Sleepwalker by Karen Robards

ISBN-13:  9781439183731
Publisher:  Pocket Books
Publication Date: July 2012
Format: Paperback, 483 pgs
Source: Personal Library

Oil and water. Fire and water. Those are the stuff that don't mix; and the same goes to cops and robbers. 

Micayla "Mick" Lange is a cop in Karen Robards' Sleepwalker. When a family friend, "Uncle" Nicco Marino hires her to house-sit his house while they spend their week in Palm Beach for the New Year, Mick agrees since she has broken up with her boyfriend after finding him cheating on her. Her elder sister, Jenny, has her own family and she doesn't want to impose on them. She isn't in good terms with her father and her mother was murdered when she was a girl. Till present, the death of her mother shook her and she hopes to catch the murderer one day. 

Unlike Mick, Jason Davis steals things for a living. On New Year's Eve, he decided that he would break into a gangster's house. He has planned for this robbery and knew that the house would be deserted with New Year just around the corner, but he never expects that he would run into a sexy young woman, let alone a police officer. 

Mick is equally shocked to find a robber in the house, but what most shocking is finding incriminating photos in "Uncle" Nicco's safe that indicate he might be connected with the murder of the city councilman. Unfortunately, their presence in Nicco's office was captured by a security camera and Mick knew she has no choice but to "escape" with Jason, for she doesn't want to take any chances when her life is at stake and who knows what "Uncle" Nicco may do to them once he finds out what they have seen. On the other hand, Mick doesn't like the thought of "helping" Jason to escape, especially he has a bag full of Nicco's money and her cop instincts keep nudging her. 

As Mick and Jason race for their lives across Michigan wilderness on speedboat and snow-mobile, Mick begins to see a new light in Jason the more they spend their time together but would they be able to escape from the pursue of Nicco's men? What's more, being a law enforcer Mick has to turn Jason in if they managed to escape from Nicco and his men. Torn between her profession and love, what is Mick to do?

I have to confess I love reading stories when the protagonist is caught in a dilemma/situation and I want to see where the author is taking them. In a plot like Sleepwalker, one would think it is impossible (and unthinkable) to have a cop and a thief to fall in love with each other but Karen Robards did a great job in creating the two characterisations and allowed me to believe in the relationship they have come to develop during the run. 

Also, I find the plot intriguing but I have to admit that the beginning of the story is a tad slow and then it speeds up towards the end, which I didn't find it very convincing for some scenes. All in all, I enjoyed reading Sleepwalker and it made me feel good to read Karen Robard's book again as I haven't read her books for a while. I really liked her older titles such as Forbidden Love, Dark Torment, To Love a Man, just to name a few. 

Veil of Night by Linda Howard

ISBN-13: 9780345506900
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication date: June 2011
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 400 pgs
Source: Personal Library

It has been a long while since I read a romance suspense novel; I picked Linda Howard's Veil of Night because I enjoyed reading Linda's previous novels, plus the heroine in this story is a wedding planner and I was interested to know more about the profession through the story.

Jaclyn Wilde loves her job and she put in all her time and efforts in running her own events business, Premier. Together with her mother, they had built up Premier's name through their detailed and well organised planning and although their work is not entirely a bed of roses, Jaclyn and Madelyn always see through everything no matter how difficult the clients and/or the tasks at hand.

However, Carrie Edwards, her latest client has ways of irritating her and making things difficult not only to her and to the other vendors as well. She would decide to change the colour of the bridesmaids' wedding dresses at the last minute, or criticise that the food is not up to her taste and status, blah blah blah. As much as she is annoying and demanding, many people figured it wouldn't do them any good should they want to make a huge fuss over her unreasonable tantrums, considering that she is marrying the son of a senator.

