Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts

Review & Giveaway: Becoming Rain (Burying Water #2) by K.A. Tucker


Luke Boone doesn't know exactly what his uncle Rust is involved in but he wants in on it-the cars, the money, the women. And it looks like he's finally getting his wish. When Rust hands him the managerial keys to the garage, they come with a second set-one that opens up the door to tons of cash and opportunity. Though it's not exactly legal, Luke's never been one to worry about that sort of thing. Especially when it puts him behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 and onto the radar of gorgeous socialite named Rain.

Clara Bertelli is at the top of her game-at only twenty-six years old, she's one of the most successful undercover officers in the Washington D.C. major crime unit, and she's just been handed a case that could catapult her career and expose one of the west coast's most notorious car theft rings. But, in order to do it, she'll need to go deep undercover as Rain Martines. Her target? The twenty-four-year old nephew of a key player who appears ready to follow in his uncle's footsteps.

As Clara drifts deeper into the luxurious lifestyle of Rain, and further into the arms of her very attractive and charming target, the lines between right and wrong start to blur, making her wonder if she'll be able to leave it all behind. Or if she'll even want to.

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

All Luke ever wanted was to be in on his uncle's business. The cars, the money and the babes were all that was on his mind. Now finally his uncle is letting him slowly in, and while he knew the business wasn't exactly legal, he had no idea how far things went. Life for him is currently pretty good, certainly when he meets the beautiful Rain.

Clara is an undercover cop looking for her big break that might get her into the FBI. Seducing Luke and getting him to talk, turned out to be more difficult than expected. She will need to put in the work, and also discover that Luke isn't necessarily a bad guy. Lines start to blur, and she needs to be careful to not let her emotions get in the way of her target.

I was actually surprised how naive Luke was at times. He's a good guy, and therefore expects his uncle to be the same. Meaning it's never just stealing and smuggling cars, there are always danger and usually casualties. So Luke mostly just cruises along with his uncle's ideas, and listening to his orders. His saving grace really is the fact that his uncle is a bit paranoid, and never lets Luke in on it all.

After everything that happened in the previous book, there is a change in this guy. He's no longer all about flashing money, and wanting the superficial things in life. Luke is growing up and has matured a lot. He simply got carried away too much with the business. These changes happened before he met Rain, but the way he wants her and the future he wants with her only confirms that he is a decent guy.

Rain/Clara was very interesting. At first she's very focused on getting to connect with Luke and get him to talk. Though the more she gets to know him, she also realizes he's not a bad guy, he's just in too deep. Slowly their connection turns into something more, and it becomes more and more difficult to keep her emotions separated from the job. The way Rain feels about Luke becomes real, she cares about him, but she also knows this isn't going to end well. Still I believe she handles things pretty well, considering. It definitely wasn't professional, but my romantic heart approved.

K.A. Tucker has once again written an amazing story. I very much liked the suspense element in this story. The writing was superb, and the way the plot was set up, it kept you guessing all the way 'till the end. Becoming Rain is a lot about the choices we make as a person, and the way those choices can shape us and the consequences of those. Sometimes the choices aren't easy and I love that she doesn't shy away of making things a bit more difficult for the characters, while keeping it real for us.


Burying Water - Reading order and purchase links

  



The Author
Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons.

She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit.

Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Connect with K.A. Tucker:




Promo Blitz: Alejandro by K. Victoria Chase





Alejandro
K. Victoria Chase - Alejandro
Romantic Suspense
Date Published: March 2013


Blurb:

Audrey Hughes hasn't heard from her sister Penny in years. When she receives a letter from her former drug-addicted sister that someone is going to kill her, Audrey believes her sister is being dramatic--until she discovers Penny is dead, and she's left behind a son Audrey never knew existed.It's his fault she's dead. Lana was his source, his responsibility. US Marshal Alejandro Santiago vows to avenge her killer, a drug trafficker who is the key to finding a dangerous fugitive. One problem: Lana's beautiful sister Audrey and her nephew have just become targets. Can he protect them both without his emotions compromising the mission? What will happen when Audrey learns the truth of his involvement in her sister's death?An interracial romantic suspense with a bit of faith weaved in.


