THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING IN DEATH SERIES
It is 2058, New York City. Technology now completely rules the world, but for New York Detective Eve Dallas, one irresistible impulse still rules the heart: passion…
Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she’s seen it all – and knows her survival depends on her instincts. And she’s going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire – and a suspect in Eve’s murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it’s up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about – except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.
Title : Naked In Death Author : J.D. Robb Narrator : Susan Ericksen Series : In Death #1 Format : Audio Page Count : 10 hours, 17 minutes Genre : Thriller/Romantic Suspense Publisher : Brilliance Audio Release Date : 1995
Reviewer : Micky Rating : ★ ★ ★.5
Micky’s 3.5 star review
I thought it was about time I gave this series a go as I’ve been meaning to dip my toe in for years and I was reasonably content with the experience.
This is a futuristic world (circa 2050 I think) but it still shows it’s age in terms of tech because this book was originally published in 1995. I did like the world depicted, it made it a bit more interesting in terms of a romantic suspense/thriller vibe. The main selling point of this book and I believe of the series as a whole, is the couple – Eve and Rourke. Their whole developing romance was more interesting to me than the murders. As to the crime/murders, they were pretty gritty and vile. Please see my content warnings at the bottom.
I do want to make a huge note of kudos to the author regarding her mention a few times of the importance of trans rights, especially considering the date of publication. Nicely done Robb/Roberts.
I’ll definitely be carrying on with the series.
**Content warnings: rape, sexual crime, incest. There were a few later graphic depictions of incestual rape that I found hard to read and I would have preferred less detail.**
It was the friends-with-benefits proposition he never saw coming…
While Arran Adair might have followed the call of wanderlust in his younger years, it isn’t the reason he stayed away from Ardnoch. Home now, desperate to put the sins of his past behind him, and rebuild his life in the Scottish Highlands, Arran could never have predicted Eredine Willows. The Ardnoch Estate Pilates instructor is a complicated mystery and one Arran can’t help but want to solve.
Eredine has spent the last eight years hiding in Scotland and building walls between her and the people she cares about. Arran is the first Adair who doesn’t treat her as if she’s fragile and demands a genuine friendship. Yet, the attraction sizzling between them is undeniable. So when she realizes she trusts him, Eredine surprises them both by offering Arran one night of no-strings passion.
Arran knows one night will inevitably lead to a desire for more and he’s willing to stay by Eredine’s side for as long as it takes to convince her there’s something real between them. However, just when Arran thinks they might build a future together, Eredine’s past returns to stalk her. And Arran won’t just have to battle her demons to keep them together. He’ll need to battle his own.
Title : Be With Me Author : Samantha Young Series : Adair Family #4 Format : e-ARC Page Count : 337 Genre : Romance Suspense Publisher : Self published Release Date : July 12, 2022
Reviewer : Micky Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★
Micky’s 4 star review
Headlines: Suspense on both sides Getting past their issues This family tree!
This family tree is getting weirder and more complex the more you read on in this series, but the characters acknowledge this weirdness themselves and as a reader, they have endeared themselves to me. This fourth Scottish romantic suspense was a completely easy read to be immersed in.
Eredine is a character I’ve wanted to know more about, particularly her secrets and why she was the way she was. I got all the answers but it took a lot of the book for this story arc to play out; it was avid reading. Aaran showed himself to be a worthy friend and maybe more.
I enjoyed reading Aaran’s connections and conversations with his brothers so much. Brodan and Aaran are a puzzle still to be solved and Lachlan and Aaran getting drunk, confessing issues and confidences was such a buzz when you’re a fan of this family. Most of the characters from the previous books featured but were in the background.
The suspense in this one was two-fold but both issues wrapped up with ease. I liked that the suspense wasn’t over extended.
Overall, a good addition to this series and I await the final brother Brodan.
Thank you to the author for the early review copy.
