Stolen Obsession by Marlene M. Bell

Stolen Obsession
by Marlene M. Bell

Published: 2018
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Suspense
Paperback: 294
Rating: 3
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Annalisse series:
Stolen Obsession
Spent Identity

First sentence(s):
A ground fog shrouded investigators while they unearthed her roommate from the black dirt of a farmer's field.

People die, but legends live on.

New York antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury recently lost her best friend to murder. The killer’s identity may be linked to her friend’s expensive missing bracelet—a 500-year-old artifact that carries an ancient curse, one that unleashes evil upon any who dare wear the jewelry created for the Persian royal family.

Weeks later, Annalisse sees a matching necklace at a Manhattan gallery opening. She begs the owner to destroy the cursed piece, but her pleas fall on deaf ears—despite the unnatural death that occurs during the opening. With two victims linked to the jewelry, Annalisse is certain she must act.

Desperate, Annalisse enlists the gallery owner’s son to help—even though she’s afraid he’ll break her heart. Wealthy and devastatingly handsome, with a string of bereft women in his wake, Greek playboy Alec Zavos dismisses Annalisse’s concerns—until his parents are ripped from the Zavos family yacht during their ocean voyage near Crete.

Annalisse and Alec race across two oceans to save his mother, feared dead or kidnapped. When the killer changes tactics and goes after Alec behind Annalisse’s back, can her plan to rescue Alec’s mother save them all?

My two-bits:

Busy with many players in this story of mystery, thriller, adventure, travel, and steamy romance.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

* part of Summertime time (schedule)

Brake Failure by Alison Brodie

Brake Failure
by Alison Brodie

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Release date: January 9, 2017
Publisher: Clipboard Press
Genre: Romance, Humor, Chick-lit, Suspense
ebook
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
'There's a dead man at the door,' Mrs Whitaker hissed, leaning over the desk.

Is it too late to say you love him when you're looking down the barrel of his gun?

Ruby Mortimer-Smyth is upper-class English and has been rigidly brought up to find a husband from Burke’s Peerage. She knows the etiquette for every social occasion and her soufflés NEVER collapse.

 She is in control of her life, tightly in control. Nothing can knock her off balance. 

Until …

… she ends up in Kansas. 

Ruby believes that life is like a car; common-sense keeps it on the road, passion sends it into a ditch. What she doesn't know is, she's on a collision course with Sheriff Hank Gephart. 

Sheriff Hank Gephart can judge a person. Miss Mortimer-Smyth might act like the Duchess of England, but just under the surface there's something bubbling, ready to explode. She's reckless, and she's heading for brake failure. And he's not thinking about her car.

 With the Millennium approaching, Ruby gets caught up in the Y2K hysteria and makes friends with Survivalists, who teach her to use a gun and advise her to stockpile basic essentials. So, she bulk-buys caviar, Gentleman's Relish and bottles of Perrier. She falls in with a group of Hells Angels and falls foul of the law. At every turn, she comes up hard against Sheriff Hank Gephart, whose blue eyes seem to look deep into her soul. She desperately wants him, but knows she can never have him.

She's angry, angry at the emotions he arouses in her. Pushed to her limit, she bursts from her emotional straightjacket. 

As the clock strikes midnight of the new Millennium, she's bought a one-way ticket to criminal insanity.

And there's no coming back.

My two-bits:

Hilarious coming-of-age kind of story for a contemporary woman, Ruby. Her crazy antics and upbeat personality moves this fast paced story.

There were parts of this story that made me think Ruby was down right wacko. When I was starting to dislike her things took a turn. Learning more about her and her situation made her endearing. I ended up rooting for her to the end.

Loved how the romance slowly came about.

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* review copy courtesy of author

Happy Release: Brake Failure by Alison Brodie

Brake Failure
by Alison Brodie
-Romance, Humor, Suspense
Just released: January 9, 2017
Amazon | Goodreads
“Is it too late to tell him you love him when you are looking down the barrel of his gun?”

An English debutante transforms from Miss-Perfectly-Correct to criminally insane as she breaks the bonds of her rigid upbringing. Sheriff Hank Gephart tries to reel her in - but she’s out of control and she’s not hitting the brakes.

