Midnight Secrets by Ella Grace

 

At the stroke of midnight, the heat begins...

On a hot southern night, with a storm on the horizon, a family is shattered. Three beautiful daughters—Savannah, Samantha, and Sabrina Wilde—go on with their lives, each significantly changed, as they bear the memory of the murder-suicide that killed their parents. For years, they have stayed away from Midnight, Alabama. Until Midnight calls them home.

Savannah is the first one back, when a grueling case in Nashville leads the young prosecutor to seek shelter in the quiet of the once grand Wilde mansion. But when she finds letters casting doubt on her family’s dark, shameful past, she realizes that peace in Midnight is a shallow façade and sinister secrets lurk beneath the surface. Zach Tanner, once the town’s bad boy, is now the new police chief and still has a wild hold over her. Zach can feel it, too, but he hurt Savannah once. As teenagers, they broke every rule together. Now it’s his job to keep her safe, even though he isn’t sure who her enemies are—or which ones might be his own.

*****

Midnight Secrets is the first book in Ella Grace’s Wildefire series, and opens with a tragic scene that absolutely broke my heart. Right from the start I was completely invested in the Wilde family, and desperate to know the truth of what happened that horrible night.

I really enjoy ‘second chance’ romances, especially when they’re written the way Midnight Secrets is. What I mean is that instead of just being told about the past through character reflection or dialog, we actually watch it unfold. We see the ‘murder-suicide’ as it takes place, and even though it was heartbreaking to watch, I was glad those details were given to us because it saved me a lot of anxiety throughout the rest of story. Then years later - but not yet in the present - we get an up close and personal glimpse at Savannah and Zach’s relationship, how it begins and how it ends too soon. I loved that it was written this way because, as I said, it pulled me in and I became connected to the family, invested in them and the learning the truth. And as much as I loved those parts, the present day story is just as good, just as compelling. This is such a well written mystery/romance, with wonderful characters and a storyline loaded with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing right to the very end.

Interestingly enough, I’ve been meaning to read Christy Reece’s writing ever since Pamela Clare – a truly amazing romantic suspense author – recommended her to me, but there’s always been one thing or another cropping up, and I just never got around to it. When I decided to read and review Midnight Secrets, I had no idea that Ella Grace is Christy Reece, but knowing it now, you can bet I’ll be picking up Ms. Reece’s Last Chance Rescue books, very soon.

The bottom line: Fast paced, intriguing, and sexy, romantic and fun, Midnight Secrets is an exciting story that no romantic suspense fan should miss! Savannah and Zach are fantastic together, and now I’m anxiously awaiting Samantha’s and Sabrina’s stories.

My thanks to Ballatine Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

Cold As Ice by Anne Stuart

The job was supposed to be dead easy--hand-deliver some legal papers to billionaire philanthropist Harry Van Dorn's extravagant yacht, get his signature and be done. But Manhattan lawyer Genevieve Spenser soon realizes she's in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that the publicly benevolent playboy has a sick, vicious side. As he tries to make her his plaything for the evening, eager to use and abuse her until he discards her with the rest of his victims, Genevieve must keep her wits if she intends to survive the night. But there's someone else on the ship who knows the true depths of Van Dorn's evil.

Peter Jensen is far more than the unassuming personal assistant he pretends to be--he's a secret operative who will stop at nothing to ensure Harry's deadly Rule of Seven terror campaign dies with him. But Genevieve's presence has thrown a wrench into his plans, and now he must decide whether to risk his mission to keep her alive, or allow her to become collateral damage....

*******

Cold As Ice is the second book in Anne Stuart's Ice series, and once again she gives us a hero who's arrogant, annoying, an ass without conscience or heart, too sexy to resist and, in a word, perfect! It's a fast paced story, one that, from the first page to the last, I couldn't put down.

I have to say, I'm a huge fan of hot, alpha males, but I wasn't sure I could get on-board with these hot gamma males, the kind that let nothing stop them from accomplishing their goal, even if it means offering up the heroine as a sacrifice to do so. But whatever it is about Anne Stuart's stories, I love these guys even as I'm hating them. I want them to die, even as I'm afraid they will. My emotions are always in a state of chaos while reading these books because the very things I do want to happen, I also don't want to see happen. See? Chaos!

I won't recap the book blurb, but I will say it's an exciting story. And pretty damned funny, too. There were times I was fanning myself, times I wanted to cry, but there were also times I was laughing and that humor caught me off guard, popping up when I was least expecting it. It helped lighten the mood of the story at times when it was needed, making the villain look like a fool and I loved that!

We met Peter Jensen in Black Ice and though we didn't see much of him, what little we were given had me wanting to get his story. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long. As I said, he's arrogant. He's an ass. He's heartless, ruthless and annoying as all get out - and I adore him!

Genevieve Spenser is equally annoying in a mouthy sort of way, but if you were stuck with Peter for any length of time, you'd get mouthy, too! She's strong, independent, and a totally awesome woman!

So yeah, another terrific installment to the Ice series, and I am soooooo glad I decided to take these books from the shelf, dust 'em off and dig in!

4.5/5 stars because as with the first book, the ending is a bit abrupt.

Guarding Suzannah by Norah Wilson

Guarding Suzannah is a fun, sexy, romantic suspense novel, and my first taste of Norah Wilson’s writing. I enjoyed her easy, comfortable way of storytelling, and the voice she gives to her characters, making them believable, quirky people I couldn't help but love!

Suzannah Phelps is a criminal defense attorney who has been dubbed ‘The Ice Princess’ due to her cold, calculating demeanor in the courtroom. She’s every cop’s worse nightmare because with her razor sharp mind and well honed skills, she can tear their cases apart, and few of the people she represents ever end up behind bars.

John “Quigg” Quigley is a no-nonsense Detective who has seen firsthand how The Ice Princess works in the courtroom, but despite her aloof, seemingly snobbish behavior, he sees something else in her, too – that Suzannah’s need to keep people at arm’s length, to be in absolute control of her life is her way of making sure no one sees how vulnerable she really is. But when it becomes clear to John that Suzannah’s life is in danger, there’s no way he’s going to let her out of his sight. John knows she needs the kind of protection he can provide, and despite her protestations to the contrary, becomes her self-appointed bodyguard.

I really enjoyed this story. While it is romantic suspense, it’s more romantic than suspenseful, and I loved that through their budding relationship, the characters drove the story. There's certainly a ‘bad-guy’ plot there - and a well told one at that, but what I loved about it most is that it enhanced, rather than overshadowed, the romance. Another thing that I enjoyed about Guarding Suzannah is the location. This story takes place in Canada which made it refreshing in that phrases, dialogs and settings were not the same places we so often read about.

The bottom line – If you're looking for something fresh, and you enjoy romance in your romantic suspense like I do, you’ll definitely want to give Guarding Suzannah a try. As I said, it’s a fun, sexy story and I’m thrilled to have found another author who knows how to tell a tale – by letting her characters pull us in and keep us coming back for more.