Arrochar Adair has loved her brother’s ex-bodyguard and best friend, Mac Galbraith, for years. Once upon a time, she was too young for him, but now that she’s a mature woman in her thirties, Arro can see no issue with their difference in age. Yet something deeper, a problem much more difficult to surmount, is keeping them apart.
Mac Galbraith remembers clearly the night Arro became everything to him, no longer just his best friend and boss’s younger sister. However, having made many mistakes over the years, there is one mistake Mac is determined not to make: to believe that he is worthy of Arrochar Adair. Allowing them to grow closer during his daughter, Robyn’s, return has proven his undoing. And when Arro forces the subject of their relationship, his response pushes her away. He just never meant for it to destroy them completely.
Devastated by Mac’s final rejection, Arro is determined to move on without him in her life, though he seems intent on staying put. And when the Adair family face a new threat, one that may have ties to Mac’s past, Arro can’t seem to be rid of the man. In fact, Mac will do anything to protect her.
But with so much hurt between them, will Arro let Mac close enough to guard her from their enemy… before it’s too late?
Title : Always You Author : Samantha Young Series : Adair Family #3 Format : eARC / eBook (overdrive) Page Count : 368 Genre : Romantic Suspense Publisher : Self Published Release Date : April 26, 2022
Reviewer : Micky / Hollis Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★ / ★ ★
Micky’s 4 star review
Headlines: Push and pull Murderous designs Longings
I’ve been waiting for Mac’s story in particular from the Adair family and it was an epic push and pull of emotions with plenty of angst along the way. The Highland setting remains a great backdrop to this family and as ever with this series, we get the previous couples along the way which I enjoyed.
Arro and Mac’s long and convoluted, crush, attaction, denial, resistance and pull was something to unravel. The narrative had some past and present in the first half to truly understand the history of these two. There was much more to their story than I realised. I had moments of finding both Arro and Mac infuriating, their miscommunications, some of Arro’s actions, followed by Mac’s…but, it made for a deep story and deeper connection.
There was an interesting side story of Mac seeking therapy which I appreciated even if I didn’t really engage that much with the narrative of those sessions. The suspense element of this story harked back to previous vendettas and plots while bringing some newer complications. I do like that this series is romantic suspense.
I love the weaves of Ery’s story being set up and I can’t wait to know more about her. I’m hoping she’s next.
Thank you to the author for the early review copy.
Hollis’ 2 star review
I have no one to blame but myself for this. But hey, I read this in almost one sitting, due to pressure from my library as this hold was due to expire, and considering I’m in this horrible reading drought, that’s something.
While I struggled a lot more with the romance element in book two, in this one it’s the suspense/action/whatever element. This is a subgenre I have enjoyed in the past but I think when it’s packed in with things going on for both sides of the pairing, plus added to all the existing things that have happened to other people in the family in previous books, it’s A Lot. Much like the A Lotness of the family tree now that all of one family has hooked up with half of the Adairs. But at least there’s no more of them. The other family, that is.
Having said that, the romance in this one was pretty tepid with that typical “one is ready, the other is not, only for the one to not be ready when the other finally is” switcheroo. Much angst, because it had to have it, but I think I liked the flashbacks more than the present day shenanigans. And I definitely wasn’t feeling those sex scenes. What I did like in the present day, however, was the therapy positive dialogue and time spent doing the necessary emotional work. I do side-eye the miracle of realization within a two week period but I’ll let that one slide and still award the points.
Being this far into the series, even though my enjoyment has gone steadily downhill, I will probably continue just to wrap it up. They are overwrought dramafests but sometimes, in the right mood, that can be enjoyable. I’m hoping I’m in the right mood by the time book four comes out.
Hotshot pilot Leo Eddowes is afraid of nothing and no one. So when she’s asked to evacuate a man from the wilds of Alaska, she doesn’t hesitate. But with enemies in close pursuit and the weather turning sour, what should have been a simple mission quickly shifts to disaster.
