definitely, possibly, maybe

trap'n'trace , the latest entry in the federal k9 series at least didn't focus entirely on cops. when socialite katrina vanderburg encounters two dead bodies in one day and is nearly killed for her efforts, she ends up with dayne andrews as her protection detail. their previous encounter wasn't great, but they overcome the awkwardness once all the murdering gets too close for comfort. i mean, there's still a lot of cops in this, because there's a murder investigation and it's just weird. i wish i could say that what is happening in the world around us didn't affect me as a reader, but i think i'm going to have to start avoiding stories that unilaterally depict cops as heroes.  so reading this, i loved kat, i loved dayne, i thought their back-and-forth was compelling and interesting. but, the suspense aspect was difficult, and it's not anyone's fault. it's just where the world is right now. **trap'n'trace will publish on ju...

solving serial murder cases takes a special set of skills. first, there is connecting the cases. then there's establishing the pattern. in variable onset ,  the re-emergence of serial killer dr. fear, has forensic genetics expert lincoln monroe hoping to be at least consulted. to his surprise, he's put on the field. and then he learns that his partner is none other than his former student carter warren. and that makes things complicated. carter has his reasons for wanting lincoln there, some of the related to the case, others relating to an inconvenient fascination with his former professor.  but undercover and pretending to be a couple while seeking to find a serial killer doesn't make for the most romantic meet cute, it works for these two. the sparks between them fly, and the way they work together complements them perfectly.  **variable onset will publish on may 4, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/carina press in exchange for...

this thriller starts off with a bang and the action doesn't stop. while the series is set up in the novella deep blue , whiteout is the first full-length installment in the series. the novella does help in providing some context to the world that the characters are inhabiting and the kind of dangers they're facing. but the setting does some of that too, the fact that this takes place in antarctica and that the characters are brought to the brink of human endurance is very well done. the romance builds as the characters get to know each other through all that they survive, and when things finally ignite, it's not out of nowhere and feels as if it has been given an organic amount of time to grow, which is generally a challenge in a suspense story. ford and angel are in for a ride, and what they find in each other is worth it. but anders doesn't shy away from making them work for it. the story continues to weave threads that will clearly be taken forward in future bo...

stone cold heart is the thirteenth book in the tracers series. they are all standalones so it is possible to start now, but like if you have then you know what you are in for. griffin writes solid, heart-pounding thrillers, and this is another example of her absolute craft in writing these stories. somehow she is always able to make a part of the process of identifying a cold blooded killer something interesting and new. it's a gift. sara lockhart is one of the countries leading forensic anthropologists when nolan hess calls her in to help him solve a case of unidentified bones and a missing hiker, he has no idea that he's pulling at a thread. as they begin to unravel the case and sara sees connections between her past and the crime she is trying to solve, things get challenging. in a good way.  **stone cold heart will publish on march 26, 2019. i received an advance reader copy from netgalley/gallery, pocket books (pocket books) in excha...

final day wraps up the wired & dangerous trilogy, although it feels weird to call it a trilogy when this book is novella length, there are enough loose ends that more could happen in this world. but it seems as if maybe the publisher lost enthusiasm? from surveying goodreads it seems like there was some drama with the author so maybe that impacted sales. anyway, you're looking for a review not publishing industry analysis. erick lee has a thing about hit men. and when tarr turned up to save jock and fiona in darkest night  he wanted to know why? why did he knock erick out? why did he save the day? he's a mercenary. a cold-blooded killer. but tarr is also more. because of the hit he made to save jock, tarr is now a target. and he becomes someone erick is helping. and even worse, he's someone erick is drawn to. tarr doesn't pretend to be something he's not. he's not the bad guy with a heart of gold. there is no false altruism...

a deadly business  is a wonderful romantic suspense story. when justin kelly is assigned to protect marissa hayes from a big, bad terrorist. she's been in witness protection since her cover was blown the last time the cia tried to bring him down. since he's known her, justin has been drawn to marissa. when he learns the extent of her bravery he's even more attracted to her. and he'll also do anything and everything to keep her safe. when she's made by two customers at her art gallery, marissa is forced into hiding with justin. when their hiding place coincidentally ends up being the one place the big bad shows up to, justin and marissa must engage in a mission to save their lives as well as all the other innocent lived with them on the private island. this suspense story offers some genuine tension and action while justin and marissa play a game of cat and mouse with the big bad on the island. it's just a really fun rea...

i love griffin's tracers series, so i knew i was in for a good thriller with desperate girls . it's also the start to a new series and i have to say the guys at wolfe security are super dreamy. there are enough twists and turns to the plot that laying it all out is no fun in a review. but the story begins with a judge being murdered and the belief that it's revenge for how she handled a former case. brynn was an ada on her team and her boss believes her life is in danger and hires wolfe security. brynn is super independent and is not happy about the constraints of being watched over. this creates a lot of conflict and is also a personality trait that is somewhat frustrating for the reader. i get wanting to be independent. but sometimes you have to trust others. and it felt like her insistence that the danger was being overblown was willful stubbornness that detracted from her being an actually highly intelligent, strong woman. she frustrates her team leader, erik....

