#thriller – Page 30 – Avonna Loves Genres

Book Blitz/Feature Post and Book Review: Brooks (Gold Team #1) by Riley Edwards

Hi, everyone!

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)

Author:Riley Edwards

Genre: Military Romance

Release Date: March 12, 2019

Hosted by:Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

Buy links:

#KindleUnlimited

https://amzn.to/2SDLLAp

Book Description:

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. *

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44017810-brooks

My Book Review:

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

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.

Social Media:

Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/Novelist.Riley.Edwards/
Facebook Group—Riley’s Rebels: https://www.facebook.com/groups/882567735208878/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rileyedwardsromance/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rileyedwardsrom
Amazon: author.to/RileyEdwardsAmazon
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/riley-edwards
All Author: https://allauthor.com/profile/rileyedwards/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15080716.Riley_Edwards

Giveaway:

Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card

Html:

<a class=”rcptr” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/eef4ee4b1697/” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”eef4ee4b1697″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”54761f08ee20562638ce5c19″ id=”rcwidget_9zqrlp3s”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

Book Review: Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

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.

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 Blitz and Book Review: The Doll Collector by Joanna Stephen-Ward

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the book blitz for THE DOLL COLLECTOR by Joanna Stephen-Ward. Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s info.

This book was not exactly what I was expecting. It starts out with you following a truly despicable and twisted serial killer, but then it twists into something else. At times darkly funny, sometimes sinister and at times I had to put it down. I believe this will be one of those books everyone will have differing opinions about when they are done.

***

Book Blurb:

Murders that look like accidents. An accident that looks like murder.Book

A couple and their young son burn to death in a house fire.

A girl dies from a nut allergy.

A woman falls under a train during the rush hour.

An accountant falls down the steps to his basement.

Their deaths appear to be accidents but Gloria knows they were murdered because she murdered them. And every time Gloria kills she buys a doll.

But how many dolls will she need to keep her satisfied?

When Gloria takes a room as a lodger her behaviour starts to spin out of control. Gloria wants love and happiness and friendship and she will do anything she can to get what she wants…

***

My Book Review:

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

THE DOLL COLLECTOR by Joanna Stephen-Ward is a psychological thriller that is twisted and not exactly what I was expecting. You start by following a despicable and vile serial killer, but then the story twists.

Gloria is a jealous, amoral, and sadistic serial killer. If she believes you have more than her, criticize her or just don’t agree with her, you could end up dead and a doll purchased in your honor to add to her collection. She has been evil since she was a child.

Maurice takes Gloria in as a boarder to help with his rent. Maurice does not realize who he has let into his home and Gloria’s delusions have her believing she has finally found a man to love her. But Maurice has secrets of his own and he finds himself becoming more desperate as each situation escalates.

This book started out as I was expecting from reading the blurb, but it quickly turned into more of a psychological thriller with an intertwined second plot-line with more despicable characters that are the cause of Maurice’s secrets and problems. Maurice was pathetic and not in any way heroic. Gloria was emotionally twisted and evil. There are times when I had to put the book down because Gloria and some of her actions disturbed me that much and yet there were also few times when the writing was darkly humorous.

I had a difficult time rating this book. Gloria is a killer to remember and her demise has a twisted justice to it, but then Maurice’s story goes on for a second plot-line resolution. Another ending is added where the second plot-line characters come out ahead or are served justice, but the two endings feel disjointed. I also had a problem with the doll collection. It was a great idea, but I felt it was not utilized enough times by Gloria during the book.

This is a book that I liked, but it had flaws for me. I do believe there will be a lot of discussion/opinions revolving around this book and characters.

***

About Joanna Stephen-Ward:

Joanna Stephen-Ward was born in the Australian outback, and grew up in Melbourne. Her school days were spent dreaming about being an opera singer or a writer. To the exasperation of her parents and teachers she spent her final year sitting at the back of the classroom writing a novel set in WW2.

When she left school she went to an opera school where she was taught drama, movement and language pronunciation and had small roles in the workshop productions. She was not good enough to become a professional opera singer, but the seeds of her novel Vissi d’arte were sown.

She left Australia and spent a year travelling around Europe and the UK. While working in outpatients for the NHS she met Peter and they married in 1985. They lived in Richmond Surrey and she worked at The National Archives, an enthralling place for anyone interested in history or crime.

Having been brought up as a lonely only child, she was astonished to discover in 2010 that she was one of eight children. She and her sister had last been together on a verandah in the outback when they were babies. They had a joyous reunion in Cornwall in 2012.

Joanna has written seven novels and is working on her eighth.

Joanna’s Social Media Links:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/joanna.stephenward
Twitter https://twitter.com/OperaLover12 @ OperaLover12
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3020049.Joanna_Stephen_Ward

Blog https://outbackwriter.blogspot.com

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!