WRONG ALIBI by Christina Dodd

An Alaskan Mystery, Book 1

HQN Books

December 29^th, 2020

978-1-335-08082-0

Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary Fiction

Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Author.

3.5 Hearts

 

For Evelyn Jones, this was the perfect job in small-town Alaska as she works for a reclusive wealthy art collector when he disappears, and she is the prime suspect in a double murder as well as being accused of embezzlement and theft. With life in prison in her future even as she protests her innocence, she goes on the run and isolates herself as she tries to solve the crime against her. Determined to get to the truth of the matter, Evelyn is on the search for a killer who set her up and destroyed her life. But whispers are on the wind as danger grows as she gets closer to the truth, but what happens when she finds out who set her up and why, will it shatter this strong and courageous woman she has become or force her to see what was always in front of her?

 

WRONG ALIBI is the start of a juicy new series by Christina Dodd and one I couldn’t wait to delve into. There were times I had to suspend disbelief a little in the beginning, but I think it helped set up Evelyn the character as well as the story itself. The story flows smoothly after that initial introduction of characters and events that cause Evelyn to flee into hiding. I love Christina Dodd’s thrillers and found WRONG ALIBI to be entertaining as well as a mystery that had me on the edge of my seat. With the right amount of tension, mystery and thrills, the author delivers a story that will keep the reader guessing who the killer is as well as the why about it.

WRONG ALIBI delivers an entertaining story that left me turning pages as quick as can be as well as rooting for Evelyn to get to the bottom of things. Yes, there were times the story did bog down a bit but it helped that it didn’t hang on the author righted the ship those times so to speak. I liked Evelyn and though she felt a bit naïve in the beginning, I felt she grew into herself as time went on within the story to become a wonderful, intriguing character to enjoy. If you are looking for a mystery to keep you entertained these cold, snowy nights then I highly recommend WRONG ALIBI and hope you can enjoy it as well as I did.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement.

TAKEN BY THE PRINCE by Christina Dodd

Publisher: Signet Select
Date published: April 5th, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-451-41304-8
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained ARC from Publisher


Victoria Cardiff thinks England is the world’s most civilized country when Saber Lawrence turns her world upside down. Saber Lawrence and Victoria have a secret past, one fraught with stolen kisses and passion. Victoria is determined to never give into her passions again. Saber is equally determined to make certain Victoria never tells anyone about his secret past so he kidnaps her. Saber uses persuasion and passion to ensure Victoria’s silence yet what happens when the rake gets snared in his own passion?

TAKEN BY THE PRINCE is a wonderful, twist filled story by the superb Christina Dodd. Take a secret prince, add in a reserved governess, a few sparks between the two and stir. What you have is TAKEN BY THE PRINCE. Ms. Dodd delivers a wild, passion filled ride from start to finish in her latest historical release. The writing is tight, characters multi-dimensional and there are a few twists I didn’t see coming. Ms. Dodd is a wonderful author who delivers a story full of passion, desire and a rich setting to ensnare the reader within moments of opening the book.

In TAKEN BY THE PRINCE, we meet reserved Victoria Cardiff, who had a brief encounter with the mysterious Saber Lawrence which left her determined to never succumb to his charms again. A chance meeting with Saber years later leaves Victoria reeling…and kidnapped by the rogue himself. Saber Lawrence is determined to make sure Victoria keeps quiet about his past and he will do anything to ensure that it stays a secret…even seduce the prim and proper Victoria. These two struck sparks the moment the reader meets them. I loved how the author delivers two strong main characters with vulnerabilities to fall in love with. They were well written and full of complex emotions that left me eager to read more about them. The romance between Saber and Victoria was, at times, sweet and tender and then turn oh so hot it could melt the polar ice cap. There were a few secondary characters that had me intrigued and I am hoping Ms. Dodd comes back to them in the future.

TAKEN BY THE PRINCE is a wonder, passion filled story of two people who find they are perfect for one another…if they could believe in their hearts that is. Ms. Dodd is one of my favorite author’s-be it her paranormal stories or her historical ones. Each time you open one of this author’s stories, you are guaranteed a wild adventure full of romance and happy endings. I look forward to Ms. Dodd’s next historical romance story with eager anticipation and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA by Christina Dodd

Publisher: Signet
Date published: August 2011
ISBN: 978-0-451-41309-3
Romantic Suspense
Paperback (ARC)
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by Publisher


Brooke Petersson has made a good life for herself in Bella Terra. Okay, maybe stable is a better word and that’s okay. After moving to the grape rich valley with her mother the 11 year old Brooke felt awkward and out of place until dark haired, blue eyed Rafe Di Luca took her under wing. Despite the two year difference in their ages, Brooke and Rafe became best friends and in time fell in love. And then Rafe broke Brooke’s heart. Not once or twice, but over and over, each time he left the valley, her heart broke a little more. And then Rafe came home again.

