SETBACK by Edita A. Petrick was a fast paced mash-up of CIA/FBI spy novel, supernatural novel with a witch’s heirloom locket that protects the rightful heir, corporate corruption by a cadre of CEO’s, and a psychologically damaged hitman who always succeeds. Scientific and supernatural coexist side by side throughout this fast paced thriller with romantic elements and irreverent humor.
CIA Agent
Ted Bester “Beast” is called in to work with his counterpart in the FBI to
solve a series of brutal killings that are all tied to a scientific conference
on cold fusion that could radically change America’s energy dependence. The FBI
has a source for him. Amelia is in an FBI safe-house because she was killed by the same hitman he is trying to find. (Yes, you read
correctly – killed!)
Amelia now
goes by ‘Randi” and is a doctor who was set to testify against corrupt
pharmaceutical companies. Her heirloom amulet is passed down to first born
daughters in her family from an ancestor witch from Salem who cursed all who
harmed the owner. She survived her execution and is now able to sometimes slip
into the hitman’s mind because he stole the amulet as a trophy.
The two work
together with all the secondary characters you would expect in a usual spy
thriller to find and eliminate the hitman and retrieve the cold fusion
documents before they can be turned over to a foreign government.
Ms. Petrick
has written a fast paced thrill ride that brings together many different genres
into one. Even with all the characters and subplots, the writing is crisp and
never confusing. This is a creative story with unexpected twists, especially in
regards to the hitman. The characters
are well developed and believable. I cannot recommend this book enough and I
can’t wait to read more from this author. If you want something different and
well written, this is it.
I am so excited to share this Feature Post with you. Riley Edwards is starting a new series featuring the Gold Team which is a crossover with Susan Stoker’s new Legacy SEALs. BROOKS (Gold Team #1) is full of action, adventure, ex-SEALs, ex-military, spies and the hot men and women who work behind the scenes to protect us.
If you love hot, sexy romance on the run with plenty a twists and turns in the action, this is definitely the series for you.
Below you will find the book description, book review, the author’s social media and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck on the giveaway!
Title:Brooks (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Gold Team Book 1)
Tatiana Jones is no stranger to the battlefield. One look at her scarred flesh tells the tales of her time in captivity. But it’s not only her skin the bears the marks her failures, doubt and a healthy dose cynicism now clouds her vision. She has also mastered the fine art of deception. In her line of work it is a necessity.
Former Navy SEAL Brooks Miller is living the good life working as a mercenary. Employed by the highly sought-after Z Corps, a private, special-ops company, there are no shortage of contracts sending him around the world. He lives wild and free with nothing tying him down—just the way he likes it.
When the Gold Team’s latest mission takes them to Bahrain, Brooks thinks it will be a quick in and out. That’s until he walks into a shitstorm and comes face to face with the woman who’s about to turn his world upside down. There was something working behind her intelligent eyes, and it looked a lot like pain. Not the physical kind, the emotional aftermath of heartache. And when she tries to hide behind snark and sass he decides on the spot he wants to know more.
Tatiana doesn’t have time for games. She’s on the hunt for the man who left her life in ruins. Brooks has something else in mind, something more, something far more permanent than the no strings fun Tatiana is offering. He had her right where he wanted her until the hunters become the prey and their world explodes. It will take more than the Gold Team to bring down a Saudi Prince out for blood. Their only hope is the one and only, king of all things cyber, John “Tex” Keegan. Can Tex get search and rescue team to them in time, or will it be a recovery mission?
Brooks: Book 1 in the all new Gold Team series features Susan Stoker’s new Legacy SEALs. *
BROOKS (Gold Team #1) by Riley Edwards is the first book in
a new romantic suspense series which will have crossover with Susan Stoker’s
new Legacy SEALs series. This book takes off from the first page with ex-SEALs,
ex-military, spies, action and suspense that engrosses you in the story and
keeps you turning the pages.
Tatiana Jones knows the risks of being a spy intimately.
Ex-CIA and working for a private firm now, she has the scars on her body from
days of torture. She made a mistake. Now she is out for revenge.
Former SEAL Brooks Miller is now working for Z Corps. Z
Corps is a private special-ops company with no shortage of contracts for their
highly specialized work. He loves his team and the freedom of working for a
private company.
While in Bahrain, the Gold Team’s latest mission crosses
Tatiana’s mission with an assassination attempt on her life. Brooks does not
know what it is about this snarky, sarcastic female, but he sees beyond her attitude
and scars to the emotionally wounded female inside. Tatiana does not have time
for this man who sees far too much. She is out to get the man who left her life
in ruins.
Brooks has Tatiana’s back and she has his, but will it be
enough as they face multiple enemies and life and death situations?