Just as Jaclyn is trying to get over another one of Carrie's unreasonable demands and the slap she had given her, she is shocked to learn that Carrie was murdered after they had arranged to meet up to discuss more of the wedding details, together with the other vendors as well. Now everyone that is present during that meeting became a suspect and it doesn't put Jaclyn in a favourable spot as she had forgotten and left her briefcase where the crime scene is.

Detective Eric Wilder is assigned to the case, but he is in an awkward situation since he had had one passionate night with Jaclyn and although he is professional enough to not let his personal life mingle with his job, it bugs him as that means he has to lay his hands off of her and on top of that, Jaclyn is giving him a cold shoulder. Jaclyn knew he is doing his job, but she couldn't help feeling hurt and offended when Eric starts to question her.

What Jaclyn and Eric didn't know is while they are trying to sort out their situations the murderer has moved on to the next unaware target - Jaclyn.

I enjoyed reading Veil of Night and I think Jaclyn and Eric are both very likeable characters. While I think their chemistry and their exchanges are entertaining and add some spice to the story, however on the suspense front it lacks the punch. The whodunnit effect wasn't as great as what I had anticipated; I supposed I wanted a list of suspects for me to guess and to see if my hunch is correct. The real action only began towards the last quarter of the book and while I think there is nothing wrong with this approach, I have to say it somewhat took some of my patience away but suffice to say that the attraction between Jaclyn and Eric is enough to keep me occupied.

I have Linda Howard's latest release, Prey, in my TBR pile and I hope that it would be better on the suspense front.

Dying Scream by Mary Burton

ISBN-13: 978-1420100280
Publisher: Zebra
Published: December 2009
379 pgs
Source: Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting

Adrianna Barrington thinks it was someone's cruel joke when she receives flowers and cards signed in her late husband's name. She has a few reasons for assuming so because she has recently sold the Thornton estate (belonging to her late husband's family) and she knew most of the residents in the neighbourhood are not pleased with her deeds considering the estate has a long line of history. But what most shocked her was when two bodies are found buried on the estate's cemetery and they were believed to have connections to her late husband, and it was then she realized there is certainly a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Homicide detective Gage Hudson has had a relationship with Adrianna many years back. She broke off with him mainly due to his work commitments and that he could not make enough time for her. After her marriage to Craig Thornton, she thought she would be happy since she was pregnant with his child, but unfortunately they met in an automobile accident and it put Craig in a coma. Adrianna lost her baby and her husband died following after. She is a strong woman and has slowly moved on with her life until the pranks started and now the dead bodies. Where could she go? And could she ever escape from the killer's grasp?

When I first picked up the book, I thought there would be a fair balance of suspense and romance (after all the spine read romantic suspense) but unfortunately, it does not seem to turn out that way, at least to me, that is. I have to admit the first few chapters are intense, and I was very eager to learn more about Adrianna's past and hoping to find some clues to the killer's motives. However, I find the story seems to drag a little as the following chapters are focused more on Detective Hudson going to places to track down witnesses and/or interviewing them. Though I can totally understand Detective Hudson's motives of doing so, I find it a little too much and think it would probably work better in a thriller than a romantic suspense. The chemistry between Adrianna and Detective Gage Hudson is not as intense or explosive as I first anticipated, considering they are lovers before. To be fair, I think Dying Scream makes a great suspense novel, but it does not meet my expectations in a romantic suspense genre. Still, I would recommend this book to readers who love a good suspense read.

Other reviews:

Cheryl's Book Nook

J. Kaye's Book Blog

Romance Rookie

The Friendly Book Nook

(Let me know if I missed yours.)

Silver Falls by Anne Stuart

ISBN-13: 9780778325970
Publisher: Mira
Published: May 2009
384 pgs

Synopsis:

Rachel is finally getting it right. After years of wandering, she's married the perfect man and settled into the ideal life. But as her sleepy little town turns into a killing ground, she realizes that this new life might come at too high a price.

