No one said coming home would be easy. But for Dante Renaldi, it's murder.

Before the Special Forces hero has even unpacked his bags from twelve years of active duty, he's embroiled in murder—corpses bearing the brutal trademark he's seen only once before—on the worst night of his life.

The last time Detective Anna Pallino saw Dante Renaldi, they were in love. Now, he's part of the connection to a string of fresh homicides and a horrible assault Anna only survived thanks to him.

More than anything, Anna wants to trust Dante. But as the bodies and the coincidences stack up, Anna will have to decide, and fast: Is the man she owes her life to the very same one who wants her dead?

Title: THE HEART OF A KILLER
Author: Jaci Burton
Series: The Killer series, book 1
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: MIRA Books (Harlequin)
Year of release: 2011, October 18
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Received an ARC from author for review

First line:
He shouldn't have come home. (chose first line of Ch 1, not the prologue)

Memorable Scenes:
- the prologue > I was immediately hooked
- the love scenes > there weren't many but those that were there were exquisite
- suspense wrap-up scene > nail-bitingly awesome


Anna Pallino is headstrong and fierce, sharp, tough and tenacious. Ever since the attack 12 years ago she has PTSD-induced panic attacks but she doesn’t let that hinder her in any way. I loved Anna as the heroine of THE HEART OF A KILLER.

Dante Renaldi is protective and mysterious. I connected more with Anna than with Dante and this was probably because of this air of mystery that surrounded him and the way he kept his feelings close to himself.

The romance is subtle as the focus in THE HEART OF A KILLER is more on the suspense but the subtlety did bring that perfect balance between romance and suspense I look for in romantic suspense novels. The love scenes are excellently done, though there aren't many the ones that are in the book are plenty sexy because of the simmering chemistry between Anna and Dante. They fit the romance perfectly and follow the characters' emotional path throughout the book seamlessly.

As usual with romantic suspense, there are quite some secondary characters. They way Jaci Burton used all these characters in the plot was awesome. She really surprised me with some of the twists and choices and I love to be surprised when it comes to secondary characters. Gabe, one of Dante’s foster brothers, especially intrigued me and I hope he'll get his own story in this series.

The prologue immediately grabbed me and set the pace and premise: gritty and action-packed yet with room for a little romance. Within 50 pages I was totally immersed in the suspense that was brilliantly set up from the start. It was not too mysterious and not too revealing either, giving me enough rope to form suspicions, some of which were spot-on, yet leaving room for some utterly unexpected turn of events.

This is my first encounter with Jaci Burton's full-length work. I read some contemporary e-novellas some years ago. Since then I bought her backlist as I liked her writing style and I’m so glad my intuition was right. In THE HEART OF A KILLER she does a great job of penning down a romantic suspense with just the right amount of gritty, nail-biting suspense to keep you breathlessly in its grip. Yet, there is the counterbalance of an emotional romance that was built up gradually yet held firm in the turmoil of the suspense.

As known I read quite some Romantic Suspense and I must say that THE HEART OF A KILLER, though light on the sexy (in terms of quantity...), and subtle on the romance, is engaging in the heart-wrenching emotions and has an awesome suspense plot. Not only the plot itself (serial killer copycatting an accidental manslaughter from 12 years before and now after the people involved) was impressive, but also the execution of it. The way it was written, it kept me in its grip from the prologue, throughout the investigation right to the moment it was all revealed and wrapped up.

I totally loved this book and I’m now anxiously waiting for the next romantic suspense from Ms. Burton. All the right buttons were hit by voice, writing-style, pace and plot leading the way but romance, trope and heat-level were very close behind them. My first taste of it has definitely left me craving more.

Favorite Quotes:
He laid his palm against the door above her head, his body hot and enticing as he stared down at het with sea-blue eyes that made her want to dig her teeth in to his shirt and rip it off, then bury her face in his neck and lick the bead of sweat that had formed there.

Though she would have clocked other men for grabbing her, she melted against him. Dante’s body was familiar to her. She couldn’t help herself, she had to touch, to test her reaction. She slid her palms along his biceps. Hard muscle and soft skin eased across her hands, making her tingle in places that just flat out never tingled.