the wired & dangerous series continues with darkest night , with hitman/hacker jamison "jock" bosh on duty protecting fiona madden. fiona's past as a victim of human trafficking makes her a target for the men the wired & dangerous crew are trying to take down. when jock's cover is blown, fiona is at first shocked by the idea that someone would consider her worth protecting, but she's also grateful that once in her life she doesn't have to do all the worrying alone. for the first time in a decade fiona feels safe. and for the first time in a decade, she also feels something other than fear or panic when she's with a man. jock was half in love with fiona before he got the job of being her bodyguard. he knows her trauma. he's seen the tapes. but he doesn't see her as damaged or broken or as something that needs to be fixed. he sees something precious and beautiful and worth protecting. and navigating those feelings while fiona's li...

the latest tarnished heroes novel has cia contractor anderson gratney working to protect cia analyst carol sark from the group within the cia that has been leaking and compromising government missions for years. carol has a program that might connect all the dots, but she's not a true coder. andy, however has skills. he's got assassin skills, he's got covert spy skills, and he's got hacker skills. he's the full package. and so assassin games  kicks off in high gear. with carol, andy breaks protocol in small ways. when they first make contact he pretends to be a flirtatious guy named mark. and he wants to believe that mark isn't real. that the guy carol falls for isn't him. but over time carol sees that mark is andy and andy is mark. that underneath the badass super spy there is a sweet guy who she could easily love. and that to be loved by that guy, the badass super spy with the sweet guy buried deep, would be life-affirming. given the stakes, life-af...

i loved the latest elite ops novel, i put   free fall  on my tbr pile as soon as i finished wingman and it did not disappoint. the chemistry between duke and casey has been palpable throughout the series and it really sizzles in this book. duke and casey find themselves on the run, knowing that the company casey works for is out for their blood and will stop at nothing to find and destroy them both for whatever intel they might have inadvertently gathered. it's intense and the way the tension spills over into an attraction that can't be resisted just works for me. i love casey and duke together. i love that they've always noticed each other. i love that they are on exactly the same wavelength from the get-go. even if they are too shy to acknowledge it. these two are #relationshipgoals. anyway, i really enjoyed this series as a whole. while we get a nice epilogue here, it's also possible that there are more stories set in this world, though perhaps not...

zero hour   kicks of a new romantic suspense series by megan erickson. roarke brennan and his ace team of hackers are out for revenge and find themselves wrapped up in a plot that will pit them against the baddest of the bad. among the highly skilled people roarke has recruited is wren lee. the one girl he's always been in love with. and the one girl that he's always been convinced deserved better than him. he's idolized her for so long he's not quite sure how to handle the real thing. wren is smart and strong and has secrets. he thinks he knows all her secrets. but he doesn't. and this realization forces him to look at her differently. and suddenly she's not the unattainable woman he's dreamed of. she's flesh and bone and pure sex appeal. and she's his. so even as their whole revenge scheme goes to pieces, that's the one constant. she is his. he is hers. somehow with all the crazy they'll make it work. **zero hour will publish on...

deadly deception  picks up detective sean burke's story (we met him in book one of the rogue security series, risky redemption ). unlike the first book, the events in deadly deception  are told in a more straightforward manner. but there are plenty of twists and turns with the central mystery. sean burke is back in ramona, ca as part of a mandatory leave of absence after his off the book actions in risky redemption.  the last thing he expects is to run into jessica hargrove, the woman who shattered his heart eight years ago. even more bizarre is the fact that everyone seems to be angry with him, when she was the one who dumped him. but jessica's family is in trouble. her mother is missing. her brother is less than reliable. her stepfather is behaving strangely. her ex-husband is back in town and demanding custody of their daughter. and sean's presence is unwelcome except for the fact that he seems to be the only person interested in searching for leads in her mother...

twisted truths  brings the blood brothers series to a thrilling conclusion. dr. madison and sheriff cobb continue their quest to hunt down the genetically blessed soldiers she created in a lab, and they combine the quest to save denver's ex's adopted child from a black market auction with tracking down madison and cobb and finally eliminating the threat they've lived with for far too long. there's a lot going on. but the most important thing is probably the fact that noni has dropped back into denver's life. he gave her up in order to protect her. he gave her up for his brothers. but now that she's back, he's not sure he can let her go. but he's also not sure where the quest to destroy madison and cobb will take him. there are twists and turns and revelations. and there's some really steamy make up sex for denver and noni. and where this ends may have been scripted in the stars, but it is entirely satisfying. **twisted truths will publish on...

declan kavanaugh finally gets a starring role in trapped , the third book in the finding justice series. when chasyn summers is targeted by an accused murderer she's almost killed for no reason. she didn't actually witness the crime. she only said she did to encourage her friend, kasey becker, who had witnessed the murder to come forward. but even after the district attorney's office appears to drop the case, chasyn continues to be targeted. this is where declan comes in, as the owner of a private security firm he offers bodyguard protection and investigative work in order to get to the bottom of the mystery. declan's always been a love 'em and leave 'em type, and he's never crossed the line with a client before. but there is something about chasyn that draws him like a moth to a flame. sure she's got good looks, but beyond that, she has a strength and a composure and a drive to solve the mystery that makes her the perfect woman. she also proves to...

