Helpful Score: 2
What could possibly be better than a great romantic suspense book? A book that includes stories from three of my favorite romantic suspense authors! With HOT PURSUIT you get a range of stories packed with mystery, action, adventure, and sizzling passion. When you read stories by Karen Rose, Annie Solomon, and Carla Cassidy, you know you're going to get a thrill ride.
Karen Rose, author of the 2005 RITA winning I'M WATCHING YOU, brings us DIRTY SECRETS, a story about lost opportunities and the chance to do things over. Dr. Emma Townsend is a woman trying to put her life back together. A woman who wrote a best-selling book about dealing with grief, she's not having a lot of luck dealing with her own after the death of her husband, Will, who was killed during an apparent convenience story robbery. The nineteen-year-old robber was sentenced to life without parole in prison, but it's small consolation to Emma, who misses her husband dearly. Then, while cleaning out her house of her late husband's belongings, she finds an old letter in her high-school yearbook-a letter from her best guy-friend, Chris, declaring his love for her and letting her know he'd be waiting if she wanted to see if their friendship could turn into something more.
Seventeen years ago, Christopher Walker was left with a broken heart when Emma Townsend never spoke to him again after their junior prom. He'd felt something that night, something that caused him to confess his love for Emma in a letter and slip it into her yearbook. Those days are long over, though, and these days Chris has a whole lot more on his mind. For one, there's his young daughter, Megan, to worry about, and secondly, there's the fact that one of his graduate students has been murdered in his chemistry lab. As the authorities question Chris about the murder of Darrell Roberts, he gets the feeling that there's more to the murder than meets the eye-and that he himself might be a target. Then, out of the blue comes a call from a private investigator with the news that Emma Townsend is looking for him, and things really start to get interesting.
As these two people try to reconnect from a shared past, over a passion that may or may not still linger, danger lurks in the shadows. Who is after Chris, and was Emma's husband's death really an accident? Can their newfound romance survive the danger that's all around them?
Annie Solomon, author of BLIND CURVE and LIKE A KNIFE, brings us a winning suspense story with NECESSARY BETRAYALS. Ever since Francesca Burn's father was sent to prison five years ago for his association with mob leader Arturo Calvino, Frannie has concentrated on her younger sister, Gina, and leading an above-board life by severing all ties with the Calvino family. Until fifteen-year-old Gina calls her on a cell phone with a bad connection, crying frantically, and the only words Frannie can understand in her sister's dialogue are "can you hear me?" and "Calvino." Frannie, frantic for her wild sister's safety, abruptly leaves her job as a waitress at Sal's and rushes home, only to find her sister isn't there. With no other options at hand, she heads to the Calvino compound-a place where someone is always at home, a place that is never truly silent. Except the way is blocked by an army of police vehicles, and who should stop her but Detective Quinn Parker Lewis. The same Quinn Parker she had foolishly thought she was in love with five years ago, until he managed to get her father sent to prison.
For Quinn Parker, the takedown of Francesca's father in his undercover police work nearly killed him. Not the takedown itself, but the fact that he lost Frannie-her friendship, her smile, her growing love. She saw him as the man who sent her father away, and she was right. Quinn went on a three-month drinking binge, nearly lost his job, and finally asked to be transferred out of undercover work. Now here he is, once again in Frannie's company, dealing with the Calvino's and their crime network. With Gina in danger, it's up to Quinn and Frannie to find out where she is-and how to get her back.
As the emotions from the past come rushing back, will the two of them be able to defeat the bad guys, rescue Gina, and save their love at the same time?
ENDLESS NIGHT by Carla Cassidy, author of THE PERFECT FAMILY, gives us the tale of a blind date gone horribly wrong. Amanda Kincaid agrees to a blind date for one reason only-to get her sister, Cara, and brother-in-law, Harry, off of her back. They won't quit harping about her love life-or lack of one-and swear up and down that Clay Murdock is just the man for her. The only problem is, as soon as she meets him, Amanda realizes that tall, dark, handsome, and single are just cover-ups for dull, boring, and absolutely not her type at all. As for Clay, who agrees to the date for the sake of his gym-buddy Harry, he doesn't find Amanda the least bit interesting on their double date with Cara and Harry.
