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.
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.
My turn on the blog tour. I was riveted, repulsed, scared and engrossed the entire time I was immersed in this new suspense/thriller. One sitting was all I needed to fly through The Controller ( A Lynch and Rose Thriller Book 1) by Matt Brolly.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, author info, author social media and purchase links. I loved this edge-of-your-seat thriller!
***
Book Blurb:
From the bestselling author of the acclaimed
DCI Lambert series comes The Controller, a gripping serial killer thriller
introducing Sam Lynch and Special Agent Sandra Rose.
It is
six years since special agent Samuel Lynch left the FBI following the
disappearance of his son, Daniel. Lynch believes an underground organisation
known as The Railroad is responsible and has never
stopped searching.
When
Special Agent Sandra Rose investigates a house invasion gone wrong, she
discovers the assailant has the legendary, and infamous, Railroad tattoo carved
onto his back and he claims to know Daniel’s whereabouts.
Rose
draws Lynch in to her case, and together they become embroiled in
an unparalleled world of violence and evil.
It seems that to see his son again, Lynch will have to confront his greatest fear and face the ultimate test: an encounter with the Railroad’s enigmatic and deadly leader, The Controller.
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE CONTROLLER (A
Lynch and Rose Thriller Book 1) by Matt Brolly is a fast-paced, high octane suspense/thriller
that I could not put down until the explosive end. A former and current FBI
agent work together to bring down an organization that is only spoken about as
a legend.
Special Agent Samuel Lynch left the FBI. He was forced out as he spent every minute investigating an underground organization known as The Railroad who he believed kidnapped his son and hundreds of others. Each time he gets close, his lead evaporates, but he will never stop searching until his son, Daniel is found.
Seven years have passed.
Special Agent Sandra Rose is sent to investigate a home
invasion were the killer sadistically eliminated an entire family. He is taken
into custody, but refuses to talk to anyone but Samuel Lynch. He claims to know
were Daniel is being held – alive.
Rose brings Lynch in and together they become entangled in a
world where no one can be trusted. As Rose works with her partner within the
system, Lynch will allow himself to be taken by The Controller, who is the
sadistic and deadly leader of The Railroad. He will do anything to see his son
again, but will it be the last thing he ever does?
This book drops you immediately into action that never lets
up. The author weaves Lynch and Rose’s backstories throughout without losing
momentum. There are gruesome scenes that are graphic, but this is a thriller
about an organization of sadists and I never felt the scenes were gratuitous. The
Controller was a truly scary psychopath who is still out there. (This is not a
secret, so I will be looking for him in future books.) All of the secondary characters
kept you guessing if they were good or bad which added to the tension.
I am very interested in following this duo to see how the
author handles each going forward. The next thrill ride cannot come soon
enough!
***
About Matt
Brolly:
Following his law degree where he developed an interest in criminal law,
Matt Brolly completed his Masters in Creative Writing at Glasgow University.
He is the bestselling author of the DCI Lambert
crime novels, Dead Eyed, Dead Lucky and Dead Embers. The fourth in the series,
Dead Time, was released by Canelo in May 2018 and a prequel, Dead Water, will
be published in September 2019. In 2020 the first of a new crime
series set in the West Country of the UK will be released by Thomas and Mercer
(Amazon Publishing).
The Controller, released in May 2019, is the first of a new thriller
series set in Texas.
Matt also writes children’s books as M.J.
Brolly. His first children’s book, The Sleeping Bug, was released by Oblong
Books in December 2018.
Matt lives in London with his wife and their two
young children. You can find out more about Matt at his website MattBrolly.co.uk or by
following him on twitter: @MattBrollyUK
HIS MAGIC TOUCH by Debby Grahl is a contemporary paranormal
romance featuring witches and ghosts set in NOLA. Ms. Grahl’s world-building
effortlessly pulls you into the conflict between good and evil and the
generational curse which is the suspense element of the story. The lore and
setting of New Orleans adds to the story’s impact.
Jared Dupre is a powerful witch. He met his soulmate, Kendra
O’Connel several years ago at a coven meeting.
Now, on the eve of their wedding, Jared discovers his brother has been kidnapped by Adam Montief, a powerful dark witch. If Jared does not follow, Adam has sworn to kill his brother and threatens to kill Kendra as well. Jared refuses to tell Kendra where he is so that she remains safe in New Orleans. Adam believes he is The Chosen One and has to kill Jared to settle a centuries old family vendetta.
A swordfight between the two sends Adam wounded and over the
side of a cliff and leaves Jared severely wounded. As Jared heals in Connecticut,
Kendra believes he has left her for another woman.
When Jared returns to New Orleans, he finds that Kendra does
not want to hear the truth of what happened and Adam is alive and dating
Kendra. Jared must now find a way to protect and win back Kendra as he
investigates the reason for the vendetta between the Montief’s and the Dupre’s
which will only end with the death of one of heirs.