That’s what he wanted. Anna engaged, listening to the needs of her body instead of walking through the motions of sex as if it was a road map. She had a lush, beautiful body that was made to be loved, and he knew she’d either had lousy lovers in the past or she just hadn’t allowed any man to take his time and giver her the attention she deserved.

Her mouth tempted him, always had. Besides the sassy things that came out of it when she spoke, she had full, sweet lips and she knew how to kiss. She wasn’t tentative about it and she’d always thrown herself fully into a kiss. He loved a woman who did that.

“Everything I am is here for you to see, to touch, to taste,” he said, rising up to meet her again as he took her hands in his. “I won’t hold anything back from you.” Dam him for his honesty, for letting her see the naked truth in his eyes. His fingers dug into her hips and he dragged her against him again, taking her so close she had to bite down on her lip to keep from catapulting over the edge.
“It’s only fair to give me the same, Anna. Let go.

Though he is a titled nobleman, Royal Dewar is singularly unlucky ...forced to choose between his soul mate ...and his salvation.

After years abroad, Royal has returned to Bransford Castle to find his father dying and the family treasury nearly empty. Then the old duke wrests a final promise from his guilt-ridden son: that Royal will marry heiress Jocelyn Caulfield and restore the estate to its former glory. However, it is not his fiancée who quickens Royal's pulse, but rather her beautiful cousin Lily Moran.

Penniless Lily knows that nothing can come of their undeniable attraction―but there is a way she can help Royal. Enlisting some questionable characters from her past, Lily concocts an elaborate ruse to recover some of the Bransford fortune from a notorious confidence artist. As the dangerous scheme unfolds, Lily and Royal are thrown together in pursuit of the very thing―money―that keeps them part...

The back cover blurb of this book summarizes the book perfectly so there’s no need to write one just to repeat what the blurb says and I’ll get right down to business. ROYAL’S BRIDE is great historical romance in which I was easily and effortlessly introduced to the Duke of Bransford’s three sons: Royal, Reese and Rule Dewar, whom after their father’s death are compelled to fulfill their father’s dying wishes. This first book of the Bride’s trilogy focuses on the eldest son. He is to marry a wealthy heiress in order to have funds to restore the Bransford seat in its former glory. But things don’t always happen as we wish or plan and when Royal falls in love with his fiancée’s companion, restoring the family’s fortune seems to the least of his worries.

Although the plot of forced marriage and forbidden love lends room for characters who can be annoying, whining etc…Kat Martin avoids that trap and delivers a main couple that is extremely likable despite the initial illegality of their feelings. Royal Deware is passionate, loyal and dutiful. Even when he knows his heart belongs to Lily he cannot put his father’s dying wish aside carelessly. There was a point in the book where I thought he could have restrained himself better physically but on the other hand it would have surprised me if he had, since the whole forbidden love trope would’ve lost its strength and its purpose. Lily is sweet and caring but also toughened by the life she’s led. She doesn’t let anyone walk over her and is not one to impulsively give into her feelings, not even the strong ones she has for Royal. She is genuinely kindhearted and realistic. She’d rather not have Royal in her life than be with him and betray her family, even if that family doesn’t always treat her right.

There are quite a few secondary characters in this book, but it never felt overcrowded or too much because they all had their roles in the plot and/or romance. One secondary character that pleasantly surprised me in terms of character development was Jocelyn, Royal’s fiancée. Throughout the book she grew from a spoiled, shallow and materialistic girl that I really didn’t care for to a woman who earned my sympathy because she too had been pressured into a situation she didn’t ask for and in the end she did turn out to be sensible and mature. And then there were The Oarsmen, a group of intriguing friends surrounding Royal. They are a diverse group of men, all noblemen, some higher ranked than others, but it’s a tight night group who prove loyal friends to both Royal and Lily.

