"The Power Couple", by Alex Berenson

“The Power Couple” is a look into a modern marriage and the challenges of parenthood, sex and love. 

The main players are the Unsworth : Rebecca works in counter-terrorism for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Brian is a coder for the National Security Agency they live in a suburbs of Washington DC with their two teenage children. The story brings the family to Barcelona on a well-deserved holiday but things take an unexpected and frightening turn when Kira, the daughter, does not return home from a night out at a dance club....What happened to their daughter?....and from then on we follow the couple's quest in finding their daughter. What a gripping read filled with intrigue, espionage and suspense.

The author spins his story around and brings you back in time for both parents retelling how they came together. We see Rebecca as a young woman driven by her career and wanting all on her own term and a young man settling for years as a supporting husband to an overbearing wife. No wonder resentment was brewing....Along the way the power couple come face to face with some truths about their union they have been ignoring for a long time. Eventually their suspicions of each other turn into a secret plan to end the marriage....In the final chapter the drama ends in a splash.... This portion of the narrative has quite a bit of info dump and not much of a warm tone in the voices.

No doubt this is a fast-paced and captivating thriller I enjoyed quite a bit. Written to tease and keep you focused till you reach the last word. Indeed this glob-trotting adventure is one that kept me on my toes till the very end and along the way gave heart pounding and nail- biting moments....

As for the characters they have some flaws and borders on the stereotypes but this did not annoy me too much since I gave my full attention on the development.

This is an entertaining read.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalleys for the opportunity to read this ARC

"On Edge", by John W. Mefford

“On Edge”, by John W. Mefford

An Ozzie Novak Thriller, Book #1

Redemption Thriller Series, Book #13

This is the first book in the Ozzie Novak series under the umbrella of the Redemption Thrillers Series which also includes the Alex Trout and the Ivy Nash Thrillers. Why are these series wrap under one title it is simply because they are interconnected as some of the characters cross over and appear in the other novels.

“On Edge” doesn’t disappoint it takes us a journey of finding out the truth about why Ozzie’s life suddenly fell apart after all he had everything a man could wish for: a successful law career and a happy family. Why all a sudden did his dad get sick and died, why did his marriage fell apart and what where the FBI looking for when they raided his law firm.

Mr. Mefford gave Ozzie a rough ride from page one, never letting him take a breather, one stick in the wheel after the other is thrown at him and following him trying to figure out every pieces of the puzzle was quite an exciting roller coaster ride. Ozzie skills helped him to get out of situations and how he tackled each one of them sounded quite believable. I like Ozzie he is a very likeable character.

Of course, we have plenty of action and the inevitable curve balls thrown in for good measure. Not forgetting the twists and turns and bullets flying along the way. We have a bit of everything we enjoy in a good thriller.

“On Edge” is an entertaining story and an excellent escapism.

"Primal Calling", by Barry Eisenberg

This is a stellar first book. A richly written multi-layered story filled of intrigue and a nicely done portrayal of the power of persistence. Jack is the center of attention and the main player in this wonderful story.

The story focuses on Jack’s determination for find his father, a man he never knew existed, on his relationship with his mother and the developing relationship with a girl. This tense story brings us to Jack’s father, Stewart a man determined to fulfil his duty for the DIA ( a federal agency) and ordered to keep up with the subterfuge by his handlers for the safety of all. Following them we find ourselves enmeshed in an intricate world of national security and international intrigue.

A lot goes on and without going into too many details we have a story that takes off in several directions. The plot mainly set in the US brings some episodes to Germany and Arabia and as Jack’s gets closer to the truth so does the intrigue.... What a ride...and a heartwarming page-turner.

Persistence pays off but at what price. Jack’s every moves were track by a group of mysterious people...who were they?....haha!... you will need to read ”Primal Calling” I will say no more.....

Jack’s saga moves at a steady pace and keeps the tempo throughout: not too fast just smooth sailing. I like the portrayal of each character: each has a strong personality, we have no bad or good guys even when Steward got mixed up in a terrorist attack...oh yes we have a bit of a bang in a cafeteria and the usual aftermath...

