Pearl's World of Romance - Reviews with a Passion: Andrea Kane

Showing posts with label Andrea Kane. Show all posts

September 22, 2009

Drawn in Blood - Andrea Kane (ARC)

8:00 AM |

Jacket Copy (from Andrea Kane’s website):

Former FBI Special Agent Sloane Burbank has seen her share of danger. She’s faced down a serial killer and survived life-threatening injuries ... but she never expected that danger to invade the lives of her family.
Then her mother is viciously attacked in the posh Manhattan apartment her parents share and it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary robbery. The thieves were too clever, too knowledgeable, and so obviously after something of her father’s. But what could a respected art dealer have done to merit such violence? When a mysterious message is left for him, Sloane knows her father’s in over his head. Determined to find out the truth, Sloane discovers a deadly secret buried in his past that has made him the target of a power-hungry mobster with a lethal agenda and nothing to lose.

Sloane is desperate to save her father, but to do so she must hold onto secrets of her own—especially from FBI Special Agent Derek Parker, the man she has grown to love deeply. She knows she must tell him everything, but how can she betray her father’s confidence? Can a couple who’s faced so much survive this ultimate test of trust? Will they survive at all?
As the decades-old secret claims the lives of her father’s oldest friends and the killer closes in on him, Sloane finds herself in foreign territory: alone, facing escalating personal danger, and hunting a moving target in a world where memories are long and loyalties are drawn in blood.

This book was released on September 8th and I reviewed it for REALMS ON OUR BOOKSHELVES

When I started reading DRAWN IN BLOOD as an ARC for ROOB I was already familiar with Andrea Kane’s writing, as I first read TWISTED in preparation. Being a reader who is obsessed with reading books and series in order I could not have enjoyed DRAWN IN BLOOD as much as I did now, if I hadn’t read TWISTED first. In TWISTED I met Sloan and Derek and got to know them and what made them tick and I accompanied them on their journey to a happy ending. When I reached the end of TWISTED I was glad to have the knowledge that there was more to come. This being said I think that DRAWN IN BLOOD easily lends to be read as stand-alone for readers who are not as obsessed as I am with reading in order. Andrea Kane did a great job of writing it in a way that if you haven’t read TWISTED, you can still read DRAWN IN BLOOD and not have the feeling you are missing something.

DRAWN IN BLOOD had a very different feel compared to TWISTED. Where TWISTED was a whodunit, in DRAWN IN BLOOD the identity and motives of the villain are known to the reader and to some extend to Derek and Sloan too. This provided a totally different tone for the book, as it was fascinating to follow Sloan and Derek’s progress in stopping the villain and at the same time reading how the villain was planning to deal with his adversaries.

The ingredients for DRAWN IN BLOOD are art theft, organized crime, murder, deception, obsession, loss and relationships on different levels. Furthermore, it comprises former FBI agent, Sloan Burbank who is trying to protect her father and his friends, FBI agent, Derek Parker, who is trying to get to the truth without endangering his girlfriend and a villain who is ruthlessly and cunningly setting up and carrying out his plans for vengeance.

From the first chapter I was pulled into the fascinating and captivating plot that takes place about six months after TWISTED. It not only gave me an in-depth look into the world of art theft and European and Asian organized crime but also provided me with elaborate looks into law enforcement and the personal life of Sloan and Derek as a couple working together on a case where the goal is mutual but their interests and priorities differ.

Sloan and Derek are the perfect embodiment of characters who are strong, determined and professional. They clash when personal and professional interests takes them in different directions and neither of them backs down easily. They both are, after all, stubborn and proud. However, when needed they are also able to communicate, compromise and enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company and their relationship. They both have issues they are dealing with. Next to the professional and personal issues, they have reached the phase in their relationship, where the sexual chemistry and attraction is obvious and both are ready to take it a step further, exploring boundaries and trying to make the day-to-day things work.

DRAWN IN BLOOD is a fast-paced, well-written story that alternates between being character-driven and plot-driven. The characters, both primary and secondary are all strong and well fleshed out. They are as three-dimensional and realistic as they come and I think Andrea Kane’s extensive research into the subject of this novel and the FBI is the major contributor in that. Another excellent exhibit of this research was the suspense plot. It was believable yet far from simple. The set-up of the plot was intricately woven, slowly and surely reeling me into it to the point where I had to keep reading. Not to know who was the villain and why but to know when the ax would drop.

DRAWN IN BLOOD is a clever display of Andrea Kane’s writing skills. It shows her ability to create story lines that develop separately but come together in the end in a great way. In DRAWN IN BLOOD there are 3 major plotlines and the manner in which she sets up these multiple plotlines and works them toward a coherent and satisfying ending is nothing but excellent. Without leaving loose ends every tidbit of information provided answers and all questions were answered satisfactory in the end.