I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing 4 books by Kat Martin for ROOB now and I must say that ROYAL’S BRIDE is my favorite of the 4. Even though the premise arranged marriage and forbidden love isn’t new or original Kat Martin wrote a story around it that was definitely refreshing. I loved the way she set up this book. The romance, the forbidden attraction, the plot, the characters, they all complemented each other and together formed an excellent, high quality historical romance. One that is intriguing and complicated and compelled me to keep turning the pages to know not if but how Lily and Royal were going to end up together, because that the were going to end up together was clear from the beginning. I was curious how Kat Martin was going have them deal with the Jocelyn (Royal’s fiancée) situation, the financial problem and still give the reader a satisfactory solution and a HEA. My worries were unfounded because Kat Martin pulled it of perfectly.

With ROYAL’S BRIDE Kate Martin delivered a historical romance I could savor and enjoy with wonderful characters, a refreshing take on an age-old trope in romance novels and a carefully dosed amount of conflict and angst, that was never over the top. She even managed to imbed a suspense plot that did not intrude on the romance at all. In fact, romance and suspense complemented each other perfectly.

Finally, in this book intriguing hints are given in regard to Royal’s brothers Reese and Rule and those hints are enough to make me curious about their stories and whether they’ll be as enjoyable reads as ROYAL’S BRIDE was.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10
(ROOB Rating: 4 stars)

This book was released on May 27th and I reviewed it for REALMS ON OUR BOOKSHELVES







Dedicated, driven real estate agent Julie Ferris is enjoying a day at the beach with her sister Laura when a strange, almost undetectable charge fills the air. Then under the hot Malibu sun, time stops altogether.
Neither sister can explain their "lost day" --nor the blinding headaches or horrific nightmares that follow-- but Julie chalks it up to the stress she's been under since her boss' son took over Donovan Real Estate.

Patrick Donovan would be a real catch if not for his notorious playboy lifestyle and matching attitude. But when a cocaine-fueled heart attack nearly kills him, Patrick makes an astonishingly fast --and peculiar-- recovery. Julie barely recognizes the newly sober Patrick as the same man she once struggled to resist. Maybe it's the strange beach experience fueling her paranoia, but she can't help sensing something just isn't...right.
As Julie's feelings for Patrick intensify, she's about to discover how that day at the beach links her newfound happiness with her wildest suspicions...


Julie Ferris has always been attracted to Patrick but because of his destructive way of life and his playboy behavior she has never given into those feelings.
One day when they are on the beach, aliens abduct Julie and her sister Laura without being aware of it. The only consequences of the experience are their nightmares, Julie's migraines and Laura's paranoid behavior.
Not long after their abduction Patrick Donovan has a heart attack and his body is taken over by Val in order to investigate why Julie resists the alien tests and examinations
Julie discovers that with the "new and improved" Patrick, she has more and more trouble resisting him.

It was interesting to see how Val deals with Patrick's memories, sensations and experiences and at the same time it's difficult at first to discern what feelings are Patrick's and what are Val's. Reading I was wondering how Val was going to pull it of and how he was going to explain everything to Julie and what twist Kat Martin was going to give it. The way everything came out was a little predictable but still a very believable one.
For me Val was the most engaging character of the book. The other characters were rather kept on the surface. I didn't get to know and understand them as much as I would like. There is background information that hints about certain things but it didn't go far enough for me to truly empathize or relate to them as much as I wanted to.

The book started quite slowly paced and didn't pull me right in, but gradually I did get into the story and I learned to appreciate the writing style even though the subject wasn't one of my personal favorites.
The book was not intense as some other paranormals or suspense books, but in retrospect it didn't need intensity to keep the reader interested in the outcome of the story. There is some minor suspense plot and some romance but the focus is on the paranormal, the extraterrestrials and alien abduction plot
In the beginning it wasn't able to keep my attention and had a bit of trouble getting into the first few chapters.
I think this has mostly to do with my personal taste because it was well-written with an original concept but I’m not really into the whole alien abduction thing and that is what the book basically came down to.
But after the first half the story started to grow on me more and I really loved last few chapters of the book, where emotions and feelings came more into the story and gave it more of what I like in my books, the stirring of my own emotions.

This paranormal was more realistic than what I'm used to and it was a nice change for all the fantasy escapism I'm used to and which I prefer in the paranormal genre. It focuses more on the realistic possibilities of the existence of otherworlders and the skepticism believers in alien existence have to deal with.
While reading I noticed Kat Martin did extensive research into UFO's, close encounters, alien abduction and space travel. I have to applaud this because it gave the book that realistic feel.

