THE REBOUND EFFECT by Linda Griffin is listed as a romantic
suspense. It is not a romance. This book is a domestic psychological thriller.
If considered in that genre, it is a high intensity read of a single mother on
the rebound and the new man who comes into her life while women are disappearing
in the area.
Teresa Lansing is a struggling single mother working as a
veterinary assistant in the small town of Cougar. She is doing the best she can
for herself and her six-year-old deaf son. Both are trying to get over the
recent break-up of Teresa and her fiancé after she found out he cheated.
While visiting her best-friend at her local family bar and
grill, Teresa is swept off her feet by Frank McAllister. Frank just moved to
Cougar four months ago. He is a cop and works on the S.W.A.T. team in the big
city near Cougar. Frank is handsome, charming and very sexy. Teresa and her
friend believe she has finally found a good man.
As the courtship progresses, Teresa at many times feels
overwhelmed by the fast pace Frank wants to set for the relationship. She tries
to draw some lines, but she always feels ungrateful for everything he is doing
for her and her son and lets Frank continue to have his way. While Frank is
pushing for a permanent commitment, Teresa’s former fiancé continues to try to
win her back.
While tensions rise between Teresa and Frank, the number of
missing women in the area also increases. Is Teresa safe or is she the next to
die?
Ms. Griffin’s characters are realistic and make you easily
understand how psychopaths and psychological abusers can overwhelm you. Yes,
there were times I wanted to smack Teresa in the head and tell her to wise up
and put her son first, but Frank knew how to tie them both together to get what
he wanted. The sense of danger and the high intensity of the emotions in this
book keep you turning the pages. As I wrote previous, this is a thriller and
not a romance. For me, a romance or romantic suspense must end with or be
leading to a HEA. The dating and sex in this book is not a romance.
If you are looking for a domestic psychological suspense, this is a fast paced, high intensity read.
COLTON ON THE RUN (Coltons of Roaring Springs Book 9) by
Anna J. Stewart is a new Harlequin Romantic Suspense that I could not stop
reading. Ms. Stuart had me completely engrossed in Skye Colton’s story and the
strong rancher who will do anything to protect her.
Skye Colton is missing.
She wakes with no memory of who she is. She needs to escape.
She is bound in an old shed and just knows she needs to run before someone
comes back.
Leo Slattery has returned to Roaring Springs, to run the
ranch his grandparents left him. As he and his dog, Ollie head into the barn to
begin their day, they find a half-dead woman hiding in a pile of hay. The woman
has no memory, but she knows she is in danger and she is terrified of the
police. Her injuries and fear bring out Leo’s protective streak and he promises
he will keep her safe.
As Leo keeps her secret and “Jane” begins to heal, the two
forge a bond while working side by side on the ranch. “Jane” wants more from
Leo than he is willing to give until they can find out who she really is and
where she belongs, but she refuses to go to the police out of an unknown fear
and not wanting her time with Leo to end.
But someone is looking for her and will not stop until she
is silenced. She witnessed something that a killer does not want her to
remember.
This book is an absolutely perfect escape read. It is fast
paced, easy-to-read and contains all the elements I am looking for in a
romantic suspense. Leo is the hero we all want; strong, protective and loving.
Skye/“Jane” may need Leo’s help, but she is no pushover and blossoms on the
ranch. There is one explicit sex scene, but it is not gratuitous. As the
romance builds, the suspense continues to build the more “Jane” remembers. All
of the secondary characters were fully fleshed and realistic which is unusual
for a story of this length. Also, this book can easily be read as a standalone.
I love and recommend this addition to the series!
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
I am very excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review for C.D. Reiss’ new release ONLY EVER YOU. This romance is different than the steamier, darker stories from this author. This romance is lighter and all about a reunited friendship, family, hope and love.
Below you will find an interview with the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, an author biography and social media links, book summary and a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book. Enjoy and good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Author Interview: CD Reiss
Please introduce your newest release.
Only Ever You is about a girl who planned for everything but never
got what she hoped for, and a dweeb who hoped he’d to marry the girl, but never
planned for it.
Rachel and Sebastian have an interesting history. They were friends as kids,
but have lost touch as adults…
They’re really strangers when they reunite at 30, but they’re burdened by what
they think they know about each other. Sebastian was supposed to be an artist
and Rachel was supposed to be a screenwriter. They have to shake all that stuff
loose before they can see each other. When they do, they’re strangers.