This time it wasn’t for a happy family reunion. Not when Rafe’s beloved grandmother, Sarah has been attacked in her own home. Along with his brothers Eli and Noah, Rafe takes on finding out who assaulted the older woman and destroyed the security of their family home. Within a short time of his arrival Rafe enlists Brooke’s aid to find the attacker. Brooke is none to happy at finding herself once again involved with Rafe, but for Sarah and the fact she knows the Di Luca family resort as well as the brothers, she agrees.

Bit by bit the couple uncovers the reason for the attack with Sarah adding the final piece of the puzzle. Deep within the resort secrets unfold making Brooke also a target for the attacker. For Brooke she soon finds she must battle not only the shadowy assailant but the return of her feelings for Rafe.

Bella Terra reminds me very much of Napa Valley, just a few miles from my home. Ms. Dodd’s descriptions of the vineyards, the resort and the Di Luca family dynamics are akin to a visit to the generations of families that still live in Napa. There are the winery people and the town people and like Brooke, many of them never leave the valley.

SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA is a super romantic suspense with a fantastic blending of generational intrigue. The long ago family feud makes for a wonderful mystery and I found myself wondering if each new character was behind the attack. The revelation of the attacker was a surprise and one carried out with style.

The romance between Rafe and Brooke is marvelously told—especially the scenes where their history is revealed. The pain Brooke feels when Rafe says he made love to her to repay a debt is heart wrenching. By the same token, his complete unawareness of just what he said that hurt her has a bit of humor to it. His apology is heartfelt even though he didn’t quite get what he did wrong. Ms. Dodd captures the range of human emotions and weaves them into a great story.

I felt a moment’s frustration as I read the last chapter that leads into Eli’s story because I’m going to have to wait for it! It hints of humor and a super romance and mystery that I can’t wait to read.

SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA kicked off my summer reading in style and has me planning a trip over the hill to Napa in the near future.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

CHAINS OF FIRE by Christina Dodd

Book Four of the Chosen Ones series
Publisher: Signet
Date published: September 2010
ISBN: 978-0451412928
Paranormal romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Danny
Obtained via: Publisher


Samuel Faa and Isabelle Mason are both Chosen, he has the power to control minds and she has the gift of healing, but that’s where their similarities end. He hasn’t led an easy life, whereas she comes from a wealthy and privileged family. They learned during a short affair that a relationship between a Gypsy and a socialite doesn’t work, but they can’t deny the attraction between them. Only on a mission, they finally have to face not only their enemies, but also that their feelings can’t be ignored any longer.

Ms. Dodd delivers with CHAINS OF FIRE another masterpiece of paranormal romance. I have been a long time fan of Ms. Dodd’s work and she never disappoints me and this book is no exception. From the first page onward my interest was caught and I couldn’t put down the book till I reached the last page.

The readers first met Samuel and Isabelle in STORMS OF VISION and now they finally get their own story. They are a really intriguing couple because they are so different and not only from their background but also their character.

CHAINS OF FIRE is the fourth book of Ms. Dodd’s successful Chosen Ones and I highly recommend that you read the books in order, so that you get the full depth of information about the whole conflict etc.

I can hardly wait to read the next book!

CHAINS OF FIRE is a book that I can highly recommend to all fans of paranormal romance stories!

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THIGH HIGH by Christina Dodd

Publisher Signet
Date published March 2008
ISBN 978-0-451-22337-1
Genre Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Valerie









The Big Easy, Mardi Gras and all the excitement that it brings. For Nessa Dahl, who lives a normally sensible life, things get out of hand when the handsome Jeremiah MacNaught comes to town and insists she help him in the investigation of the yearly bank robberies that occur at this time. Bank robberies that so far the local police force have been unable to solve and the FBI are not too interested in as only very small amounts are stolen. Jeremiah realizes that beneath Nessa’s professional exterior lies an outlaw spirit and a passion builds between them that is hotter than a summer night. But when Nessa finds out that Jeremiah is undercover, lies to her about his real identity and even is considering her as being involved in the crimes, she will show him just what being thigh high in trouble really means. Poor Jeremiah’s world turns upside down as he tries to find his way around the world of the Big Easy and the craziness of Mardi Gras.

This is an exciting and humorous story that is entertaining and thrilling. Christina Dodd gives her readers a heroine who is sympathic and who the readers will be rooting for. Her hero seems at first a real jerk. He’s arrogant, legalistic and seems to have problems giving in to his true feelings. But, Nessa is more than a match for this man and this part of the story is in itself exciting as the reader sees how she manages to tame this man. I sometimes thought what he needed was a good slap! Christina Dodd, however, uses sexual tension, sultry seduction and some good old true love to bring this man to his knees. There are lots of quirky secondary characters that make this story more interesting and not to forget Nessa’s boss-from-hell. This story reminded me a little bit of an old film, but I won’t tell you which one as it would give away an important plot point. All I can say is, you just have to read it!