ReviewsBySandra2

Beast In My Bed
By Marianne LaCroix
Romance Erotic Quickie
35 pages
Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1-4199-0583-X
5 out of 5 Big Bad Wolves

Sophia, dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, plans a fun night at The Penthouse, a fabulous New York nightclub, with her friends. They'll mingle with the rich and famous; have a few drinks and "find a beast to take home for howling good Halloween" sex.

Greg, "a sinfully delicious man" whom she wants on first sight, asks her to dance, then invites her to his hotel room. "The Big Bad Wolf is going to taste Little Red tonight." Sophia can't say no. It isn't just because she needs him inside her now. She feels a connection to him.

After mind-blowing sex, Greg's reference to himself as Big Bad Wolf takes on a whole new meaning. Sophia flees but will she be able to forget the man who makes her body burn, her heart ache?

Beast In My Bed is an entertaining, well-written story. The characters are interesting and real and more important, believable. Ms. LaCroix makes one think they might just like something big, furry and sexually talented in their bed. While the sex is hot and frequent, Sophia and Greg's emotions play a huge role in making this story a great read.

©Sandra Paquet

gottawritenetwork.com reviewer

July 6, 2007

Deadly Mistakes
By Denise Belinda McDonald
300 pages
Romantic suspense
Samhain Publishing Ltd.
ISBN: 1-59998-336-2
3 ½ mistakes out of 5

When Charlie Foster, a Fort Worth shoe store owner, trips over a dead man in her living room her life takes a downhill turn. The police no sooner remove her from their suspect list when she finds another body, this one in her shoe store. Charlie is suspect number one again. Fortunately for her, Chicago Detective Bobby Allen has been following her and comes forward to give her an alibi.

The dead man in Charlie's apartment was the only lead Bobby had on a very personal, off the record case he's working. He needs Charlie's help. Then the killers target Charlie and she needs his protection. When Charlie and Bobby join forces to figure out what the killer's next move is they soon find their relationship moving from professional to very personal.

This is an interesting story, with lots of twists and turns and a few surprises along the way but the book was much longer than the story warranted. It dragged in places and had too many awkwardly worded sentences. The characters didn't quite come to life for me. The murder mystery was more entertaining than the romance.

Sandra
March 19, 2007

What Mattered Most
By Linda Winfree
223 pages
Romantic suspense
Samhain Publishing Ltd.
ISBN: 1-59998-266-8
5 out of 5 forever afters

Detective John O'Reilly is a doomed man. He's been in love with his partner, Beth, for years but he's living with Deputy Lanie Falconetti, his pregnant lover. Beth doesn't want him and only with Lanie can he forget Beth and all his failures. Lanie is his lifeline.

Lanie is excited about becoming a mother and, because she's sure John loves her, she's unconcerned about her unmarried state. She refuses to do what her mother did - use a pregnancy to trap a man into marriage. John gave her an infinity-forever-pendant for Christmas so she's sure they have a forever kind of love. Her only worry is that John shows complete disinterest in their unborn child.

They are torn apart when John's past catches up with him. Beth's abusive ex-husband first kidnaps Beth and then Lanie. Doug Mitchell blames John for his marriage break-up and intends to make him pay. One woman will live. One woman will die. John must choose.

An emotionally charged plot, tortured characters who live and breathe on the page - what more could you want? Both John and Lanie have emotional baggage that forms a wedge between them and commitment and trust. It turns out that Doug Mitchell is the least of their problems. The insecurities and hurts they carry deep inside keep them locked in the past and compound their current problems. I was glued to the page during their long journey to discovering what matters most.

The story pulls at your heartstrings - so many problems, so little trust. Two people struggling to do what's right, two people enduring pain and heartache in order to give a tiny baby a home. I fell in love with our tormented hero and desperately wanted Lanie to forgive him. What Matter's Most is a compelling read. I'm anxiously awaiting Ms. Winfree's next release - Truth and Consequences - which was slated for June 2007.