EXCERPT

She backed herself into a corner, keeping her eyes straight ahead, and her chin high. Ale leaned against the opposite wall and hooked his thumbs on his belt loops. The longer he stared at her side profile, the more she fidgeted — checking her watch, gripping her bag, glancing up at the ceiling. If she were going to give him a hard time, he’d at least have a little fun. 

“How do you plan to leave? If I recall, we drove here in my car. Yours is back at your sister’s.” He smiled triumphantly. 

She favored him with half a glance before setting her gaze on the control panel. “I’ll call a cab.”

“No one is going to give you the number to a cabbie, on my orders.” She gave him a chagrined smile.

“There’s an app for that on my iPhone.” 

His eyes fell to her bag and he lifted his brows. “I’ll wrestle it away from you.”

“Ha! After our last fight? You wouldn't dare.”

“ Wouldn't I?” 

Being reminded of his literally crushing defeat at the hands of a woman would've normally irked him, but he remained unbothered. In fact, the thought of another round with the pretty spitfire intrigued him. She gave him a slitted stare, and he responded with a wide grin.

“You have some nerve.”

“Actually, you don’t know the half of it.” 

The memory of their kiss exploded in his brain, his blood pounding in his ears and racing throughout his body, warming muscles stiff after a long day’s work. Her eyes widened a bit, and he wondered whether her thoughts mirrored his own. Maybe they do…


K. Victoria Chase

From childhood, K. Victoria Chase enjoyed writing stories and plays and reading Christian romance. She received degrees in Criminal Justice and Diplomacy and worked as a federal law enforcement officer for several years before deciding to try her hand at writing a complete novel. 

Today, K. Victoria Chase is an Amazon bestselling author both in the US and the UK. She writes both clean and Christian interracial romance.







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Excerpt & Giveaway: Deadly Deception by Andrea Johnson Beck

Andrea Johnson Beck has published her first mystery novel and looking at the cover it might get bloody. We have an exclusive excerpt from the first chapter. If you like it, you can always enter her giveaway to win an signed paperback copy (US) or an ebook copy of Deadly Deception!
Dr. Anne Jamison, brilliant neuropsychiatrist , living the concrete jungle life in Minneapolis with her fiancé, prominent attorney, Adam Whitney. The mysterious death of Carter Leeds, her former boyfriend, haunts her to this day. After three years of unanswered questions, a secretive note finds its way to Anne, revealing the possibility that Carter may in fact be alive, and that her very own fiancé may have had a hand in his attempted demise.

Who really is Adam Whitney? Can Anne trust the man she pledged forever with? As deadly secrets begin to unravel, so does her trust. A dark, twisted game of cat and mouse ensues, who will run out of lives and who will walk away, to only be deceived, once again.



Excerpt:

Anne stretched her neck muscles as they tightened at just the thought of Victoria. Her attempts to shake the green-eyed monster were ineffective, so she turned her attention to the mystery envelope waving its secretive arms, enticing her to open it. She picked it up and walked over to her mission-style desk to locate an envelope opener. Anne took the silver blade and ran it through the glued seal. The contents trickled out and onto her desk. Colored photographs fanned out in front of her and a white note with red hue writing stared at her. 

For My Anneliese

“No!” 

She gasped, feeling her hands begin to numb. Her veins were flooded with fresh fretful blood that burned her chest and pulsated into her ears as the thumping of her heart pounded deep within her. The one person in the entire universe who ever called her by her given birth name was Carter. The room was losing all focus and was quickly becoming dim. But then Carter’s face became clearer, like a luminous apparition pulling her subconscious in deeper.
About the author:
I think I came out of the womb writing. I published my first poem when I was in elementary school and my first short story was not too far after that. When I had my son, I wrote for various publications about his birth, what we went through as a family and when he was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum I shared his story with others who were going through the same scary process as we had. 

Before my thirtieth birthday, I vowed to write and complete a full length book, which I did. I finished two weeks before my birthday. After a couple of frustrating contract negotiations, I decided to take a time out. Earlier this year, I made the decision to get my baby (Deadly Deception) published. With another frustrating contract deal down the drain, I decided that self-publication was my destiny. Between homeschool awesomeness, domestic goddess duties, city upheaval, extra-curricular craziness, it has been a challenge to tidy the book up and slap a red bow on it. With the help of some amazing editors it's ready with a red bow on top.

Connect with Andrea Johnson Beck:

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