I enjoyed this story quite a bit.

Thank you, Vanguard Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

"Cold Pursuit", by Toni Anderson

Cold Justice #2

Since I really don’t remember what happened in the first book I can assure you this second story can easily be read on its own so if you pick up at this point no fear you will fit right in.

“Cold Pursuit” starts with a bang. Shopping at a mall with her son, Vivi finds herself in the middle of a terrorist attack...then when things got worse Jed, an off duty FBI agent, springs into action and comes to their rescue...but unknown to Vivi and Jed the attackers think that her son can identify them and they need to illuminate him....and the action starts.

The tension is thick and taut as Vivi tries to protect her son and Jed tries to thwart all attacks that come their ways. No place is safe for Vivi and her son even while they are in police protection the bad guys manage to find them. Filled with suspense this is one of those story that kept me on the edge of my seat hoping all good guys would turn out unscathed and there to live another day. This story may seem to be a thriller but there is so much romance and sex to be labelled anything other than a romantic/suspense. Lust is in the air for Vivi and Jed and yep they went for it...really...

The plot nicely gives us a little bit of everything: some politics, terrorism, betrayal and the dilemma of who to trust. But in terms of romance it is kinda weak and failed to be brilliant...Am I a fuddy-duddy? ...maybe.

“Cold Pursuit” is a nice change in pace but is not my preferred genre.

"Lana's War", by Anita Abriel

I am a huge fan of historical fiction especially when the story is set during WW11 and involves the French Resistance. This light, fast-paced and engaging story opens in Paris 1943 then moves to the French Riviera.
After Lana’s husband was executed by the Gestapo she joined the Resistance, her cover story makes her the mistress of a wealthy industrialist on Cap Ferrat. Her mission as a spy was to infiltrate the aristocrat community who socialize with the German officers and gather information on upcoming raid on the Jewish community in order to help them escape.

Escape to freedom to the French Riviera with all its beauty a place in which the rich appeared to be little impacted by the war. They were attending parties, galas, dinners, visiting casinos and brushing shoulders with high level Nazis. Lana was amongst them. “Lana’s War” follows her odyssey and along with her we experience a full range of emotions.

The story is quite smooth with a bit of suspense and intrigue but what excel is the description of the beautiful landscape and how vibrant the characters played out their part in the drama. Although the main focus was on Lana we see what the resistance had to do at the risk of their lives in order to save as many people as they could. Yes, the story leads to some teasing and a tad of romance between Lana and Guy and of course I wished it would have gone further but it was not meant to be....

The story is nicely done and leaves us in awe in the last chapters. I was surprised and definitely never expected the dramatic turn of events the story left us with, what an about turn. Could the author be plotting something? Who knows, maybe a sequel?...

I received a copy of this book from Atria Books via Netgalley for an unbiased review.

"The Gods of Guilt", by Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller book #5

It has been years since I read the previous novel so picking up at this point what was I in for? Can I picked here and not be lost? No problems, Mr. Connelly smoothly brought his readers to speed and it was easy to go forward from there.

“The Gods of Guilt”, brings us to now.

Left haunted by the ghosts of his past, Mickey brings all his skill to get his client out of prison after the man was accused of killing a former client of his: a prostitute he thought he had rescued and put on straight and narrow path. The call he received got his immediate attention.....and ours also.

If you like legal thrillers this may be a story for you. We have plenty of drama both in the courtroom and outside of it. Like the people he defenses. Mickey is not a nice guy; he will go to no ends to win a mistrial. His strategy is not to uncover the truth but to develop a credible alternative theory of the crime. As readers we follow the investigations and the climactic courtroom scene and along the way we learn a little more about Mickey’s complex backstory. Mr. Connelly is great in setting up characters, giving us riveting courtroom drama with all the maneuvers, tit for tat dialogue and never ending suspense.

But, yes once again I have a but...even with all the good words said about this book I nevertheless got bored with the never ending court room theatrics...I may take me some years before I get to book #6.....we will see.