Author: Patricia Bradley

Series: Natchez Trace Park Rangers #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 2, 2021

Patricia Bradley’s newest installment in the Natchez Trace series is the best yet with more action, tension, and drama that keeps the pages flying!

When Ainsley Beaumont’s dream of a career in singing fell through, she joined the Investigative Services Branch and became a ranger. She is sent to her hometown of Natchez Mississippi to figure out who murdered a pregnant teenager. While she is investigating, Ainsley quickly becomes the killer’s next target and has to work with an old flame to solve the case. Lin Steele is a former FBI sniper that put his gun away after almost killing an innocent child. Linc can’t bring himself to pick up a gun again after what happened, but as the danger to Ainsley increases along with his feelings, he wonders if he will be able to help her without the use of his weapon.

Patricia Bradley has crafted an incredible series with characters that I instantly fell in love with and wanted to make sure they made it to a safe and happy ending. The plot was more intricate and detailed than past installments giving me a deeper desire to see these characters find happiness. As with most romantic suspense novels, our main characters have a history together and when they end up working together the old feelings get stirred up making things more complicated between them. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t; here I enjoyed the dynamic between Ainsley and Linc and how that shaped the rest of the story. The secondary characters brought out a lighter side to the story, especially Cora and the rest of Ainsley’s family, except her father, the tension between them was tighter and gave more depth to the story. This was the best of the series for me and even though it is the third in the series, each book can be read on its own without missing anything from the others to make the story whole. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy romantic suspense and want a good story that will keep them turning the pages lost in the action.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: Natalie Walters

Series: The Snap Agency #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 2, 2021

A new hit that romantic suspense fans will not want to miss! Natalie Walters is quickly making a name for herself in this genre!

Brynn Taylor is a CIA analyst who has developed a program to take down terrorists before they get a chance to attack. When one of the members of a foreign intelligence agency she invited to work on the program goes missing, she must work with Jack Hudson and the Strategic Neutralization and Protection Agency. Jack and Brynn have a history and working together is no easy task. Every clue they uncover puts them in more danger and deeper into the international plot they have uncovered. They must work together in order to stop a terrorist trying to cause a digital blackout in order to blind the US military. If Brynn and Jack can’t get over the hurt in their past, they may not be able to solve the case that leaves lives and their hearts hanging by a thread.

Lights Out was a really great book. I probably could have read this in one sitting if I hadn’t been sick and had to put it down for two weeks. This is the first book in Walters new series and it starts with a bang. There are so many secondary characters that I can’t wait to see how they develop in the upcoming books in the series. Brynn was a great lead character that kept me engaged and I easily connected with her hoping to see her succeed in both life and love. The dynamic between her and Jack kept the tension tight all the way through, along with the playful banter with Lyla and the other members of the SNAP team. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds as the story continues with the next in the series. The story flows at a good pace and the ending was very satisfactory unlike some romantic suspense that tie things up too quickly. I recommend this book to fans of romantic suspense and fans of Walters writing will not want to miss this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: Elizabeth Goddard

Series: Rocky Mountain Courage #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 2, 2021

Another great romantic suspense novel with characters readers will fall in love with and a storyline that never slows down!

Erin Larson is a criminal psychologist whose career and life are almost over after a boating accident. Shortly thereafter, she learns that her mother has tried to commit suicide. Taking a leave of absence from her job to care for her mother, she moves to Montana and focuses her attention on a podcast of missing person cold cases that go all the way back to her childhood. Nathan Campbell’s case calls to Erin when her mother is in the hospital bringing their past relationship to the surface. When his father is shot investigating a case, Nathan asks Erin to help him get to the bottom of what is happening. As they work together, they determine they are being targeted and the more they uncover the more danger they are all in.

Deadly Target started great but ended even better. I loved the turn it took, sucking me into the story even more. Each problem Erin encounters leads to another clue being uncovered about a past she wants to leave behind. Goddard did a fantastic job of creating a story and characters that I couldn’t help but root for and want to know all of their deepest, darkest secrets. The story flowed at a very smooth pace and never made me want to put the book down. I finished the story in a single day.