I think attraction between strangers is real.
Sexual heat is real. But “hearts and flowers” are earned. (I know
that sounds like I’m your dad telling you to mow lawns, but that’s where the magic
is. Not the lawns.) In the time just before you’re struck by lightning there’s
a real electricity. It’s pure potential and anything can go wrong. It’s the
best thing ever.
When they were kids they made up a ‘contract’ to get married at 30—which is
pretty much panned when they do meet up and have the most awkward first kiss
EVER. How do they overcome such an incredibly uncomfortable situation?
They overcome it by running away!
Sebastian is thinking “now or never” because he thinks Rachel’s never going to
think he’s any cooler than when she sees him in the office of his own company.
And she isn’t ready because her whole idea of herself is tied up in what a
failure she is. Neither one of them is feeling good enough about themselves to
have a really hot first kiss, which is the same reason they’re not ready to get
married.
***
Excerpt: Only Ever You by CD
Reiss
After
I left her and CJ with Lucinda, I spent the weekly staff meeting wondering if
Rachel was the same warrior I’d loved or if she was more the woman who’d held
her laptop to her chest as if she needed protection.
I was obsessed.
I had to know.
Her text came in as I was
leaving the meeting.
I need
to check that we’re kidding
Before I could finish
typing a response, I caught her coming out of the bathroom with her laptop
under her arm.
Alone. Me and her. Nothing
between us but the question of who we were and how we fit.
“Seb, I—”
She didn’t have a chance
to finish. I crowded her back into the bathroom and locked the door behind us.
“Kidding about what?” I
said.
“About getting married.”
“Why would that even be a
question?”
“Our parents have been in
negotiations about it.”
My mother couldn’t keep
herself from talking if she tried, and I was her favorite subject.
“It might be a little soon
for marriage, but—”
“Soon? I don’t like you
seeing what I do for a living while you’re in a glass-walled office overlooking
the ocean. I mean, I’m not marriage material, and the odds are that’s never
going to change.”
“I don’t see why a date’s
off the table.”
“Do you know what’s going
to happen if we date?”
The list of possibilities
was as long as my arm. I could have counted them off, from “We decide we hate
each other” to “We end up in bed.” But I didn’t, because I was still trying to
figure her out.
What did she want to hear?
With her wide eyes and
parted lips, what did she want? Did she have a fondest wish where I was
concerned? Was she leaning forward? Was her expression soft and yielding?
My mind spent too long
deciding what to say, so my body spoke for me.
I kissed her hard and was
met with teeth and stiff resistance. It was a kiss I’d wanted since I’d had
hairless armpits and a voice somewhere in the low soprano range. I’d dreamed
about it. Fantasized about it. Thought about it so hard in the middle of the
night I could practically feel it.
But never, ever in my
fantasies did she push me away so hard I fell back against a towel dispenser,
watching her face twist into surprised rage as the machine spit out a ragged
rectangle of brown paper.
“That was—”
“Messed up. I know.”
“Then why? What is wrong
with you?”
She was livid, just like
she would have been. Just like she should have been.
The tiger within Rachel
was in there, and my attempt to tease her out had probably alienated her. She’d
be right to never speak to me again.
“I’m sorry,” I said with
my hand on the door lock. “I misread you. It won’t happen again.”
I started to open the
door, but she held it closed.
“If we date, my mother’s
going to get her hopes up that I’m going to settle down. And I’m sorry, Seb,
but if we break up while she’s in chemo, it’s going to crush her.”
“You don’t even know if
she’s sick again.”
“You’re right.” She
pointed a rigid finger at me as if I were her mother. “I’m going to make her
tell me.”
“You’re really beautiful
when you’re telling it like it is.”
She slid her hand off the
door. Having been called out, the warrior was sent into hiding.
No. I wouldn’t accept
that. I wouldn’t allow it.
“Let’s just go out and
catch up,” I said. “Saturday.”
“Can’t. Saturday’s the
soonest I can talk to Mom.”
I unlocked the door. “I’m
sorry about . . . the thing.”
“Kissing me?”
“No, wasting paper towels.
Of course kissing you.”
“Next time, give a girl a
little warning.”
Next time? Her eyes darted
to the door. Was she calculating the distance to her getaway? Or making sure it
was closed?
