Tag Archives: romantic suspense

Review: Wild Card Undercover by Kari Lemor

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All that glitters in Miami is not gold . . .

Lured in by a bad ex-boyfriend and the moonlight of Miami, Meg O’Hara is trapped in a nightmare situation, waiting tables for a crime boss and fearing for her life. When undercover FBI agent Christopher Shaunessy offers her a way out, she seizes it. Getting the goods on Salazar Moreno might not be easy, but she’ll do anything to be freed from her servitude and Moreno’s sexual advances, even if it means moving in with the charismatic agent.

Chris Shaunessy pretends to be Meg’s lover in order to keep her safe, but he steels his heart against further involvement. Passion has no place in the sordid world of organized crime. And yet, the closer they get to cracking the case, the stronger his feelings for the spirited waitress shine. It’s a dangerous game he’s playing, and taking Meg in his arms for real could prove a fatal misstep . . .

(Blurb from Goodreads)

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To the Breaking Pointe Review

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Title:  To the Breaking Pointe

Author:  Cindy McDonald

Published:  2014 by Acorn Book Services

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Purchase: Amazon

 

 

 

 

This is the third Cindy McDonald book that I’ve read and reviewed, and McDonald doesn’t disappoint.

Silja Ramsey left the love of her life, Grant, to pursue her dream in ballet in Russia.  Both Silja and Grant assumed that the other moved on, especially since five years had passed, but that idea is the farthest from the truth.  They both still think of one another, a lot.

Silja then finds out that the ballet company she works for is barely keeping it doors open, and the owner is pimping out the dancers to cover costs.  On top of that Silja finds herself in a relationship with a dangerous man, and manages to text Grant for help right before she disappears.

I read this book in three days.  It kept me up late at night because I had to find out what happened.  I usually favor books with singular point-of-views, but for McDonald’s books I really don’t mind the multiple point-of-views; in fact they help give the reader more insight into what’s going on.

I found myself completely encapsulated in the story that McDonald created; she truly has a talent for writing.  To the Breaking Pointe was a great romantic suspense novel, and I definitely recommend it.

My Rating:  4 1/2 stars   

***I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.***

Shady Deals Review

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Title:  Shady Deals  Shady Deals

Author:  Cindy McDonald

Published:  2013 by Acorn Book Services

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Purchase Shady Deals from Amazon

 

 

 

Kate West and Dr. Holden Reese have put their troubled past behind them and are ready to set a wedding date. There’s only one thing in Holden’s way: a powerful drug Lord at Keystone Downs Thoroughbred Race Track has Holden under his thumb, and he’s not letting go!

Kate’s family is determined to get to the bottom the of horse drugging ring, and when the West’s get too close to the truth the Drug Lord sends them a brutal message that can’t be misinterpreted.  Now Holden is on the run, and he’s dragging Kate with him.

Can he escape his indiscretions?

How long can he keep Kate in the dark?

And how damning will the truth be when it’s finally revealed?

(Blurb from Pump Up Your Book)

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Kate and Holden are not only engaged but she’s his assistant.  Kate’s noticed that Holden is acting really on edge lately; he’s either laid back or up tight, no in between.  Kate pins it on his personality.  But what’s really happening is Holden is stuck in the middle of a drug ring with no way out in sight.  While it’s not where he wants to be, when he tries to distance himself from the other criminals, they threaten Kate, and that just won’t do.

Let me be honest, I was going to quit reading this after two chapters.  I felt like there were so many characters in the beginning and I couldn’t keep them all straight so that made it boring to me.  But then something happened.  I got hooked.  And I finished the book at around 3am the next morning!  I’m so glad I didn’t give up (and it really was only the first two chapters before it picked up for me).  Since Shady Deals is part of a series maybe other readers will already know of the characters beforehand too.   So anyways…

This book is great!   I don’t want to say much more about the plot and give anything away, but there are so many twists and turns.  Not to mention the suspense that kept me up reading until dawn to see what happened!

I read a lot so I don’t always remember authors’ names.  But mentioned in Shady Deals was a familiar character’s name, Jack Haliday.  I was like, I know that name.  Turns out I’ve read, and gave 4 stars to another one of Cindy McDonald’s books, Into the Crossfire, a while back!

So if you’re looking for a book with some romance and suspense, definitely give Shady Deals a try.  Ms. McDonald will keep you on your toes.  Just don’t read it if you have plans early the next morning.

 

 

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

04

~Pam

*****I received this book free from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for an honest review.*****     

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About the Author:

For twenty-six years Cindy Mcdonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance: She was aCindy McDonald professional dancer/choreographer for most of her adult life and never gave much thought to a writing career until 2005.Suddenly, she felt drawn to her computer to write about things she have experienced (greatly exaggerated upon of course) with her husband’s Thoroughbreds and the happenings at the racetrack.

