Pivot: Three Connected Stories of Romantic Suspense

Three women ... three stories ... three authors. When they were girls, they bonded over living in foster care. As adult women, they've survived their childhoods ... but now they all face danger. AGAINST THE HEART by KAT MARTIN Meri takes her daughter and runs from an abusive boyfriend. She runs until she's out of money, out of gas, and out of ideas. Luckily ex-cop Ian Brodie hires her to help with his father's farmhouse. The attraction is there ... but Meri is hiding her secret and that means danger for all. SHAKEN by REBECCA ZANETTI When Melanie sees two men trying to kidnap a young boy, she doesn't hesitate for a moment, but rams her car into the side of their car. . . Being a witness brings its own problems, especially as it's none other than Detective Gary Hawkins who take her and the boy into hiding. She and the Detective have a history .... can she trust him? ECHOES OF THE PAST by DEBBIE RALEIGH Michelle has finally laid her past to rest.. but that is soon to change. Two men break into her home, threatening her and sending her mother on a blackmail spree. The last person she wants to see if former marine - turned sheriff. This time, he's not taking no for an answer... he's going to stop the trouble stalking Michelle and her friends. These are all well written ... full of suspense, along with a dash of romance. It's like getting three novellas wrapped into one book. Many thanks to the authors / Kensington Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of these Romantic Suspense stories. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Loved this trio of stories, the characters and the way they intermingled together. Against the Heart - Kat Martin This has everything needed for a novella. With enough angst and drama to move the story, it’s rich with emotion as Meri and Ian struggle with their growing attraction. Meri, whose main concern is her daughter, was sweet and kind but with a backbone of steel. I loved that Ian recognized something wasn’t right and wanted to solve the problem but respected Meri too much to force himself into whatever the situation was. Together, with the addition of Lily and Ian’s father, Daniel, this story was all things of the heart. I found myself loving them all early in the story and so much more by the time it ended. For such a quick read, this had all the feels to it. Shaken - Rebecca Zanetti Holy heck! How did this author manage to hook me, reel me in and serve me up in such a short space of time? This book is everything I love about her work but in a deliciously small package. Of course, this had my favorite type of hero. Evan was wonderful in the way he stepped in to protect Michelle, whether she wanted it or not. They have a history that leads believability to their relationship and adds to the chemistry that’s between them. Man, they absolutely sizzled! This has a lot of danger, drama and action as well as one particular character that crossed-over from his series, and who I am dying to read more about. With his addition, this had some great humor to alleviate that outside angst this couple were fighting against. With a few twists I never saw coming, and some nice interlacing with the previous story, I finished this one with a huge smile. Echoes of the Past - Alexander Ivy When Mel risks her life to help a student she runs smack dab into Gray, the man from her past she hasn’t been able to forget. Together, they work to catch the person or persons who are out to not only capture the boy, but that are working with a drug cartel as well. This works the case quite a bit with a little romance in between. I struggled some connecting with both Mel and Gray. Perhaps because this book was shorter than the others and I didn’t get a chance to really understand their past history enough. Despite that, they did an excellent job working together and both made adult decisions when it came down to dealing with their issues.

AGAINST THE HEART by Kat Martin is a contemporary, adult, romantic suspense set in the author’s BRODIES OF ALASKA series. Against the Heart focuses on single mother Meriwether Jones, and security specialist / ex-cop Ian Brodie. Meriwether Jones, and her daughter Lily are on the run. Lily’s father, Joey Bandini, is an addict, desperate for money, and has threatened our story line heroine. Needing a quick influx of cash and a safe place to live, Meriwether heads to Spokane Washington, where she will work as a temporary house keeper before running again. Enter ex cop/ security specialist Ian Brodie. What ensues is the quick building relationship and romance between Ian and Meri, and the fall-out as Meri’s past comes looking for more. AGAINST THE HEART is a story of family, friendship, desperation and love. As Meri begins to settle into a daily routine, she knows it is only a matter of time before she has to run, again. The premise is intriguing and engaging; the characters are colorful; the romance is an insta-lust to love with a happily ever after. _________ SHAKEN by Rebecca Zanetti is a contemporary, adult, romantic suspense novella focusing on former US Marine, Sheriff Evan Boldon, and illustrator Michelle Peach. Shaken is part of the author’s DEEP OPS series with a slight cross-over from Rebecca’s Dark Protectors series. Told from dual third person perspectives (Michelle and Evan) SHAKEN runs parallel to, and overlaps with Kat Martin’s AGAINST THE HEART, and follows Michelle Peach (Meri’s friend Against the Heart) in the aftermath of Joey Bandini’s threat and attack against our story line heroine. Michelle is a graphic artist but her mother’s (Jayleen) drug addiction places Michelle in the direct line of fire. With no money or means to pay off her suppliers, Michelle’s mother offers up our heroine’s tablet, a tablet that contains valuable images and drawings that do not necessarily belong to Michelle. Desperate for help, Michelle calls her friend Raider Tanaka (Deep OPs) but Raider is unable to aid in our heroine’s struggle. Enter Evan Boldon, Michelle’s ex boyfriend. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and relationship between Evan and Michelle, and the potential fall-out as Jayleen continues to cause problems every chance she can get. SHAKEN is a story of second chances, betrayal and love. Evan has waited two years before rekindling his relationship with the woman he loves but Michelle continues to struggle with Evan’s lifestyle believing our hero isn’t ready to settle down. The premise is engaging and entertaining; the romance is seductive; the characters are colorful and energetic. ____________ ECHOES OF THE PAST by Alexandra Ivy is a contemporary, adult, romantic suspense novella set in the author’s THE AGENCY series. This is detective Gray Hawkins, and youth counsellor Melanie Cassidy’s story line. Told from several third person perspectives including Melanie and Gray ECHOES OF THE PAST follows the second chance relationship between detective Gray Hawkins, and youth counsellor Melanie Cassidy. Gray Hawkins’ return to Spokane to investigate the possibility of a dirty detective at the local precinct couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. An attempted kidnapping at the local youth centre brings Gray face to face with his past, counsellor Melanie Cassidy, the woman with whom he is hoping for a second chance but Melanie has a target on her back when she is witness to the abduction, and the potential involvement of the local police. As Melanie and Gray take refuge at his family’s cabin, our couple rekindle their relationship but not before finding themselves on the run, once again. ECHOES OF THE PAST is a story of second chances, betrayal, and love. The fast paced premise is energetic as our couple find themselves struggling to uncover the truth while on the run.