“How about now?” I asked.
“Now what?”
“Fair warning. Now.”
I stepped a little closer
and put my hands on her arms. Not right away. I let them hover an inch away
before touching her to give her the chance to move away. A chance I was sure
she’d take.
“Seb, really?”
But she didn’t move away.
Not this time. When I laid
my hands on her biceps, she leaned in to me just a little. I smelled the floral
lotion on her skin and a hint of cool water on her breath.
“Really.” I slid the
laptop from her arms and placed it on the counter. “This is your warning.”
You’re
doing this. I cannot believe you’re doing this.
“It doesn’t feel like a
warning,” she said, and again—I noted—she didn’t move away.
“Flashing red lights.” My
lips brushed her cheek, heading for her mouth. She felt better than I ever
imagined. “A buzzer, maybe.”
“Just a kiss?” she asked,
her lips moving against mine.
Before I could consummate
what she was agreeing to, I was smacked by a swinging door.
“Oh!” CJ said. “I’m sorry!
I was looking for you.”
Rachel snatched up her
laptop and walked out. CJ raised an eyebrow with good reason, since I was in
the ladies’ room. I left, and we all gathered in the hall.
Awkward.
“Well,” Rachel said.
“Thanks for showing us your tedious financial-sector company.”
“Thank you for coming,” I
said and let them walk away. I could have done or said much more, but not
without getting her into trouble. She glanced back at me when they turned the
corner, as if she wanted to make sure I was still there.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
ONLY EVER YOU by
C.D. Reiss is a new contemporary romance not like any previous books I have
read from this author. I think dark, erotic and intense usually when I see this
author’s name, but this romance is different. Sebastian and Rachel’s story is
lighter, full of family, hope and love. The angst and steamy is still there,
but not as often and with a twist.
When Sebastian was in school, he was a stick thin, nerd who
was bullied.
Then a beautiful girl named Rachel moved in across the lane.
She became his best friend. She defended him and included him.
As they plan their futures, they decide on a back-up plan
and write a marriage contract stating if both are single when they turn thirty
years old, they will marry each other.
The future happens and it does not always go as planned. Rachel and Sebastian are both home for Christmas. Sebastian has become an extremely successful and gorgeous man. Rachel is still struggling in her career and has dated a string of losers. Nothing has gone as she planned, but she also would not have changed the time she put her career on hold to help her mother through her cancer.
Are they really going to go through with their marriage contract?
This is a very entertaining friends to lovers contemporary romance.
Sebastian is a hero we all love to cheer for. The dweeb to heart-throb, smart
to successful, but no matter the success, he is still very vulnerable. Rachel
was strong as a young girl, but she let fear and the wrong men make her doubt
herself to the point of losing her confidence in herself. As the two reunite,
they learn how they are still alike, but also different. This is a cute couple
with crazy family members and friends that love them and only want them to be
happy. The sex scenes occur towards the end of the book and there is a very
interesting twist involved, especially from this author.
This is one of those feel good, fun romances to enjoy curled
up on your favorite chair.
***
About the Book:
Title: Only Ever You
Author: CD Reiss
Release Date: July 9, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary:
Rachel knew exactly
what turning thirty would be like. She had a plan, after all. First college,
then a climb up the professional ladder. Love, marriage, children. All of it
was on the schedule.
The cheap Hollywood
apartment wasn’t on the list. Neither was the string of heartbreaks. Or the
effect her mother’s cancer had on her career.
It’s hard to stay
practical and on point when everything takes a left turn.
Enter Sebastian,
the nerd across the street. The boy she defended when he couldn’t defend
himself. The best friend she promised she’d marry if life didn’t go according
to plan.
Not only is he
successful, confident, and gorgeous, but he also still has their handwritten
marriage contract.
No one goes through
with childhood wedding pacts.
That’s crazy.
But their families might just be crazy enough to rent a hall and set a date. All Rachel and Sebastian have to do is fall in love.
***
Author Biography:
CD Reiss is a New York Times bestselling
author. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the
fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God, but in the meantime, if you
call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well hauling buckets. Born in New
York City, Reiss moved to Hollywood, California, to get her master’s degree in
screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere—but it did
give her a big enough ego to write novels.