Until, that is, Amanda gives Clay a ride home-and things take on the feel of an action-adventure movie. As Clay is exiting Amanda's car, someone starts taking potshots at them, with a real, live gun. Clay has no choice but to hop back into the car and order Amanda to "floor it", and since she's too stunned to do anything else, she does what she's told. Suddenly, their boring date has turned into an escape from bullets and bad guys, and Clay has no intention of letting Amanda out of his sight until the danger has passed. When Clay finally admits to his date that he was once a police officer who is now in the Witness Protection Program, Amanda realizes that her boring blind date might be a bit more interesting that she'd previously thought.
As Amanda and Clay concoct a plan to thwart the person or persons responsible for Clay being in the WPP to begin with, their chemistry starts to go through the roof. Now all they have to do is live through the next couple of days and find out if it's something worth pursuing.
HOT PURSUIT is a romantic suspense winner! You don't want to miss this anthology of three great stories by three very talented authors!
Karen Rose, author of the 2005 RITA winning I'M WATCHING YOU, brings us DIRTY SECRETS, a story about lost opportunities and the chance to do things over. Dr. Emma Townsend is a woman trying to put her life back together. A woman who wrote a best-selling book about dealing with grief, she's not having a lot of luck dealing with her own after the death of her husband, Will, who was killed during an apparent convenience story robbery. The nineteen-year-old robber was sentenced to life without parole in prison, but it's small consolation to Emma, who misses her husband dearly. Then, while cleaning out her house of her late husband's belongings, she finds an old letter in her high-school yearbook-a letter from her best guy-friend, Chris, declaring his love for her and letting her know he'd be waiting if she wanted to see if their friendship could turn into something more.
Seventeen years ago, Christopher Walker was left with a broken heart when Emma Townsend never spoke to him again after their junior prom. He'd felt something that night, something that caused him to confess his love for Emma in a letter and slip it into her yearbook. Those days are long over, though, and these days Chris has a whole lot more on his mind. For one, there's his young daughter, Megan, to worry about, and secondly, there's the fact that one of his graduate students has been murdered in his chemistry lab. As the authorities question Chris about the murder of Darrell Roberts, he gets the feeling that there's more to the murder than meets the eye-and that he himself might be a target. Then, out of the blue comes a call from a private investigator with the news that Emma Townsend is looking for him, and things really start to get interesting.
As these two people try to reconnect from a shared past, over a passion that may or may not still linger, danger lurks in the shadows. Who is after Chris, and was Emma's husband's death really an accident? Can their newfound romance survive the danger that's all around them?
Annie Solomon, author of BLIND CURVE and LIKE A KNIFE, brings us a winning suspense story with NECESSARY BETRAYALS. Ever since Francesca Burn's father was sent to prison five years ago for his association with mob leader Arturo Calvino, Frannie has concentrated on her younger sister, Gina, and leading an above-board life by severing all ties with the Calvino family. Until fifteen-year-old Gina calls her on a cell phone with a bad connection, crying frantically, and the only words Frannie can understand in her sister's dialogue are "can you hear me?" and "Calvino." Frannie, frantic for her wild sister's safety, abruptly leaves her job as a waitress at Sal's and rushes home, only to find her sister isn't there. With no other options at hand, she heads to the Calvino compound-a place where someone is always at home, a place that is never truly silent. Except the way is blocked by an army of police vehicles, and who should stop her but Detective Quinn Parker Lewis. The same Quinn Parker she had foolishly thought she was in love with five years ago, until he managed to get her father sent to prison.
For Quinn Parker, the takedown of Francesca's father in his undercover police work nearly killed him. Not the takedown itself, but the fact that he lost Frannie-her friendship, her smile, her growing love. She saw him as the man who sent her father away, and she was right. Quinn went on a three-month drinking binge, nearly lost his job, and finally asked to be transferred out of undercover work. Now here he is, once again in Frannie's company, dealing with the Calvino's and their crime network. With Gina in danger, it's up to Quinn and Frannie to find out where she is-and how to get her back.
