Tag: #suspense

Feature Post: A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot

Hi, everyone!

Below is the Feature Post for Kendra Elliot’s current release A MERCIFUL FATE (Mercy Kilpatrick #5). Included is an excerpt from the book, a book summary with info and social media links for the author . You will also see a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book.

As you know, I would normally include my Book Review with the Feature Post, but I am on book #4 and I just cannot read these books out of order. The suspense/mystery in each book can standalone, but I just cannot skip ahead in Mercy and Truman’s lives. I LOVE these two characters and just cannot miss a minute of their relationship. My books review will be posted soon for this book.

As always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway and you really have to get to know Mercy! Good reading!

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Excerpt: A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot

“Sit.”

Mercy sat on a stool that was too high for the makeshift table. She didn’t care. They could sit on the ground and she’d be happy with Truman. Currently the home had plywood subfloors and open framing, but part of Mercy loved the empty, bare look; it promised that something fabulous was coming.

Fabulous and practical.

Truman leaned over and poured red wine in the plastic cup by her paper plate. She sighed and buried her nose in her cup. The fragrance was deep and bold, with hints of plum and smoke.

“Italy,” she mumbled into the wine.

“What?” asked Truman.

“I want to visit Italy. How does a honeymoon in Italy sound?”

A grin filled his face, and the sensation of butterflies fluttered up her spine.

Or maybe it’s the wine.

She took a sip of her wine as she studied his face. So familiar and dear to her.

A smile to stop traffic. Eyes that crinkled in happiness. Several scars that testified to his love of law enforcement. Her attraction to him was more than skin deep. She was in love with the person he was. He was a natural leader and easily commanded respect. His people turned to him, followed him, admired him. His natural sense of honor was a magnet for her.

No. It’s not the wine.

He gets me.

He understood how her mind worked, and they fit together like a couple of complicated puzzle pieces. She’d been painfully aware of her missing puzzle piece when he’d been taken away, chained by men planning to kill him, and then rescued thanks to Ollie. The two weeks when no one knew his fate had been the worst of her life. When he’d been returned to her, she’d known she couldn’t waste any more time.

He’d been of the same mind-set and had proposed.

“I’ll try Italy.” He dished spaghetti carbonara onto their plates.

“And what’s on your agenda for tomorrow?” he asked over the rim of his plastic cup. She perked up. “The bank confirmed the money bags are from the Gamble-Helmet Heist. And I have the go-ahead to visit Shane Gamble at the Two Rivers prison tomorrow.”

“What are your thoughts on the remains?” Truman asked. “Did the medical examiner get to them yet?”

“Yes. They spent the afternoon removing the remains, and Dr. Lockhart was going to start an examination tonight. The woman never takes time off.”

“Same could be said for you.”

“Only when I’m deep in a case.”

“I guess this means your weekends are booked for a while?”

Mercy sighed. “I know. The two of us are supposed to be working on the interior of this place … We’ll get it done at some point. It’ll have to wait awhile.”

A grin filled his face.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re not the same person I met last fall. Back then, if the cabin had been in the half-completed state it is now, you’d be climbing the walls with anxiety because your safety net wasn’t perfect.”

“You’re right,” she agreed. “I had a similar thought earlier, but nearly all my supplies are still intact, so it’d be rough living but doable. I can temporarily live with that for now. Especially with this case to distract me.”

His lips twisted.

“Jealous?” she asked with a grin. “It’s an amazing case, isn’t it?”

“It is. Considering there have been no leads for decades, and the robbery is practically modern folklore. It’s like a buried treasure hunt, and Ollie found the first clue.”

“Is Ollie okay after his morning?” she asked with a small wince. She’d nearly forgotten the teen had made the grisly discovery.

“He’s okay. I spent some time with him and he was very quiet, but I could tell he was processing it. He’s dealt with death before.”

“He’s been through a lot,” sympathized Mercy.

They silently ate for a few moments until he glanced up and caught her staring at him. Longing shone in his eyes, an appetite and craving that had nothing to do with food, and she struggled to find her breath.

How does he do that to me?

“You know,” he said, his voice low and tempting, “this place hasn’t been christened yet.”

Mercy blinked. “People do that to homes?”

Patience filled his features. “That’s not what I meant.” His brown gaze held hers.

“Ohhh,” she breathed as heat flashed through her.

“Dessert.” His smile was sinful, and energy pulsed between them.

She melted. “Yes. Dessert.”

***

About the Book

Title: A Merciful Fate

Author: Kendra Elliot

Release Date: January 15, 2019

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Summary

Raised by preppers, survivalist and FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick has a deep-rooted need for a safe place. Her getaway in the Cascade Foothills is her secret. But when skeletal remains are unearthed—those of a murdered man linked to a notorious heist—Mercy realizes she isn’t the only one with something to hide.