Caleb Middleton says he's returned home to set things right. But as her husband's dangerous brother circles like a hungry wolf, poking holes in her perfect world, Rachel draws her young daughter in close. The rain and violence keep coming, and Rachel must decide whether to trust her dream life or her instincts…before the town of Silver Falls becomes her grave.

~*~*~*~*~*

Julia and Alice are my two favourite blogger friends and whenever there is any new releases by Anne Stuart (or any other books that interest us for that matter), we always make it a "tradition" to read it together. We will drop notes to each other's emails to inform about our progress and also to discuss about the book and so forth; it is always fun and I always look forward to our joint-readings.

Anyway, this time round we decided to do something different for our reviews. So instead of us posting our reviews and thoughts about the book as usual, each of us will prepare three questions and we will answer them accordingly. Below are our questions as well as my answers to them. Please don't forget to visit Alice's and Julia's blogs to read their answers too!

Our Joint-Reading Q&As

Alice's questions:

1. Are there any ideas that make you stop and think, lessons learned, etc.; for example, be more wary before jumping into a relationship – and how have you changed after reading it?

I would say never to judge a person by his looks and also to trust your instincts. For Rachel's (the heroine) case, her weakness is that though she knows in a way that something is not right with her husband, David, but she still go on into telling herself to believe him (despite her daughter, Sophie, who is also thinking the same thing). Although I can't really blame Rachel since she is marrying David thinking he would provide security and a place for Sophie to stay, I think that she should at least know that person well enough before she jumps into a relationship with him, no matter how trustworthy or harmless he may seem to be (I know this can be pretty hard and tricky).

2. Were you able to think of any connections between the book and your life, perhaps in ways that touched you, reminded you of your own life, or reminded you of event(s) that happened to someone else? It may not be murder...

Hmm... I can't really think of any connections between the book and my life, but I would say all mothers would be able to understand Rachel's concern and devotion to Sophie. I wouldn't want anyone or anything to hurt my children too, and I will do all means to protect them. In the story, Rachel did whatever she can to provide a safe and happy life for Sophie. Being a photographer, she gets to travel around the world but she chooses to stay in Silver Falls and married David, thinking she has finally found a home for Sophie but unfortunately David turned out to be the wrong man for her.

3. Relating to the characters in the book, which one is your favorite? Is there anyone that you hate or detest? Is there something about the character that you'd like to change? If yes, what?
Caleb, the hero and Maggie, the town sheriff are my favourite characters in this story. I liked Caleb because he doesn't seem to bear any grudges (it has to do with his family) and he, in fact is a responsible man in my opinion. As for Maggie, I admire her because she is simply one heroic lady cop.

Well, I can't say there's anyone whom I really hate or detest. If I have to name one, it has to be David since he is the bad guy here but I believe there are reasons why he chose to be one. And for the last question, I would like Rachel to be able to view things clearly instead of contradicting herself at times (which I have to say irritates me on most occasions).

Julia's questions:

1. I remember Anne Stuart said that SILVER FALLS was inspired by Ted Bundy who lived with a woman and her daughter during part of his killing spree and never touched them. And she wondered what that would be like for woman who living with a monster and never knew it. How did that affected you while reading SILVER FALLS, knowing that in real life there were a Ted Bundy just like David?
Wow, that's interesting! I never knew this book was inspired by a person, no matter how bad he is. I think it is terrifying to live with a monster without knowing it. It is equally terrifying to marry someone who has a split personality; meaning he/she could treat you very well but doing other bad things behind your back (I am not talking about extramarital affairs). There are all sorts of people in this world, I just think that one should be alert and careful who he/she should befriend with.

2. Anne Stuart's books are more on the dark, thrilling and Gothics side with a element of good vs evil. From her earlier work or most of her recent work, how does SILVER FALLS compare to those? Was there any difference? What did you like and didn't like about SILVER FALLS?
One thing I love about Anne Stuart's books is the way she portrays her heroes in a dark sort of way. He could be a bad boy or even an assassin, but in the end her readers always fall in love with her heroes because they are not as bad or as dark as they seem in the beginning. Silver Falls falls into that category because of Caleb and how bad or 'dangerous' he appears to be.

