Midnight Exposure by Melinda Leigh

Synopsis:

Point, click, die.
When two hikers disappear, their hometown in Maine blames the blinding storms. But the truth is far more sinister. Unaware of the danger, tabloid photographer Jayne Sullivan follows an anonymous tip to find the most reclusive sculptor in the art world. Instead, she finds sexy handyman Reed Kimball—and a small town full of fatal secrets.
Five years ago, Reed buried his homicide detective career along with his wife. But when a hiker is found dead, the local police chief asks Reed for help. Why was a Celtic coin found under the body? And where is the second hiker? Avoiding the media, Reed doesn’t need a murder, a missing person, or a nosey photographer. Then Jayne is attacked, and her courage is his undoing.
Reed must risk everything to protect her - and find a cunning killer.

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I was in the mood for a a little romance\suspense action and I came across Midnight Exposure by Melinda Leigh. It had been sitting on my e-book shelf for about a week calling my name, so I decided to try it out.

This story begins with Jayne Sullivan attempting to track down an artist/sculptor who no one has seen by the name of R.S. Morgan for a tabloid paper she occasionally takes pictures for.

She ends up in the town of Huntsville. A small town where everyone knows each other.  She plans on exploring the town and striking up conversation with the locals to see if they know anything. While out, she notices something strange. Unsure of what it might be, she snaps a picture to look at later. No big deal. However, it isn't long before Jayne attracts some unwanted attention and her life is put in grave danger. 
Especially when the person who sets their sights on Jayne, is not your run of the mill bad buy, but a person who practices magic in the old ways of the Celtic religion (a.k.a: A Druid).
This sleepy little town, is anything but…


“Someone in this perfect little town had a deep dark side. The well-kept houses, the Christmas lights, the wreaths, the picket fences, it all felt like a lie. Under the quaint small-town facade lurked something evil.”
-Melinda Leigh, Midnight Exposure


What I liked:
I liked that the mystery part of the story was not easy to figure out. I have to admit that I thought I had the bad guy figured out by the 5th or 6th chapter, but I was thrown for a loop and it turned out I was wrong. 
This story kept me guessing, which I loved.


What I did not:
For some reason, I was just not sold on the romance aspect of the story. It seemed like the author was trying to portray this big connection/instant attraction between Jayne and Reed that I was not feeling. It felt like it was lacking something for me.


Final thoughts:
Midnight Exposure was a good story to get into. My attention was grabbed within the first chapter. The story flowed well. Something was always happening, I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next and who the stalker/murderer was.
To my surprise the story did not completely wrap up at the end. That killed me! Melinda Leigh left me on the edge of my seat, wondering what is going to occur next. Thankfully I do not have to wait very long because the second book, Midnight Sacrifice is supposed to be released on April 16, 2013.

Rating: 3½ out of 5.

Buy:

Amazon | B & N | Book Depository | IndieBound | Powells

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Turning Point by Tiffany Snow

Snyopsis:

After her promotion from law firm Runner to Investigator, Kathleen Turner is learning the ropes of her new job from none other than assassin-for-hire Kade Dennon, a situation her boyfriend Blane Kirk is none too happy about. But the lessons with Kathleen take a back seat when Kade becomes a target. Previously untouchable, his enemies now know of the chink in his armor – his brother’s girlfriend.

And Kade’s not the only thing coming between Kathleen and Blane. From Blane's inexplicable defense of a man guilty of a horrible crime, to a mysterious stranger from Kathleen's past, to Kathleen' risky investigation into human traffickers, the obstacles mount against a relationship that's just begun to find trust again. 

While Blane considers a job offer that would take him back to the front lines in the war on terror, Kathleen is determined to pursue her new career, with or without his approval. Unfortunately, her current case is far more dangerous than anyone knows. Someone close to Blane will go to extreme lengths to split them up, lengths that may prove worse than death for Kathleen. 

Kathleen, Blane and Kade must atone for the sins of the past and the present. The fallout will force Kathleen to a turning point...in her career, and her life.

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Turning Point, the third book in the Kathleen Turner series, finds Kat still trying to adjust to her private investigator position at the law firm, with Mr. Swoon worthy himself…Kade as her boss/trainer. Much to Blane’s dismay.

