Review: The Captive by Julie Coulter Bellon

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

Former Navy SEAL Jake Williams is the newly appointed head of a task force assigned to rescue a kidnapped American diplomat. Their only hope is Mya Amari, the daughter of a notorious Algerian hostage negotiator, but she is full of secrets and complications– something Jake takes as a personal challenge. As they grow closer, the threat to the mission escalates and time runs out for the hostages. Can Jake unravel the web of deception to save them all without getting caught in the crossfire?

Mya Amari has been in hiding nearly her entire life to escape her father’s enemies. But when her sister is kidnapped along with an American diplomat, she’ll do anything to bring her home– including walking into the enemy’s lair. She doesn’t trust anyone, especially the too-handsome-for-his-own-good Commander Williams, but when all her careful plans explode out of control, he’s the only one she can turn to with the truth about her family. Is it too little, too late?

My Review

This is the first book I've read by this author so I didn't quite know what to expect beyond some good reviews I had read. I enjoyed the main characters Jake and Mya, but felt like I only got to see the surface of their personalities and sensed there are more layers there. Since this is the first book in the Griffin Force series I hope their characters are delved into more deeply in future books, as well as other members of the task force. There are some scenes with action, but they are spaced widely with scenes of transportation and descriptions of the safehouse and the mission, which seemed vague. The technical precision I'm used to in the writings of other suspense authors was missing, but it also allowed the plot to not get hung up on details. An element of quick romance was present, based on mutual physical attraction. It will be interesting to see how the long term relationship plays out throughout the series.

(Thank you to Ebooks for Review for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon!

I'm excited to be joining the Bout of Books read-a-thon! Hoping to make significant progress on my to-read list...

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Join Becky Wade for a Facebook Party May 5th!

 

A female bodyguard plus her star NFL client plus danger equals a great recipe for romance! Her One and Only, book four in Becky Wade's Porter Family novels, releases May 3. To celebrate, Becky is hosting an author chat party on her Facebook page on May 5 at 5 PM PDT/8 PM EDT. Join Becky for an evening of book chat with other bookworms and prizes.

Plus a portion of all pre-sales and sales the release week of Her One and Only will be donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. For more details on how to purchase a copy, click here.

About the Book

After ten years in the NFL, super star Gray Fowler is accustomed to obsessive fans. But when Gray starts receiving death threats from a stalker, his team hires an executive protection agency to guard him until the culprit is caught. Dealing with bodyguards 24/7 is a headache, especially when one of them is a young, beautiful woman. How can a female half his size possibly protect him better than he can protect himself?

Dru Porter is a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt–none of which saved her from disaster on her last assignment. In order to rebuild her tarnished reputation, she’s determined to find Gray’s stalker and, since relationships between agents and clients are forbidden, avoid a romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past.

Yet every secret that leads Dru closer to the stalker also draws her closer to Gray. As the danger escalates, they’ll survive only if they can learn to trust their lives — and their hearts — to one another.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

Review: Spring in Hyde Park (Timeless Regency Collection) by Jennifer Moore, G.G. Vandagriff, Nichole Van

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

A HAPPY ACCIDENT by Jennifer Moore
Jonathan Burles father has just died, making him the new Marquess of Spencer and the most sought after bachelor in London. An unfortunate accident leads to a forced marriage to Maryann Croft, a young woman who possesses no title, and an unexpected secret. With the unstable beginning to their marriage, finding love together seems impossible.

THE DISDAINFUL DUKE by G. G. Vandagriff
Lady Saphronia Huffington has always thought of herself as plain next to the beauty of her sister, Lady Lavinia. So when her sister becomes engaged to Lord Gilbert Caldwell and Saphronia is paired for wedding events with his brother, the granite-faced Duke of Mayfield, who is known to prefer beauties, she sharpens her wit. Thus begins a lengthy sparring contest during which the Duke realizes Saphronia is anything but plain.

AN INVISIBLE HEIRESS by Nichole Van
Miss Belle Heartstone has everything money can buy—houses, servants, carriages, clothing, jewels. A husband, however, is proving much harder to, ehr . . . purchase. Colin Radcliffe, the newly minted Marquess of Blake, is in desperate need of funds—preferably of the wife-free variety. When circumstances draw the two together, Blake might be the only man able to see beyond the Belle’s outer façade, and fall in love with the woman inside.

My Review

Regency novellas are my favorite! There's something about the setting, the manners and society rules of the time period that I find fascinating. I enjoyed Jennifer Moore's story of an unexpected marriage, and the way Jonathan and Maryann struggled through miscommunication to learn to trust each other. G.G. Vandagriff's story was a bit wordy for my taste, the plot was fine but the writing style isn't one that resonated with me. I was happy to finish the collection with Nichole Van's delightful tale of looking past one's circumstances to appreciate the true character of a person. These novellas are ones I can see myself re-reading in the future.

(Thank you to Ebooks for Review for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)