This book is fast paced, exciting, emotional and hot. Brooks
is the definitely an alpha hero, but Tatiana is with him every step of the way
with her kick-butt self. Tatiana’s emotional past includes a failed marriage to
a mentally abusive adulterer and physical torture from terrorists which makes
her exterior tough, but Brooks works to prove to her that that is not who she
is. Ms. Edwards does an excellent job of balancing emotional turmoil, hot sex,
action and suspense. The suspense plot twist and turns with surprises and
thrills. The sex scenes are explicit and steamy. I started this book and could
not put it down.
I am looking forward to reading many more books in this
series!
About Riley:
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.
I am very happy to be a part of the Blog Blitz for Heleyne Hammersley’s new book BAD SEED (DI Kate Fletcher Book #3). This Feature Post contains a book blurb, my book review and the author’s social media info.
Even though this is the third book in the series, I had no trouble reading it as a standalone and it is definitely a page-turner. (I will be going back to read the first two books, too.) I love Kate and all of her team. I am hooked on another British police procedural series!
***
Bad Seed Blurb
When the body of a woman is discovered near
Doncaster’s red light district, DI Kate Fletcher is called to the scene.
The victim has an abdominal wound that looks
like a Caesarean incision, leading the police to believe she may have been
pregnant.
Kate’s team establish the woman’s identity
but it soon becomes clear that those close to her have something to hide.
The post-mortem reveals the victim wasn’t
pregnant and, when a second body is discovered with similar wounds, the police
realise they are hunting for a serial killer with a sinister fixation.
Can Kate solve the case before another
woman dies?
And can a ruthless, methodical killer be brought to justice?
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
BAD SEED (DI Kate Fletcher Book #3) by Heleyne Hammersley is
the latest DI Kate Fletcher British police procedural in the series. This is
the first book I have read in this series by this author and it is easily read
as a standalone. I enjoyed it so much, I will definitely be going back to read
the first two books.
DI Kate Fletcher is called to the scene of a gruesome murder victim found dumped in a field. The victim has been strangled, raped and had her abdomen sliced open with a precision cut similar to a Caesarean incision. She was not pregnant. As Kate’s team works to identify the woman, they soon discover that those around her are hiding something.
When a second body is found with similar wounds, Kate
believes they may have a serial killer. Can Kate and her team catch this methodical killer before
another woman dies?
This is a fast paced procedural that kept me turning the
pages. Ms. Hammersley’s writing pulls you in and with all the twists and turns I
could not put it down. I love DI Kate Fletcher. A strong female lead character
done well. The whole team makes a great cast of secondary characters that I
hope to learn more about as I follow the series.
I can highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to read
more in the series!
***
Author Info
Heleyne
Hammersley is a British writer based in Cumbria. She writes psychological
suspense thrillers and crime novels.
Heleyne has been writing since junior school –
her first work was a collection of poems called ‘Give Them the Works’ when she
was ten years old. The poems were carefully handwritten on plain paper and tied
together with knitting wool.
When she’s not writing, Heleyne can often be
found wandering on the fells or in the local park with her dog.
SAY YOU’RE SORRY (Sacramento #1, Romantic Suspense #22) by Karen Rose is an edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense with a hero and heroine who are both damaged and yet extremely strong and a twisted serial killer who is only discovered when he picks the wrong victim. Every page of this dense thrill ride kept me guessing, surprised, tense and turning the pages. I love Karen Rose books and I feel this is the best Karen Rose romantic suspense to date!
Daisy Dawson is the sexy female voice on the morning drive
radio show. Daisy involves herself whole-heartedly in her community and events
with her emotional support dog, Brutus always in her carry bag. Seven years sober
and away from her extreme upbringing on an isolated ranch, Daisy has done her
best to live a normal life, until the night she confronts a man following her
and her friend from AA.
FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds would normally have
nothing to do with a local attack, but one of the detectives handling Daisy’s
attack recognizes the design on a locket that Daisy ripped from her attacker’s
neck. It is the same design that he once had tattooed on his chest. This is the
first lead Gideon has to another who may have escaped the cult he was raised in
until his escape at age 13.
When Gideon meets Daisy, he is surprised by his reaction to
her. He has never disclosed his full past to anyone and yet he has the need to
tell it all to Daisy. Daisy and Gideon are immediately thrown into a maelstrom of
murders and as much as Gideon protects Daisy, Daisy will surprise Gideon with
how prepared she is to face these threats on her own.
Thank goodness this is the first book in this new Sacramento series because I want so MUCH more! There is so much happening on these 640 pages. You have a current serial killer to catch and then you have a secretive, perverted religious cult to learn about and find which will story arc into future books. Gideon and Daisy are absolutely brilliant together. All of the secondary characters are starting to take shape and you want to know all of their secrets, too. This is an amazing start to this series and I am anxiously awaiting more!
Thanks so much to Berkley Publishing Group and Net Galley
for allowing me to read this eARC. It was everything I am looking for in a
romantic suspense and more.
