Review : Tall, Dark, and Deadly by Heather Graham

Heather Graham is one of my go-to authors when I need to read a good romantic suspense.  I always liked the way that she is able to take us into the world she is creating in her stories.  Tall, Dark and Deadly is definitely a page turner.  All the ingredients of a good suspense are present: A lot of twists and turns, some shady characters and keeping me guessing about the killer up until the very end of the book.

This book was written back in 1999 and it is funny to see how things changed in the last 18 years.  When reading a book and people are trying to call someone on their landline it is always making me realizing that cell phone is quite a recent addition into our world.  It was an interesting trip to my early twenties when high-speed internet was just starting and cell phones were still a luxury. it just added a little nostalgic element that was quite enjoyable.  Add to the mix a story set in South Florida and that really warmed me up (hahaha).   

One of the thing that is impressing me the most about this book is that I did not care that much about any characters in this story (except for one).  You have to understand that. to me, characters are making about 60% of the book and the story 40%.  The fact I am giving 4 stars equal a flawless execution storyline wise. 

   

Marnie disappeared without a trace, but her friend and neighbor Sam is certain that something bad happened to her.  At first, her entourage and police are not taking her seriously. You have to understand that Marnie is not particularly liked and a lot of people had a perfectly legitimate motive to take her out.  A story that is taking us into the swap and a somewhere else that is hot: A strip club As I said before, the plot and storyline are thoroughly enjoyable.

The main character Sam was lacking depth.  The author could have replaced her with any other characters and it would not have made any differences.  While having great qualities like to be of service and loyal, she is also stubborn and making some decision that had me raising my eyebrows a couple of time throughout the story.  Rowan is Sam's ex and a music star and he is also her new neighbor.  This character was more complex and he had a much stronger presence than Sam in the book.  I need to talk about Loretta, she was a secondary character in the story, but she was so fascinating to me.  I really wanted to know more about her, with Loretta,  the author created a character that gave that much-needed star quality in this book.

Bottom line, it was a great read and I really enjoyed the ride!!! If you looking for a quality romantic suspense, this one might be a good one for you!

I give this book 4 stars and low heat for the love scenes!

Review : Forbidden Stepbrother by Carmen Falcone

I will start this review by being really honest: this story is totally out of my comfort zone and if it would not have been written by Carmen Falcone, I would never have considered reading it. This being said, Carmen hit another homerun with this novella. She has that magic touch that is taking me straight into her story and it is making me forget all about what is going on in my normal life. In my humble opinion, it is the single most important quality that we can look into a writer. I am also always excited when I am reading a book from Carmen because I know that I will have a good time. A word of warning, if you are unable to read a story that is pushing your limits and imagination in love scenes, you might want to skip this read. Sometimes a story strikes some chords that are resonating with us more than we were realizing at first. Tiffany is overworked, she is having insomnia and she needs to find herself in a remote location. I am currently going through a challenging time in my life. I had to make a lot of decisions concerning my well being and also learning to let go with all that craziness that is surrounding me. I was seeing a lot of myself in Tiffany. In her doubts, her guilt, her unspoken desires. Carmen was able to develop a strong and relatable character in Tiffany. What I love the most is that Tiffany is not perfect, she doesn’t have a dream body as per societal norm, but she is herself and that’s what makes her desirable. Santiago is a more challenging character to like at first. Once we got to know him, though, we can only have admiration and respect for his determination to not let the surrounding circumstances telling him what he could or could not do in his life. Under those walls, we find a golden heart and we also understand that he tried to control his emotions/desires all of his life. Which is opening the door for a question: How much of ourselves/our real desires are we sacrificing to live a life of what is expected from us instead of thriving? The story is taking us in a situation that is still considered taboo: a step brother and a step sister that are desiring each other. That pushed my limits, which was kind of funny because I didn’t think that I was so prude or that this story would shock my values. It was a little uncomfortable at first, however, Carmen Falcone wrote this story is always with class and the hot love scenes were inspiring! In the end, this novella is also a good way to have us see what some our taboos might be and making us envision it in a totally another light. I totally recommend this great novella! Verdict: 5 stars and at the top of my range in regards to the heat!