CROSS HER HEART by Melinda Leigh

Bree Taggert Series Book 1

Montlake Publishing

March 17^th, 2020

978-1542006927

Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Thriller Crime Fiction

Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Self Purchase

4 Hearts

 

For Detective Bree Taggert, her life growing up was been rough as her parents’ deaths in a murder-suicide left a lasting impact on her and her two siblings. Now an adult, she finds herself back Grey’s Hollow and the memories there. Finding out her sister was murdered, her estranged husband missing, and considered a person of interest has Bree joining forces wit former deputy Matt Flynn to get to the bottom of the mystery. But as their investigation unfolds, Bree and Matt discover that danger lurks closer than they think as they close in on the murderer and this time the danger hits closer to home for Bree as her family is caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous individual determined to close all loose ends regardless the cost.

CROSS HER HEART is an amazing introduction to the new series by Melinda Leigh that is full of twists and turns that will leave the reader on the edge of their seat right up till the last page is turned. It is full of captivating characters, a mystery that will leave you guessing and a potential romance between Bree and Matt that will keep the reader glued to the pages. The story just flows smoothly and kept me glued to the pages, wondering what would happen next. I didn’t know who the bad guy was until almost to the end and was shocked by it. The twists and turns the author throws in the story were perfect and had me hanging on the edge wondering what would happen next.

Meet Philadelphia detective Bree Taggert. She left Grey’s Hollow after her parent’s murder-suicide as a child and hasn’t been back in years. Now with a desperate call from her sister Erin, Bree is back and determined to find her sister’s killer. I love, love, love Bree. She’s strong, relatable, and quite determined. Her vulnerabilities are mentioned several times and as the reader gets to know more about Bree and her family, you can’t help but find yourself sympathizing and rooting for them all. The characters are where the author shines the most in my opinion. Ms. Leigh creates strong characters who can stand on their own but also are able to accept a helping hand as well. They are complex, multidimensional, and relatable. I found all the main players in this first book of Bree’s series wonderful and unique in their own way.

CROSS HER HEART is a perfect introduction to the new series by Melinda Leigh and captured my interest right off the bat. I could not put this book down and can not wait for book two to get here. I see a winner in her new series and look forward to seeing where the author goes with this one. If you enjoyed past series like Morgan Dane or her Widow’s Island series she cowrites with Kendra Elliott, then you will definitely have to check CROSS HER HEART out and settle in, the story will leave you breathless till the very end.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

WHISPER OF BONES by Melinda Leigh

Widow’s Island Book 3

Montlake Romance

October 22^nd, 2019

ASIN#: B07GB2BVQP

Contemporary, Novella, Crime, Mystery, Police Procedural, Small Town Mystery

E-ARC via Netgalley

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Publisher via Netgalley

3 Hearts

Dark secrets abound as a body washes up on the island’s state park beach and for Deputy Tessa Black, another murder has occurred and it’s a race against the clock to find out what happened as well as who the killer is…before they set their sights on Tessa.

I was mixed about starting the third book in the Widow’s Island series after the meh I got reading books one and two. I gave book three, WHISPER OF BONES, a chance and it was interesting if a tad bit short. What hampers these stories is the length of it. The resolution seems to pat with the page count, and I found it not as satisfying as I would have liked after finishing this quick read. Melinda Leigh is an author I highly enjoy, and she keeps the suspense up in her second Widow’s Island story (the other books are written by author Kendra Drake) and I enjoyed Tessa Black immensely. The story is enjoyable if a bit rushed. I found myself already figuring out things by midway and was a tad disappointed that the author couldn’t keep the suspense going longer but overall it is a good quick read if you are looking for a thriller to pass a few hours away with. I enjoyed reading more about the characters we met in books one and two (Close to the Bone and A Bone to Pick). I am going to try to see where the authors go in these and hope that they will eventually go longer in length to keep the suspense moving.