A MERCIFUL FATE (Mercy Kilpatrick #5) by Kendra Elliot is
the latest romantic suspense, mystery/suspense, FBI procedural, who cares what
you call it, cannot put it down read featuring one of my favorite main
characters! This is a series I recommend you read in order because each book
builds on all of the characters’ relationships and secrets besides giving you
new crimes and/or mysteries in each.
Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick is thrown into a notorious,
decades old bank robbery when the skeleton of one of the robbers is found in a
decaying cabin. The mastermind of the team was captured and put in prison, but
the money and the rest of the gang seem to have disappeared into thin air. Just
as Mercy starts reinvestigating the robbery, a young tabloid reporter shows up
in Eagle’s Nest asking questions that are threatening long buried secrets.
Police Chief Truman Daly gets pulled into the investigation
when the reporter is found dead in her car. Some of the people have secrets and
are not who they appear in the Eagle’s Nest community. Whether they are related
to the old robbery or not, they want them kept secret. Mercy and Truman need to
reveal them all to find the threat to their community and family. Some long
held friends and neighbors are not who or what they seem.
This series just keeps getting better and better. The old,
unsolved robbery is an intriguing crime plot that builds the suspense and threat
level at a rapid rate throughout the story. I was very surprised throughout the
resolution. I love Mercy and Truman’s relationship and how Mercy is learning to
navigate their relationship while balancing everything with her long held prepper
lifestyle. All of the secondary characters are becoming fully fleshed out
characters that I look for now in each book.
My only slight criticism of this series is that I believe
Mercy’s father may have a point. Not his indifference or stubbornness, but the
people around Mercy seem to be injured or killed quite frequently. In most series
the main character is injured or almost killed so many times you wonder how
they can keep recovering and working, but it is those around Mercy who suffer
this author’s wrath.
That said, I highly recommend this series and Mercy! I
always look forward to reading these books and catching up with all of the
Eagle’s Nest community.
Hopefully by now you have all checked out my Feature Post for Kendra Elliot’s new book “A Merciful Fate” and entered the Rafflecopter giveaway.
This Feature Post and Book Reviews are to entice you to read the whole series! I LOVE Mercy and I highly recommend this series. Below you will find my reviews of Mercy Kilpatrick Books 1-4 by Kendra Elliot and the author’s social media info.
Happy Reading!
***
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
A MERCIFUL DEATH (Mercy Kilpatrick #1) by Kendra Elliot is
the start of a new series that is a cross between romantic suspense and
mystery/suspense. This type of series is always difficult to categorize for me,
but it is similar to Melinda Leigh’s Morgan Dane series and/or Marie Force’s
Fatal series which are must reads for me. The balance between romance and
mystery/suspense varies depending on the plot in each book.
FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick grew up in rural Eagle’s
Nest, Oregon in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains. Until the age of eighteen,
Mercy was raised in a family of preppers. After a falling out with her father
that had him disowning her, Mercy left town to build her own life. Her lifetime
of being prepared for disaster has stayed with her though and is a necessary
part of her life even though she hides it from her colleagues.
When there are a series of elderly male preppers murdered in
Mercy’s hometown. What would normally be a local case catches the FBI’s
attention when the preppers large caches of weapons are also stolen. This
raises the possibility of domestic terrorism. Her FBI supervisor sends her and
her partner to work with the nearby Bend office and local law enforcement.
Eagle Nest Police Chief Truman Daly is the nephew of one of
the murdered men. Raised in the community only on summer breaks, he is just
starting to be accepted in a community that has its own ideas about the
government and police. As Truman works with Mercy on the murders, he learns of
her family ties to the community and begins to suspect, she did not completely
leave her prepper life behind.
Mercy discovers that these current murders are eerily
familiar to two unsolved murders in the town’s past. With her sister now
involved, Mercy and Truman must capture a killer who has been free in their
community for much too long before her sister suffers the same fate.
Mercy is a wonderfully unique and flawed character. I find her so interesting and want to know much more about her and her family. Truman has his own interesting history and I hope this budding romance continues. He has his work cut out for him with such an independent heroine who does not like to share her secrets. The plot was interesting and tied in well with the older cases, but this is also why I gave this book four stars instead of five. I found Mercy’s brother’s actions not believable. (No spoilers, so you will have to read it and see if you agree.) Overall, a good start to this series and I am looking forward to reading the next book.
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
A MERCIFUL TRUTH (Mercy Kilpatrick #2) by Kendra Elliot is
the newest book in this continuing romantic suspense/mystery/suspense series. I
have been looking forward to reading more about Mercy!
FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick and her partner, Eddie have
transferred to the Bend FBI field office. Eddie likes the wilderness of central
Oregon over Portland and Mercy wants to be closer to Truman and her family.
Mercy is getting closer to her sisters and mother, but her father and brother
blame her for the violence and change in her family from book #1.