Thirty years ago, an armored-car robbery turned deadly. The mastermind was captured. Four conspirators vanished with a fortune. One of them, it appears, never made it out of the woods alive. For Mercy and her fiancé, Police Chief Truman Daly, their investigation opens old wounds in Eagle’s Nest that cut deeper than they imagined. Especially when a reckless tabloid reporter draws fresh blood. It’s clear to Mercy that somebody in this close-knit community is not who they seem to be.

Some are still shattered by the heist. Some still have reason to be afraid. But which one will kill again and again to hide three decades of secrets? To land this case, it’s up to Mercy to unmask a familiar stranger before someone else dies.

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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.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kendraelliot.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKendraElliot 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KendraElliot

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150778.Kendra_Elliot

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Book Review: Fatal Promise by Angela Marsons

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

FATAL PROMISE (D.I. Kim Stone #9) by Angela Marsons once again has an intriguing and thrilling series of crimes that need resolution, but this addition to the series also is heavily character driven as the team deals with the personal impact and upheaval from the previous book. NOTE: This book picks up almost immediately from the conclusion of Dying Truth (D.I. Kim Stone #8) and should definitely be read in order.

Kim has just had the cast removed from her broken leg and wants to get what remains of her team back together and get to work. She refuses to let her therapy and psychological evaluation slow her down when the brutally murdered body of Dr. Gordon Cordell, from her last case is found in a wooded park. She and Bryant have to uncover if this murder is tied to their last case or is this something new? When the bodies start adding up, they know they have a serial killer that needs to be stopped, but Kim is not her usual self and it is causing problems between herself and Bryant.

While Kim and Bryant are in the field, Stacy is also working a case of her own regarding a missing teen while dealing with a new team member in the desk across from her.

Kim, Bryant and Stacy are all working to solve their cases which are always full of twists and intrigue. This book though also has to deal with the tremendous grief from the last book for the characters as well as the readers. Kim returns to Ted, her therapist since childhood and we learn how she deals with her emotions. Bryant feels hurt over Kim’s silence while she is out on sick leave. He understands it, but it still causes friction between these two longtime friends. Stacy bottles up her grief and it affects her home life as well as being combative with the new member of the team. Ms. Marsons does an amazing job of dealing with each character’s individual grief and explaining Kim’s unique psychological make-up. The readers also get a look into the home life of the newest team member and why he is determined to stay and work to fit in with this team.

This book in the series is everything I was hoping for from this author and more!

Thanks very much to Bookouture and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC. This is an amazing series and cast of characters that I want to continue to read long into the future.

Book Review: Storm Rising by Sara Driscoll

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

STORM RISING (FBI K-9 Book #3) by Sara Driscoll is another exciting addition to the FBI K-9 series. This book has Meg Jennings and her search and rescue Labrador retriever, Hawk once again embroiled in a fast-paced plot that starts as a search and rescue after a hurricane and turns into a crime thriller involving human trafficking and the underage sex-slave trade.

In the wake of Hurricane Cole, all hands are on deck for rescues around Virginia Beach. Meg, Hawk and all of her FBI team members are sent to help search for survivors. Lt. Todd Webb is sent to assist as a paramedic/firefighter so they ride down together. As they are out together, Webb spots an overturned van in a creek bed. They rush to check it out and find two young girls tied to their seats dead. Meg and Hawk take over and search for anyone who might have escaped the van.

Hawk finds Emma, a runaway entrapped in a sex-slave ring. The case is turned over to Special Agent Walter Van Cleave, but due to Emma’s connection to Meg and Hawk, he asks for their help. Van and Meg join forces and soon realize that this case is much more complicated than a small-time syndicate. This case will take Van and Meg into the lives of powerful, influential people who all believe they are above the law.

Once again, this author had me completely engrossed in her plot and characters. Meg and Hawk make an amazing team. It is interesting to learn about the training and abilities of all the dogs on this FBI team. Meg, Cara, Webb and McCord are becoming quite the human team. Meg’s family and friends all have roles to play after the hurricane and I love to see how they have become more fleshed out as the series has continued. I hope to see more of Emma in future stories, also.

This book can be read as a standalone, but the relationships of all the main characters continues to grow and you become more attached with each book so I recommend reading them in order.

Thank you very much to Kensington Books, Sara Driscoll and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC.

Book Review: Shelter In Place by Nora Roberts

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

SHELTER IN PLACE by Nora Roberts had my emotions all over the place, but isn’t that what a good book does? Part psychological thriller, part romantic suspense and part coming of age for a group who survive one of the horrors of present day life, a mass shooter event.

This book starts with a mass shooting perpetrated by three teenage males at a suburban mall.

Simone Knox and her two best friends are in the movie theater. When Simone starts to leave the restroom, she hears screams and gunshots. She returns to a restroom stall and is the first to call 911 as she shelters in place.

Reed Quartermaine waits tables in an Italian restaurant in the DownEast Mall. On his way back from his break, he is confronted by people running the opposite way and pops of gun fire. He picks up a bloodied little boy who appears to be alone and runs for cover.

