TLC Book Tours Book Review: Law and Disorder

About Law and Disorder (The Finnegan Connection)

Series: The Finnegan Connection

Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue (January 17, 2017)

Trust the enemy?

Desperate to escape her kidnappers, Kody Cameron can turn to only one man… and he’s holding a gun. Outnumbered and trapped in the deadly Everglades, she has little recourse, but something in this captor’s eyes makes her believe she can trust him. Does she dare to take the risk?

Undercover agent Nick Connolly has met Kody before and knows she might very well blow his cover. Though determined to maintain his facade, he can’t let Kody die. He won’t. And his decision to change his own rules of law and order are about to make all hell break loose.

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Review: I am a huge fan of Heather Graham. I have read many of her Krewe of Hunters series and loved them all. I was really hoping I would love this story that Heather wrote for the Intrigue line.

I really wish I could say that.

First, our heroine's name is Kody, but obviously that is a shortened form of Dakota,but it is never addressed. She's called Dakota in one sentence and Kody in the very next. That was MADDENING!

Kody is an actress, but her family owns a home that is now a museum that features items relating to the mob in Florida. Which is the reason Dillinger (all her captors go by aliases of former mobsters...how creative)

She was also a little too brave when it came to her kidnappers. She was brave to the point of stupidity. In the real world if a kidnapped person talked back to a captor the way she did, she probably wouldn't have made it to the end of the story in one piece, no matter how much she was needed.

The plot was one that had a lot of promise. She's kidnapped to find a mobster's treasure in the Florida Everglades. If this were one of her books for Mira, it probably would have worked, but for the short Intrigue line, things felt rushed, and the romance between Kody and Nick just didn't seem right. They met briefly before she even knew who he was, or if he were a good guy or a bad guy. Then suddenly they are madly in love.  It just didn't work at all.

There were so many characters in this book as well. It was often hard to keep up with who was an agent, a hostage a kidnapper etc.

I'm hoping this book is just a one off dud for Heather, because her other books were always so good.

Rating: 2 flowers

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TLC Book Tour Book Reviews: Dark Screams Vol 4

Author: Various
Title: Dark Screams Vol 4
Publisher: Hydra
Publish Date: Aug 4, 2015
Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tours & Net Galley
Buy: Amazon

Boo Blurb: 

Clive Barker, Heather Graham, Lisa Morton, Ray Garton, and Ed Gorman lead readers down a twisted labyrinth of terror, horror, and suspense in Dark Screams: Volume Four, from Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the revered Cemetery Dance Publications.

THE DEPARTED by Clive Barker On All Hallows’ Eve, a dead and disembodied mother yearns to touch her young son one last time. But will making contact destroy them both?

CREATURE FEATURE by Heather Graham What could be better publicity for a horror convention than an honest-to-goodness curse? It’s only after lights out that the hype—and the Jack the Ripper mannequin—starts to feel a little too real.

THE NEW WAR by Lisa Morton Mike Carson is a war hero and a decorated vet. He doesn’t deserve to be trapped in a hospital with some black thing sitting on his chest as patients die all around him. His only hope is to take out the nurse—before it’s his turn. uspense in Dark Screams: Volume Four, from Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the revered Cemetery Dance Publications.

SAMMY COMES HOME by Ray Garton It’s what every family prays for: a lost pet returning home. But when Sammy, the Hale family sheepdog, appears on their doorstep, he brings back something no parent would ever wish upon his or her child.

THE BRASHER GIRL by Ed Gorman Cindy Marie Brasher is the prettiest girl in the Valley, and Spence just has to have her. Unfortunately, Cindy has a “friend” . . . a friend who tells her to do things . . . bad things.

Review: Dark Screams is a collection of short stories by some pretty amazing authors.  I was excited to read anything that had stories by Clive Barker and Heather Graham, two of my favorite authors in the genre of all things creepy.

