Sidney Bristol

Traitor Games by Sidney Bristol
Tarnished Heroes #3

This one was hard to put down once I began reading! Action and suspense from beginning to end! With evil to thwart and lives on the line it is a near miracle that Noah and Lillian don’t end up injured or dead...several times!

Noah is a CIA contractor who realizes there is a line he won’t cross so instead of killing the target he soon finds himself on the run with her trying to keep her alive. Lillian is the “handler” who strategizes show more and keeps all the players sorted and safe. With pursuit hot on their tale they cross borders and oceans working with others who are all out to cut the head off SICA – a hidden group that has tentacles everywhere. Will they be able to achieve their goal? How many will die in the process?

What I liked:
* Noah – a cool customer with a heart of gold...swoonworthy
* Lillian – stronger than she realizes and brilliant, too
* The other couples that had previous books but play a big part in this one, too (Mitch & Irene, Andy & Carol, Rand & Sarah)
* That not everyone makes it out alive
* The bad guys eventually do get their comeuppances
* The plotting, writing and overall story
* Demetrius – interesting guy that perhaps needs a book of his own

What I didn’t like;
* The bad guys I was meant not to like

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing – Amara for the ARC - This is my honest review.

5 Stars show less

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Emma's father was the only surviving victim of the TBK serial killer and naturally, it forever changed him; she grew up with his temper and instability. Jacob's father was the cop that caught TBK and while his father was the hero, the dark weight of immersing yourself in that world clung to him. When Jacob, now a detective himself, starts getting letters show more from someone claiming to be the TBK, he wonders if his father caught the right man. Emma is used to people contacting her wanting to look at the letters the TBK sent her family and creepy individuals in general wanting to get as close as they can to the only surviving victim but when Jacob contacts her, she gets a different vibe from him. Jacob wants to compare his letters to Emma and get a read on her to make sure she is not involved but he knows she and her family aren't big fans of cops. Emma and Jacob must break through their walls of mistrust if they are going to survive this serial killer.

I need to start off saying that I, personally, felt a bit of an ick factor with the serial killer in this fictional romantic suspense story relating very closely to a real life one. The killer in this story is called TBK, which stands for Torture, Blind, and Kill, while the real life one was called BTK for Bind, Torture, and Kill. The killer's actions in this book are never treated in a cavalier way but I couldn't help feeling there was a certain degree of insensitivity by matching the name so closely to a serial killer who had real life victims. I don’t think I was able to achieve my usual level of objectivity and feel it should be noted that my rating more than likely reflects in a way this personal bias.

Blind is the first book in a new series called Killer Instincts, which I imagine will feature various heroes and heroines pitted against members of the Killer Club, which we are introduced in this story. The Killer Club looks to be an online club with members who are fascinated with serial killers and where some members not only fantasize following in their idol’s footsteps but actually do. The leader is called Black Widow and if a member doesn't follow her plans or doesn't act accordingly, she takes them out. The author set up a mysterious and dark club that introduced us to future villains.

The beginning of this book started off a little rough and I felt thrust into the story, we're given a very basic outline of our characters before they're thinking to themselves about how hot the other is. As this story only takes place over about two weeks, insta-love/attraction is at the forefront of Emma and Jacob's relationship. I know that Emma is supposed to be different from your average woman because she likes motocross and doesn't get close to people and Jacob is a workaholic detective who battles his bad temper; the problem was I was told these things but never felt them. I appreciated the author trying different things with her characters but I'm not sure she fully executed. Besides the insta-love/attraction I never felt anything between the couple, no passion or a true understanding of why they were together. Emma also had a few TSTL moments when she withheld information from Jacob that could have helped catch the TBK; she claimed trust issues but obviously it was added for extra conflict.

While Emma and Jacob's relationship moves very quickly, the killings and search for the TBK storyline is drawn out. Our villains motivations weren't justifiably clear and didn't reach the level of psychotic/sociopathic to chill the reader's blood and be chalked up to crazy scary. The overall story had a feeling of disjointedness, the romance/sexual parts and serial killings didn't quite mesh (if you're questioning if those two opposites ever could, Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard does this wonderfully). Secondary characters also just seemed to be fodder for the serial killer; we only get very basic introductions to them, which made it very hard to have any feelings when they were killed off (this works in visual slasher horror films but not so well in print). Also, for what important parts our hero and heroine's fathers played in the original TBK case, they weren't really incorporated into the story.

The concept for Blind is there but with a sense of disjointedness and too close for comfort similarities to a real life serial killer, I felt this story was just "ok". This is, however, a quick read, so if you're looking for something a little different and off the beaten path with serial killings nestled in-between sex scenes, you wouldn't waste your whole day on this one. show less

Fast and Furious but with an FBI undercover feature is what came to mind as I read this book.

The Hot Rides team is undercover in a muscle garage that provides classic cars, sometimes flips stolen cars and is involved with street racing activities. Their tech guru is Emery Martin. Most people on the street think he is a money launderer and as such a go-to guy for many bad guys in the area. When Emery finds out a Russian team of assassins are being sent to kill Tori and Roni Chazov, his show more teammates, he immediately takes action. From that point on there the pace picks up in more ways than one.

Emery and Tori have been aware of one another for some time and have fantasized quite a bit without acting on the interest they feel for one another. As they spend time together trying to avoid the assassins their assumptions are replaced with reality and they like what they are seeing, feeling and eventually experience – like it a lot. However, they have bad guys to fight, information they need to uncover and secrets to share with one another before the book ends. Survival is in question for both of them as well as their team members. The book left me satisfied that the story ended in a good place but also left me with the need to read book three to find out what is REALLY going on and how everything will eventually be resolved.

This is a great book that is able to stand on its own without reading book one of the series. I have to say that once I got past about page 40 I was hooked and could not put it down. In fact, I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to finish it. Emery was so much more than Tori thought he might be. He was a great book boyfriend and she was the perfect match for him.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. show less

Spy Games by Sidney Bristol
A Tarnished Heroes Novel

Action-packed romantic suspense that grabbed me on page one and kept me reading all the way to the end. I enjoyed this friends to lovers story that started in Korea and moved to the USA with good thwarting evil in the end.

Rand Duncan works in covert operations as a contractor for the CIA. Sarah Collins is a courier for the CIA. When they were children Rand and Matt, Sarah’s brother, were best friends and Sarah spent a lot of time with show more them. After eight years apart little did they know that their paths would cross again when Rand is sent to get Sarah out of Korea – someone in the CIA has “burned” her cover and set her up for kidnapping. She must rely on Rand to help her get away and keep her safe. Not knowing who to trust, having Korean bad guys after them, needing to find and secure a case filled with protocols and dealing with the chemistry between them is a challenge but they are up for it.

I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them both. I am interested to find out what will happen in the next book and really want to know who the bad guy is AND who will have their story told next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars show less