on Her Grave, slated for November 18^th with Ms. Leigh at the helm.

I’m marking the days off my calendar!

Reviews by Carmen

Copies provided by Authors