Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Review: FULLY IGNITED by Shannon Stacey
Fresh Thrills / March 8, 2016

“Another Winner for Stacey” Fully Ignited Shannon Stacey Reviewed by Kristen Donnelly Posted March 7, 2016 Romance Contemporary Shannon Stacey is one of my favorite authors for a lot of reasons. I love her characters, I love reading about a world I know nothing of in the firefighting books, and I love her Twitter feed. All these things combine to make her one of my go-to authors, and FULLY IGNITED did not disappoint. Scott Kincaid and the rest of his firehouse are preparing for a new, temporary, leader while their commander is on leave. What they were not anticipating is that the temporary boss would be a lady named Jamie. Jamie, for her part, did not anticipate falling for one of her employees! They keep it secret for a while, as they have to, but it obviously comes out in the open at some point and the journey between those two points is fantastic. Particularly entertaining is the fact that Scott is ready for a wife. He has picked his requirements, made a list, and started the process of mentally settling down. A bit like a contestant on a dating reality show, he is not there to make friends. He…

Fresh Thrills | It’s all about the suspense in October
Author Guest , Fresh Thrills / October 6, 2011

Find a spot under a tree or spread out a blanket and enjoy the cool weather while you read some new romantic suspense. Lots of great stories to choose from this month. BLOOD TRAILS, book 3 in Sharon Sala’s The Searchers series, is the conclusion to the trilogy featuring three sisters looking for the truth about their pasts. Holly Slade has discovered that her biological father was likely a serial killer known as “The Hunter,” and that her mother gave up Holly to save her life. But The Hunter was never caught—and Holly’s mother simply vanished. Holly leaves home to uncover the truth, leaving behind Bud Tate, family friend, ranch foreman, and the man Holly has secretly loved for years. Holly hasn’t been gone long when the danger leads Bud to follow her in order to protect woman he has secretly loved for years. This book was a great conclusion to an exciting series. Since Bud and Holly have known each other for years, the romantic element is fairly light. The strength of the story is the suspense and danger that builds as Holly conducts her investigation. I’ve just started reading Christy Reece’s Last Chance Rescue series (I’m on book…

October Best Bets for Suspense…
Fresh Thrills / September 28, 2010

I love October. The summer heat is mostly gone. I no longer have to be up by 6:00am to take the dogs for a walk. The new TV season has started. I’ve been back at work for about 6 weeks, so everything has settled into a routine. I work in academia so I get to take some time off in the summer, something for which I am very appreciative. I must say, though, the transition back can be a little rough. “Meetings? I have to go to meetings? Really?” fades to “So, when’s the next meeting?” by October. The resentment I feel over the fact that work seriously cuts into my reading time has also eased by now. In the summer I like to beat the heat by lying in bed and reading. By October, I’ve relearned how to prioritize my reading, since I’m lucky to get time to read over lunch or before going to sleep. I made a point to take a sneak peak at two of this month’s new releases. THE 2nd LIE is the second book in The Chapman Files by Tara Taylor Quinn. The lynch pin of the series is psychologist Kelly Chapman, whose cases…

Fresh Thrills | Can you handle Suspense in August?
Fresh Thrills / August 7, 2010

My birthday falls at the end of August. When I was a kid I hated the fact that my birthday was during summer break because I never got to celebrate with cupcakes or cookies in class. Now that I work at a University, I find that my birthday falls on, or shortly after, the first day of school which means birthday celebrations come second to the start-of-semester madness. This year my birthday falls on a Sunday so I’ll have the day off. I think I’ll make it a “lazy day” and spend the day reading some romantic suspense. August has some great selections, which book should I choose? Hmmm. DESPERATE DEEDS Dee Davis A-Tac #3 Grand Central Publishing; $6.99 A-Tac, an elite CIA unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college, is back. When a thieves steal a shipment of thermonuclear detonators, Commander Solomon has reason to suspect that information from inside A-Tac facilitated the heist. He instructs his team to set up a sting to recover the detonators and to trap the traitor. Operative Tyler Hanson is skeptical when Solomon appoints renowned physicist and Nobel Prize winner Owen Wakefield to head the team. Sparks fly as they work…

Fresh Thrills | It’s heating up … Best Suspense novels for June
Fresh Thrills / June 2, 2010

It’s June and the Texas heat has settled in for the summer. If I’m not out the door by 6:45am, we skip the trip to the dog park because it’s just too hot. So, fun means indoor and air-conditioned activities. Movies, television, shopping, and going to the gym are all on the list. Of course, my favorite activity is curling-up in bed with a good book. Now that I have a new mattress (what took me so long?), napping and reading are my two favorite ways to relax. This month, there are some great choices in romantic suspense to keep you entertained while you stay cool. FADE TO MIDNIGHT McCloud Shannon McKenna Kensington; $20.95 I can’t wait to read McKenna’s latest addition to the McCloud series which answers the question—What happened to Kevin? Davy, Connor, and Sean mourned the loss of their brother, Kevin, in Edge of Midnight, Out of Control, and Standing in the Shadows. When the McCloud brothers discover Kev is alive, they won’t rest until they find him. Beaten and tortured almost to death, Kev Larsen was found eighteen years earlier in a warehouse alley. He survived his brutal ordeal, but his memories before that night were…

Fresh Thrills | Thrills and spine-tingling adventures in April
Fresh Thrills / April 7, 2010

Hi and welcome to Fresh Thrills, a column for new releases in romantic suspense. Nail biting suspense, new romance, hot sex, great stories— what thrills you? STRONG, SLEEK AND SINFUL By Lorie O’Clare St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $7.99 The third book in O’Clare FBI series features Kylie Donovan who is a pro at catching online predators. When someone starts targeting teenage girls on the internet, she goes undercover as a college student. When she befriends the niece of Lieutenant Perry Flynn she must not only try to keep her cover a secret but also her lust for the sexy Lieutenant. THE KILLING EDGE by Heather Graham Mira, $24.95 Chloe Marin was lucky. She was just a teenager when a party at a Florida beachside mansion turned into a savage killing spree, and she was one of the few to survive. Ten years later Chloe works as a psychologist specializing in art therapy to help traumatized victims, and on the side she finds release in her passion for the martial arts. Police who hire her as a consultant know she’s a literal kick-ass advocate for victims who can’t always speak for themselves. When a young swimsuit model disappears, Chloe suspects a killer…