Review: Snapped by Laura Griffin

Hoping to earn a promotion from receptionist to a PR rep with the private crime lab Delphi Center, Sophie Barrett heads to the local college campus to register for a couple of classes. But once there she steps right into the middle of a madman's rampage. Pinned down by the sniper for what seems like hours Sophie watches a pregnant woman die right in front of her and she is wrecked with survivor's guilt.

Enter homicide detective Jonah Macon. Already attracted to Sophie from an earlier encounter the last thing he needs right now is to get involved with one of the witnesses to the horrible crime. But as the investigation continues it quickly becomes apparent the sniper didn't just randomly start shooting students. He had a clear target and Sophie may hold the key to figuring it all out. Can Jonah keep Sophie alive while they follow the leads to the real bad guy?

Laura Griffin sure knows how to weave a perfect romantic suspense. You have a great suspense story with lots of mystery and you have a hot and steamy romance all which is just the thing to keep the pages quickly turning.

Years ago I devoured any romantic suspense book I could get my hands on but over the last few years I've almost stopped reading the genre completely. The stories became too predictable and you always knew there would be a happily ever after. But Laura's books are different. Sure the guy always gets the girl in the end but the story lines are always strong enough with incredibly real characters and filled with enough intrigue to keep her romantic suspense books on my must read list. Snapped is Book 5 in the Tracer series but it definitely stands alone.

Review: Snapped by Laura Griffin

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2011/09/review-snapped-by-laura-griffin.html

Books I've Read in 2011

Even though life is really hectic now adays and I'm not blogging much I'm still going to try to keep my books read in 2011 list current. Here's what I've read so far:


Jan

1. Soul Trapper by F.J. Lennon
2. The Dallas Women's Guide to Gold-Digging with Pride by J.C. Conklin
3. Sucker Punch by Sammi Carter
4. Halfway Hexed by Kimberly Frost

Feb

5. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
6. Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep

Mar

7. Rasner's Revenge by Mark Rosendorf
8. The Madonnas of Echo Park: A Novel by Brando Skyhorse
9. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (audio)
10. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz (re-read on audio)
11. Journal of a UFO Investigator by David Halperin

Apr

12. Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz + David Hayward
13. The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey
14. Shadow Fever by Karen Marie Moning

May

15. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
16. One Second After by William R. Forstchen
17. Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin
18. Jinx by Jennifer Estep
19. Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun by Victoria Laurie

Jun

20. Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb
21. Live Wire by Harlan Coben
22. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
23. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
24. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper, Cecil Murphey
25. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
26. The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry

Jul

27. Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris
28. The Professor and the Housekeeper by Yoko Ogawa
29. Making Waves by Tawna Fenske
30. Shelter by Harlan Coben
31. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

Aug

32. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
33. Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
34. Fish Out of Water by MaryJanice Davidson
35. The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman
36. Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Sep

37. Undead and Undermined by MaryJanice Davidson
38. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
39. Snapped by Laura Griffin
40. Prince of Ravenscar by Catherine Coulter

Oct

41. Ghouls Gone Wild by Victoria Laurie
42. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
43. Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben
44. Son of Stone by Stuart Woods
45. Real Vampires Have More to Love by Gerry Bartlett
46. The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
47. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
48. Spider's Revenge by Jeniffer Estep

Nov

49. Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
50. A Karma Girl Christmas by Jennifer Estep
51. Just One Of The Guys by Kristan Higgins
52. A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
53. Halloween Frost by Jennifer Estep in the Entangled Anthology
54. V Is For Vengeance by Sue Grafton

Dec

54. The Stupidest Angel By Christopher Moore
55. Chaos in Death by J.D. Robb in The Unquiet Anthology
56. Zero Day by David Baldacci
57. An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
58. Racing The Devil by Jaden Terrell

Previous Reads:
2010
2009
2008

Books I've Read in 2011

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2011/01/books-ive-read-in-2011.html

Guest Post by Linda Weaver Clark - Romance VS Mystery!

Romance VS Mystery!

I have written five historical romance novels but have changed to mystery. The writing process between romance and mystery is quite a change with a completely different mind set. It’s so different from telling a love story. With romance, you plan out the plot around the meeting of a couple. As you write, you develop some sort of charisma between the characters, making the reader feel excited that one day they're going to hit it off and fall in love. You, as the reader, know what the outcome will be. But with a mystery, the reader is in the dark. The author has to come up with a plot that no one knows about until towards the end of the story and hope they haven’t figured it out. In a mystery, you may or may not allow your reader to know who the bad guys are, according to whether it’s just a mystery or mystery suspense. Do you know the difference between a mystery and a mystery suspense novel? In a mystery, when a knock is heard at the door, the reader doesn't know who's behind it. With mystery suspense, the reader knows who's behind the door and yells to the heroine, "Don't open the door!"

