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:
He's Gone Rogue

Ex-Navy SEAL Rock Babineaux’s job is to get information, and he’s one of the best in the business. Until something goes horribly wrong and he’s being hunted by his own government. Even his best friends at the covert special-ops organization Black Knights Inc. aren’t sure they can trust him. He thinks he can outrun them all, but his former partner—a curvy bombshell who knows just how to drive him wild—refuses to cut him loose.

She Won't Back Down

Vanessa Cordova hasn’t been the team’s communication specialist very long, but she knows how to read people—no way is Rock guilty of murder. And she’ll go to hell and back to help him prove it. Sure, the sexy Cajun has his secrets, but there’s no one in the world she’d rather have by her side in a tight spot. Which is good, because they’re about to get very tight …

Why I read this book: I’ve read the previous books in the series and was happy to receive a complimentary ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this title courtesy of Sourcebooks via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb: How much must she pay for the chance to call her life her own?

When Bet­sey Dob­son dis­em­barks from the Lon­don train in the sea­side resort of Idensea, all she owns is a small valise and a canary in a cage. After an attempt to forge a let­ter of ref­er­ence she knew would be denied her, Bet­sey has been fired from the typ­ing pool of her pre­vi­ous employer. Her vig­or­ous protest left one man wounded, another jilted, and her char­ac­ter per­ma­nently besmirched. Now, with­out money or a ref­er­ence for a new job, the future looks even bleaker than the deba­cle she left behind her.

But her life is about to change … because a young Welsh­man on the rail­road quay, wait­ing for another woman, is the one finally will­ing to believe in her.

Mr. Jones is inept in mat­ters of love, but a genius at things mechan­i­cal. In Idensea, he has con­structed a glit­ter­ing pier that astounds the wealthy tourists. And in Bet­sey, he rec­og­nizes the ideal tour man­ager for the Idensea Pier & Plea­sure Build­ing Company.

After a life­time of guard­ing her secrets and break­ing the rules, Bet­sey becomes a force to be reck­oned with. Together, she and Mr. Jones must find a way for her to suc­ceed in a soci­ety that would reject her, and fig­ure the price of sur­ren­der­ing to the tides of love …

Why I read this book: While at the 2013 RT Convention I passed an author’s gorgeous display in Author Alley, by far the best there. The display made me stop and look, and the book’s cover made me want to read it. I also admired the creative marketing tools like magnets advertising the fictitious vacation resort where the book is set. The following day the author had set-up station at the Giant Book Fair and was standing in front of her stall, telling passers-by that they could have a play on her vintage typewriter. The author’s engaging attitude got me to stop and have a quick chat, and I couldn’t resist buying the book – the only book I bought from an unknown-to-me author at the Giant Book Fair, out of hundreds of authors (and I only bought two other books, from my fav authors). My point with all this? Creative marketing really does pay off. In fact, I was so intrigued by The Typewriter Girl that it was the first book I chose to read out of the 30+ books (mostly free) that I left the convention with.