Blue Moon Mystery Saloon

The Eyewitness

A D'Azzo Family mystery, Book One, Crimson Romance, March 2017.

* An e-galley was provided by Adams Media/Crimson Romance for an honest review.

  

The Eyewitness by Nancy C. Weeks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE EYEWITNESS is a great start to the new D'Azzo Family suspense series by Nancy C. Weeks. The author skillfully introduces all the main characters one at a time, showing how they contribute to the story, and creates energized scenes vivid enough for the reader to feel a part of the action.

The two main characters in this book are Emersyn D'Azzo, the youngest child of Grace and Joe D'Azzo, and Detective Alec Pearce, Joe's capable and trusted partner. She is a newly graduated forensic scientist, who has a long-standing love/hate relationship with the serious detective. When the story begins, Emersyn is celebrating her graduation with her family and ends up arguing with her father, while Maryland police are trying to identify a sniper who's been randomly shooting people around Maryland. Joe and Alec are part of a statewide law enforcement task force to solve the murders, and it appears Joe has been targeted by the sniper.

Pros: 1. The story is fast paced, action packed and well written. 2. All the more significant characters are well-developed, with their own unique flaws and strengths. 3. Vivid scenes transport the reader into the story. 4. The dialogue and interactions are interesting and realistic. 5. Having lived in Maryland when snipers were terrorizing DC and its neighboring counties in Maryland and Virginia several years ago, I remember the fear of not knowing where the sniper would strike next. That fear is accurately reflected in this story.

Cons: 1. The only sex scene in the story was written well, but I felt it was a little too long at that point in the story. 2. Part of the mystery isn't totally solved in this book but is provided as the link to the next story in the series. Since this is not unusual to a series, and since neither of these negatives take away from the book's overall storyline, they only drop the rating to 4.5 stars.

Overall: THE EYEWITNESS is a smart, fast-paced, and well-written mystery that should appeal to suspense and mystery fans everywhere.

If You Like This, You May Like: SHADOW SERIES by Nancy C. Weeks, TRACERS SERIES by Laura Griffin, MORGANS OF NASHVILLE and TEXAS RANGERS series by Mary Burton, FBI THRILLER BOOKS by Catherine Coulter, LUCY KINCAID NOVELS by Allison Brennan, DARKNESS by Karen Robards, BRIT IN THE FBI THRILLERS by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison, DECKER/LAZARUS NOVELS by Faye Kellerman, BUCHANAN/FBI SERIES by Julie Garwood

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The Devil's Triangle

Book 4, A Brit in the FBI Thrillers by Catherine Coulter & J.T. Ellison, Gallery Books, March 2017.

* An e-galley was provided by Gallery Books and Edelweiss for an honest review.

 

The Devil's Triangle by Catherine Coulter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison, the fourth book in the BRIT IN THE FBI THRILLER series, is an action-packed story full of heartless villains, bright and creative FBI agents, and a master thief who is trying to save Washington, DC from a manmade weather catastrophe. The story begins in early 16th century France as Leonardo Da Vinci lies dying. His protege/lover is helping Da Vinci arrange folios of his artwork. Da Vinci demands that the folio with the lightening bolt be destroyed, as it could lead to the destruction of mankind.

The story continues in present day Venice. Master thief Kitsune (aka the Fox) delivers what's believed to be the original staff of Moses to clients who are paying her ten million euros to steal it from the Topkapi Palace Museum in Turkey. As she waits to hand over the staff, she overhears voices in another room talking about the creation of a sand tsunami that would damage Beijing. The buyers order Kitsune killed, but she escapes and then sees a TV report about a deadly sandstorm bearing down on Beijing. When she gets back to her home in Capri, she discovers her husband has been kidnapped. She calls FBI Special Agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine to ask for their help and tells them about the strange conversation she overheard. Thus begins Nicholas' and Mike's race to find Kitsune's husband and prevent future manmade catastrophic weather around the world.

Pros: 1. It's an energy-filled, engaging page-turner that never seems to lag, thanks to carefully chosen words to convey a deep sense of urgency throughout the book. 2. The villains are fully drawn and portrayed as brilliant but deeply disturbed. They only care for each other and for ultimate world power. 3. The narrative is fresh and not repetitive, and conversations are believable. 4. The descriptions of settings are fairly vivid and not overly done.

Cons: The main characters, Nicholas and Mike, are not very well developed. Maybe they've been better described in earlier books, but that doesn't help a reader new to the series, as I am. I had to gather the little info regarding their relationship, work roles, and personalities from bits and pieces scattered throughout the book.

Overall: THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE is an engrossing page-turner that would appeal to suspense and thriller lovers everywhere.

If You Like This, You Might Like: Other BRIT IN THE FBI THRILLERS by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison, LUCY KINCAID NOVELS by Allison Brennan, DECKER/LAZARUS NOVELS by Faye Kellerman, BUCHANAN/FBI SERIES by Julie Garwood, TRACERS SERIES by Laura Griffin, TAYLOR JACKSON NOVELS by J.T. Ellison, FORGOTTEN FILES and THE MORGANS OF NASHVILLE series by Mary Burton

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Boss

A Trinity Novel (Book One) by J.L. Lora, Adams Media, March 2017.

*An e-galley was provided by Adams Media and Edelweiss for an honest review.