And there’s only one way out.
When Elias Thorne disappeared, he was America’s most wanted. Now he’s spent more than a decade in one of the most remote places on earth, guarding a dangerous secret. Leo’s arrival, quickly followed by a team of expert hunters, leaves him no choice but to join forces with her—and run. Neither is prepared for their reluctant partnership to flare into something as wild and untamed as the frozen world around them…but as desperately cold days melt into scorchingly hot nights, Leo and Elias must learn to dig deep, trust in each other, and forge a bond as strong as the forces of nature.
Stranded together in a frozen wilderness, There’s nowhere left to run…
Title : Uncharted Author : Adriana Anders Series : Survival Instincts #2 Format : eARC Page Count : 384 Genre : Romantic Suspense Publisher : Sourcebooks Casablanca Release Date : August 24, 2021
Reviewer : Micky Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★
Micky’s 4 star review
Headlines: Action-brimming Survival with proximity Page-turner
The second book in this series did not disappoint me at all, in fact, it lived up to all my hopes. It was a new couple and I wondered if I could feel the same connection as the previous couple. The answer was I did and quickly.
The story started with a bang and with Leo, a pilot, brave and a bit stupid gung-ho. She held the stage until Elias entered the story and together they made compelling reading. I want to say nothing about the plot because it was clever and kept the story from book one going but in a fresh way, however these two were part of that complex picture.
While this book had its adrenaline moments, feelings of helplessness, that was well balanced with a suspicious connection between the MCs that built into both investing in surviving. As that relationship evolved, it was as much of a page-turner as was the suspense plot.
He felt rearranged by this woman. His insides would never be the same again.
I loved everything about the Alaskan context, the danger of it, the nature. The set up for the next book sounds good and I can’t wait to read more.
Thank you to the publisher/netgalley for the early review copy.
Settled in the tranquil remoteness of the Scottish Highlands, Ardnoch Estate caters to the rich and famous. It is as unattainable and as mysterious as its owner —ex-Hollywood leading man Lachlan Adair—and it’s poised on the edge of a dark scandal.
After narrowly escaping death, police officer Robyn Penhaligon leaves behind her life in Boston in search of some answers. Starting with Mac Galbraith, the Scottish father who abandoned her to pursue his career in private security. To re-connect with Mac, Robyn will finally meet a man she’s long resented. Lachlan Adair. Hostility instantly brews between Robyn and Lachlan. She thinks the head of the Adair family is high-handed and self-important. And finding closure with Mac is proving more difficult than she ever imagined. Robyn would sooner leave Ardnoch, but when she discovers Mac is embroiled in a threat against the Adairs and the exclusive members of the estate, she finds she’s not yet ready to give up on her father.
Determined to ensure Mac’s safety, Robyn investigates the disturbing crimes at Ardnoch, forcing her and Lachlan to spend time together. Soon it becomes clear a searing attraction exists beneath their animosity, and temptation leads them down a perilous path.
While they discover they are connected by something far more addictive than passion, Lachlan cannot let go of his grip on a painful past: a past that will destroy his future … if the insidious presence of an enemy lurking in the shadows of Ardnoch doesn’t do the job first.
Title : Here With Me Author : Samantha Young Series : Adair Family #1 Format : eARC / eBook (overdrive) Page Count : 506 Genre : Romantic Suspense Publisher : Self Published Release Date : May 11, 2021
Headlines: Broody v ballsy Sinister escalations Feisty female lead
I love a good romantic suspense read and Here With Me reminded me very much of a Nora Roberts read in that genre. I think that’s a pretty high accolade. This was a long book but it didn’t feel it.
The meeting of a Bostonite and a Scot on a highland estate was the premise for this read but there was a rich plot of Robyn’s estrangement from her dad, Mac and some sinister goings on at the exclusive club that Lachlan owned.