Reiss is frequently
referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut, which is flattering but hasn’t ever
gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood. If you meet her in person, you
should call her Christine. Text cdreiss to 77948 to get a
notification whenever she has a new release.
THE LOST MAN by Jane Harper is a slow burn, atmospheric
murder mystery set in the unforgiving and remote Australian Outback.
The apparent suicide of Cameron Bright seems to be just
another tragedy in this family’s story. A well liked family man, no one can
understand why he would leave his well-stocked vehicle and walk to the
Stockman’s Grave in the deadly heat of the Outback summer to die.
When Nathan Bright meets his youngest brother Bub at the
fence-line between his and the family’s properties at the Stockman’s Grave to
recover his brother’s body, Nathan has more questions than answers. The local
police believe it is a suicide, but Nathan has trouble believing. He returns to
the family homestead to help, but the past returns to haunt him as well as the
secrets his brother was hiding.
As the family grieves, Nathan’s suspicion grows that there
may be a murderer among them.
This is one of those books you start and just fall into the
intrigue of the location and mystery. Ms. Harper’s description of the heat and
dry in the Outback in the summer pulls you in and makes you believe you can
feel the isolation and danger of the location for the families that live there.
My opinion of the point-of-view main character, Nathan changes continually with
each new family revelation Ms. Harper weaves into the story. The secondary
characters are all hiding their own secrets and add to the feeling of surprise
and dread with each revelation. The resolution of the mystery was a surprise I
did not see coming which makes this a truly memorable read.
Today is my turn on the Blog Tour for a new, emotional psychological thriller THE PERFECT BETRAYAL by Lauren North. It is always difficult to tell you about a thriller without giving away any spoilers, but in this type of thriller I always suspect everyone, even the narrator so I am not usually surprised. This ending has a twist that is SHOCKING!
Below in this Feature Post you will find a book blurb, my book review and author information and social media links.
You have to read this book!
***
Book Blurb:
After
the sudden death of her husband, Tess is drowning in grief.
All she has left is her son, Jamie, and she’ll do anything to
protect him – but she’s struggling to cope.
When
grief counsellor Shelley knocks on their door, everything
changes. Shelley is understanding and kind, and promises she can help Tess
through the hardest time of her life.
But when a string of unsettling events happens and questions arise over her husband’s death, Tess starts to suspect that Shelley may have an ulterior motive. Tess knows she must do everything she can to keep Jamie safe – but she’s at her most vulnerable, and that’s a dangerous place to be.
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE PERFECT BETRAYAL by Lauren North is a psychological
thriller by a new-to-me author that is absolutely perfect. This is the type of
thriller that makes you question everything everyone says and does, even the
narrator. When you believe everything is settled, keep reading. The ending is
so SHOCKING!
Tess is barely keeping herself and her seven year old son,
Jamie functioning after the death of her husband in a plane crash. Both are
depressed, angry and struggling to cope with everyday life and each other. Tess
is unwilling to ask for help from her extended family and she has never been
friendly with Ian, her husband’s brother.
Shelley is a grief counsellor assigned to help Tess. Shelley
lost her son to leukemia and believes her son would have looked just like Jamie
if he had lived. Tess and Shelley bond over Jamie and she seems to be helping
Tess to move on with her life. As much as Tess is friendly with Shelley, there
are times that Tess believes Shelley has ulterior motives.
Since Shelley and Ian have been around a series of
unsettling events have occurred that have Tess and those around her questioning
her improvement, but Tess believes Shelley and Ian have ulterior motives and
are scheming against her. Tess will do anything to keep Jamie safe, but will
pushing everyone away keep them safe?
To tell the truth, when I started this book, I thought it
was going to be another domestic psychological thriller that would be an
escape, but nothing new. I was SO WRONG! The depression and emotions are
heartbreaking. All of the characters’ motivations remain hidden throughout. The
ending had me in tears and shocked. Ms. North’s writing will pull you in, twist
you up and leave you questioning everything you just read. Tess is a character
that will stay with me for a long time.
I highly recommend this book!
***
About Lauren
North:
Lauren North writes
psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships
and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things
books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and
her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could
happen in every situation.
Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where
she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the
Suffolk countryside.
I am very excited to be a part of this Release Blitz for Riley Edward’s new romantic suspense NIXON’S PROMISE (Gemini Group Book 1). This book had me completely immersed in the romance, the two suspense plot-lines and the formation of the Gemini Group. This book had everything I am looking for in a romantic suspense!