What happened to the genteel lady in twin-set and pearls? And why did she shoot Mr Right?

Brake Failure is set in 1999 in the months leading up to Y2K “meltdown” when the US government was spending $150 billion preparing for Armageddon As Lionel Shriver says in her novel, We Have To Talk About Kevin: "1999, a year widely mooted beforehand as the end of the world."


Synopsis: per author's site (here)

Brake Failure is a romance with a kick-ass heroine, set in one of the most fascinating periods of America’s history: the months leading Y2K “meltdown”.

"Is it too late to tell him you love him when you're looking down the barrel of his gun?"

Ruby Mortimer-Smyth is an English debutante, destined for Lady’s Day at Ascot and taking tea at The Savoy. She knows the etiquette for every occasion and her soufflés NEVER collapse.

She is in control of her life, tightly in control. Until fate dumps her down in … Kansas.
Ruby believes that life is like a car; common-sense keeps it on the road, passion sends it into a ditch. What she doesn't know is, she's on a collision course with Sheriff Hank Gephart.

Sheriff Hank Gephart can judge a person. Miss Mortimer-Smyth might act like the Duchess of England but just under the surface there's something bubbling, ready to explode. She's reckless, and she's heading for brake failure. And he's not thinking about her car.

With the Millennium approaching, Ruby gets caught up in the Y2K hysteria. She joins a group of Survivalists, who give her a gun and advise her to stockpile basic essentials, such as gasoline and water-purifying tablets. So she bulk-buys Perrier, Gentleman's Relish and macaroons.

Ruby, far from home, is making Unsuitable Friends and "finding herself" for the first time. She falls in with a gang of Hells Angels and falls foul of the law. At every turn, she comes up hard against Sheriff Hank Gephart, whose blue eyes seem to look deep into her soul. She desperately wants him but knows she can never have him.

She's angry at the emotions he arouses in her. Pushed to her limit, she bursts from her emotional straightjacket.

As the clock strikes midnight of the new Millennium, she's on a freight train with three million dollars, a bottle of Wild Turkey and a smoking gun.

What happened to Miss Prim-and-Proper? And why did she shoot Mr Right?
___

Alison Brodie wrote this story from first-hand experience. She lived in Kansas during this time and was stunned by the hysteria, unnerved that the US government was spending $150 billion preparing for Armageddon. As Lionel Shriver says in her novel, "We have to Talk About Kevin": '1999, a year widely mooted beforehand as the end of the world.'

Chasing River by K.A. Tucker

Chasing River
by K.A. Tucker
narrated by Elizabeth Louise and Steve West

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Published: 2015
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
Paperback: 336 pages
Rating: 5

The Burying Water Series:
Burying Water
Becoming Rain
Chasing River
Surviving Ice

First sentence(s):
I weave around men and women alike with barely a pardon, struggling not to lose Aengus, nor to let on that I'm tailing him.

Armed with two years’ worth of savings and the need to experience life outside the bubble of her Oregon small town, twenty-five-year old Amber Welles is prepared for anything. Except dying in Dublin. Had it not been for the bravery of a stranger, she might have. But he takes off before she has the chance to offer her gratitude.

Twenty-four-year-old River Delaney is rattled. No one was supposed to get hurt. But then that American tourist showed up. He couldn’t let her die, but he also can’t be identified at the scene—so, he fled. Back to his everyday life of running his family’s pub. Only, everyday life is getting more and more complicated, thanks to his brother, Aengus, and his criminal associations. When the American girl tracks River down, he quickly realizes how much he likes her, how wrong she is for him. And how dangerous it is to have her around. Pushing her away would be the smart move.

Maybe it’s because he saved her life, or maybe it’s because he’s completely different from everything she’s left behind, but Amber finds herself chasing after River Delaney. Amber isn’t the kind of girl to chase after anyone.

And River isn’t the kind of guy she’d want to catch.

My two-bits:

Although this is book 3 of a series, it reads like a standalone novel.

The narration for this audio is just right. The story is enhanced listening to these two narrators representing the two sides of the story.

Because of the spark of chemistry between the couple, they grow and change to follow their hearts.

Also, the travel part of this book makes it a good candidate for summer arm-chair travel reading. Got some ideas for future places to visit.


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* part of Audiobook Challenge