BOOK REVIEW - FATAL AFFAIR by MARIE FORCE - FATAL # 1 - CARINA PRESS - ADULT SUSPENSE ROMANCE

By: Marie Force

Published By: Carina Press

Released : Available Now

Details: Kindle purchase, 294 Pages

RATING: 4.5 NICK AND FREDDIE STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Washington, D.C., Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland needs a big win to salvage her career--and her confidence--after a disastrous investigation. The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O'Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and Sam is assigned to the case. Matters get complicated when Sam has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O'Connor's friend and chief of staff...and the man Sam had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can't afford--especially when the bodies keep piling up.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

This was a great start to this series. Straight off I know Sergeant Sam Holland is one tough, intelligent woman and I liked her.

Nick Cappuano is the sexy man behind Senator John O’Connor. I can’t help giggling at the Senator’s name because it sounds so action/blockbuster movie, like Bruce Willis', John McClane in Die Hard.

Unfortunately for John O’Connor...things didn’t go well.

Sam and Nick have a past. A one night stand you can read about in One Night With You. Fast forward six years and Detective Sergeant Sam Holland needs to get her profile back on track, due to reasons, and she is handed the Senator’s case.

Enter Nick Cappuano...again. He is John's best friend and pretty much family member to the O'Connor's. I liked how much was revealed to us about Nick in this first installment. Sometimes, to me, Sam felt like a much stronger person compared to Nick. This may have come across this way to me due to what has gone on in Nick's life. I really am looking forward to knowing him more in future installments.

The sub characters were a really great asset to this story, even the ones thrown onto the usual suspects list. 

Who makes it out alive?

Freddie Cruz, Sam’s partner and gorgeous sidekick is a character I simply love. I want much more Freddie in future books. 

Sam and Freddie get down to working the case, while Nick tries to win back Sam along the way. 

I really like Skip Holland, Sam’s father. Marie gave him a great role in this book, she gave him his dignity.

I was totally bamboozled for two thirds of the book as to the, who-dunn-it. As the reader we are thrown so many decoys. When Sam kept telling the reader a direction her thoughts were going in ... that is when I knew it wasn’t the direction. It was process of elimination that filled a great portion of the story line and some awesome smexy times filled others. But, I did enjoy the variety of usual suspects because so many authors don't give you a line up. My brain was working overtime trying to work it out, but then it became all too clear. 

Annnd, that is okay. I enjoyed watching Sam and Freddie work the room.

Visually I saw this book play out clearly and at times with gory colour. Crime and vengeance are never pretty.

I look forward to reading Fatal Justice up next and seeing what Sam and Nick get up to.

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - ONE NIGHT WITH YOU by MARIE FORCE - FATAL SERIES # 0.5 - SUSPENSE ROMANCE - NOVELLA

By: Marie Force

Published By : HTJB Inc

Released : Available Now

Details : Kindle purchase, 64 pages

RATING : 4.5 STARS

Blurb : Goodreads

Since the debut of Fatal Affair in 2010, Fatal Series readers have been wondering about that “memorable” one-night stand between Sam Holland and Nick Cappuano that took place six years before Fatal Affair opens. Well, wonder no more!

One Night With You tells the story of Sam and Nick’s fateful first meeting in which all the chemistry and heat we have come to expect from them is on full display from the first moments they meet.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I am reading this series in the reading order stated, hence why I started with the prequel even though it was written after Fatal Affair.

This was my first meet and greet with Nick and Sam.

I really enjoyed this prequel into their lives which has the reader throwing Nick onto the book boyfriend list.

There are certainly sexy times in this novella, but I would have loved a bit more of a solid meet and greet for the basis for this long series. What I mean is I have started Fatal Affair and am over half way and the gorgeous Nick and the intelligent detective who I now know more about... it felt a bit quick. 

It was hawt. No doubt about it.

Not complaining about the sexy times, but knowing he was without her for six years due to reasons, this meet and greet was a hook up, but he really didn’t look at another chick for six years based on it or really pursued her. 

I get this is a novella. I get it is one night.

For me personally I would have liked more vavoom injected into this novella for the grounds of what happened in Fatal Affair. Possibly more of the Peter angle popping up to validate certain things. If you’ve read Fatal Affair you know what I am talking about. 

I wanted to be more invested in the validation of the six year gap when I read Fatal Affair. 

But, I still really enjoyed it. I just wouldn’t raise the bar to five stars for this reasoning. 

I’m now going to get back to Fatal Affair because for the life of me, Marie has me totally stuck on the who-dunn-it. 

This I totally love. She is giving us so many possibilities and this is brilliant. Too many who-dunn-it stories are predictable because you only get one or two suspects. Marie is giving us a boat load and that is very exciting for my mind to churn over as I read.

Michelle