Sunday, February 24, 2013

review: CAUGHT IN THE ACT by Jill Sorenson

Store owner, Karina “Kari” Strauss, is willing to do anything to ensure her sister’s freedom from drug lord, Carlos Moreno, including smuggle drugs or people across the Mexican boarder. Though it goes against everything she believes in, saving her sister trumps all of her moral convictions.

Boarder patrol officer, Adam Cortez, suspects the tempting entrepreneur of illegal activities after he spots known gang members coming from her home. He doesn’t hesitate to infiltrate her life, knowing that to do what is necessary, he needs to gain access to her personal life.

Both of them are willing to exploit their sizzling attraction, but what neither of them count on is the emotional entanglement that they can’t seem to stop.

***

In CAUGHT IN THE ACT, Jill Sorenson created two characters that reached out and grabbed hold of me, and a plot that tore me up, as the conflicts Adam and Kari both fought internally and against each other were so emotionally tormenting. This is a book that I gobbled up, resenting all interruptions, as I just couldn’t get enough, and I was so on edge, worried how things were going to play out between the pages.

I loved how Ms. Sorenson spun this storyline, pushing the characters right over the edge and compromising their ethics. It didn’t hurt that the sexual tension between Kari and Adam was off the charts, yowzer! Kari knew that she was breaking the law, but to save her sister, she was willing to do whatever was necessary, no matter how much anguish and guilt she felt. Adam couldn’t help her because he didn’t know the extent of her involvement, and circumstances kept him from doing more to aid her. Kari struggled to maintain a distance, while Adam worked too move in closer.

Jill Sorenson has found a space on my auto-buy list, and I can’t wait for whatever she has coming next.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Review: NO ONE LEFT TO TELL by Karen Rose

When a pro-bono client dies a violent death in P. I. Paige Holden's arms, she leaves a very important piece of evidence. Unfortunately, Paige isn’t sure whom she can trust with the information. State Attorney, Grayson Smith sees the horrific scene played out on the local news, and realizes that he knows the victim.
What Paige and Grayson discover unravels an old case, casting shadows of doubt on an imprisoned man. Was he really guilty? Or has the true villain been left free to wreak havoc on other unsuspecting victims?
*****


If you like suspense and haven't picked up Karen Rose yet...well, what in the heck are you waiting for?! She is hands down my go-to author when I'm looking for a stomach-churning, toe-curling, thriller! She has a knack for creating fantastically evil villains that truly mess with your mind, and her crime scenes can be particularly gruesome. Yikes, I feel so bad for her victims as they are usually in for a brutal death.
NO ONE LEFT TO TELL is an edge-of-the-seat suspense, that also adds some sizzling chemistry and romance between Paige and Grayson. The air between them positively sparks, but it in no way shadows the action that unravels the mystery of who the real villain is. The motives aren't initially clear to help you identify the killer. I loved how Paige and Grayson worked together, opening up an old case to discover what and who could have been overlooked, discovering that the wrong man was originally convicted. Grayson's past personal life also collided with the case to add more mystery to the mix.
I can't wait to read more Karen Rose!