Reily Garrett

I always love a good psychological read so this was right up my alley. When Detective Ethan receives a strange text message he is led into a game of cat and mouse to figure out the identity of a killer.

I loved Lexi’s character. She was strong and helpful in Ethan’s mission, making the book much more interesting. I’ve read a lot of detective novels, and I adore the whole angle of the dark web and a hacker helping the investigation along.
Characterization is also well done in this book. show more The McAllisters have playful banter that reads realistically and makes it seem as if they are real people. While the buildup of suspense is a bit slow, it definitely pays off in the end. show less

I am no stranger to Reily Garrett and I have mentioned this in so many of my other reviews. I was lucky to be first approached by this amazing author to review some of her other titles and now I am even luckier to be part of a blog tour promoting her new series. As other books by her, “Digital Velocity” is a great combination between passion and mystery. She has a way of building our suspense and keeping us fully emerged in her story!

So in book 1 of “McAllister Justice” Series, we show more meet detective Ethan McAllister and Lexi Donovan. While he has a prolific career and has managed it all on his own, Lexi has had to deal with street life and now all she wants is to live in the shadows. Their interaction starts anonymously, when Lexi starts sending him tips of criminal activity. But when her info results in Ethan getting shot and Lexi’s protector dead, things kind of get turned upside down. She will have to learn to trust other people, and Ethan will have to face feelings he was never ready for.

As I was mentioning, what I mostly like about Reily’s writing is this way of building the story around the action and the characters at the same time. I mean the mystery or the plot related action evolves in the same manner as the romance between the main characters. They just move hand in hand. As the action becomes more intense, the characters become more engrossed in each other. You don’t go all the way into finding out who the killer is only to be reminded in the end that “hey, there was something going on between these two”.

One other aspect that I noticed specifically tied to “Digital Velocity” is that the mystery surrounding Lexi is kept during most part of the narration. We get to understand what Ethan feels about her, in all the ways he seems attracted to her, but we don’t have such insight on Lexi. She is a mystery as well, one that will unfold gradually as well.

Suffice to say that I liked the story very much. There is no news in that. I said it so many times, I am a fan of Reily Garrett and I cannot get enough of her books! I am so excited to read what else is in store of the McAllisters! In the meantime, have fun reading “Digital Velocity” J show less

I was gifted a copy of Digital Velocity by the author in exchange for an honest review. I should also mention here that this is a genre I don't normally read.

The first chapters grabbed my attention and I expected to fly through this story. I was soon discouraged as Ethan was recovering from being shot by the killer and is introduced to 19 -year-old Lexi, a computer whiz. It was then that the story bogged down and too much time was spent describing the flirtation between the two and getting show more results from the police lab. Ethan has 4 brothers and a sister, who all come to his aid and appear jealous of Lexi and his relationship. The author also writes a couple of breathtaking sex scenes between virgin Lexi and the conqueror, Ethan.

Almost halfway through, Ethan is back on duty and the story picked up momentum, Lexi used her skills to find the killer who was accepting bids to see an extreme murder sequence on an underworld website. Unfortunately, as she began to play a game with the killer, he discovered her identity and puts her on the list of future exhibits. Lexi uses her street-smart skills and heads out on an investigation of her own to find evidence to identify her killer. She did not expect the killer to be in the place she broke into.

The story is now on a rollercoaster and takes readers twisting and turning and almost started the habit of biting my fingernails. The suspense is right up there! Will Ethan find the killer before Lexi is sacrificed? The villain seems to remain a step ahead of everybody else. When the killer is identified - I dropped my jaw! If you are into romance and police action then you will enjoy this story. Ms. Garrett blew me away!

John Podlaski, author
'Cherries: A Vietnam War Novel' and 'When Can I Stop Running?' show less

Another lovely book that was offered to me by Reily Garrett, “Bending Fate” is an introduction to “Carnal Whispers: Mind Stalker”, which focuses on Danielle and Marc’s relationship. This book however has only Dani in the center of attention.

On her way to save Callie, a girl with the same special abilities as hers, Dani is faced with many obstacles and will bare as well losses. Her struggle to always be one step ahead of her enemies is well described, but as well her fear of letting show more Callie down. Dani’s altruistic emotions, strength and intelligence are well captured and make her an extraordinary woman.

I’ve had a hard time only when it came to environmental descriptions. Too many details gave me the impression of a difficult lecture and that’s why it took me more time than normal to finish it. It also took me away from the main action, as I was drawn into imagining how it all looked and I lost my focus on the story.

All in all, this book is great if you want to get to know Dani better, to understand her emotions and her desire to protect. Still, the abundance of descriptions made me think of a long, long excerpt. Other than that, four starts from me and can’t wait to start the series! show less