Erin is a strong female lead that carries the story in a way that is easy to follow and believable. This is the second book in the series but can be read on its own without missing out on much from the first in the series. There are some secondary characters from the first that make an appearance, but it won’t take away from the story itself. I love the way it wrapped up and characters we thought weren’t important played an important role by the end. I recommend this book to fans of romantic suspense and if you haven’t given Elizabeth Goddard a chance, I would pick this one up immediately.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: Irene Hannon

Series: Triple Threat #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 5, 2021

A fabulous romantic suspense by Irene Hannon, her best yet!!!

After the disappearance of a young girl attending an exclusive boarding school and some shady drug dealings in the area, Detective Cate Reilly is asked to go undercover. As she gets to the school and does some digging, she discovers that not everything is as it seems from the outside at the prestigious Ivy Hill Academy. What she never dreamed of is that the one man she fell in love with and broke her heart years ago is also undercover at the school. Zeke Sloan is working for the DEA to uncover the source of a drug ring close to the school. The second he sees Cate his heart stops, he never forgot the woman who stole his heart, and this is the last place he expected to run into her. Together, they work to solve their two cases that become more intertwined as the investigation heats up.

I have read a lot of Irene Hannon books over the years, but I have to say this is going to take the top spot out of all her books for me. The premise hooked me right away. I loved the idea of a female detective that is always mistaken for someone much younger than they are and able to use that to their advantage to go undercover like this. Right away, I was able to connect with Cate and everything she was trying to do. I believed in her mission and her ability to pull it off, I was invested! Zeke took me a little longer to connect with, not much though, his feelings for Cate jumped off the page at me and made me want to see them together. It was difficult to identify the villain and I was pleasantly surprised with how it all played out in the end.

With romantic suspense I usually have a pretty good idea how it is all going to play out, which can cause me to lose my interest partway through, but with this book, I was invested and had trouble putting it down. By far this is my favorite Irene Hannon book and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next! I recommend this book to fans of romantic suspense, even though it is the second in a series you don’t have to read the first to enjoy this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: DiAnn Mills

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: September 7, 2021

With a fantastic protagonist and plot DiAnn Mills sucked me in to this story and held me tight!

It’s been fifteen years since Shelby Pearce confessed to murdering her brother-in-law and spent that time in prison. After being released on parole, she moves to the small town of Valleysburg, Texas to start over, but starting over won’t be as easy as she had hoped. When she was first convicted, FBI agent Denton McClure was a rookie working on her case. Shelby might have been convicted of murder, but she was also suspected of embezzling half a million from her brother-in-law’s non-profit organization. Now, Denton moves to Valleysburg to try and gain her trust and find out what happened to the money from all those years ago. The more time he spends with Shelby, the less he thinks she was responsible for taking the money and now she is receiving threats if she doesn’t disappear or commit suicide. In a case where nothing is as it seems, Shelby is now in a fight for her life and Denton isn’t sure who the villain is anymore.

This book had an absolutely fantastic start with a wonderful protagonist and plot that intrigued me and had me cheering for Shelby. She quickly became one of my favorite characters for the year and I love the plot.  At least, I love it all until about 80% of the way through the book.  Up to that point the story had me, I believed it all and couldn’t wait to see what would happen. Then I felt like we went from fiction to more far-fetched fiction and while still enjoyable, it just lost its believable quality. I love DiAnn Mills writing, her last book was her best by far, and I was hoping this one was going to surpass until things took a bit of a left turn. I realize that it’s all fiction, but her stories have always had such a believable quality to them that I feel like I’m one of the minor characters throughout the book. I’ve talked about this book with several of my reader friends who have also read it and while they noticed the same thing, they didn’t feel that it took as much away from the store.  I do think romantic suspense lovers will still enjoy the story and I’ll be curious to get their thoughts on the ending.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.