Book Reviews

Deceived
by Irene Hannon
Rating: 4/5
Book 3 of Private Justice Series
Revell – Fiction/Romantic Suspense

Kate Marshall has managed to pull her life back together after losing both her loving husband and sweet 4-year-old boy three years ago in a boating accident. When an errand takes her to the mall during her lunch break, she sees a boy who looks like her Kevin would if he was 7 years old. As she’s on the escalator, she yells out his name and the boy turns to look at her. Suddenly, a man sweeps the boy away and she is left with a feeling of dread and confusion. After all this time, how could her son still be alive? It’s true that his body was never found, but where has he been for three years? Kate turns to the only private investigation agency that seems credible in St. Louis, Phoenix Inc. She hesitantly retells her story to former Secret Service agent Connor Sullivan with the hope that he will believe her crazy story. Who was that little boy and the man with him? Can Connor figure out who the boy or man was with little to no identifying information? Can Connor keep their agency’s “no dating clients rule” as he and Kate get closer? Is Kate in even more danger now that she suspects her son may be alive?

I was so happy to get to review book 3 in this series. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the other two books about these P.I.’s. I’m always impressed with Hannon’s ability to create a realistic scenario that captures the reader’s attention and draws them into the suspense. The story seemed a little long in my opinion but I did not find it boring. I could tell that Hannon puts a lot of effort into her research to make the story credible. She is so talented when she writes characters who are so endearing. Of all her characters in this series, I will miss Nikki the most – she needs her own novella – unless I missed her backstory from another book? (Nikki works for Phoenix as admin and computer forensics.) I thought she had great characters but not necessarily a lot of character development; however, since this is the last book, that might be part of why this happened. All in all, I was satisfied with the ending of this heart-pounding story.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a clean, romantic suspense.

I received this book for free from the publisher in an exchange for a review.

Nowhere to Turn
by Lynette Eason
Rating: 4/5
Book 2 of the Hidden Identity series
Revell – Fiction/Suspense/Thriller

When her abusive husband dies on the day that she has the courage to run away with their deaf son, Simon, Danielle Harding hopes that they can live the rest of their lives without fear. However, her late husband was not only abusive but into some dirty dealings that make his family a target. Dani hires Adam Buchanan of Operation Refuge to protect them and possibly help them disappear if the need arises. She cannot trust anyone in her life – not even her brother-in-law who has been stalking her. Can she trust Adam to protect them from whatever dangers lie in the shadows? Can she figure out what her late husband did to make her family a target? Who keeps telling the bad guys where they’re hiding? Can Adam find out the truth before it’s too late?

I am a big fan of Lynette Eason. Her books are always so exciting and take you on a ride. I loved reading about Simon. I’ve taken American Sign Language and I find the whole Deaf culture fascinating. I loved the little glimpses into the life of a mom with a deaf son. I enjoyed Dani and Adam’s characters because they were very real – they had their weaknesses and strengths. I had to keep guessing and guessing whodunit, which made reading even more interesting. I finished this book in one day because I couldn’t put it down. I’d definitely be interested in reading the next book in the series. I just realized that I never read the first book in the series, No One to Trust, so I’ll have to go back and read that too. All in all a fun and fast-paced thriller you won’t wanna miss!

I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery, suspense thrillers.

I received this book for free from the publishers in exchange for a review.