Book Review - Fatal Affair by Marie Force

Marie Force is a new author to me.  After reading Fatal Affair I am certain that I will be reading more of Ms. Force's impressive catalogue.  As anyone who knows me will attest to - I am a huge Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb fan.  It was a blog post about what happens AFTER the HEA that turned me on to the Fatal series.  The post - which can be found here, if you are interested - referenced Eve and Roarke from Robb's 'In Death' series.  My attention was snagged and I read the entire post with rapt attention.  Then, to my delight, the commenters began sharing more series with couples who are living their happy-ever-afters.  I am absolutely thrilled to know that there are more authors out there who are willing to keep telling the stories of their characters as they live their Happy-Ever-After.

Intrigued by the priase for Marie Force's Sam and Nick of the Fatal series - I looked the books up on Goodreads.  Further impressed by the reviews and ratings, I downloaded Fatal Affair to my Nook and proceeded to devour the book. 

Samantha Holland is a Washington D.C. Metropolitan Homicide Detective.  At the beginning of Fatal Affair she is back to work after a previous case of hers had gone tragically wrong.  She is immediately thrust into the high profile case of mudered Virginia state Senator John O'Connor.  Feeling that she has something to prove - to herself, her family, her colleagues - Sam dives feet first into the case.  And runs right into Nicholas Cappuano.  He is the one who got away for Sam - and the one she could never forget.  He is also Senator O'Connor's political right-hand man (or the guy behind the guy, as Nick says) and best friend.  Sam can't stop thinking about Nick but he is tied to her case in every way and therefore a major complication.

Nick is shocked when Sam is the Detective assigned to John's case.  He has never forgotten her and also considers her the one who got away.  Once he is ruled out as a suspect in his friend's murder - he makes it clear that he is sticking to Sam as much as possible.  He has invaluable information and access that he is certain will help Sam solve the case.  Of course, he has a personal agenda, as well.  He intends for he and Sam to make up for lost time and hopefully pick up where they had previously left off with one another.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing the series.  Sam and Nick are real and believable characters.  They felt like people you'd be proud to call friends or family members.  They are slightly flawed human beings with great hearts trying to find their happiness in a crazy world.  The secondary characters in the book are just as enjoyable and I look forward to reading more about them, as well.  The  Fatal series is as follows: Fatal Affair, Fatal Justice, Fatal Consequences, Fatal Destiny, and Fatal Flaw (to be released February 6, 2012).

Review - Ravishing in Red by Madeline Hunter

This is the first book I have read by Madeline Hunter and I can say I will definitely be reading more. Her story telling is exquisite and passionate.

In this tale, Sebastian and Audrianna are brought together by the same cause but find themselves on opposing sides of said cause.  Audrianna's father was accused of a wartime crime.  The scandal led him to take his own life.  She is still trying to clear his name.

Sebastain was at the forefront of bringing her father's alleged crime to the public's awareness.  naturally, Audrianna and her family blame Sebastian for basically hounding her father to his death.

Audrianna and Sebastian find themselves in a position where they think they will both learn more and fianlly put the entire matter to rest.  Then a scandal ensues that changes their lives rather dramatically. As they try to uncover the truth surrounding the mystery in the book - they find themselves entwineed in the mystery of their own emotions.

I loved all of the characters in this book. I am quite happy that this book is the first in a quartet called The Rarest Blooms and look forward to reading the others.  The next book in the series is titled Provocative in Pearls.

Review - Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Chasing Fire is the latest book by the ever-amazing Nora Roberts.  Rowan Tripp is a second generation fire jumper in Missoula, Montana.  Gulliver Curry is a rookie (and the best in his class) to the job of fire jumping, but no stranger to working with and putting out fires.  He has decided to learn to jump out of planes in order to put out fires for the occupational challenge and yes, the thrill of it.  Meeting Rowan proves to be the icing on top of the cake.  And the sparks literally fly between Rowan and Gull upon initial meeting.  Even though Rowan has never been romantically involved with anyone she has worked with in the past, she does indeed allow an involvement between herself and Gull.

Of course, nothing comes easy or gracefully to the pair.  She is assuming their affair will end with the fire season and he starts making plans for their future.  Then someone disappears and Rowan finds a burned body on a jump - and immediately becomes a murder suspect.  While trying to work off her anger at having to prove her innocence - someone tries to kill Rowan.

Gulliver (and everyone close to Rowan) go into high alert and serious protective mode.  Naturally, this annoys her but she's smart enough to know it's necessary. 

Chasing Fire is a fast paced and engaging read from Roberts.  It is full of tension - romantic and murderous.  It was interesting to read about a couple falling in love in the midst of true life and death danger.  This book is definitely worth the read.

Review - Hooked On Murder by Betty Hechtman

Hooked On Murder by Betty Hechtman is the first book in the Crochet Mysteries.  I stumbled upon this series at my library and was happy to find a mystery series about my new hobby.  The fact that the book is really good and I want to read the rest of said series is even better.

Molly Pink is a woman who became a widow about a year ago.  She has two grown sons trying to make their mark in the world, a Detective named Barry that she dates but he wants more and oh yeah, she's just stumbled on a dead body.  Literally. 