Lachlan was the right level of brooding with character depth and Robyn was such a great, confident and feisty character. I loved Robyn’s attitude towards Lachlan and how their antagonism grew into something more.
The suspense plot was good, with periods of tension but not constant. To be fair, I guessed the person behind the things happening on the estate early on but it didn’t affect my enjoyment. I am here for more from this series and I curious as to whether they will all be suspense. Here With Me will appeal to On Dublin Street fans even with the suspense added in, the characters have a similar vibe.
Thank you to the author for the early review copy.
Hollis’ 3.5 star review
Having never read anything by this author before I didn’t quite know what to expect. I had seen friends really enjoy this series and thought hey, my library has it, why not. And while we started off a little rocky with some inconsistent details that my brain refused to let go of, despite the fact that it was pretty silly, and I wasn’t quite sure how to deal with the love interest, Robyn quickly won me over; and honestly she’s the reason I enjoyed this so much.
We love to see a strong, badass, kickass, capable, woman — but one who doesn’t also fall into the pitfalls some authors lean into by also making her emotionally closed off or invulnerable. Robyn was very well rounded, very open with her thoughts and feelings and communicated them well, and honestly I don’t think Lachlan deserves her. But I did warm to him over time; Young gave him some realistic reasons for the way he was but.. he still didn’t make a great impression and did still frustrate me at times as he continually stumbled over things, screwed up, and had to make amends. Again and again. But. I respect how the author made him challenge himself and his emotional response to some things (I’m thinking of one particular instance) even if half the time his family had to kick his ass to get it all moving in the right direction.
I did guess who was behind the big whoddunit it of the story pretttyyyy early on and I want to make a comment about something kind of obvious that was a huge red flag clue but I don’t want to hint or spoil at anything for anyone else so I’ll zip it. So that was a little annoying to live through b u t I also appreciate that we got to see how frustrating it can be for investigators when clues don’t add up in a neat way, you’re fooled by what’s right in front of you, and cases drag out. There was no quick solve here and that did feel pretty realistic.
I’ll admit one thing I really dislike in a story is getting a backstory via internal exposition and then immediately having it explained in dialogue as well; it’s one thing to have it come up a chapter or two before and then it’s expressed in dialogue later but Young often had it back to back and I was a bit annoyed by that. I don’t know if that’s a style choice or it just happened to show up in this one. Not my favourite.
This book, and likely the series, is made up of some pretty complicated and complex dynamics; in both sibling and parental relationships and I did enjoy some of it but others kind of drove me batty. I’ll be interested to see how the second book plays out considering I feel zero compassion towards the new leading lady (though I’m sure she’ll be made out to have reasons for her actions) whereas I have plenty for the love interest. So maybe my bias will switch out for that one? Who knows.
Here With Me is definitely a little over the top in some ways, a bit dramatic, but there’s a backbone of really good emotional beats and discussion around family and forgiveness that, as mentioned, was carried by a great leading lady. I might not be awarding top marks but I devoured this (not short) book in one sitting so maybe that says enough.
From New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz comes a gripping new romantic suspense trilogy fraught with danger and enigma.
Decades ago in the small town of Fogg Lake, The Incident occurred: an explosion in the cave system that released unknown gases. The residents slept for two days. When they woke up they discovered that things had changed-they had changed. Some started having visions. Others heard ominous voices. And then, scientists from a mysterious government agency arrived. Determined not to become research subjects of strange experiments, the residents of Fogg Lake blamed their “hallucinations” on food poisoning, and the story worked. But now it has become apparent that the eerie effects of The Incident are showing up in the descendants of Fogg Lake…
Catalina Lark and Olivia LeClair, best friends and co-owners of an investigation firm in Seattle, use what they call their “other sight” to help solve cases. When Olivia suddenly vanishes one night, Cat frantically begins the search for her friend. No one takes the disappearance seriously except Slater Arganbright, an agent from a shadowy organization known only as the Foundation, who shows up at her firm with a cryptic warning.