Below you will find the book description, my book review, the author’s information and social media links and a Goodreads giveaway. Good luck on the Goodreads giveaway and I highly recommend you start this series now!
***
Book Description:
Former Navy SEAL Nixon Swagger was home.
After twelve years of service and twice as many deployments, all Nix wanted was quiet. He’d sought the solace of the land he’d grown up on and found the peace he needed to silence the noise and figure out his next move. Nixon’s stay was supposed to be temporary. He wasn’t supposed to meet a feisty, head-strong woman who made his pulse race and set his body on fire. Falling in love hadn’t been part of his plan. Taking a government contract to stop a homegrown terrorist group hadn’t been either, but when the organization threatens to attack Philadelphia, he had no choice but to accept.
McKenna Wilson was living. Every day was the same. Raising her two teenage siblings didn’t leave time for much else. Most days, she was okay with that. Then she bumped into the sexy war hero and, in an instant, her world changed. She had no idea falling for Nixon would be so dangerous. Now she was going head-to-head with the small-town’s dirty sheriff who was hell-bent on ruining Nixon and avenging a fifteen-year-old grudge. She’d lost her heart, but losing her life wasn’t part of the plan.
Nixon Swagger had learned a few things as a Navy SEAL—adapt, improvise, and overcome were among the many. In the middle of an inferno, so ominous even Dante wouldn’t buy a ticket, Nixon must adapt to his new surroundings and overcome multiple threats before he loses the woman he loves.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
YEAH! Riley Edwards is writing a whole new series featuring
more smokin’ hot former SEAL’s for us to fall in love and lust with.
NIXON’S PROMISE
(Gemini Group Book 1) by Riley Edwards is a romantic suspense that not only
gives you a feel good romance, a strong and drool-worthy alpha hero, an intelligent
and loving heroine and a page turning suspense, but also sets you up with more men
to follow into future books.
McKenna Wilson is trying her best to raise her two siblings
after the death of their father and mother, her step-mother. McKenna was hoping
small town life would be good for them all and give them time to slow down and
grieve, but the teens are having problems adjusting. While in town picking up
feed for their animals, McKenna is helped by the sexy war hero she heard was
back in town.
Former SEAL Nixon Swagger has been back home for six months.
He is looking for peace and quiet in his small hometown as he works to fix up
his family’s farm his father left him while he decides what he wants to do with
his future. Nixon has no plans to stay, but when he helps rescue a feisty brunette
beauty’s feed bag his plans instantly change. Nixon knows the McKenna is the
one woman for him and he will slowly work to intertwine their lives, but
sometimes small town history can interfere.
Just as Nixon and McKenna begin to see a future together,
Nixon is asked to get his old team together to help DHS with an anti-government
group, but not everything is as it seems. Nixon and his team find themselves
having to adapt on the fly with very little time to stop a plot that surprises
them all only to come home to a life-or-death situation that has culminated
from the past.
I could not put this book down! I love Nixon and McKenna. Nixon
is the type of alpha hero that everyone dreams about. He is completely in charge
and yet understanding and it is displayed in the way he helps McKenna with her
siblings’ teenage angst and grief, the way he protects McKenna and the way he
appreciates her intelligence and computer skills. McKenna always worried about
everyone else, so when Nixon was able to help her it was done out of love and
not control. Both of these characters are mature adults and respect each other.
The sex in this book is explicit and smokin’ hot. Get your fans ready!
There are two suspense threads in this book. There is a
story-line that revolves around corrupt local law enforcement that begins long
before this story and carries over into Nixon and McKenna’s present. There is
also a story-line that revolves around Nixon’s team of friends and the
formation of the Gemini Group which will lead into more stories in this series.
The pace of the suspense of both threads just keeps building and building into
not one, but two climaxes.
I highly recommend this book and author! I am also anxiously waiting for the other Gemini team members’ stories. You will definitely want to start this series now with book 1.
Riley Edwards is a bestselling multi-genre author, wife, and military mom. Riley was born and raised in Los Angeles but now resides on the east coast with her fantastic husband and children.
Riley writes heart-stopping romance with sexy alpha heroes and even stronger heroines. Riley’s favorite genres to write are romantic suspense and military romance.