In WHISPER OF BONES, Tessa Black has another murder on her hands-on Widow’s Island and the victim is one who had a ton of enemies. The key is to see which enemy was the one who killed them. With a killer determined not to be caught, arson and more, Tessa needs all her wits to keep one step ahead of a killer and to bring justice to the victim. I really enjoyed Tessa in this book. She was capable, strong and quite enjoyable. It took a little bit to warm up to her and I enjoyed reading about her family and love life to break apart the mystery a little.  The characters are enjoyable and intriguing if at times a little flat just due to the novella length of the series. I look forward to seeing where the author(s) go in this series now that the third book kept my attention better than the first two.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

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SECRETS NEVER DIE by Melinda Leigh

A Morgan Dane Novel, Book 5

Montlake Romance

978-1542040181

Action-Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Crime

E-book ARC

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Publisher via Netgalley

4.5 Hearts

For lawyer Morgan Dane and PI Lance Kruger, trying to balance their personal life with their professional life is hard work, especially as Morgan’s kids and family often take center stage in their relationship. But when a retired sheriff’s deputy is killed and his stepson, Evan, is missing, it’s up to Morgan, Lance and Lance’s partner, Sharp, to figure out just what got the deputy killed and who is after Evan. The twists keep coming as they follow the trail and as more questions add up, secrets are starting to come out in the open. But as the killer draws Morgan and Lance into his game, they find the killer is determined to keep those secrets hidden no matter the cost.

Wow is all I can say after finishing SECRETS NEVER DIE and I can’t help but fall in love with these characters more and more with each book in the series.  Author Melinda Leigh delivers a pulse pounding ride from start to finish and the twists will leave the reader breathless even as they flip the pages to see what happens next. I sincerely love this series and can’t help but want more after each book in the Morgan Dane series is done. The author does a masterful job creating stories that have just the right amount of tension, mystery and character development to keep me intrigued and the cases Morgan, Lance and Sharp investigate are intriguing to say the least. The story flows smoothly with a quick pace right from the first page. I loved how the characters continue to evolve with each book and I lov the dynamic Morgan has with her family, Lance and Sharp.  Since the first book when we met these three characters, I loved how they just clicked together and the sparks between Lance and Morgan was so much fun to watch, especially with her three kids and her mourning the loss of her husband.

SECRETS NEVER DIE is a wild ride from start to finish with an ending that left me reeling. The killer shocked me when I finally found out in the last chapter and left my jaw on the ground. The reader gets a few hints but it’s like the author teases you into thinking its someone when in fact it is someone you really didn’t expect. That right there made me glued to the pages till the very end. I just could not put this book down. Ms. Leigh does a perfect job in keeping her readers attention with her latest installment in the series and its one series I highly recommend you read from the beginning in Say Your Sorry and I can’t wait to see where she goes next in the series for Morgan, Lance and Sharp. I look forward to reading more book in the series in the future.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

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WHAT I’VE DONE by Melinda Leigh

Morgan Dane Series Book 4

Montlake Romance

September 18^th, 2018

978-1503903050

Romantic Suspense, Small Town, Police Procedural

Electronic ARC

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Publisher

5 Hearts

When Haley Powell wakes up after a night out with friends, she is covered in blood and has no memory of what happened. For Morgan Dane, agreeing to take the case for her friend PI Lincoln Sharp, Morgan finds she has to scale a ton of circumstantial evidence, a police force overwhelmed, and a District Attorney determined to stick it to Morgan no matter what. As the clues lead Morgan to the real killer, she must figure out who the killer is before they decide Morgan is too close to the truth.

Oh my god, Melinda Leigh has done it again in WHAT I’VE DONE, and this is by far one of her best books in the series. I love this series since I picked up the first book, Say You’re Sorry and just fell in love with Morgan, Lincoln and all the rest of the main characters. This is a spin off from Ms. Leigh’s Scarlet Falls series that I just picked up to read and you don’t have to read that series to understand this one. I like how the author keeps the romance moving along between Morgan and Lance and Lincoln Sharpe is a blast as he takes Morgan and Lance to task for eating and drinking what he feels are unhealthy for them (Coffee! Chocolate!). The mystery behind Haley’s case was intriguing and kept me riveted to the pages of the book. When the final reveal was done in the last chapter even I was shocked at who the killer was and why they did it.

Melinda Leigh is a new to me author that I found by chance and I have fell in love with her compelling and thrilling stories. I know I am determined to see what else her backlist holds to read for the future. The characters are exceptionally well written, the mystery quite intriguing and the side story of Lance and Morgan’s romance is a light in a very dark tunnel periodically peeking through to light the way within WHAT I’VE DONE. If you haven’t tried this author’s work before I highly recommend her Morgan Dane series to get your feet wet. Just make sure to start with book one, Say You’re Sorry so you can see how Morgan, Lance and Lincoln started working together.  Trust me, this series will keep you hooked till the very end.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

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