I absolutely loved the setting and world-building in this
book. The witches and ghosts of NOLA interacting with the human population was
believable and interesting. The twisting suspense plot in the past and present
kept me turning the pages. I did have a problem with the romance subplot. Kendra’s
reactions on her own and with her two best friends, I felt were very immature.
I dislike when a lack of communication or misunderstandings are the main reasons
for a couple not being together for a large portion of the book especially when
they are supposedly soulmates.
I really enjoyed the suspense and world-building in this
book, but not the romance. I would read more books in this witchy world hoping
for a more mature relationship in the next book.
Today the Feature Post and Book Review is for Mary Burton’s upcoming release HIDE ANDSEEK (Criminal Profiler #1). Below you will find a guest piece from the author, an excerpt from the title, my book review, a bio about the author and social media links for the author. At the end of the post, you will also see a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book.
It was hard to put this book down and I was on the edge of my seat at the climax. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. As always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Profiling FBI Profiler Macy Crow
Special Agent Macy Crow is 33-years-old and is
an accomplished FBI Agent. She’s worked a series of high profile cases
across the United States and isn’t afraid to take chances. When her father was
murdered, she headed to Texas to investigate the crime. Following clues left
behind by her father, she was closing in on the killer when she became the
victim of a hit and run accident.
Most would have died from the injuries Macy
sustained or would have been permanently disabled. However, Macy channeled her
extreme ability to focus into her recovery. Though her fit muscles have
softened during her recovery, she is regaining strength each day and is now
laser-focused on returning to the FBI as a field agent. Before her
accident, she had shoulder length blond hair but the brain surgeons who saved
her life cut off all her hair. She now proudly sports a pixie cut.
When Macy returned to Texas, she learned a
startling fact about herself. She has an identical twin—medical examiner Dr.
Faith McIntyre. Though adopted by different families, the sisters already have
a strong connection.
Macy’s adoptive parents split when she was two
and she moved from Texas to Alexandria, Virginia located outside of Washington,
D.C. Over the years she remained close with her father and spent many summers
with him helping repair old cars on his auto salvage lot. In Alexandria, she
and her mother lived in a large apartment complex. When she was young, a
neighborhood girl was murdered. That tragedy had a very profound affect on
Macy, who discovered she wasn’t afraid of the police and FBI agents swarming
the apartment complex. Instead, she was fascinated by their work and not only
watched law enforcement in action but also walked the actual crime scene
herself in search of clues.
Macy has never been married and has no children. For a long time, she considered herself married to her job and it wasn’t until she met FBI Special Agent Mike Nevada that she reconsidered her single status. However, her accident cut short their romance. Nevada is now the sheriff in a small Virginia town in the Shenandoah Valley. He understands Macy’s need to reclaim the FBI job she has always loved so much. In the last year, he has never forgotten her and is committed to helping regain her old life. When the two are paired on a cold case murder investigation in Nevada’s district, they become an unstoppable team.
***
Excerpt: Hide and Seek by Mary
Burton
Vivid blue
sky, white clouds, and golden fall leaves blanketed the Blue Ridge and
Allegheny mountains and created a picture-perfect day in the valley. In Macy’s
book, the beauty was wasted. If she had God’s ear, today would have been cold,
overcast, and damp. Save the pretty days until she caught this killer.
As she drove south down I-81, Macy mentally
replayed her ten minutes of regional research. In the last couple of decades,
the Shenandoah Valley’s population had ballooned thanks to a growing
university, its proximity to Washington, DC, and a thriving tourism trade
peddling vineyards, Civil War battlefields, and railroad museums. Filling in
the economic gaps were warehouse distribution centers, chain hotels, and strip
malls.
The voice of Macy’s GPS cut through AC/DC’s Back in Black blasting from her
playlist and instructed her to take the upcoming exit toward Deep Run. As she
rolled onto Route 250, a sign for her go-to fast-food eatery gave her an excuse
to stretch her legs before driving the remaining ten miles to the crime scene.
Parking, she gingerly rose up out of the car.
Her leg hurt. Stretches weren’t optional any more. She grabbed her ankle and
pulled until the bunched muscles in her thigh released. After a quick walk
around the lot, she made a beeline for the restaurant bathroom.
She glanced into the mirror as she washed her
hands. Even after five months, she still didn’t recognize the woman with the
short hair and thin face.
Nevada was in for a rude awakening.
She wiped her face with a paper towel. “Macy
Crow, you’re above ground and headed in the right direction. That’s what
counts.”
At the counter, she ordered a supersize bucket
of fries and a large soda. It wasn’t that she loved the food—okay, maybe she
did love the fries—but the chain restaurant’s predictability and sameness was
comforting after so many life changes.