Like all collections, some stories are better than others. Clive Barker's The Departed is more bittersweet than terrifying, but as always a story where you connect with the characters. I think this one might have been phoned in a bit. It needed more, or at least I felt it needed more.

The New War is another one low on the creepy factor but still one that makes you feel for the character. Mike is in a care facility after a hip surgery and he's battling with something black in the shadows. It isn't quite what you think it is. too.

Sammy Comes Home is just rather gross, and I'm not sure I understood it at all. It has a bit of a Pet Sematary sort of feel to it.

The Brasher Girl is truly the best of the bunch when it comes to creepy. Spence's girlfriend has a friend that telepathically to do things..bad bad things. Oh and this friend is in a well, and is possibly not human.

This is one of the longer stories in the colletion, and I think that's why it ended up being the best.
There was more time for character development, as well as getting your creepy on.

One of the stories I was most excited for was Creature Feature. I love Heather Graham's Krewe of Hunters series and this is a short story that ties in. Its a shame it was too hurried to be enjoyable.


If you are ready to get in the Halloween mood, this is a good place to start. I really loved The Departed and The New War because they really had a human touch to them. The Brasher Girl was by far the best of the bunch as a horror story.

A enjoyable read.

Rating: 4 flowers

TLC Book Tour Book Review: The Betrayed

Author: Heather Graham
Title: The Betrayed
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: Sept 30, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tours & Net Galley

Book Blurb: One night, New York FBI agent Aiden Mahoney receives a visitor in a dream—an old friend named Richard Highsmith. The very next day he’s sent to Sleepy Hollow because Richard’s gone missing there.

Maureen—Mo—Deauville now lives in the historic town and works with her dog, Rollo, to search for missing people. She’s actually the one to find Richard…or more precisely his head, stuck on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman.

Mo and Aiden, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI’s unit of paranormal investigators, explore both past and present events to figure out who betrayed Richard, who killed him and now wants to kill them, too. As they work together, they discover that they share an unusual trait—the ability to communicate with the dead. They also share an attraction that’s as intense as it is unexpected…if they live long enough to enjoy it!

Review: The Betrayed is another book from the Krewe of Hunters series. All of the books are stand alone novels, so it doesn't matter what order you read them in, or if you read all of them. (Although, Graham is a stellar author when it comes to paranormal mysteries, so you might want to read them all).

This book takes place in Sleepy Hollow and involves the grisly murder of a NYC politician. The location of the murder should give you a clue as to what happened to the guy.

I wish I would have read this book before I had read The Hexed, because that one was so fantastic that this one feels a bit like a come down. It is still a great book, but the other was superb. I found myself comparing the two books too frequently.

Mo and Aiden didn't quite measure up to Devin and Rocky. The chemistry just wasn't there for me. They were a sweet couple, but I wanted more out of their relationship. Actually, I wanted them to be a couple faster than they were. They really didn't get together until the book was nearly over.

On a high note, I just loved Mo's dog Rollo. I'm a sucker for pets in books! There was a part towards the end that had me biting my nails because I really loved that dog.

Another great character was J.J., the son of one of the murder victims. He was precious, though I did have a gripe about the way he talked. He sounded more grown up than a kid his age, that suffered the kind of trauma that he did, would sound.

The mystery was great and Ms Graham really knows how to bring places like Sleepy Hollow to life on the page. The Krewe of Hunters series makes me long for Halloween and haunted houses and creepy movies.

I still recommend this book highly to lover of spooky novels and mysteries. Graham doesn't really disappoint here, but after the perfection that was The Hexed, its hard to put a rating on this one. She did do a great job of mixing history and mystery here and this book is definitely a must read.

Rating: 4 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Hexed

Author: Heather Graham
Title: The Hexed
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: August 1, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley & TLC Book Tours
Book Blurb: 

A place of history, secrets…and witchcraft.

Devin Lyle has recently returned to the Salem area, but her timing couldn't be worse. Soon after she moved into the eighteenth-century cabin she inherited from her great-aunt Mina—her "crazy" great-aunt, who spoke to the dead—a woman was murdered nearby.