Boss by J.L. Lora
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was prepared for a kick-ass book when I read the first few chapters of BOSS, by J.L. Lora. Who couldn't pull for innocent women getting caught in the crosshairs of competing factions? I rallied behind Carissa and her friends Mel and Gia, hoping they were safe and far away from the warring families. The scenes were action packed, and I couldn't read fast enough. Then it's two years later, and turns out, the women aren't quite so innocent after all.

You see, Carissa (the lead female in this first book of a trilogy) is a "boss" who has thugs working for her. She's been "hiding out" and opening an exclusive nightclub in New York City with her two friends. But wait. The men she's been trying to hide from have taken two years to find her? They're principals in mob families who know and hate each other, and she and her friends are under the protection of principals in another known mob family and by a NYC gang. Unless I missed something, I don't understand how they wouldn't know where she was from almost the first moment she tried to go into hiding, and especially once she became so well known to the glitterati of NYC society.

Despite my confusion with who knew what and when, I thought this debut book was a good start for the author.

PROS: 1. The story rarely bogs down and is well written. I may not relate to the situations in the book, but I can't fault the author's writing style. It's fresh and non-repetitive. 2. The motivations of the characters are pretty apparent and their backgrounds strong. 3. The life-threatening scenes are full of tension and kept me riveted to those parts of the book. 4. The cover is awesome!!

CONS: 1. As the story began, I rooted for the three women who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But when I found out just who they cozied up to, my support for them was short lived. 2. The romance between Carissa and Alec seemed a little far-fetched, especially towards the end of the book. 3. Frequently when I'm reading romances, I imagine what it would be like to be the heroine in the story. I wonder how I would react to other characters and the various situations that occur around them. In this book, I couldn't relate to any of the characters or what happened to them, though I wanted to find out who the ultimate villain was.

OVERALL: I believe the author has a good writing style, and I'll definitely read her future books. The story is fast-paced and full of engrossing action. And though I didn't care for the characters and what they got themselves into, they were fairly well drawn with strong motivations and good background stories. So if you like good mob romances, you should enjoy BOSS.

If You Like This, You Might Like: EAGLE ELITE SERIES by Rachel Van Dyken, CARTER REED SERIES and COLE by Tijan, MADE MEN SERIES by Sarah Brianne, DANGEROUS ROYALS SERIES by Annika Martin

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Windswept

A Novel by Sabrina Jeffries (writing as Deborah Martin), Pocket Books, February 2017.

* An e-galley was provided by Pocket Books & Edelweiss for an honest review.

 

Windswept by Deborah Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the book's beginning, Sabrina Jeffries tells readers she wrote WINDSWEPT (originally published in 1996) under the name Deborah Martin near the beginning of her career. With this edition, she revised the story to make it more appealing to today's romance audience. She "heightened the drama, enriched the storyline, tightened the dialogue, and stoked" the sexual tension between the two main characters. And I believe she succeeded. It's an enchanting romance and an absorbing mystery that addresses the themes of abuse, loneliness, and love.

The heroine, Catrin Price, has denied herself a loving relationship after her husband was killed on their wedding day. She believes her family is cursed from a spell cast by an ancestor causing the death of her descendents' husbands within three years of marriage. Catrin refuses to be the instrument of death for anyone else and has resigned herself to a life without another husband or any children. She spends her days studying Welsh myths and legends, overseeing her property, and helping her tenants and friends.

The hero, Evan Newsome, has also denied himself a chance to find love after he almost killed an innocent person in a jealous rage, for which his fiancee broke their engagement. His father, a tenant farmer, emotionally and physically abused his family, and Evan truly believes he follows in his father's footsteps. But he's worked hard to better himself, thanks to the help of Rhys and Juliana Vaughan, the owners of the farm his father tended. They recognized Evan's intellect, took him in and sent him to the best schools, treating him as one of their own. Evan is now a noted scholar and tutor at Cambridge and feels he can never pay back the debt he owes them.

Catrin and Evan meet when he tries to discover who killed his best friend. Evan knows that someone calling herself the Lady of the Mist offered to buy an ancient Druid cup his friend owned, so he's followed that trail. When he discovers the woman is Catrin, he misrepresents himself as needing information on a book he's writing. She knows of the genius Evan Newsome, who speaks multiple languages, has essays published in prestigious journals and has written on the beauty of Welsh verse. So she falls for his lies. As Evan gets to know her, he begins to doubt that she is a murderer. Their attraction is strong, and though Catrin knows she can never remarry, she opens up to him, trusting him more each day.

Pros: 1. Catrin and Evan are extremely likable, believable characters with strong moral beliefs and depth of personality. Like real people, they have faults and issues to overcome, but they are primarily caring and supportive individuals who try to do the right thing. 2. I like that it's a romance based in Wales. Along with Ireland, I think Wales is woefully underrepresented in historical romances today. 3. It's a well-written romantic mystery that is interesting and unique. 4. Vivid descriptions pulled me into the story and kept me enthralled until the very end. 5. Supernatural elements are lightly woven throughout the book with a successful conclusion.

Cons: The story had to end.

Overall: WINDSWEPT is a fast-paced romance with a unique storyline and well-developed main and secondary characters. I truly enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone who loves their romance with a hint of mystery.

If You Like This, You Might Like: THE SINFUL SUITORS SERIES and THE HELLIONS OF HALSTEAD HALL SERIES by Sabrina Jeffries, SCANDALOUS GENTLEMEN OF ST. JAMES SERIES and HELLIONS OF HAVISHAM SERIES by Lorraine Heath, MAIDEN LANE SERIES by Elizabeth Hoyt, THE HEART OF A DUKE SERIES by Christi Caldwell

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