Essie McVee is a police officer with her partner, dealing with a minor traffic accident in the mall parking lot when they receive the call of active shooters. She is the first on the scene at the movie theater and is able to take down one of the shooters.

From this point on, the story follows the intertwining lives of these three main survivors and how all of the survivors dealt with the trauma of that day and death of their family or friends throughout their lives. What becomes apparent though as time goes on is there is one person who is not finished with that day and is seeking revenge against all of those who survived.

I loved all of these characters! Reed and Simone had such differing ways of coping with their lives after the shooting. Reed is such a strong hero who refuses to let evil win. Essie is the mentor Reed needs at just the right time. Simone runs from the memories at first, but through her art she begins to heal and then begins to memorialize the loved ones lost on that day in the mall. Even all of the secondary characters bring such life to this book. I absolutely loved CiCi, who was the best grandmother character ever.

This book is written covering many years. Ms. Roberts has the characters growing stronger and coming together to fight the evil that has tracked them for execution. I found this book difficult to put down. I love Nora Roberts’ books and characters.

Book Review: Red War by Kyle Mills

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

RED WAR (Mitch Rapp #17) is the newest espionage thriller in the Mitch Rapp series started by author Vince Flynn and now carried forward by author Kyle Mills. This is Mr. Mills’ fourth installment in the series. Red War is another edge-of-you-seat thrill ride with a plausible world crisis and all of the geopolitical intrigue, blood, bombs and action I have come to expect in a Mitch Rapp book.

Maxim Krupin, the Russian president, has been diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. It must be kept a secret as he receives treatment. He plans to eliminate any of his countrymen who could grab power from him if his condition is known and he plans a distraction with worldwide consequences to cover his absence. Two of the men he trusts to keep him in power are Andrei Sokolov a disgraced war criminal, who he places in charge of Russian armed forces and his young personal assassin, Nikita Pushkin, who he sends to eliminate his predecessor, Grisha Azarov.

No one in the U.S. government knows what to make of the new dangerous unpredictability of Krupin. CIA Director Irene Kennedy learns of Krupin’s illness and now understands the world is facing a man who has nothing to lose and psychopathic general, who believes Russia should rule the world.  Mitch and Grisha team up with Scott Coleman and his team to find Krupin and eliminate the threat of World War III and a nuclear holocaust.

I was so excited to be chosen as a Mitch Rapp Ambassador and receive the ARC of Red War from the publisher in advance of publication. I did not want it to end! Kyle Mills has done a great job of continuing the Mitch Rapp character and series. The action, world travel, political intrigue and plot twists just keep coming. I was also very happy to see the return of one of my series favorites in this book. This is a MUST READ thriller series for me. Each adventure can be read as a standalone, but the personal and professional relationships carry forward and add to the interesting backstory that makes the series narrative layered and keeps me coming back for more than just the individual current threat.

This is one of my favorite thriller series and I highly recommend it!

Book Review: Devoted to Pleasure by Shayla Black

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

DEVOTED TO PLEASURE (Devoted Lovers Book #1) by Shayla Black is a sexy contemporary romance with the added subplot of the hero being the bodyguard for the heroine. This is a page-turning start of a new series with as many twists and turns in the romance as in the suspense.

Shealyn West is the sexy, beautiful and down to earth co-star of a steamy nighttime TV drama. Her fame came quickly and it is not everything she wished for. To help her friend and co-star, Shealyn fakes a relationship with him. In a moment of emotional weakness, she makes a mistake which could be career ending and is now being used to blackmail her. She hires a bodyguard to protect her for the money drop and finds a real attraction that is too powerful to avoid.

Cutter Bryant is ex-military and believes in duty above all else. He loves his high-octane job in private security, but he is a small town boy at heart. Cutter’s childhood friend is in trouble and Cutter wants to solve her problems for her out of obligation, but it means sacrificing his own chance for love. When he is sent to Hollywood to work for Shealyn, he cannot believe the chemistry between them. He has never crossed the line between work and personal before, but there is something between them that is worth trying to find a way to be together.

As Shealyn and Cutter work together to discover who is blackmailing Shealyn, their attraction becomes as explosive as the secrets they need to expose. Will Cutter be able to protect Shealyn from the mounting danger? Can Shealyn believe in and trust a real HEA is possible?

I feel this is a very solid start to this new series. Cutter and Shealyn complimented each other very well. I found the background information on both the H/h’s troubled childhoods which impacted how they behaved in the present compelling. I did have a problem with how often Cutter’s situation back home came up. I found the friend in trouble an immature whiner, not sympathetic and Cutter too self-sacrificing even though it worked out in the end. The blackmail and physical danger had enough twists to keep me anxiously turning the pages and the sex was explicit and smoking hot. I will be looking forward to more books in this series!

Thanks very much to Berkley Publishing Group and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.