Anasazi Intrigue is the first book in a mystery adventure series called “The Adventures of John and Julia Evans.” It’s about a devastating flood that takes out several homes in a small town, the importance of preserving ancient artifacts, and a few puzzling and mysterious events. Julia is a reporter, and when she finds out about a possible poison spill that kills some fish and neighbor's pets, she has a feeling that something isn’t quite right. Before she realizes what is happening, Julia finds out that this incident is much bigger and more dangerous than she thought. With dead fish, a devastating flood, and miscreants chasing John and Julia, they have their hands full.

Artifact theft is a very intriguing subject. That’s why I call it the Intrigue series. In my research, I found that archaeological thievery is becoming more and more of a problem every year. Did you know that looting is only second to selling illegal drugs? While researching the second book in this series, Mayan Intrigue, my eyes were opened to the problems they have in southern Mexico. When an ancient ruin is discovered, it doesn’t take long for thieves to take it apart. The reason why is because the Mayas used astrological alignments when planning their city. Looters have learned the layout of the Mayan cities so they know where to dig. With this knowledge, they can loot a sacred temple in a few days. I also found that artifact theft in Mexico has been taken over by drug dealers from Columbia. In other words, since organized crime has taken over, there is also an increase of violence.

Mayan Intrigue will be released on August 30th and I’m having a week long celebration with a book give-away at my Blog at http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com. Mayan Intrigue is about the discovery of a priceless artifact that puts Julia’s life in great danger. While on assignment for the newspaper, John and Julia try to enjoy a romantic vacation among the Mayan ruins, but when Julia accidentally comes upon a couple suspicious men exchanging an item, she quickly turns and leaves but it’s too late. Before John and Julia realize what's going on, they find themselves running for their lives through the jungles of the Yucatan. To read an excerpt from each of my books, you can visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.

Guest Post by Linda Weaver Clark - Romance VS Mystery!

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2010/08/guest-post-by-linda-weaver-clark.html

Review: The Séduction of Simone by Chérie De Sues

When her aunt Celeste dies, Simone Devereux is shocked for two reasons. First her family didn't learn about Celeste's death until after her accident and cremation. Second, Simone inherits Celeste's estate which would be perfect for her business as a portrait painter. Since her clients pose with their partners in the nude the estate makes the perfect place to offer privacy and comfort if she can turn it into a bed and breakfast.

But danger threatens not only her safety but that of her guests. It seems that Celeste was really murdered. Since Simone looks surprisingly like her aunt right down to the birthmark on her chest seeing this gets the killer ramped up again. Together with her handsome neighbor Simone and Trent need to gather enough evidence against him before he strikes again.

Oh and did I forget to mention??? There are two hot Irish poltergeists that are trapped in the mirrors of Simone and Trent's estates. Being poltergeists they have the ability to come to Simone in that moment between being awake and falling asleep and prove their reputation as womanizers who love sharing one woman between them.

Three words... hot, hot, hot. Okay, technically that's one word but The Seduction of Simone is a heart pumping erotic read that is not overly graphic as most erotics I have read are. It has a storyline with meat on it's bones and loveable characters. I highly recommend this one for anyone who enjoys a read that can get you hot and bothered. Hopefully you're lucky enough to have someone nearby to take it out on. But in that case they'll be the lucky ones. LOL

Review: The Séduction of Simone by Chérie De Sues

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2010/02/review-seduction-of-simone-by-cherie-de.html

Review: Without Hesitation - The Rasner Effect II by Mark Rosendorf

In book one of this series, The Rasner Effect, Jake Scarberry was forced into cleaning up after frat boys as part of his cover in the Witness Protection Program. Now three months later he's back in the program and working in a bar but it's not as bad as it seems. He's met a woman who just may be the one to allow him to leave the past behind him and begin a normal life.

But just when things are looking up for Jake the government comes knocking. The new head of The Duke Organization, Jennifer Duke, has plans of reuniting the group. The only trouble is that those who aren't dead are in prison or in the case of fifteen-year-old Clara Blue, in The Brookhill Children's Psychiatric Residence. Jen's plan starts with infiltrating the residence by posing as a therapist. Once there she manipulates Clara into recruiting the toughest of her fellow schoolmates. For the withdrawn Clara this is harder than it seems. When all doesn't go as planned its up to Jake to save everyone from Jen but can he be convinced to assist in time?

Mark Rosendorf himself admits to being only 83% sane and I believe it! How else can you think up such mind boggling action scenes? As with The Rasner Effect the good guys and bad guys change with each turn of the page which makes for one very intriguing suspense thriller.

I highly recommend both books for suspense and thriller lovers but I don't feel that Without Hesitation is a standalone read. With all the twists and turns you'll definitely need to have read The Rasner Effect to know who's who and remember what's going on. But get started now because there is a huge cliffhanger that I'm absolutely positive means there will be a Rasner Effect III and I can't wait.

Review: Without Hesitation - The Rasner Effect II by Mark Rosendorf

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2010/02/review-without-hesitation-rasner-effect.html