The fact that the dead body belongs to Molly's now deceased husband's business partner, Ellen Sheridan is quickly uncovered by the Homicide Detectives trying to solve Ellen's murder.  It does not look good for Molly when the detectives discover that she and Ellen parted ways in a less than amicable fashion.  Of course, there is even more circumstantial evidence that has the detectives looking in Molly's direction for Ellen's murder.  So naturally, Molly takes it upon herself - with the help of her man-crazy best friend Dinah - to solve Ellen's case.

While trying to determine the identity of the true killer, Molly learns that Ellen's crochet group, The Tarzana Hookers, were in the process of making a Granny Square afghan to donate to an animal charity.  Molly figures joining the group will help her put pieces together in her quest to solve the crime and absolve herself.  Of course, what follows is a jumble of mistakes, adventure, self-discovery and a newfound love for crochet.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Review - Treachery In Death by J.D. Robb

Synopsis From Barnes & Noble

In the latest from the #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon, Eve Dallas tracks down those who break the law-including the ones sworn to uphold it.


Detective Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a senseless crime-an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. This is Peabody's first case as primary detective-good thing she learned from the master.


But Peabody soon stumbles upon a trickier situation. After a hard workout, she's all alone in the locker room when the gym door clatters open; and-while hiding inside a shower stall trying not to make a sound-she overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. It doesn't take long to realize they're both crooked-guilty not just of corruption but of murder. Now Peabody, Eve, and Eve's husband, Roarke, are trying to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down-knowing all the while that the two are willing to kill to keep their secret.

My Review

You might think that a book that is the thirty-second in a series would be a little stale and perhaps even a bit boring.  That is so not the case with Robb's latest - Treachery In Death.  The characters continue to be appealing and strong.  There is indeed a murder investigation in this book; in fact, there are several.  With the first case Dallas makes Peabody primary and it is solved within hours of the crime being committed.  It is at the end of a long, productive day that Peabody inadvertantly learns about a second murder, unrelated to the first.  This time, treacherous police officers are behind the murder.

It was a very interesting twist having Dallas and Peabody (and all of the recurring, secondary characters) knowing exactly who their criminals were from the beginning.  They had to compile evidence all while keeping the investigation very hush, hush.  I also liked that the main crooked, crimianl cop was a woman equal in rank to Dallas. 

This series gets better and stronger with each book created.  If you are interested in the series, start with the first book - Naked In Death.  Each book is a stand alone in regard to the crimes but the characters grow and new ones are introduced through the series.  That's why i say start at the beginning because the chracters evolution is so very well done.

Review - Collusion by Stuart Neville

Product Details

Pub. Date: October 2010

Publisher: Soho Press, Incorporated

Format: Hardcover , 354 pages

I checked this out from the library


Synopsis from Publishers Weekly

Irish author Neville follows his stunning debut, The Ghosts of Belfast, with an even more powerful tale of revenge, violence, and redemption. Collusion among Loyalists, IRA members, and the cops stymie the efforts of Det. Insp. Jack Lennon to find his former lover, Marie McKenna, and their daughter, Ellen, who've been targeted by Belfast crime boss Bull O'Kane. Jack finds an unlikely ally in former paramilitary killer Gerry Fegan, who knows that his murderous actions at a border farm where O'Kane was wounded and the gangster's son died have put mother and daughter at risk. Neville rides the perfect Celtic storm in an action-packed, cerebral thriller with fully realized characters and an insider's view of the ever-shifting politics of Northern Ireland, where the "peace boom" has also brought hordes of investors. Jack and Gerry emerge as two distinctly complicated antiheroes, neither of whom has illusions about himself.

My Review

I wanted to love this book.  I was so impressed and enthralled by Neville's The Ghosts of Belfast when I read it last year.  When I learned that there was a sequel, I immediately went and checked it out from my library.  Gerry Fegan was the anti-hero in The Ghosts of Belfast and I was so looking forward to him as a redeemed character.  Especially since I thought there would be a decent amount of interaction between him and Jack Lennon - the supposed hero of Collusion.

I am sad to say that I barely made it through this book.  The interaction I had anticipated between Lennon and Fegan was practically non-existent.  Plus, Lennon wasn't a very likable character.  At least with Fegan I believed that he was trying to redeem himself.  The most admirable thing about Lennon was that he would not give up on finding Marie and Ellen.  That's what kept me rooting him on and kept me reading this book.

This book, more than anything else, was a story about Bull O'Kane's revenge.  He's a twisted old man bent on killing those that he thought wronged him or simply knew too much about his atrocities.  Also, I am not a prude, but I do not think it's necessary to fill lines worth of text with curse words.  I get it, there were crazy characters in this book but a sentence that is comprised solely of curse words is so ridiculous.

Neville proved that he can write a good an intriguing story with The Ghosts of Belfast.  That, moreso than this book, would make me give him another chance.  Collusion gets a C- from me, though.

Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011

This Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge  is right up my alley.  It is being hosted by Carolyn at Book Chick City.  Here are the details:

•Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011

•Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)

•You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.


•You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.


•At the beginning of Jan 2011, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews. There will be a monthly prize too courtesy of the lovely Simon & Schuster - you must be signed up to the challenge and add the link to your review to be entered into the monthly prize draw.

As I said, this is right up my alley.  Twelve mystery books (especially since they can be of any sub-genre) will be enjoyably easy for me to achieve.  LOL So, if this sounds like fun to you - head on over to Book Chick City and sign up.  Oh, and there is the added bonus of an ARC from Simon & Schuster for participating in this challenge.  Full details on this nice feature are at BCC.