Why didn’t Cindy write about my experiences with dance? You might ask. “Eh, believe it or not life at the racetrack is more…racy.” Cindy says. “The drama is outrageous—not that dancers don’t know how to create drama, believe me, they do but race trackers just seem to get more down and dirty with it which makes great story telling—great fiction.”

Cindy didn’t start out writing books, The Unbridled Series started out as a TV drama, and the Hollywood readers loved the show. When the series didn’t sell, Cindy recalls, “One of the readers said to me, ‘Cindy, don’t be stupid. Turn your scripts into a book series.’” And so she did!

In May of 2011, Cindy took the big leap and exchanged her dancin’ shoes for a lap top—she retired from dance. “It was a scary proposition,” Cindy confesses. “I was terrified, but I had the full support of my husband, Saint Bill. It has been a huge change for me. I went from dancing hard five hours a night to sitting in front of a computer. I still work-out and I take my dog, Harvey, for a daily run. I have to or I’d be as big as a house.”

Does Cindy McDonald miss dancing? “Sometimes I do,” she says. “I miss my students. I miss choreographing musicals, but I love my books and I love sharing them with readers.”

Connect & Socialize with Cindy!

TWITTER * FACEBOOK  

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE.

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***Images and wording for book blurb and about the author were provided by Pump Up Your Book***

Guest Post – Author Marlene Morgan

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HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO GET OR KEEP A MAN?

New York attracts a multitude of young, ambitious and successful people. It’s a draw for highly educated, professional women in the prime of their marrying years. It’s also allures well-educated, highly sexual, money-driven men. But the problem is, there are far more women than men in the mix. Studies have revealed that in New York women outnumber men four to one. This often cited statistic is used to support an argument that the gender imbalance makes it more difficult for some women to find a partner. New York is described as a ‘candy store’ for straight single men on the dating scene, leaving gloomy prospects for young women because the male-to-female ratio is in favor of men.

Commentators have said that more women flock to the Big Apple than men in a bid to have it all but often eligible men are hard to find. More importantly when they find that man, an increasing number are unwilling to commit.  On the one hand, the men that I interviewed said that they do not treat New York as a ‘candy store’ and that it was impossible for good men to get a date in NY. The men argue that the women are insane, that they limit themselves statistically as well as demographically to a tiny pool of men, some of whom are married, yes married, who meet their exacting requirements of a 7 figure salary, looks, and religion.

On the other hand the women said that a good man is hard to find. It’s the complaint of many women in New York that dateable men are either taken or gay. What are women to do about this quandary?  Some would say leave New York and the East Coast.  What if you do not want to leave New York, and like the woman, Jessica, in ‘Sleeping with a Wall Street Banker’ you have found your man.  How far would you go to get and keep your man? Unmarried, childless and with a biological clock that has all but stopped ticking, Jessica feels betrayed by her ex-boyfriend. She is jealous of the woman who he is having a relationship with her ex-boyfriend and who, in Jessica’s eyes, is “her” person.  Afflicted with Dissociative identity disorder (DID) – multiple personality disorder – she resorts to destruction.

Marlene Morgan

 

Marlene Morgan

Marlene Morgan is an author, and a Barrister-at-law. She also holds a master degree in taxation and administration law from Kings College London. Having recently passed the New York Bar Exam she is currently seeking admission to the New York Bar.



About the Book:

Title: Sleeping with a Wall Street Banker
Author: Marlene Morgan  Sleeping with a Wall Street Banker
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Romantic Suspense
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Pages: 322
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1-48178-874-8

Sleeping With A Wall Street Banker is a psychological thriller that begins when lawyer Alice Francis leaves her life in London for a new start with Wall Street banker Jake Logan in New York. She quickly learns that this is a man consumed by his need to control; he loves but on his terms. When Jake’s ex-girlfriend, Jessica, finds out about Jake’s relationship with Alice, Alice’s life takes a dark turn. For all the trappings of success from a Wall Street career, Jake is a man tormented by the irrational guilt he carries from his past relationship with Jessica. Jessica is unmarried and childless with a biological clock that has all but stopped ticking, and Jake is her back-up plan. Her ultimate goal is to fix Jake’s life by interfering, setting him up, and blackmailing him in an effort to force him into a horrible relationship that was never meant to be. With Alice in the picture, Jessica’s goal is almost certainly a recipe for disaster and a fate equal to death itself. When the plan begins to fail, a mentally unbalanced Jessica resorts to destruction.

Purchase Sleeping With A Wall Street Banker from Amazon

 

Connect with Marlene

www.marlenemorgan.com

https://twitter.com/marlene_morgan2

http://marlenemorgan.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/marlene.morgan2

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****All images in the post were provided by Pump Up Your Book****