Are you in the mood for a little suspense and mystery with your romance? These three titles have enough action and adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat, even as the hero and heroine find their way to a happy-ever-after.
MARRIED TO DECEPTION
New York Times best-selling author Nora Roberts’ latest romantic suspense novel, The Liar, is a compelling, richly layered story. Readers are introduced to Shelby Foxworth, a beautiful young mother and wife. Her husband, Richard, went missing in a sailing accident and is presumed dead, leaving Shelby alone with their 3-year-old daughter, Callie, and abrupt widowhood. She soon learns that nearly everything she believed about Richard was a lie. Their wealthy lifestyle was a sham, and she is now in a mountain of debt. As she struggles to cope with these truths, each day seems to bring a new and disturbing revelation, such as the fact that Richard had more than one identity. Shelby decides to close down her life in Philadelphia and return to her family’s home in Tennessee. Her hometown welcomes Shelby and her daughter with open arms, and at last, Shelby feels relief from the uneasy dread that has stalked her since Richard’s disappearance.
Life in Rendezvous Ridge, Tennessee, is familiar and dear to Shelby, and here, she reconnects with friends and extended family. She is also increasingly drawn to Griff Lott, a relatively new resident of her hometown. Griff couldn’t care less about Shelby’s past, but he’s very interested in being an important part of her future. He adores her daughter, almost as much as he adores Shelby. But all is not sunshine and roses in Rendezvous Ridge, for it’s becoming increasingly clear that Shelby’s connection to Richard isn’t over. Her vanished husband’s secret life damaged people, and they want answers from Shelby—answers she doesn’t have.
Roberts’ well-known writing talent is evident as she creates a charming small-town setting and a well-rendered, warm family for the heroine. Paired with a solid suspense plot and a believable romantic relationship between Shelby and Griff, and the end result is an engrossing story that is certain to satisfy and delight Roberts’ longtime fans and new readers alike.
DOGGED PURSUIT
D. D. Ayres continues her K-9 Rescue series about cops and their puppy partners with Force Of Attraction. Policewoman Cole Jamison has moved on after her divorce from handsome agent Scott Lucca two years ago. She loves her current job and her adorable yet ferocious canine partner, Hugo, a 95- pound brindle Bouvier des Flanders. When she’s asked to join an undercover team to break up a drug smuggling ring that’s using then killing puppies, she’s eager to join. But then she discovers she’ll have to pose as one-half of a couple with her ex-husband. She refuses the job and walks away.
Scott is still in love with Cole and will do anything to get her back. It takes all his persuasive powers to convince Cole to join the undercover team, but it will take far more effort to make her believe that this time around, he’ll do whatever it takes to win and keep her.
Working undercover on the drug smuggling case is dangerous enough, but Scott soon discovers he’s being targeted. A member of the Pagan motorcycle gang went to jail after an earlier undercover operation, and he blames Scott. Scott’s skill as a cop will be put to the test in order to stop the Pagan biker from exacting his revenge.
There is much to like about this novel, especially the powerful emotional connection between Scott and Cole. The mystery plot is thoroughly enjoyable as well, and Cole’s adorable Bouvier and Scott’s chocolate Lab, Izzy, enhance the entire story.
DEADLY SECRETS
Author Colleen Coble takes readers to a gorgeous island off the coast of Maine in The Inn At Ocean’s Edge. Claire Dellamare arrives at the Hotel Tourmaline in mid-May to join her CEO father for a work conference. Upon arrival, she immediately has her first ever full-blown panic attack. To her shock, she later learns that she has been to this hotel before, when she was only 4 years old. Twenty-five years earlier, she disappeared into the woods on the island, only to suddenly reappear a year later. She has no memory of this entire year, and her parents never told her about her disappearance.
Claire soon meets handsome Luke Rocco, a local resident whose family owns a cranberry farm. Eerily, his mother disappeared at the same time Claire went missing. Luke’s mother, however, never returned and is presumed dead.
These events set in motion an enthralling tale of mystery stacked upon mystery as the author takes readers on a tangled trail of family secrets, death and deception. Coble does a stellar job of keeping the reader guessing, and the ultimate revelations of secrets and villains are surprising and riveting. Fans of both suspense and romance will love this enthralling tale.
Lois Dyer writes from her home in Washington.