As much as I love Anne Stuart's book, I have not read all of her books though. I had read most of her recent ones, and I am very interested to read her works published during the 80s. They are so hard to find! I managed to mooch one or two copy and I read from Anne Stuart's blog that you could get a used copy of her first published book (1974), Barrett's Hill, at a mere US$200 on Amazon! (I would be the first one to grab it if I have some extra money!)

I think Anne Stuart's signature is writing dark heroes and she is very good at it! I like everything she writes, and Silver Falls is no exception.

3. What did you think about the cover art for SILVER FALLS? Love it? Hate it? Your opinion?
I don't know about you, but I think the cover for Silver Falls looks more like a horror/thriller book than a romantic suspense. Needless to say, this is my least favourite cover among all Stuart's books but still, what most matters is the story and not the cover art, although I think the latter would be useful to entice a new reader into picking up her books and read them.

And finally, here's my questions:

1. What do you think of the hero and the heroine?
I think there is only one word to describe the hero and the heroine: opposite attracts! Caleb is unpredictable at times, and Rachel is just plain stubborn. I just liked reading the tension and how chemistry sparks between them.

2. What do you think of David's behaviour to the victims? Did it take away all your surprises when he is shown as the murderer from the beginning of the story? Or would you prefer to find out who's the murderer towards the end of the story? Why or why not?
I think David is simply a sick man, but I also felt sorry for him after reading the end of the story. Apparently he needs help in certain departments, but he is also a proud man so maybe this is one reason why he took the wrong path and towards the end of no return. I have to admit I was a little disappointed when David is portrayed as the murderer from the beginning of the story, but that does not stop me from reading it because finding out what he might do next is equally thrilling. Anyway, this is just another writing style and as long as the story entice me, I am all for anything.

3. What attracts the heroine to the hero, considering he is her "brother-in-law"?

I would think it is his never-give-up attitude that attracts Rachel to Caleb; and moreover Caleb is a very persistent man so there is no way Rachel could resist him and say no to him (although it took Caleb several attempts!). Besides that, I couldn't feel the chemistry between Rachel and David, despite they are married. I am not surprised she is not in love with him in the first place, after all she did state that she is marrying David because she thinks she could trust him and that he could provide a home to Sophie.

~*~*~*~*~*

I hope you enjoyed reading this Q&A review. Do you prefer this format, or the usual review format? I would love to hear from you!

Other reviews:

Book Binge

Dear Author

(Let me know if I missed yours.)

Death Angel by Linda Howard

ISBN-13: 9780345486554
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2009
377 pgs

Drea Rousseau is not your typical, ordinary heroine as in the other books of the romance genre. For starters, she is mistress to Rafael Salinas, a notorious crime lord who would use every means to get the things he wants, even though he has to spend a bomb on hiring the best assassin to finish any job for him.

One thing about Drea is, she is not as dumb as anyone would think. Besides beauty, she has brains too but she chose to play dumb in front of Rafael and his men. It is her one way of survival, knowing very well she might not be Rafael's woman forever and that she needs the jewelry and all the finances she could get from him when she can. Through years of playing dumb, she has long ago gained the trust of Rafael and the latter has stopped observing and guarding against her.

Drea's luxurious life has finally came to an end when she decided to ditch Rafael for good after he gave her to the assassin's request (never mind if it is only for once and that the act lasted only for a few hours). Infuriated, she decided to teach him a lesson by stealing a huge amount of money right under his nose without arousing his suspicions since he has always thought her as a simple-minded woman who only cares nothing but her looks and shopping. When Rafael found out he has been duped, Drea has already gotten a head start but she did not expect Rafael would pay the assassin to have her tailed. Drea is intimidated by the assassin, but that is because she sensed he is very different from Rafael and other men and also that they had shared an intimate affair even if it is a short one.