Kathleen’s investigation into a case for the law firm she works at puts her in an unexpected and risky situation. As she gets closer to finding the answers she is seeking, the danger gets closer to her. Her job as well as her relationship with both Blane and Kade reaches a turning point and when everything is said and done, things may never be the same for anyone again.  

What I liked:

Kathleen is a woman who stands by her decisions. No matter how many times Kade tries to tempt her…and he tries a lot, she is firm with her answer. Though it is obvious she is conflicted in her feelings for him. They go beyond the feelings of just friendship. This is one love triangle, I do not mind enduring.

What I did not:

Even though I am rooting for Kade, I always give Blane the benefit of a doubt. His and Kat’s relationship seem to work and for the moment they seem good for each other. But Blane’s inability to confide in Kathleen and tell her things, especially things that actually involve her and are important annoys the heck out of me. It seems like he always feels like she does not need to know, or it won’t help anything if he tells her. Seeing as how they are in a relationship with each, trusting the other person, even a little bit is important. I know he has trust issues, but it still bugs me.

Final thoughts:

I feel like each book in this series, is better than last and I love that. The Kathleen Turner Series is one of my favorite romantic suspense books. It’s not perfect, but it is a lot of fun to read, there is real suspense, real characters, and something is always happening. The biggest downside is that I have to wait until December 17, 2013 for the fourth book, Out of Turn to be released. Ugh!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

** I received this book from Montlake Romance via Netgalley in exchange for nothing, but my honest review. Thank you!** 

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The Unwanted Wife by Natasha Anders

From Goodreads:

All Alessandro de Lucci wants from his wife is a son but after a year and a half of unhappiness and disillusionment, all Theresa de Lucci wants from her ice cold husband is a divorce. Unfortunate timing, since Theresa is about to discover that she’s finally pregnant and Alessandro is about to discover that he isn’t willing to lose Theresa.

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Chemistry was a terrible thing, sometimes it simply sparked between the wrong people.

-Natasha Anders, The Unwanted Wife

Theresa has been married to Alessandro (Sandro) just shy of two years. Their marriage is not your typical marriage though. There is no real love or affection, or any of the fundamental elements required in a relationship. Theresa was mesmerized by Alessandro from the first moment she laid eyes on him, but Sandro oftentimes acts like he resents her and treats her very coldly.

Theresa’s father is a wealthy and powerful man who forced her into the marriage and she, being naïve and hopelessly in love with Sandro just went along with it. She kind of went into things with blinders on; hoping that things would get better with time. I liked Theresa, but I questioned why she married Alessandro in first place. If things started to change or he started to react to her in a different way even before the marriage began, then why did she not call it off or at least make an attempt to?

Things start to change in their household when she makes the decision to finally stand up for herself and no longer be a doormat. Even though to me it took Theresa too long to become fed up and reach the point of not letting Alessandro walk all over her. I am glad she eventually did make that decision. Her standing up for herself made Sandro take notice almost immediately. She made him see the things he was doing wrong and called him out on it. Things did not automatically become a bed of roses for them afterwards though. They struggle to get along and try to make things work. And after Theresa becomes pregnant, she knows Sandro will leave after the baby is born. But leaving Sandro proves to be a difficult task, especially since Sandro tries to convince her of his commitment. But after all of the heartache and lies, Theresa cannot decide if she should believe Sandro and if he is worth taking a risk on again.

What I did not like:

Theresa gave in to Sandro very quickly at times. He is a handsome man with a great body, I understand that. But one look at his half, partially, or naked body or being in close proximity to him and she would just melt. I kept thinking enough already, don't give into the temptation so easily.

Final thoughts:

The Unwanted Wife took me on a bit of an emotional journey. I could feel Theresa’s pain and self-doubt as she dealt with Alessandro. The story moved at an easy pace. It was not one of those books that I just could not put down, but when I stating reading, it did hold my interest. The characters and their lives felt real. I enjoyed it. If you enjoy emotional/angsty romance reads, then I would recommend The Unwanted Wife.

Rating: 3 ½ out of 5.

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