Claudia Shelton

Slater's Leverage is seriously action packed. It reminded me a bit of the TV show Alias. Secret government factions fighting an underground war. Secret identities, faked deaths, etc. If you like really action filled romantic suspense, this is great! The plot is certainly detailed-you are trying to figure out who is good, who is bad, who is being manipulated, and more. The romance aspect is a second chance story which is not my favorite (I am in the minority here so you might love that!). These two were previously together before he upped and left her without much of a goodbye. So, she has some trust issues with him. Mackenzie also did not know anything about this secret faction her family and Josh were involved in so its a lot of information for her to take in while seeing the man she gave her virginity to again for the first time in 10 years. I HATED that Josh called her 'Macki". It really bothered me for some reason. Its a terrible nickname and every time I saw it (which was often since thats all he called her!) I cringed!
POV: 3rd (not my favorite)
Tears: No
Triggers: No
Heat: 2
Trope: Kidnapping, Revenge, Redemption, Second Chance, Mortal Peril
If you liked... Marked by Kaylea Cross, Undercover by Danielle Steel, Sandra Brown books… (meer)

Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author. (netgalley) I have never read this author before and I enjoyed it I mean i kept turning the pages. I also figured somethings things out before the end but 'all on me. Macki was threatened by a sinister group who unfortunately they are law enforcement in the wrong side, so we don't know who the leader is and who all is involved. Josh Slater was sent by her uncle to protect her because she could be used as leverage for them and they are the OPAQUE group, (the good guys so to speak), Josh does not want to go on this assignment an Macki doesn't want him either. They had a love affair years ago and he broke her heart, anyhoo she needs protection and he is going to provide and maybe they can finally get closure. Lots of things happen my friends so you wont be bored.… (meer)

Risk Of A Lifetime by Claudia Shelton
Reviewed for Netgalley.com

Risk of a Lifetime has a lot to recommend it to a certain audience. This is listed as a “mystery/thriller” and then as “romance” which I was happy to see. Even the cover is pleasing, given the feel of the book as the main characters flee into more and more danger while still trying to salvage what they once had.

Marcy and JB Bradley were high school sweethearts of the most archetypal kind – the state football star and the cheerleader. Both from troubled backgrounds, they have both succeeded – JB past all expectations. They are young and in love, but that isn’t enough to carry them past their troubles. For Marcy’s father was an FBI agent, killed in the line of duty, and all JB ever wanted was to be a police officer, and eventually, FBI. Incapable of standing the possibility of his death, mimicking her fathers, Marcy pushes his bag out the door. She can’t live with her fear of losing his to a bullet, but she won’t hold him back from his dreams.

Fast forward a few years, and Marcy is lying on the floor of her bank, terrified as a doped-up, gun-wielding robber holds the bank hostage. When the robber, a local loser and drug addict, Leon, seems to be swinging out of control, Marcy talks him down, using the skills she now has as a marriage counselor to calm him down. Agreeing with Leon that she will go outside to get a bullhorn from the police so that he can transmit his demands, Marcy walks outside only to have the person she least expects to see on the scene by JB. Now the FBI agent he always wanted to be, JB works with the local police to rescue Marcy and the other hostages. But something is wrong – because the bullets flying around aren’t from the police, they are from a sniper – and his target seems to be Marcy.

What follows is well written in the action scenes as Marcy suffers what at first seems to be coincidental ‘accidents’ – accidents that soon turn into clear attempts on her life. But what could she have possibly done to deserve having a killer dogging her steps? The action sequences are tightly controlled and pull you along with the action. The premise is tight and believable within it’s context and JB’s actions are solid, determined and carefully thought out.

The romance in the book is of the “clean” sort, no rolling around showing every move. More the “this happened, but we aren’t subjected to blow-by-blow,” which was actually refreshing. If you are looking for erotica, this isn’t it. If you are looking for a bit of romance in your mystery/thriller and an HEA, well, this sort of romance will certainly fit the bill. It is a bit of sugar in your coffee, not the other way around.

Now we come to the hard part, where I tell you about what I did not like about the book. Marcy. She was not someone I believed in or cared about at all. She was selfish, self-centered, flighty, and generally not likable. She has been to college, become a psychologist of all things, and yet she is the biggest psychological mess you could ever imagine. Daddy issues, fear issues, her lists of issues are painful. And totally unbelievable – she never would have graduated from her program without having addressed her own issues and being counseled herself, allowing her to face those issues and putting them in the past. It just doesn’t happen. However, she is still reacting like an injured eight-year-old, and that, my friends is why I can’t give the book a higher rating, no matter how much I enjoyed the suspense and action portions of the book. Yes, she comes around somewhat at the end, it wasn’t all-bad, but by that time I really wanted JB to find someone who wasn’t an emotional and psychological drain.

This book was reviewed by So, I Read This Book Today for netgalley. I did not receive compensation for this review. All thought, and statements are my own.
… (meer)

I think I read a different book then everyone else who reviewed it. There is no way I would ever rate this a 5 star book. I simply did not like Marcy. I couldn't figure out how old she was suppose to be, I mean she's a college graduate with a Master's yet she acts like a teenager at times. And don't get me started on all her issues. She a counselor, but she's so hung up on her dad's death she holds it against her husband and his profession. There were times I rolled my eyes so much I swear I made myself dizzy. JB really needed to just move on and find someone to have a healthy relationship with.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.… (meer)