Eagle’s Nest Police Chief Truman Daly is investigating a
series of small fires that he believes are being started by teenagers. When a
barn is set on fire, everything changes when two county sheriffs are shot and killed
when they respond. Arson has become murder. At the next fire the murdered body
of an unidentified man is found at the scene. No one is talking and Mercy and
Truman have no idea why these fires are being set or who is setting them.
As they investigate the unidentified dead man, Mercy’s niece
is learning that the teenagers her new boyfriend is hanging out with are
trouble and that her boyfriend is having second thoughts about working at his
job on a large secluded ranch outside of town. There are rumors of many outside
men coming to town and living on the ranch. Mercy’s brother is also somehow
tied to the ranch and reciting a lot of anti-government hate rhetoric.
The closer Mercy and Truman get to the truth, long buried
secrets are exposed and their personal danger escalates.
I loved Mercy in the first book and I am now hooked for good. Her character is so interesting. The balance between her life as an FBI agent and her hidden life as a prepper makes for very interesting reading. I love that Truman “gets” Mercy and her unique life and does not try to change her. Mercy’s family and all of the secondary characters are becoming more fleshed out and interesting. The plot builds in intensity and wraps everything up at the end. This book can be read as a standalone, but like so many other similar series, the relationships grow and change in each book as in real life, so I recommend reading them in order. This has become a must read series for me!
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
A MERCIFUL SECRET (Mercy Kilpatrick #3) by Kendra Elliot
returns you to Mercy Kilpatrick’s world of rural central Oregon. This series
gives you intriguing mystery/suspense plots and a view into the world of
preppers, survivalists and anti-government sovereign citizens.
FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick is surprised at night on
a rural road close to her hidden cabin by a young girl who flags her down from
the side of the road. Mercy is led through the woods to a cabin where the
girl’s grandmother is dying from multiple stab wounds. The Sabins, three
generations of women; grandmother, mother and daughter have lived isolated in
the woods and are rumored to be witches.
Mercy is later to learn a judge, hundreds of miles away is
found slain in the exact same way brings her friend and fellow FBI agent from
Portland to investigate both murders. Not one to be kept on the sidelines,
Mercy along with Chief of Police Truman Daly insert themselves into the
investigation. An old friend from Mercy’s high school days is implicated along
with the daughter of the slain woman.
Rumors and secrets keep hindering the investigation until
the explosive surprise climax.
This series just keeps getting better and better. The mystery plot in this third book is fast paced and the resolution was a surprise to me. This book also contains some flashback scenes from one of the suspects which add depth and understanding to her character and others. Mercy and Truman’s relationship takes a big leap after the climax of this story and I cannot wait to read more. I found it difficult to put this book down and I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
A MERCIFUL SILENCE (Mercy Kilpatrick #4) by Kendra Elliot is
a cross between romantic suspense and mystery/suspense genres. Each book has a
standalone mystery/suspense plot, but it also has a building romance involving
the main characters of the series which may or may not be prominent in each
story. The current book leans more towards being a police procedural with
emotionally charged murders in the past and present with extremely high stakes
for Mercy and Truman.
FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpartrick is called to the scene
of a washed out road which exposes human skeletal remains. As she works to
discover the identity of the remains, she remembers two families that were
murdered in the exact same manner 20 years ago. The killer has always
maintained his innocence and is still in prison. Copycat or has the wrong man
been in prison all these years?
When the sole survivor of one of the old murdered families
returns to town, Mercy is not sure what to make of the woman. She asks for
Mercy’s help because she believes she is being stalked. Mercy feels she knows
more than she is telling about that long ago murder. Is she somehow a part of
the current murders or is she a lose end that needs to be eliminated?
As Mercy works her case, Eagle’s Nest Chief of Police Truman
Daly has a unique traffic stop with a young man who shows illegal ID and claims
to be a sovereign citizen. While jailed, he sends Truman a letter claiming he
owns him 3 million dollars for an illegitimate arrest. Truman does not know
whether to take this seriously or as a joke. These sovereign citizens do not
want anyone interfering in their business. Truman and his police vehicle
disappear and there is blood on the driveway.
I could not put this book down!
Mercy and Truman both go through so much in this book. Even
as they are apart, it is the fight to get home to the other that gives them
their strength. Mercy realizes no amount of prep can prepare her for
everything. She learns it is OK to sometimes rely on family and friends. Truman’s
love for Mercy is his strength and reason to continue on even when he thinks he
cannot. This was definitely an edge-of-your-seat read with both cases having
such high stakes.
I believe you should read this series in order as the characters grow and change in each book as in real life. I highly recommend this series. Mercy is a memorable character.
***
Author Biography
Kendra
Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list
multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan
& McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful
Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is
a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller
Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious
reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie
Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy
Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward
to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.