As the emotions from the past come rushing back, will the two of them be able to defeat the bad guys, rescue Gina, and save their love at the same time?
ENDLESS NIGHT by Carla Cassidy, author of THE PERFECT FAMILY, gives us the tale of a blind date gone horribly wrong. Amanda Kincaid agrees to a blind date for one reason only-to get her sister, Cara, and brother-in-law, Harry, off of her back. They won't quit harping about her love life-or lack of one-and swear up and down that Clay Murdock is just the man for her. The only problem is, as soon as she meets him, Amanda realizes that tall, dark, handsome, and single are just cover-ups for dull, boring, and absolutely not her type at all. As for Clay, who agrees to the date for the sake of his gym-buddy Harry, he doesn't find Amanda the least bit interesting on their double date with Cara and Harry.
Until, that is, Amanda gives Clay a ride home-and things take on the feel of an action-adventure movie. As Clay is exiting Amanda's car, someone starts taking potshots at them, with a real, live gun. Clay has no choice but to hop back into the car and order Amanda to "floor it", and since she's too stunned to do anything else, she does what she's told. Suddenly, their boring date has turned into an escape from bullets and bad guys, and Clay has no intention of letting Amanda out of his sight until the danger has passed. When Clay finally admits to his date that he was once a police officer who is now in the Witness Protection Program, Amanda realizes that her boring blind date might be a bit more interesting that she'd previously thought.
As Amanda and Clay concoct a plan to thwart the person or persons responsible for Clay being in the WPP to begin with, their chemistry starts to go through the roof. Now all they have to do is live through the next couple of days and find out if it's something worth pursuing.
HOT PURSUIT is a romantic suspense winner! You don't want to miss this anthology of three great stories by three very talented authors!
Helpful Score: 1
My review is based solely on "Dirty Secrets" by Karen Rose.
Emma Townsend is stunned to read a love letter from an old friend when it falls out of her old high school yearbook. She never knew her best guy-friend, Christopher, had feelings for her. Emma decides to find Chris and apologize for not acknowledging the letter seventeen years ago. Professor Christopher Walker is shocked when a private investigator contacts him on behalf of Emma. His life has changed so much since high school, but he never forgot his feelings for Emma. They meet for dinner and immediately rekindle their friendship. But someone is watching their every move...someone who has their own evil agenda.
I feel that most novellas are too short to give me a good story, but this one worked for me. It opens with the murder of a grad student working under Professor Walker. Chris and his students have been working on a government project checking soil samples at various government sites. Why was the grad student killed? Does it have something to do with the project? I had a hard time putting this one down. The romance is hot and the mystery is interesting, even though the villain was easy to pick out. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Emma Townsend is stunned to read a love letter from an old friend when it falls out of her old high school yearbook. She never knew her best guy-friend, Christopher, had feelings for her. Emma decides to find Chris and apologize for not acknowledging the letter seventeen years ago. Professor Christopher Walker is shocked when a private investigator contacts him on behalf of Emma. His life has changed so much since high school, but he never forgot his feelings for Emma. They meet for dinner and immediately rekindle their friendship. But someone is watching their every move...someone who has their own evil agenda.
I feel that most novellas are too short to give me a good story, but this one worked for me. It opens with the murder of a grad student working under Professor Walker. Chris and his students have been working on a government project checking soil samples at various government sites. Why was the grad student killed? Does it have something to do with the project? I had a hard time putting this one down. The romance is hot and the mystery is interesting, even though the villain was easy to pick out. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is a great intro for those looking to read new Romantic Suspense authors. Book contains three stories, the first (and longest) by Karen Rose. My favorite was the third story by Carla Cassidy about a never-ending first date. Loved the characters in this one and wished the story would have been a full-blown offering instead of part of an anthology. The whole book was a fun, fast read.
