Although it was a bit graphic at times, overall I enjoyed the story and the characters. Bridget is quite an intriguing character! ( )

I won a copy of "In Plain Sight" by author Kate Kelly from the LibraryThings. In exchange for the book, I was also asked if I would review the book for the author as well. I'm always excited when I win something, then to be asked to review what I won, is never an issue.

*****

"In Plain Sight" is classified in the genre of crime, romance and suspense.

We find Rafe Pascotto in Paris enjoying the company of his friend, discussing work and watching the beautiful women go by.

Rafe is a male model and a very successful in his business. With a chiseled face, a body that looks likes its sculpted by an artist, he's always attracting the attention of women. However, on this particular day, he's on the lookout for one special woman, Bridget O'Neill.

He's excited about this task that his brother-in-law, FBI Special Agent Vince Gage, has sent him on. With only a short bio of a woman that he wants him to find and follow, Bridget O'Neill, Rafe jumps in head first and never questions what it's all about. All he knows is that she is a red-head, beautiful, and when he gets close to her, ask about some sapphire's.

After spying Bridget, he's hot on her trail. A foot chase kicks off and he's bound and determined he's going to get close this woman. It's when he see's her scarf in the door, he takes this opportunity for all he can get.

Once inside the apartment, things quickly heat up. She's all over his body and he's quickly putty in her hands. Leading him into the bedroom with the thoughts of having sex with this beautiful creature, he quickly becomes her victim. Tying him to the bedpost then ducking out of the apartment, he finds out quickly that he was set up.

Bridget (Irish) O'Neill has just dodged another close call. She's on a quest to find out who is behind her brother being set-up and now in jail. She's believes she knows who's behind it all, but it's just getting the proof that's going to be the hard part.

Rafe in the meantime has lost his modeling career due to the arrest and negative exposure. He's sunken into a state of depression. The only thing that he wants to do is find this red-headed woman and get his revenge.

It's through a little research that he's able to track down the woman who ruined his life. Once he discovers who she is, he starts to learn that Irish has issues. Rafe learns quickly that she lies about everything and she refuses to trust anyone.

It all becomes a cat and mouse game with these two. Rafe wants to help her out and get close to her. Bridget doesn't want anyone else to get involved in the mess she in. However, feelings are developing between the two and they don't know what their next move will be or where it will lead them.

*****

This is a faced paced book that really never slows down. She did a remarkable job developing a mystery that floats hand in hand with a troubled romance.

I did figure out who was behind it all prior to the book divulging the mystery person. The romance was also easy to predict. However, these didn't distract from the story. I was actually curious to find out how what was going on.

This is the third installment of a series. I haven't read the first two, so I don't know how this flows in the series. I can only assume that with the way the book ended, there will be a follow-up to this storyline.

I have found that if you read a book in a series and don't start with book 1 you are completely lost. With this book, that wasn't the case. I was able to follow along pretty well. I did have some questions regarding his brother-in-law, but I'm thinking that he might had been discussed in the previous books. Plus, I have found that I question things that most wouldn't.

In all, I enjoyed the book. I love crime stories an hoping that the person I picked out to be the one responsible is actually behind all the chaos. ( )

This is book three of a series, Stolen Hearts. While this one can be a stand-alone read, it would have helped me to better understand the key characters to have read the other books, especially book two. It would have added to its length and perhaps was not necessary to full understand what was going on, but it sure would have helped me to have some back story/history of what had been and is still on-going with the three of the characters, Rafe, Sophie and her husband Agent Vince Gage. As it is, with no back story, I started to detest Vince Gage from the get-go. In the story, he is an agent, but he sure didn’t act like most of the other agents I have found in other stories. He was totally insensitive, abrupt and outright rude in most of the scenes where he appeared. He really didn’t care much for his now pregnant wife, Sophie, the brother of Rafe. When she had problems with the pregnancy, Gage was nowhere to be found. He even left Sophie way out in the “country” (rural area of town) with no friends to turn to when he was “unavailable” under cover during her pregnancy and despite the fact that she was lonely and hated the area. Rafe had to find him (Vince Gage) through his agent friends. The way in which he treated Rafe also was despicable, considering Rafe was his wife’s beloved twin brother, the only real family she had, and someone Agent Gage needed to help bring in the jewel thief he was chasing. Rafe was a model in the story, but not too enthusiastic about his career—he planned to leave it. I am not sure the company who had previously hired him for an underwear shoot would have fired him without paying him when Rafe got entangled with Bridget, a suspected jewel thief and someone Agent Gage was chasing, and made front page news. After all, being in the spotlight is the real name of the so-called publicity game, and Rafe’s notoriety would have only enhanced their publicity campaign.

