Shadows In Death by J.D. Robb

Shadows in Death (In Death, #51)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: In Death #51
Publication Date: 9/8/20
Number of Pages: 368

OMGoodness – how can the fifty-first book in a series be as exciting, action-packed, adrenaline-fueled, and riveting as the first book? This series just never gets old for me and I definitely hope the author doesn’t get tired of writing them. This author has to have one of the most creative and imaginative minds around because some of the technology she writes about, some of the social issues… Well, she just comes up with some really good stuff.

When a shadow from Roarke’s past turns up at a murder scene in Washington Square Park, things get really personal – really fast. This crime isn’t just a shadow into Roarke’s past, it is also a shadow into Feeney and Whitney’s past as well. It doesn’t take Eve and Roarke long to decide who the murderer is, but it will take Eve’s entire team and some help from Interpol to catch him. With more than twenty years of experience and hundreds of professional kills under his belt, this killer now has his sights set on Eve and Roarke and maybe even Somerset.

While Roarke and Eve are attending the theater, Eve catches a murder case and they leave for the scene of the crime. The victim, a lovely, wealthy, young wife and mother has been brutally murdered. Nothing is missing – her money, credit cards, phone – everything – are all still in place — someone wanted the young woman dead – very badly. As Eve is tending to the business of securing the crime scene, dispatching officers to interview witnesses, Roarke is standing by – scanning the crowd. Roarke sees a face from his past – one he could do with never seeing again. He made quite sure Roarke saw him and Roarke immediately knows that the man is the assassin who murdered this young woman.

Even knowing who the perpetrator is doesn’t make it easy to find and apprehend him. He is very wealthy now and has all the assets he needs to disappear – except he really doesn’t want to disappear. He wants to taunt Roarke, torture him, and make him suffer before he finally kills him as well. Eve and all the resources of the NYPSD will do whatever it takes to see that doesn’t happen. Roarke is one of their own now and they’ll take care of him.

I love that each new book humanizes Eve a little more and we learn more about Roarke’s past life. I love that Roarke’s and Eve’s love and passion for each other hasn’t diminished – it has grown.

You can’t go wrong if you choose to read this excellently-written, imaginative, well-plotted book – and the rest of the series as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve re-read the books in this series and I never get tired of reading and re-reading them.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blog Blitz – How To Catch A Sinful Marquess by Amy Rose Bennett

How to Catch a Sinful Marquess (The Disreputable Debutantes, #3)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Disreputable Debutantes
Publication Date: 8/25/20
Number of Pages: 320

My favorite book of the series so far! I absolutely loved both Olivia and Hamish in this beauty and the beast tale. She is sweet, giving, and has a heart as wide as all England. He is dour, cantankerous, standoffish, and holds himself away from others. The story is well written, well-plotted, and the pacing is excellent. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

We’ve learned of orphaned Olivia de Vere’s trials with her misbegotten uncle and his family over the previous two books. The only bright spot in her existence is her time she manages to steal with her friends Charlie, Sophie (How to Catch a Wicked Viscount), and Arabella (How to Catch an Errant Earl). They don’t ridicule her because of her stammer – they just love her for who she is.

Things are getting very tense at the de Vere household. Olivia’s twenty-first birthday is rapidly approaching and her guardians – her aunt and uncle – are pressuring her more and more to marry their son Felix to keep her fortune within the family. They constantly denigrate her and assure that she knows she isn’t good enough to receive any other offers. Felix is a cruel, mean-spirited, profligate who taunts Olivia at every turn. When she discovers that Felix has been embezzling from her trust fund, he threatens her in a way that lets her know she has to flee – the sooner the better. Lucky for her, the opportunity presents itself and she grabs it.

Hamish MacQueen, Marquess of Sleat, has a scarred face from Waterloo, but most of his scars are from much earlier in his life and they are on the inside. Hamish knows he can never love or marry – or even become close with anyone because he’ll only harm them. He’s a violent person who can’t be trusted not to hurt those for whom he cares. At least, that is his view of himself. Those who know him, know he is a kind, giving person who always ‘saves’ others. So, when he needs to get back to the Isle of Skye to save his sister – and at the same time a lovely three-year-old little girl is dropped off on his doorstep – he leaps at the offer from the girl who lives next door. She’ll travel with him to Scotland and be nursemaid to young Tilda – who might – or might not – be Hamish’s illegitimate offspring.

When circumstances along the road cause Hamish to offer a marriage of convenience to Olivia, she accepts. She wants a real marriage, but he insists they’ll only stay married until her twenty-fifth birthday when she comes into her inheritance. That is quite a bitter pill to swallow for romantic Olivia who wants the whole thing – love, marriage, family – all of it.

I loved how Olivia slowly figures Hamish out and does her best to help him – even if he won’t give their marriage a chance. She has long admired him and it didn’t take much to tip her over to loving him. He also finds that he loves her, but he cannot let himself act on it – he has to protect her.

I loved their journey into their HEA. This would easily have been a 5-star read for me – except – it committed one of my cardinal sins. The villains of the piece got away totally free – actually they got rewarded. They had spent years abusing Olivia, demeaning her, ridiculing her, threatening her – and they get rewarded by Olivia and Hamish. No, I don’t think so!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.