Sandra Owens

I'm a huge fan of the K-9 Defenders series and this latest installment is a great example of why. There was enough action and suspense to not only keep you hooked on what was happening and wondering what was going to happen next, but also enough twists and turns to keep you guessing! Plus, the chemistry between Parker and Willow was beautifully written. I was immediately invested in their individual stories and their love story.

Parker's little girl Everly was also such an incredible little show more character. I loved her relationship with her dad and I loved the relationship that bloomed between her and Willow as well. I honestly would have devoured this book just as quickly without there being suspense involved. But I wouldn't trade the story arc of the arsonist situation for anything either. It was done so well and had me on the edge of my seat.

I have been completely immersed in this series and this book may just be my favorite of all. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is a romantic suspense lover. You will not be disappointed! I was given an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts and review. show less

Good book, with a good balance of suspense and romance. I haven't read the first book in the series, but thanks to the prologue, I had a good grasp of Liam's backstory and that of the Phoenix Three business. The pacing was good and kept me hooked to the end.

Quinn is a photojournalist who loves her job. She limits her relationships to short-term flings after dealing with too many men who believe their jobs are more important than hers. Her latest fling became obsessed with keeping her with show more him, kidnapping and chaining her in a remote cabin. Quinn's father hired Liam to find and rescue her.

The Phoenix Three business specializes in cases involving children, but Liam took this one on anyway for personal reasons. His military experience was evident in his preparation and execution of the rescue. There were a couple of complications that made the mission more difficult than he expected.

I loved the rescue scene. Quinn's resilience and determination impressed Liam as they made their way through the woods. Quinn was equally impressed with Liam. They discovered that her ex believes that she has something of his and is determined to get it back. Liam, his partners, and Quinn dive deep into investigating the information they found, while dodging intensifying attacks. The deeper they dig, the more disturbing the information they uncover. The final confrontation came with a couple of twists and a very satisfying conclusion.

Neither Quinn nor Liam expected the attraction that flared between them. Quinn is ready and willing to indulge in the chemistry, with the understanding that there is an expiration date. She doesn't do relationships. Liam quickly realizes that what he feels for her is more than just physical. The problem is convincing Quinn that he won't try to clip her wings. I loved Liam's protectiveness and his easy acceptance of her independence. He was clearly smitten, and I loved how he supported her. Quinn tries to deny her growing feelings for Liam, her past keeping her from believing that a future is possible. I liked the ending and seeing how Liam's support helped her overcome her fears. show less

Not sure where I picked this up, I suspect it was a kindle freebie. In any case, having recently started wandering around in historical romancelandia (with somewhat hit and miss results), and since it had such rave reviews, I gave it a read.

Good grief do I regret that.

This book opens with a letter from a villain (clearly twirling his mustache and cackling to himself in glee) to the supposed hero, detailing a decade of abuse heaped upon the woman the "hero" was to have married and her child. show more It does not improve from there one little bit.

Right off the top of my head issues:
- When the best character in a romance novel is a three legged cat who falls over a lot, and an imaginary bunny, the book is in trouble. When those characters don't even show up until the last few chapters, trouble doesn't even begin to describe it.
- The child is supposedly 10 years old, speaks like a 14 year old, and acts like a 4 year old. I think it's supposed to be cute, it's not.
- There is another woman, clearly also a victim of a hinky relationship, although that's not apparent until late in the book. The heroine notices this, unlike anyone else, and offers some support and the "hero" (yes I'm going to scare-quote that every single time) tells her to butt the hell out. What a prince Duke.
- Fairly near the end, the "hero" at one point laments that the ten years of sadistic abuse has "cost him his chance at an obedient wife." If it had been a paperback, it would have gotten thrown at the wall at that point.

I could probably come up with a bunch more completely off the wall reasons to intensely dislike this book, but I honestly don't want to think about it anymore. In any case, I was considering how to write this review, when I discovered someone had more or less written it for me, so go boogenhagen's review for a more in-depth and only slightly less disgusted discussion of it's many failures. show less

I heard about this book from Grace Burrowes, and would have gotten it on her word alone, but I thought to ‘sample’ a couple of paragraphs from Amazon, just to get a ‘feel’ of the story. What I got was a kick in my solar plexus as the novel opens up with the letter in question.

Most stories are structured in three parts, with a climax at the end. This story had its climax right at front, and with it made you want to demand to know what in the hell happened and how the hell is our hero show more going to make it all right.

When many authors would keep the said ‘letter’ as an intriguing ‘pièce de résistance’ for the climactic ending, this author smacks you with it right at the beginning, and I dare you not to flinch at it!

What I also loved about the story is that while it had serious, dark and painful moments, the author made sure to lighten it up with some witty dialogue and a hero that never left his home without ‘having a plan’.

“Listen. I have a plan.” – is soon becoming my favorite line I’ve ever read in a novel! Every time I read it as our hero said it, and let me tell you, it was many, many times as the poor fellows plans kept changing from day-to-day, I laughed out loud, even though, I’d be bawling over a page before.

I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this tale! It is filled with so many wonderful, heartbreaking and funny moments it warmed me all over. This is a story of true love gone awry, thought dead, never to be resurrected from the ashes of malice and hate; story of redemption, of second chances; of unspeakable abuse, of survival; of the ‘warrior woman’ and the man who never could forget her; a story of hope that there are ‘windows in hell’ so that the evil can see love triumph and thrive.

Can you tell I liked the book? I don’t usually include excerpts in my reviews, but I’m making an exception this time, and here is what grabbed my attention…and held it throughout the entire tale:

http://bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/the-letter-by-sandra-owens/

Melanie for b2b

*Amazon purchase show less