The storyline involves a would-be heist of a blue sapphire necklace. Rafe is a model and meets up with Bridget while helping his brother-in-law in his pursuit of the soon to be heist of a necklace, with some disastrous results that impact heavily on his modeling career and latest job as an underwear model. However, Rafe is smitten, and pursues Bridget from Europe to the US, where Bridget’s past catches up with her, and she becomes an unwilling part of this planned heist. How it all comes together makes for an interesting plot, though I think I would have understood and appreciated it more with some good back fill on the characters and their histories by the author.

The story is a quick read and moves along quite nicely. The development of the characters and their romance in this story (Rafe and Bridget) is well done, though it was tough to really see much chemistry between them, as they chased one another around the Boston area. Both seemed to act independently at all times, even within each other’s company, disregarding the other’s needs and wants at many times. I enjoyed the close family relationship that Rafe had with Sophie and the way he dropped everything to come her assistance during a pregnancy scare, but found it difficult to understand how her own husband, Agent Gage, could just disappear, with no way to reach him, and the way he did not really appreciate Rafe’s care and concern for his wife—something he should have been grateful for. Agent Gage’s fellow Agent DeMarco seemed to be friendlier toward and to care more about Rafe than his own brother-in-law, Agent Gage.

Still, despite the shortcomings, the story is a good one and will appeal to those who enjoy a good cop-chase story, with some romance thrown in. This is a good summer read, fast and easy, but with some substance. However, I gave it only four stars because of the shortcomings I mentioned. I received this from Library Thing to read and review. ( )

This is the third book in the "Stolen Hearts" series. While it was not necessary to have read any of the other books to enjoy the story, it would have given me some background and insight to the major characters. Rafe, his twin sister Sophie, and her relatively new husband Gage have an unusual dynamic and knowing their history may have enhanced my reading.

That being said I enjoyed the book. When Rafe a model working in Paris is asked by his brother in-law an FBI agent to check out a possible jewel thief he had no idea how much his life was going to change. When Rafe attempts to get close to Bridget he doesn't realize she is on to him and as a result ends up in a compromising situation. Flash forward to the states and Rafe meets up with Bridget and things take off from there.
I like most of the characters and it's nice to see family loyalty as part of the plot. We have a love story, a mystery, and lots of intrigue. What more does a reader need except maybe chocolate? The plot takes quite a few unexpected twists and that kept turning pages. All in all an enjoyable and entertaining read.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Bridget O'Neill is assumed to be jewelry thief by FBI but nothing could be further from the truth. FBI Special Agent Vincent "Vince" Gage asks his brother in law Raphael "Rafe" Pascotto currently working as model living in France to make contact with Bridget O'Neill. For Rafe nothing goes as planned is an understatement to say the least. Gage helps Rafe move back to the States where he intends to lay low for awhile. Rafe attends a trade show not really expecting to meet up with Bridget again either. Bridget attends the trade show as means to let Dejarnatt know she knows about the stolen jewelry designs. Bridget is stunned to find Rafe at the trade show. Sparks fly between Rafe and Bridget but Bridget doesn't trust anyone even though she claims to trust Rafe. Bridget's brother Darcy is in jail for a crime he didn't commit and Bridget is trying to clear his name. Who put Darcy in jail? Can Bridget clear Darcy's name? Will Bridget trust Rafe? Will Rafe admit his feelings for Bridget? Your answers await you in Plain Sight.

Bold and rich characters of In Plain Sight set fire to the pages of this book from first page to last page. I'm usually not a fan of starting a story in the middle but I found that previous books events didn't hamper the events in the current book. I would definitely consider going back to the first two books to learn their histories. ( )