DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: The perfect murder is a work of art

In one catastrophic instant, Haley Warren's estranged father was taken from her. She never got the chance to reconnect with him, so now she's doing it the only way she's got left: by proving the explosion that killed him was no accident.

When Tyler Brodie, the provocative and handsome P.I. hired by Haley, discovers that her father was investigating a suspected art theft, he knows his death is no coincidence. After all, tens of millions of dollars worth of stolen art could motivate a thief to go to any lengths—including getting rid of anyone poking around where they don't belong.

As Haley and Ty get closer to the truth, the truth gets ugly: Did Haley's dad know too much…or was he in on the take? And although Ty's a consummate professional, he's having trouble focusing on the facts of the case, and not the figure of his gorgeous client. The two are determined to get to the bottom of the case, even if it means they die trying. ( )

AGAINST THE MARK by Kat Martin is an exciting Romantic Suspense. #9 "The Raines of Wind Canyon",but I feel can be read as a stand alone. A great read that is fast paced and action packed. Ms. Martin continues to write a saga with this series that is filled with secrets, danger, adventure and romance. It has just the right amount of romance and intrigue to keep the reader entertained. Any reader who enjoys romance and suspense is sure to love one of Kat Martin's stories. The heroine is strong and the hero a alpha male,who will do anything necessary to keep his woman safe. Oh, yea this has stolen Art and murder involved! A great read from start to finish with a few twists and turns included. Received for an honest review from the author and/or publisher.

RATING: 4.5

HEAT RATING: MILD

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More ( )

Even though I just picked this series up with the last book I'm totally loving it. Its full of romance and adventure and of course very desirable men that make your blood run hot. In this book we have Ty, who I only met through the last book (and much too briefly) but I gather he has been in a couple previous books and his client/romantic interest Haley. With his laid-back country boy and ex-military background, Ty was pretty popular with the ladies (and me) even though he hadn't met that one lady he could see himself with until he sees Haley smiling at him. He agrees to help her look into the supposed accidental death of her father as a favor to her great aunt and his good friend, Ellie. That is when the fun began. Throughout their investigation they learn that her father was indeed murdered but more importantly Haley learns that taking a chance on someone isn't the scariest thing out there but living a life without Ty might be.

I really liked this book and its non-stop action; just when they thought they were safe something or someone else came along to shake things up. I really want to go back and read this series from the beginning because these characters are fascinating. Even though this is a series with reoccuring characters Ms. Martin does a great job of recapping the stories when it's needed. Can't wait to read more of these books.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. ( )

4 STARS

This is a nail bitter. Every time you think they are safe something else comes up that puts them back in danger. Lots of drama, action, suspenseful, good characters, humor and too many details of love scenes.

Haley Warren has not seen her father for years. He left her mother for a different woman. Now Betty Jean Warren the other woman called her up and said her father was murdered. Haley leaves Chicago and is staying with her Aunt Ellie. Her Aunt introduced her to Tyler Brodie a P.I.

Tyler will look into her father's death and discover if it was murder or a accident like the police think it was. Tyler is good friends with Ellie. In fact the office is in her guest house on her estate. His partner and wife live on the upper floors of guest house.

Haley wants to help search for answers to her fathers life and death. She finds her father for past 5 years has been living a whole different life. That the truth her mother told her was not the whole truth.

They find a whole lots of questions when they were searching for answers. Also his two computers one was missing a hard drive and other had a virus on it. His house had been broken into after his death. That a lot of things had to go wrong for the boat to explode.

Their was a big case he started to investigate three years ago of two Art pieces were stolen from a museum that were worth millions still on the black market. He had found new information the week before he died.
Then Betty Jean was attacked and put in the hospital and warned to stop looking into her husband's death and if she did not convince Hayley to stop she will be next on their list.

The two cops who are investigating the death are taking the easy out. They don't believe it was murder and Betty Jean was just a home invasion gone wrong.

Hayley has not had good luck with men in her past. She even has been wondering if she is gay, but she is really attracted to Brodie. Brodie has lots of different girls calling him up but he does not answer his phone.

It keeps your attention the whole book and you want everything to work out Tyler and Hayley.
I was given this ebook to read and asked in exchange to give honest review of it by Netgalley and Harlequin. ( )

If you are already a fan of Kat Martin’s romantic suspense novels, then you will not be disappointed with Against the Mark, the latest upcoming release in The Raines of Canyon series. Even though I have only read one other book in the series, I had no problem jumping into this book and getting immersed in the featured romance and murder investigation into an art theft ring.

Martin has written a well-developed suspense plot that complements an equally well-developed romance between Ty Brodie, an easy-going country boy from Texas and Haley Warren, a somewhat uptight socialite from Chicago. Because of his friendship to Haley’s great-aunt, Ty agrees to investigate into the supposed accidental death of Haley’s father three months ago. Although the attraction between Ty and Haley is instantaneous, their romance develops at a slower, more realistic pace.

Ty is an all-around great hero. He’s handsome, confident and as a former special ops Marine, he has the skills and experience to handle himself and protect Haley in dangerous situations. His charisma, integrity, and openness with Haley make him swoon worthy. What I like best about Ty is that he is always honest with Haley, and he doesn’t play emotional games. He never withholds his feelings to leave Haley (and me as a reader) in a state of perpetual angst.

It took a while before I really warmed up to Haley. However, she is a dynamic character who experiences the most change and emotional growth over the course of the book. At first she struck me as superficial, a woman who places too much importance on money and appearances. Even Ty is initially put off by her attitude. Yet, as more and more of Haley’s backstory is revealed, I realized that her perceptions have, to a large degree, been skewed by her mother’s ideology and values. Although she have may started the investigation into her father’s death out of a sense of guilt, I do like that Haley refuses to stop probing into her father’s death even when the level of danger intensifies. It is when Haley puts her step-mother’s well being above her own feelings that I started to appreciate her as a heroine.

Haley hasn’t had much experience with men or with being in love. She really doesn’t understand all the hoopla about sex until she kisses Ty. He awakens a side of passion and sensuality within her that no one else ever has. Their physical relationship paves the way for them to connect on a much deeper level. Ty is not perfect. He has a dark side that emerges whenever he’s engaged in dangerous, adrenaline-pumping situations. Instead of being pushed away, Haley knows exactly how to deal with and calm an edgy, angry Ty. Unfortunately, Haley’s insecurities and single-minded attitude about marriage creates unnecessary complications and emotional pain in the latter part of the book.

Martin has created a believable plot about art theft, and I enjoyed learning more about the intricate process of creating a forgery. The mystery behind Haley’s father’s death becomes clear early in the book, and the tension and suspense build as Ty and Haley find themselves in increasingly greater danger as they work together to uncover and capture the mastermind behind the recent stolen art. I found the scene where police are led to the ringleader somewhat anticlimactic, but, just when I thought I had resolution figured out, Martin shakes things up so that the outcome was not as clear cut as I expected.

The supporting characters all play a meaningful role in facilitating the plot and they add texture and liveliness to round out this fictitious world Martin has created. Moreover, the spark between Ty’s cousin, Dylan and Haley’s best friend, Lane has been ignited, and now I look forward to their future love story.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. ( )