Labels: Andrea Kane, ARC-review, great reads, HarperCollins Publishers, reviews, Romantic Suspense, Sloan Burbank Series | 5 comments |

August 7, 2009

Twisted - Andrea Kane

12:03 AM |

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Jacket Copy:

WHO WILL BE NEXT?
Former FBI Special Agent Sloane Burbank has survived a life-threatening injury sustained in the line of duty, only to face leaving a job she loves in order to recuperate. As an independent consultant, she now uses her specialized skills to train law enforcement and private organizations in crisis resolution. But when one of her closest childhood friends mysteriously disappears, and the woman’s devastated parents beg for her help, Sloane takes the case even though her ex-lover Derek Parker is the FBI agent in charge.

Special Agent Derek Parker, now assigned to the Asian Criminal Enterprise Task Force in the FBI’s New York Field Office, has no time to spare for a year-old case he sees as a dead end especially since it would mean working with a woman he never expected to see again. He’s pursuing the leader of a Chinese gang and trying to solve a series of grizzly murders in Chinatown, so he initially offers Sloane the case files and minimal cooperation.

But as more women disappear and others turn up brutally murdered, Derek’s priorities shift, and he and Sloane come to the sickening realization that these random crimes are linked to the same crazed killer. No one can anticipate when he will strike again, but when Sloane becomes the target of his twisted obsession, it becomes clear that his ultimate fantasy is even more psychotic than either of them ever imagined.

Sloan Burbank is a former FBI agent who left the Agency after a serious injury, which impeded her from carrying out her job in the field as a crisis negotiator. She has been making a living a consultant in the private sector now. When her childhood friend’s parents hire her after their daughter has gone missing and the FBI comes up with nothing, Sloan is forced to pair up with the agent in charge of the case who happens to be her former lover, Derek Parker. While working on the case, which comes closer to home for Sloan than anticipated, they also discover that the issues between them that were left unresolved did not lessen the emotional pull they have on each other.

Both Sloan and Derek are stubborn, proud and strong-willed. Their relationship ended badly and working together again causes tension between them. Derek is direct, uncompromising, charismatic and confident skirting on the edge of arrogance. Sloan is determined, tenacious and headstrong. When she sets her mind to something, it’s very hard to make her see things differently. She doesn’t let anything or anyone deter her from the goals she sets for herself and she doesn’t take the easy way out of difficult or hard situations.

The chemistry between Sloan and Derek is sizzling; the fierce attraction between them is off the charts and never far from the surface. They take verbal sparring to another level because true to their personalities neither is willing to be inferior to the other. This leads to snappy dialogues that are perfect counterparts to the technical, law enforcement talks about the case.

When I started reading and first stumbled upon an elaborate acknowledgement from the author stating all the FBI professionals who helped her with her research, it immediately had my attention. The flow chart and definition list sealed the deal and I knew I was going to appreciate this book even before I read the first chapter.

I must admit that it took me quite some chapters to get into the book, the first part is slow paced and while reading I felt like I was crawling along with the world building and the character introductions. I like romantic suspense and thrillers to be fast-paced and action-packed, topped of by chilling suspense and the first part did not quite deliver this to me. This does not mean I did not like TWISTED. I absolutely did because with it Andrea Kane has written a thorough, realistic and amazing book that, despite the slow pace, kept me reading long after bedtime.

Reading this book showed me that it is not easy to provide the perfect balance between a good and realistic representation of law enforcement and keeping it action-packed and fast-paced. Even though this balance was not entirely there in the beginning, soon the developments in the plot showed me Andrea Kane knowing what she was writing about and using her research in a way that was informative but not overwhelming. The world building, character development and plotting are immaculate and extensive. She doesn’t cut corners and although this influences the pace and takes away from the action a bit, it also makes it an excellently written book. The way Andrea Kane let’s the reader into the mind of a disturbed villain and still makes it believable and acceptable is uncanny.

Despite the slow start, from the moment I suspected who the unsub was and when Derek and Sloan began to put the pieces of the puzzle together, I was given what I had been expecting: a fast-paced story that grabbed hold of me and didn’t let go until I finished it.

With TWISTED Andrea Kane gave me a story that is intense and no breezy, light read. She accurately combined elements of law enforcement, Greek mythology and romance and poured them into a book worth reading for every fan of compelling suspense and believable romance.

For me this book was Criminal Minds, Law & Order, Standoff and Numbers all rolled into one and mixed with the romantic story line it provided me with a romantic suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Quotes:

Derek and Sloan
“Ah, I sense I am being used.”
“Maybe a little. Then again, if you come through for me, I could arrange to use you in ways you’ll really, really like.”
Sloan could almost hear Derek’s body react. “Now, that got my attention,” he announced.
“Although, you do know that you’re blackmailing and sexual harassing a federal agent.”
“True. But I am also giving him an amazing fantasy to savor. And, trust me, the reality will far exceed it.”
“Promise?”
“Scout’s honor.”
“Then I’m putty in your hands.”

Sloan to Derek
“Life is a gift. It’s also fleeting, so emotional self-protection is a waste of time. And life gives us choices. So I choose you, even if you do push every one of my buttons, and drive me bonkers.”