risky redemption  is one of those books that plays with timelines in order to build suspense. by moving back and forth between the present and the past we are slowly piecing together the clues that the lead characters are gathering for themselves. the problem is that i called the crucial piece of information early on, and i also suspected one of the key twists before they happened. i do like to be right about things, so while i wouldn't say i was in suspense, more like i wondered when jake would ever clue into this one piece of crucial information, i was still engaged enough by the story to read the whole of it. jake is an interesting character, as a hired assassin he definitely has a skewed moral compass and how he interacts with angela at times varies between sweet and understanding and total jerk. it's no surprise angela isn't quite sure what to think of him at times because he totally blows hot and cold on her. he's also got a contract job that makes her his lat...

ABOUT THE BOOK Title: TWISTED TRUTHS Author: Rebecca Zanetti Series: BLOOD BROTHERS Publication Date: November 14, 2017 Trade paperback: $14.99 eBook: $5.99 ISBN: 978145559431 Series Page  on Goodreads "TOP PICK! 4 1/2 stars! Zanetti proves that when it comes to RS, she is in a class by herself!" ― RT Book Reviews One year ago, Denver Jones blew up his life and left everything behind. To stay alive, he had no other choice. But now, when video footage of the woman he could never forget goes viral, begging for his help, he has no choice but to go to her. Her niece has been kidnapped and Denver and his blood brothers are the only people she can trust. But Denver isn't the only one watching that video. The deadly forces from his past see it too—and they'll use anything—and anyone—they can to lure Denver out of hiding to exact their revenge. BUY THE BOOK Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book-a-Million | Google Play | iBooks | IndieBound | Kobo ABOUT...

a dangerous year  is an action-packed ya debut from kes trester. riley collins is feisty, smart, and never backs down from a fight. even when she's outnumbered on a street in karachi, pakistan, she has the presence of mind to save a young pakistani girl and emerge unscathed from a street fight. her antics get the attention of the u.s. state department, and she's pressed into service to serve as the bodyguard/handler for the daughter of a tech genius who may be uncoding the latest, greatest spyware. but in order to do this, she must attend an exclusive connecticut boarding school that is a far cry from her life as an ambassador's daughter in pakistan. riley is so personable and charming that it's actually enjoyable to watch her forays into the social cesspool that is high school. and the people she meets and befriends are fleshed out enough that you really begin to enjoy the setting. this book is the launch point for a series, and i look forward to future appearenc...

i've been reading sandra brown since i was in college and her suspense stories are generally filled with just enough terror and the perfect amount of sexiness. in seeing red , major trapper is a national hero. beloved and admired by one and all. but the bombing he helped save people from still has secrets that haven't been revealed. kerra bailey, the young girl in his arms in an iconic photograph of the event—and now a news reporter at a dallas-based television station—is one of those secrets. the true perpetrators of the crime are the other secret—a secret major trapper's son, john, suspects will put his father's life in danger. when the major is shot at his front door the evening his interview with kerra airs, everything goes haywire. kerra was in the house and barely escapes with her life. from that moment john, who goes by trapper, is on the case. he knows that whatever is happening now has links back to the bombing that put kerra and the major in each oth...

art forger turned investigator for the elite crimes unit at interpol, ethan maxwell still skirts the edge of the law. he hasn't touched a brush or easel since his arrest and recruitment to the e.c.u., but he has knowledge of crimes that haven't been shared or revealed. when a vandalist/forger targets his father's forgeries, ethan is partnered with olivia lawson of the art & antiquities unit of scotland yard. she's in line for promotion to detective constable and needs a win in this case, though given her rocky reputation in the art world combined with a lack of funds for her department at scotland yard, things aren't looking too good. in the forger , ethan must strike a tough balance. he cannot admit the truth of his past to olivia, because he risks death or incarceration, but the more they investigate the more apparent it is that he is being targeted. and there are some secrets he just can't keep from olivia. especially given their chemistry. not on...

the mysterious dante malcolm leads up say no more , the third book in the gravediggers series. unlike deacon and elias, dante has held himself apart from the team even as he is clearly a vital part of it. the reasons for this become clear early on in the novel. dante has special skills, he was an mi6 agent, but also a thief in his previous life. so part of his role within the gravediggers team is also to run side missions for their boss, eve. the thing is, dante's past life is still very much alive for him. giving up his career, both legitimate and illegitimate was one thing, but it was giving up the great love of his life that still haunts him. olivia rothschild is no stranger to tragedy and loss. losing dante, someone who had lied and betrayed her was one thing. another was losing her identical twin sister, who was kidnapped when they were 6 and was never recovered. liv has made it her career to find her sister, joining interpol right out of school, and when dante's bet...