©Sandra Paquet, gottawritenetwork.com reviewer
May 5, 2007

Secrets and Shadows
By Meg Allison
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Romantic suspense
238 pages
ISBN: 1-59998-088-6
5 out of 5 secrets

Sabrina Layne is having a very bad night. Right on the heels of an unsettling phone call from a stalker is a second call, this one from Jason Sinclair, the family chauffeur, with shocking news. Her father was just killed in a car accident. Now Sabrina will never know why her father disliked her so much; enough to disown and disinherit her. Regardless of the pain her father has given her, she's never been able to stop loving him; Sabrina flies home for the funeral.

And she is not pleased when Jason meets her plane. She never wanted to see him again. He was her first love. He rejected her and broke her heart. To her dismay, Sabrina discovers nothing has changed. She still wants him. He doesn't want her.

Only he does. Jason can't believe she's grown even more beautiful and desirable. But that doesn't change the fact that he can't become involved with her. There are too many secrets and lies between them. And Sabrina is a woman who hates any kind of deceit. She will never forgive him. He needs her to go back to New York where she'll be safe, where she won't discover that her father was murdered or that Jason is an undercover CIA agent. And those are not the worst of Jason's secrets.

But Sabrina isn't going anywhere. And on her first night home, the killer comes after her.

Secrets and Shadows is a real page turner full of twists and turns and characters who are not who they appear to be. And all of them are keeping secrets from Sabrina.

Sabrina and Jason are interesting characters, each with problems from the past that are still affecting their lives and keeping them apart. And Jason is only making the situation worse. In order to protect Sabrina, he is keeps lying to her. And one of his secrets is unforgivable and, if discovered, will devastate Sabrina. Their personal problems, the sexual tension between them and their search for the killer kept me glued to the pages. I highly recommend this book.

©Sandra Paquet, gottawritenetwork.com
April 15, 2007

Angel Eyes
By Jaycee Clark
204 pages
Romantic suspense
Samhain Publishing Ltd.
ISBN: 1-59998-021-5
5 out of 5 angel eyes

The hunter searches for a special kind of prey-women with hypnotic, pale blue eyes. Angel eyes. When he finds one of his special angels he kidnaps her, plays with her, then kills her and harvests her eyes. He has an insatiable need to collect angel eyes.

Rogan Duran, ex-special ops, ex-Army Criminal Investigations, and off and on murder suspect, is now a reporter for the Washington Post. He's on leave, searching for leads that will help to clear his name when he encounters Cora O'Donnell. She's weird, she's sexy and he wants her. Rogan's inner instincts, instincts that have saved his life in the past, tell him he's exactly where he's supposed to be. Needs to be.

Cora is a psychic who owns a new age shop - Mystic Moons. She's having nightmares about murder, about a man who kills women and cuts out their eyes. Eyes just like hers. Sooner or later, the hunter will come for her and her perfect angel eyes.

The romance is hot, the suspense chilling. Angel Eyes is a page turner. Tension is high throughout the story. A madman is playing with two lives. Cora knows she will eventually become the killer's prey. Rogan, still suffering blackouts from a war injury, sometimes wonders if he is the killer. The two detectives on the case, one skeptical and one disbelieving, are unwilling to help Cora. And there are a number suspects who are to close for comfort.

The story is populated with fascinating and very real characters. The scene swings between the hunter, Cora and Rogan ratchet up the tension. I felt Cora's danger, feared for her life. And I worried that Rogan wouldn't be able to clear his name in time and he would lose another woman he loves. Angel Eyes is a fast paced and intriguing story.

©Sandra Paquet, gottawritenetwork.com reviewer
May 7, 2007

Spitfire
By Arianna Hart
Romantic suspense
261 pages
Samhain Publishing Ltd.
ISBN: 1-59998-060-6
5 out of 5 karate kicks

        Shana Quinn applies for a job as a security guard for Renault Industries in order to gain enough experience to open her own detective agency. But instead of guarding the cutting edge technology she was hired to protect she's given the opportunity to do some real detective work. Shana's new assignment is to find Allison, Royce Renault's kidnapped niece. If he doesn't give the kidnappers the top secret Helen project code they will kill Allison. Shana is confident she will find the child in time; it's her heart she's worried about. While the gorgeous Royce is both available and interested, Shana can't believe a man like him could have more than a short-term attraction to a woman like her.