A few fries later, she was in her car and
backing out of her space when her phone rang. Nevada’s number appeared. She
cleared her throat and sat a little taller.
“Agent Macy Crow,” she said.
“Ramsey tells me you’re on your way. Where are
you?”
He was direct, rarely charming, and she always
knew where she stood with him. “Fifteen minutes from the barn.”
“I’m here now.”
The transition back into a working relationship
appeared effortless. Whatever they had was over and done. No hard feelings.
“See you soon,” she said.
En route on the interstate, she ate her fries
and drained her soda. There were no guarantees on when the next meal would be.
The last few miles took her down smaller roads
until she spotted the driveway marked by stacked stones. Gravel crunched under
her tires as she passed a freshly cleared field. Over the rise of a hill, she
saw the old barn encircled by yellow crime scene tape.
When she had been researching the area, slogans
such as “Best Quality of Life” and “Raise Your Family in Deep Run” popped up on
her computer screen. As she had read about the area, she had kept glancing
toward her open case file filled with images of Tobi Turner’s scattered bones.
Recent pictures had captured the barn surrounded by dozens of state and local
law enforcement vehicles crammed side by side in the grassy field.
Now as Macy parked, she noted that all the
vehicles were gone expect for a lone black SUV. She grabbed her Glock from the
glove box, holstered it, and stepped out of her car. Her worn hiking boots
sloshed in the damp muddy soil. She tugged on an FBI windbreaker and draped her
FBI credentials around her neck. As a stiff breeze blew a lingering chill and
autumn scents, she checked her pockets for latex gloves, sunglasses, a small
pocketknife, and pendant light.
Edginess and excitement fused as she strode
toward the stretch of yellow tape and searched for Nevada. She ducked under the
tape and stepped inside the barn.
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
HIDE AND SEEK (Criminal Profiler #1) by Mary Burton is a romantic suspense with a stronger emphasis on the suspense/thriller plot line than the romance. The two main characters have been involved in the past, both professionally and romantically, which allows the author to amp up the suspense without the reader feeling cheated on the romance. This is a new series, but there is overlapping of characters from Ms. Burton’s previous books.
FBI Special Agent Macy Crow has an innate ability to connect
seemingly unconnected pieces of a crime together to solve big cases. She is
attempting to get on the FBI’s elite profiling team so she can get back out
into the field. After being almost killed by a hit-and-run tied to her last
case in Texas, she knows she is not yet one-hundred percent, but she is tired
of sitting behind a desk.
Mike Nevada has returned home after resigning from the FBI.
He was a profiler and had had enough of the death and depravity. He is elected
sheriff after discovering multiple rape kits that the current sheriff purposely
never had processed. When the bones and backpack of a fifteen-year-old missing
person case of a high school girl are discovered, Mike requests Macy’s assistance
on the case.
Macy and Nevada work together as seamlessly as before, but
they are up against a killer who has evolved and honed his skills over many
years. In 2004, he started with rapes and then worked his way up to kidnapping
and murder. He is bold enough to have left his DNA at every scene and he is
still free. He is watching as Macy starts to put the pieces together and he has
decided she needs to be stopped – permanently.
I read this book in one sitting. The investigation was so intriguing
and the killer so depraved that I just had to find out who the killer was. The
climax had me on the edge of my seat. Macy and Nevada are a great couple who
each understand what drives the other. Macy is extremely strong and resilient and
yet vulnerable due to her physical changes since the accident. Nevada is
strong, smart and the perfect man to support Macy. The sex scenes are not too
explicit or long. All of the secondary characters are fully fleshed out and I
will be looking forward to following them in future books, too.
I can highly recommend this book and I will be waiting
anxiously for the next book in this series!
***
About the Book
Title: Hide and Seek
Author: Mary Burton
Release Date: April 23, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
Special Agent Macy Crow is a survivor. After a vicious hit-and-run nearly kills her, she gets right back to work, and now she’s gunning for a spot on the FBI’s elite profiling team. As an audition, she offers to investigate the recently discovered bones of Tobi Turner, a high school girl who disappeared fifteen years ago.
While investigating with local sheriff Mike Nevada, a former colleague and onetime lover, Macy discovers a link between Tobi’s case and several others that occurred around the same time as her disappearance. As Macy interviews victims and examines old cases, she uncovers a sinister picture of a stalker who graduated to sexual assault—and then murder.
Macy and Nevada race to put this monster behind bars before he can come out of hiding. But the murderer’s had years to hone his skills, and soon Macy herself becomes a target. She’s no stranger to pain and terror, but will Macy’s first profiling case be her last?
***
Author Biography
New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Mary Burton is the highly praised author of twenty-six romance and suspense novels and five novellas. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three miniature dachshunds.