Craig Rockwell—known as Rocky—is a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's team of paranormal investigators. He never got over finding a friend dead in the woods. Now another body's been found in those same woods, not far from the home of Devin Lyle. And Devin's been led to a third body—by…a ghost?

Her discovery draws them both deeper into the case and Salem's rich and disturbing history. Even as the danger mounts, Devin and Rocky begin to fall for each other, something the ghosts of Mina and past witches seem to approve of. But the two of them need every skill they possess to learn the truth—or Devin's might be the next body in the woods….

Review: If you are in the mood for some spooky Halloween-ish reading, The Hexed is definitely the book for you. I've always been a fan of Heather Graham. She does paranormal suspense so well. This book will have you turning the pages until you are finished, and anything that goes bump in the night will make you jump.

It has all the things that make a book spooky. Ghosts, some friendly, like Devin's aunt and some a bit more on the creepy side.

The murders have a witchy twist, which makes the setting in the Salem area absolutely perfect.  There are three murders and Rocky and Devin are the ones that are going to solve this crime.

What makes this book so fabulous, besides all the wonderful Salem history, is how Heather leads you down a merry chase when it comes to the killer. Just when you think you know, that character is taken out of the pool. There was one point where I was absolute sure I knew who killed all the women, only to find out I was wrong.

I love a mystery where I'm kept guessing.

This is book 13 in the Krewe of Hunters series, and it works great as a stand alone, but it is definitely a series that you'll want to check out. (Maybe not all at once, but a few at a time, especially in the month of Oct)

Highly recommended!

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Bride Of The Wind

Author: Heather Graham
Title: Bride Of The Wind
Publisher: Open Road Media
Publish Date: June 12, 2012
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Trapped on the high seas by the pirate known as Dragonslayer, Lady Rose confronts her passionate past

The daughter of a wealthy Virginia planter, Lady Rose Woodbine curses fate for leading her to the court of the British King Charles-and into an unwanted marriage with the handsome and dangerous Lord Pierce DeForte.

His desire for Rose blinded Pierce to the dangerous machinations of his enemies. Banished from England, he lives the life of a pirate-seeking vengeance on those who betrayed him, including the woman he once called his wife. Pierce, now feared as the notorious pirate Dragonslayer, captures a ship carrying Rose. Once his bride, now his prisoner, she's determined to escape from him once and for all.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Heather Graham, including rare photos from the author's personal collection.

Review:  This is a reissue novel by Heather Graham when she was writing as Shannon Drake. You know it is a retro read, because if you look for the original cover art, Fabio is Lord Pierce DeForte.

AGH!

I have to say this book just didn't do it for me, even though I love the setting. Restoration England...in the court of Charles II. This is a fabulous time in history. (And a raunchy time too)

However I had problems with both the hero and the heroine. I couldn't like them. Rose was too hard headed, and she blindly accepts some pretty lousy treatment by Pierce. And speaking of Pierce, he automatically thinks the worst of Rose for some things that he simply doesn't have evidence to prove. I don't know which character I liked the least.

There's a lot of drama in this book and it mostly in the back story of Rose and Pierce.

If you were hoping this was going to be a swashbuckling pirate novel, you are going to be disappointed. The amount of time the characters spend on the high seas isn't worth mentioning. Most of the story is about how Rose and Pierce ended up as a couple. That is where the primary drama is, and that also explains how Pierce ended up being Dragonslayer.

I never quite figured out how these two managed to be in love with each other! If one night of drugged out lovemaking makes for a marriage..well there should be a lot of these weird marriages going on...oh wait their are..and they are mostly in Vegas!

The ending wasn't all that satisfying either. Everything wrapped up too nice and easy.

If you like the bodice rippers from the late 80s early 90s, you might try this one. As for me, it was just an ok read.

Rating: 3 flowers