        Even if he wanted to, Royce couldn’t give the kidnappers the code. It's so top secret that the government has contracted with three different companies to develop it and Royce doesn't even know the names of the other companies. His only option is to find Allison fast. But he's not going to let Shana hunt on her own. He intends to be with the little spitfire every step of the way. And he's looking for more than a business relationship.

        The investigation barely begins when the kidnappers come after Shana and she is almost killed. And then danger escalates. Will Shana live long enough to rescue Allison and land her man?

        Wow, talk about fast-paced! The story begins with Shana taking on two thugs twice her size and revs up from there. While all the characters are interesting and believable, Shana and Royce breathe on the page. Shana’s need to prove her worth to her father and Royce's need to take care of his younger brother make then very human.

        Spitfire has the perfect balance between action, suspense and romance. It's a real page turner, a must read.

Sandra Paquet

gottawritenetwork.com reviewer

July 12, 2007

In the Arms of Danger
By Madison Hayes
Romantic suspense
87 pages
Ellora's Cave Publishing Inc.
ISBN: 1-4199-0661-5
5 out of 5 dangerous Brits

        While Julie is touring England, she misses her ferry and is left behind by her tour group. Stranded with only a small amount of money, she takes refuge from the rain in a pub. When a hulking brute makes unwanted advances, unprincipled street tough Dicky Evans rescues her by claiming her as his girlfriend.

        Dicky is intrigued with Julie. "If he were to take all the women he'd ever fucked, they probably amounted to no more than pocket change when compared to this one." But he's too busy evading troubles of his own to get involved with her. Until he realizes the man tailing him is actually tailing Julie. Dicky is determined to protect her.

        Julie and Dicky are drawn together by both danger and a mutual and powerful attraction. He is all that stands between her and a killer. But is Dicky more dangerous than the killer she's fleeing?

        This was a terrific little story. Dicky is unmannered, tough and dangerous, a most unlikely hero. To call him rough around the edges is an understatement, but Dicky is also a multi-layered man desperate to make peace with his past. Young, innocent Julie is just the woman to help him. They are wonderful, three-dimensional characters whom the reader immediately cares about.

        The plot is amazingly rich for such a short story and holds a few surprises for the reader. I was so caught up in it I had to finish the story in one sitting. I definitely recommend In the Arms of Danger to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense and guarantee you'll come to love Dicky as he falls for Julie and changes his life.

©Reviewed by Sandra Paquet

gottawritenetwork.com reviewer

July 16, 2007

Rayne of Love
By Pepper Espinoza
Romantic suspense
220 pages
Samhain Publishing Ltd.
ISBN: 1-59998-81-9
5 out of 5 cons

        The Rayne of Love Traveling Ministry and Revival harbours a sadistic murderer in its ranks. FBI agent Julia Rose and her partner Alex go under cover to catch the killer. The suspects - Edgar Rayne the shepherd, Cassandra a medium, Manuel a healer, Nicodemus a seer and Fay and Charles the lackeys. Soon it's more than Julia's past that haunts her. Nicodemus endangers both her heart and her career.

        Instantly attracted to Julia, Nicodemus plots her seduction but soon finds himself falling hard for a woman who may soon arrest him for murder.

        I found this fast paced story fascinating. It's definitely not predictable. I wasn't sure who the killer was until the very end. The characters were incredibly interesting and lifelike. The shady exploits of the Rayne of Love Ministry and the tension created when Julia and Nicodemus started falling for each other were exploited to the fullest. It seemed impossible for these two to have a future together. Rayne of Love is a terrific book that I highly recommend.

©Sandra Paquet

gottawritenetwork.com reviewer

July 20, 2007