For me it's difficult to rate this book because although the subject/concept isn't to my personal taste, the writing, the characters and plot are quite good.
The alien abduction plot is the main plot and for me the characters weren't strong enough, with the exception of the last few chapters, to carry the story without the need for a plot more to my personal taste with a bit more action or suspense.

When a writer knows how to intrigue me with a subject that is not to my taste I can't but applaud her and her writing. Kat Martin was able to do this with Season of Strangers and I can recommend this book to everyone who is interested in a well-written and well-researched romance novel in this genre.

Quote
But of course his heart wasn't fine at all. It was broken. He had read the term and now he understood it, and it was even more painful than the words implied. His heart had been sliced in two by a fiery little redhead with the courage to confront him with the truth.

When Coralee Whitmore, a reporter for the fashionable London ladies’ gazette, Heart to Heart, learns that her sister’s death has been dismissed as a suicide, she vows to uncover the truth. Suspecting the notorious Earl of Tremaine was Laurel’s lover--and the father of her illegitimate child--Corrie infiltrates Castle Tremaine, posing as the abandoned, destitute wife of the earl’s distant cousin.

But Corrie finds the handsome earl is not all he seems...nor is she immune to his charms--however much she despises his scandalous ways.

And the deeper Corrie immerses herself in her role, the more certain it becomes that someone is bent on ensuring her questions go unanswered--forever.


Coralee Whitmore writes of a gossip column in the weekly ladies' magazine Heart to Heart. When her sister dies and the authorities write it of as suicide, Corrie doesn't believe this and starts her own investigation to find out the truth. In order to discover the truth about her sister's death she goes undercover, as a country ninny, into the home of the man she suspects of being involved, the Earl of Tremaine: Grayson Forsythe. She soon discovers that with Gray she gets more than she bargained for while fighting her attraction to him and solving the mystery of her sister's death...

I adored Corrie and was utterly fascinated by Gray. They captured me right away.
Corrie is lively, determined and courageous. While reading I almost felt her energy and determination coming of the pages. She's intelligent, outspoken and stubborn. Giving Gray a run for his money. Gray is a hero as I like them: dark and intriguing, loyal and strong. But he also possesses a wicked sense of humor, with which he teases Corrie whenever he can.

There were numerous scenes in which the attraction between Corrie and Gray was tentatively explored. These scenes were lovely and well written.
The secondary characters are kept in the background as Corrie and Gray take center stage and I liked this. It's their story and the secondary characters contributed to it in a nice way.

I truly enjoyed this book and closed it with a very satisfied feeling. It was a nicely balanced mix of regency, suspense and romance, occasionally touching some social issues. Light and playful in the first part of the book and halfway through turning a bit more touching and emotional causing a smile on my face in one page and then a serious lump in my throat on another.

Though it wasn't anything intense or mind-blowing it was still a very compelling story with characters you can relate to easily. With a believable and well-written plot. Some things in the plot were predictable but still there were a few surprises in the conclusion. It was nicely written in a fast pace, keeping me reading and finding it very difficult to put the book down. The story build-up was perfect, both in the romance as in the mystery. Bit by bit the information needed to find the one responsible for Laurel’s death is revealed. But the love between them also grows gradually, from attraction they both want to ignore for obvious reasons to a strong love that melts even Gray’s blackened heart. The love scenes are lush and tasteful, beautifully written

This was the first book I read by Kat Martin and I can honestly say I've gotten a taste of something I want to explore further.
The writing style is pleasant, fluent and easy to read. Providing descriptive and background information with so much ease it blends
effortlessly into the story without being interruptive.

This is book two in the Heart Trilogy. The little tidbits of information on Krista and Leif made me anxious to go and get their book (book one: Heart of Honor) and I'm really looking forward to Thor and Lindsey's story in book three (Heart of Courage).

With Heart of Fire, Kat Martin gives the reader a delightful and captivating book full of love, passion and mystery.

Quote:
She might not be a woman of great intellectual capacity, but she set fire to his blood, and should she wind up in his bed, he wouldn't waste time talking.