With some assistance from the right sources, the assassin managed to trail Drea's track in no time. And this is where the turn of events began. During the pursuit, Drea met in an accident and from there it takes on a little spiritual turn when Drea is given a second chance and as a result she lives from the fatal accident. Although I have mixed feelings about the spiritual element during this part of the story, however I feel it is crucial to the role of the heroine thereafter and the readers would be able to understand more about her past as well as her future life.

It is at this time that the assassin aborted his plan for killing her after finding she is still very much alive, and the readers would be able to see the relations have changed between them. Now that Andie (she has ditched the old name) has been given a chance for redemption she would take matters into her own hands and see that Rafael gets the justice he so deserved.

One of the things I loved about Death Angel is the characters. I find it refreshing to have an assassin and a crime lord's mistress as the protagonists and see them falling in love as the story progress. I was simply moved by the accident scene because there is the part where I see the emotions in the assassin and knowing that despite his profession, he is not really a person without feelings. As for the heroine, though one might think lowly of her due to her role being a mistress from the beginning, I have to say she has guts and is not afraid of any consequences once she has decided to leave Rafael.

Death Angel is one intense romance suspense; be sure to pick up this book if you are looking for some thrills with a sizzling romance.

Other reviews:
Book Binge (Casee)
Book Binge (Holly)
Thrifty Reader
(Let me know if I have missed yours.)

No Escape

ISBN-13: 9780446510288
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: October 2008
432 pgs




Isabelle Carson could not believe three of her childhood friends committed suicide, although the police believed so. Isabelle knew them well enough, after all they had escaped from Lavine, their abusive foster father and had moved on with their life. Moreover, Lavine was already dead so there is no reason they would commit suicide, at least not after what they had gone through and survived.

Fearing that the murders are connected and she might be the next target, Isabelle contacted Grant Kent, who had saved her from Lavine's sexual abuse and is now a security consultant after retired from Delta Force. Isabelle has not seen Grant since they had all left the foster home but she still sends him greeting cards throughout the years. And at that moment, Isabelle knew Grant is the only one she could trust.

On the other hand, Isabelle is a foster mother to seventeen-year-old Dale, whose father is now out of jail and wants custody of his son. Isabelle understood all about those abusive parent stuff and being a victim herself so many years ago, she does not want Dale to go through that experience again. And this is another thing she is worried about besides the murder cases. Grant vowed to protect Isabelle and Dale together, and the longer he stayed, the more attached he is to them. However, Isabelle thought otherwise as she does not want to be hurt in love again. With the killer still on the loose, would she dare to hope for love?

No Escape is an intense romance suspense with a psychological element. Although readers will get to find out the killer towards the middle of the book, it does not whip away the suspense as the killer is always plotting ways and no one knows what is going to happen next. However, there are several intense moments between Isabelle and Grant, both emotional and physical. However, there are death and some violence in this story, and a few murder scenes as well that I find can be quite gruesome but that does not take away my reading interest.

I enjoyed reading about the relationship between Isabelle and Dale, besides her love for Grant that is. I liked it that Isabelle takes on the role of a foster parent even though she had bad memories with Lavine, and that shows she does not allow the past to stop her from helping other children. As for Grant, he has his past but he is one alpha hero to boot.

No Escape is the third in the series about Delta Force operatives, following No Regrets and No Control. Although these books are connected in some ways, however each of them can be read as stand-alone. For those of you who might not know, Shannon K. Butcher is the wife of Jim Butcher, who is well known for his Dresden files series featuring the wizard Harry Dresden who solves crimes in modern-day Chicago. Besides romance suspense, I am thrilled to learn that Shannon is also writing paranormal books and her first book in The Sentinel Wars series will be released in May. You may wish to read more about Shannon K. Butcher and her books here.