Blurb: Navy SEAL Ian Dunn went rogue in a big way when he turned his talents to a lawless life of jewel heists and con jobs. Or so the world has been led to believe. In reality, the former Special Ops warrior is still fighting for good, leading a small band of freelance covert operatives who take care of high-stakes business in highly unofficial ways. That makes Ian the hands-down choice when the U.S. government must breach a heavily guarded embassy and rescue a pair of children kidnapped by their own father, a sinister foreign national willing to turn his own kids into casualties. Shockingly, Ian passes on the mission... for reasons he will not–or cannot–reveal.

But saying no is not an option. Especially not to Phoebe Kruger, Ian’s bespectacled, beautiful, and unexpectedly brash new attorney. Determined to see the abducted children set free, she not only gets Ian on board but insists on riding shotgun on his Mission: Impossible-style operation, whether he likes it or not.

Though Phoebe has a valuable knack for getting out of tight spots, there’s no denying the intensely intimate feelings growing between Ian and Phoebe as the team gears up for combat. But these are feelings they both must fight to control as they face an array of cold-blooded adversaries, including a vindictive mob boss who’s got Ian at the top of his hit list and a wealthy psychopath who loves murder as much as money. As they dodge death squads and play lethal games of deception, Ian and Phoebe will do whatever it takes to save the innocent and vanquish the guilty.

Or die trying.

Why I read this book: I love masters of romantic suspense. I read my first Brockmann book last year and knew I had to have more, so when I saw Do or Die on offer at NetGalley, I jumped on it! The fab cover, the blurb, and the name Brockmann were enough of a draw to make it jump the queue of other books I was dying to read.

I don’t know if I can adequately convey how much I loved the main hero and heroine, but I’ll try. But first, know that I blasted this comment on facebook and twitter while I was reading: “YOU GUYS. I have a new favorite book. A new favorite book couple. My head is spinning with how impressed I am with the way this couple is written. I want to bow at Suzanne Brockmann's feet, because this is the TALENT. I just, wow, yeah. And I'm only 70% into the book, the book which I HAVE TO put down and resume work, which is killing me. #cantstopgrinning”

I'm back! Life has finally settled down from my London-to-Hawaii move this summer, and I'm excited to re-launch this blog with a book review on not one but two titles from one of my auto-buy authors, Pamela Clare. For a chance to win a copy of First Strike or Striking Distance, leave a comment about which book cover has you the most excited to turn the page. The winner may choose which of the two books to receive as their giveaway prize.

Author Pamela Clare has been so clever with her marketing that I found it impossible to review one of these books without the other. First Strike is the erotic romance prequel novella (17k words) that she self-published on October 18th as an ebook companion to Striking Distance, book 6 in her best-selling romantic suspense I-Team series, published by Berkley (Penguin Group) on November 5th in MMP and ebook formats. How clever is that?

I’ll leave the finer points of the story descriptions to the blurbs at the end of this review, but here’s the gist of how these books fit together:

Blurb: "I can't sleep with a man who keeps secrets."

Despite the warnings that he would break her heart, Jayne Hughes fell for the bad boy. And Conrad Hughes, casino magnate, did just that with his absences and lies. Now she’s ready to move on, but her husband has other plans….

Conrad’s undercover work for Interpol destroyed his marriage. When Jayne comes to Monte Carlo seeking a divorce, he launches an all-out assault. Seducing his wife back into his bed is child’s play; earning her trust is another matter. Yet Conrad knows the odds favor the house. And he has no intentions of losing.

Why I read this book: Last year I read my first Catherine Mann book, a romantic suspense titled Cover Me, loved it, and immediately read the rest of the Elite Force series. When I saw this new title from Mann available earlier this year as an ARC (Advanced Review Copy) from NetGalley, I was excited. Even if I hadn’t already been a fan of the author, the blurb would have sold me with the idea of Monte Carlo and romance within a marriage!

I was also curious to read a category romance, which this is, because it’s not the romance format I usually go for.

Blurb:
Those who prosper by thievery, thuggery, or by ruining another, have chosen to live on the devil’s dime.

She is a beautiful, talented violinist. He is a crusader against crime, using his newspaper column to expose injustice and bring down those who lived on the take -- on the devil’s dime.

​When investigative reporter Jess Pepper’s column re-opens a twenty-year-old case, he has no idea it will put a target on the back of his sweetheart’s father. And get her abducted. Now he has forced an innocent Samaritan into the public eye, and set a corrupt precinct chief on a course for revenge. Jess must discover not only who wants this good man dead, but how to save the woman who has turned his world upside down and captured his heart.

Why I read this book: I bought this title for my Kindle in December 2011 for $2.99, and have no memory of where I heard of it and what led me to buy it. I randomly chose the title from my Kindle list last month when scrolling for something to read, probably because the author’s surname starts with B, so it was near the top. (Did you think it was a scientific or fair process? Psh)

Blurb: Sometimes survival isn't just about staying alive ...

Widowed and alone on the frontier, Elspeth Stewart will do whatever it takes to protect herself and her unborn child from the dangers of the wilderness and of men. Though her youthful beauty doesn't show it, she is broken and scarred from the way men have treated her. So when a stranger wanders onto Bethie's land, wounded and needing her aid, she takes no risks, tying him to the bed and hiding his weapons before ministering to his injuries. 

But Bethie's defenses cannot keep Nicholas Kenleigh from breaking down her emotional walls. The scars on his body speak of a violent past, but his gentleness, warmth, and piercing eyes arouse longings in her that she never imagined she had. As Nicholas and Bethie get caught-up in the French & Indian war, they reveal to each other both their hidden desires and their tortured secrets, and discover that riding the flames of their passion might be the key to burning away the nightmare of their pasts.

Why I read this book: I'm a long-time fan of Clare's and bought the e-book the week it was published.