A ruthless killer is hunting the only witnesses to a murder that occurred in the Fogg Lake caves fifteen years ago-Catalina and Olivia. And someone intends to make both women vanish.
Title : The Vanishing Author : Jayne Ann Krentz Series : Fogg Lake #1 Format : Paperback Page Count : 294 Genre : Romantic Suspense/Thriller Publisher : Piatkus Release Date : July 2, 2020
Reviewer : Micky Rating : ★ ★ ★ .5
Micky’s 3.5 star review
A very readable suspense/thriller with a romance that wasn’t overly convincing but it wasn’t the main stage at all, so it didn’t spoil the show. Set around a town called Fogg Lake, known for its strange folks, this story was shrouded in mystery as well as fog.
The story started with great traction, in the city and two private investigators who were ex-Fogg Lake residents. The whole legacy of that small town was interesting and in some ways, I wanted a bit more about the town and less about the caves and lab. Maybe some of that is going to come later in the series.
Catalina was on the hunt for her kidnapped partner and someone was sent from ‘The Foundation’ to assist. Some of the secret world underpinnig the psychics took a bit of getting hold of but I got there. Slater from who arrived to assist, quickly became relationship potential but I didn’t feel the connection or the speed of their romance but I did like them both as characters.
The killer on the loose was the usual suspenseful reading and overall a solid, enjoyable experience. Jayne Ann Krentz is easy to read, reliable and I’ll definitely indulge in more from this series.
Jack Lancaster, consultant to the FBI, has always been drawn to the coldest of cold cases, the kind that law enforcement either considers unsolvable or else has chalked up to accidents or suicides. As a survivor of a fire, he finds himself uniquely compelled by arson cases. His almost preternatural ability to get inside the killer’s head has garnered him a reputation in some circles — and complicated his personal life. The more cases Jack solves, the closer he slips into the darkness. His only solace is Winter Meadows, a meditation therapist. After particularly grisly cases, Winter can lead Jack back to peace.
But as long as Quinton Zane is alive, Jack will not be at peace for long. Having solidified his position as the power behind the throne of his biological family’s hedge fund, Zane sets out to get rid of Anson Salinas’s foster sons, starting with Jack.
Title : Untouchable Author : Jayne Ann Krentz Series : Cutler, Sutter & Salinas #3 Format : Paperback Page Count : 308 Genre : Romantic Suspense/Thriller Publisher : Piatkus, Little Brown UK Release Date : October 29, 2019
Reviewer : Micky Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★
Micky’s 4 star review
I received this book in the post, I hadn’t requested it and I made the mistake of picking it up to see what the first few pages were like. It turned out that picking it up wasn’t a mistake because about 50 pages later I was fully immersed in the story.
UNTOUCHABLE is a romantic suspense, more thriller in my opinion with shades of the supernatural. In lots of ways this book was out of my comfort zone with themes of hypnotism and lucid dreaming but colour me surprised when I just went with the flow and enjoyed the story.
The main character, Winter is a lone wolf, moving around and new to the small town. Her neighbour and fellow cabin-renter, Jack was also Winter’s meditation client. Jack was something else with some weird skills that some might call flaws. The story started with a bang and the fast moving events were basically what dragged me into the story. In fact, the whole book was fast paced and I enjoyed the thrills and unknown bends in the road.
This book is actually the third in a series of connected characters (brothers) but it stood alone perfectly well. I read this without any disadvantage of not reading the others but I do find myself curious enough to go back and read them.
If I have any critique it is that I would have liked to get to know Jack and Winter a little better as individuals. As a couple, I would have also appreciated a bit more emotional connection but as with some suspense books, the story was told over a relatively short period of time as events unfolded. This was my first book by Jayne Ann Krentz and I would definitely seek her out again.
Thank you Little Brown UK & Piatkus for this finished review copy.
A Take from Two Cities 