Thrilling Nuggets for July

Obviously, one of my favorite genres is romantic suspense. I love the way the building suspense makes my heart race and keeps me reading late through the night. I like the strong heroine who goes toe-to-toe with the lovingly arrogant hero. I enjoy the passion that brings them together and keeps them going. I love, love, love the happy ending. I’ve tried reading suspense but it doesn’t work for me unless there is a happy ending to leave me smiling and hopeful. In this month when we celebrate our country’s independence, I feel grateful that I have the freedom to purchase and read any book I choose. I am grateful that so many wonderful authors, like those featured this month, can write dark, twisty, complicated stories featuring men and women who fight as powerfully as they love. So pick up one of these new books or an old favorite and celebrate your freedom with fictional friends.

THE SEARCH
Nora Roberts
Putnam $26.95

Nora Roberts' latest stand alone novel, The Search, combines two of my favorite things… romantic suspense and dogs. Things get complicated for dog trainer and search-rescue volunteer Fiona Bristow when reclusive artist Simon Doyle seeks her help to manage his out of control puppy, Jaws. As the only survivor of a serial killer, Fiona has rebuilt her life on an island off Seattle's coast. Fiona can handle Jaws, but Simon stirs up feelings for which neither is ready. Then a copycat killer emerges out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands.

INFAMOUS
Suzanne Brockmann
Ballantine Books; $7.99

Suzanne Brockman calls her first original paperback in more than six years a dramedy and paranormal- cowboy romantic suspense. I must say I’m intrigued, especially given that one of the main characters is a ghost (the infamous Kid Gallagher) and the book includes a romantic subplot that takes place in Jubilation, Arizona in 1898. The main plot revolves around historian Alison Carter who is hired as a consultant on a film about Kid Gallagher and his crimes. Little does she know that waiting there for her is “the Kid’s” supposed great-grandson, A.J. Gallagher, looking to put a stop to production and the defaming of his relative. When Allison witnesses something that threatens her life, AJ and Allison face their attraction as they confront the danger together.

DANGEROUS DESIRES
A-Tac #2
Dee Davis
Grand Central Publishing; $6.99

In this follow-up to Dark Deceptions, A-Tac survivalist Drake Flynn is assigned to locate and transport Madeline Reynard, the mistress of an international crime-lord, to a secure location. A woman with nothing to lose, Madeline is willing to risk everything to escape her life with Ramón - even a dangerous trek through the jungle with a man who makes no secret of his disdain. Madeline had an impoverished and dangerous childhood, and she makes no apologies for the life she's led, but despite mutual animosity, she cannot deny her attraction to Drake. Dee Davis is a new-to-me author but based on the synopses and great reviews, the A-Tac series is headed for my to-read pile.

WHITE HEAT
Hired Gun #1
Brenda Novak
Mira; $7.99

White Heat is the first in a Summer 2010 trilogy featuring operatives from private security firm Department 6. Look for Body Heat and Killer Heat in September and October, respectively. Nate Ferrentino and Rachel Jessop go undercover as husband and wife to infiltrate and expose a new cult. Nate's attracted to Rachel but because of their history, he prefers to keep his distance. But when they find proof that cult leader Ethan Wycliff is as twisted as they feared, they know they have to set aside their differences...or Ethan might take more lives. Maybe even theirs.

TORN APART
Storm Front #2
Sharon Sala
Mira; $7.99

In the follow-up to Blown Away, Sharon Sala continues to reveal the aftermath of a twister that ravaged Bordelaise, Louisiana. Katie Earle’s young son Bobby goes missing...and it wasn't the storm that took him. Katie's reunites with her estranged husband J.R. to find their son before the tornado's wreckage is cleared away and the kidnapper escapes with the prize. The agony of uncertainty grows with every passing hour as Katie and J.R. seek to find their son before he slips from their grasp...forever.

UNSPEAKABLE
Tracers #2
Laura Griffin
Pocket Books; $7.99

Troy Stockton, true-crime writer and playboy introduced in Untraceable, returns along with the forensic experts known as the Tracers to save Elaina McCord from a killer. Elaina’s dream of being an FBI profiler is threatened by her very first case—investigating a string of murders near a Texas beach resort. The victims, all young women, were drugged and brutally murdered, their bodies abandoned in desolate marshland. Elaina’s hunch—met with disbelief by local police—is that these are only the latest offerings from a serial killer who has been perfecting his art for years, growing bolder and more cunning with each strike. A killer is reaching out to Elaina, taunting her, letting her know how ruthless he is and how close he’s getting. Now it’s not just her career that’s in jeopardy—it’s her life.

What do you love about romantic suspense? What are you grateful for?

Happy Independence Day! Maria