ARC Review:Compulsion by Allison Brennan

Good but too long, entertaining but incredible, not necessarily an improvement on a frequent female-investigator formula.

Compulsion is my first Allison Brennan novel and my first impression of the book, while it was in the building phase, was that it was good. Max is an investigative reporter who is convinced that a serial killer on trial for murdering six-ish (I’ve had a couple of glasses of wine since finishing the book and the numbers are hazy, pardon me) women had a partner. The plot is essentially Max trying to unravel the mystery of the killer’s theoretical partner while “unwittingly” placing herself at the center of the killer’s focus.

Let me start with what I like about this book: There is a well conceived mystery plot with plenty of action, twists and turns interspersed in the pages to keep things interesting. I like a mystery that goes beyond just a good ol whodunit and ventures into psychological thriller territory. We definitely get that from Compulsion. Another thing I like about this book is the rotating perspectives. This book is written in a third person POV but it shifts between characters which gives the readers a fuller view of the story and a better chance to guess what is really going on. If you’ve read anything by Lisa Jackson or Lisa Gardner, this book is somewhere between the writing style of those two authors.

What I didn’t like about this book was Max. I have a serious aversion to the fearless female character prototype who recklessly confronts every danger like her a-s is made of Teflon. Max was running around in this book staring down killers, hounding law enforcement officials and venturing into dark abandoned buildings as if she had been drinking vampire blood and was indestructible. I get that she is supposed to be the “tenacious” heroine but I HATE that tenacity in a female character is often depicted as good ol fashioned stupidity. If Max were a law enforcement character who carried a gun or, I don’t know, was like trained in self defense, I would have found her behavior more palatable. What I have a hard time swallowing or enjoying is a character who has no means of defending themselves and no plan running head first into a burning building where a masked killer is waiting outside with an ax. That exact thing didn’t happen in this book but you get where I’m going with this. To add insult to injury, when Max is really in trouble she has to be rescued by a bevy of male heroes. Feminism aside, I’m all for some hunk of a man charging in and saving the day but the number of times Max stupidly got herself into a bind so she could be saved by a long list of tolerant/adoring male supporting characters gave me indigestion.

Finally, I didn’t really understand why the author built in information about the characters’ past. I don’t know that it did anything for the mystery plot line and it added too many pages to the book. I usually don’t complain about book length because if an author wants to give us more bang for our buck, why not let them? In this case, however, the book really was a bit too long in that some of the pages seemed just unnecessary.

Last impressions: I liked the mystery even though it was a little predictable, I hated Max and I would purchase another Allison Brennan novel because the writing was good.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Notorious by Allison Brennan

I have read all of Allison Brennan’s twenty-plus books (save for one novella) and can honestly say she’s one of the top romantic thriller writers out there, on par with such genre greats as Lisa Gardner and Sandra Brown. Her books are hard-hitting, masterfully paced, thoroughly researched and realistic, and incredibly well written. She has been on my auto-buy list for years, and I’m always impatiently awaiting the next instalment in her popular Lucy Kincaid series—a testament to her talent as an author, since multibook series involving the same couple are tough to pull off (unless you’re Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb). So when she announced a new thriller series starring investigative reporter Maxine Revere—her much-deserved hardcover debut—I jumped at the chance to read the first full-length novel, NOTORIOUS, early. Fans of Lucy Kincaid will encounter a very different heroine and a different style of book—more traditional mystery/thriller with the trademark ‘show’ style of writing and less focus on the romance—but Brennan creates an engaging world populated with well-developed characters and delivers a clever, multilayered whodunit plot that will keep you guessing until the big reveal. My only gripe is that, as the first book in the series (there is a prequel novella, MAXIMUM EXPOSURE, that introduces Max but NOTORIOUS can be read as a standalone—in fact, I haven’t read the novella myself), there is a LOT of necessary exposition and the plot only really gets going in the second half of the book.

In NOTORIOUS, cold case investigative reporter and true-crime author Maxine (Max) Revere is back in her wealthy Bay Area hometown for the first time in years to attend the funeral of her one-time best friend Kevin, who was accused (but not convicted) of raping and murdering another close friend thirteen years ago. Kevin’s death has been ruled a suicide driven by a lifetime of alcohol and drug abuse, but his sister believes foul play may have been involved and asks Max to investigate for the sake of (former) friendship. At the San Francisco airport, an elderly couple approaches Max about their grandson’s unsolved murder at her fancy prep school alma mater, and Max soon finds herself embroiled in two possibly related investigations and uncovering dirty little secrets meant to remain hidden—and which hit way too close to home.

With two cold case murder investigations simultaneously underway, one would expect nonstop action and suspense on every page and a pressing need to keep turning pages to unravel the tangled web of secrets… and this is indeed the case, once things truly get going about halfway through the novel. NOTORIOUS is clearly the start of what will surely prove to be a long-running series featuring Max and her justice-seeking endeavours, so Ms. Brennan spends a lot of time laying the groundwork for the series. We get a thorough introduction to Max and what has made her the ass-kicking, take-no-prisoners, willing-to-do-anything-for-the-truth person she is today through a careful treatment of her childhood with a wealthy but capricious mother that dumped her on her grandparents’ über-wealthy doorstep as a child, the sensational murder of her high school best friend at the (presumed) hands of her other best friend and the rift with both her family and the town for standing by the accused murderer, and the disappearance of her college best friend during Spring Break. The same is true with the affluent suburb of Atherton and the complicated dynamics of the wealthy Revere family, both rife with secrets and lies and the desire to keep up appearances above all. Creating such a complete picture of Max so we can understand her motivations and behaviour at every step requires that the nonstop thrill ride not begin on page one, but we’re rewarded in turn with a well-developed heroine who is smart, savvy, and committed to finding the truth at any cost but still feminine under all the kickass. Once the hefty amount of exposition is out of the way, Ms. Brennan delivers a tight, clever mystery plot with clues sprinkled throughout and a great cadre of secondary characters that will have you wondering again and again who is lying and whom you (and Max) can trust. There is romantic tension with one Detective Nick Santini, but the focus is most definitely on the suspense rather than the romance and it’s unclear whether Santini (and his associated baggage) will be a recurring love interest in the series

I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from the Max Revere series when I picked up NOTORIOUS, but Allison Brennan delivers a novel with all the elements that make her a master of the craft but that manages to have a completely different feel from her other work. Once the necessary exposition is out of the way, NOTORIOUS is a high-octane mystery thriller with a compelling heroine that will keep you guessing and turning pages and looking forward to more of Max’s future adventures.

**ARC provided by NetGalley**

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Guest Post with Author Jules Barnard and Giveaway

Meet Jules Barnard, author of Deep Blue.

Jules is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. She attended UC Davis, whose college landscape often finds its way into her New Adult novels. She has a Master’s degree and spent many an hour running statistical analysis, until she realized her favorite part of the job was writing reports. She decided to cut out the math and add in some hot guys, and so began her career as a novelist.

Jules is a Northern California native living on the coast with her husband and two children. She has no impulse control around cupcakes and credits herself with the ability to read while running on the treadmill or burning dinner.

Find Jules at:

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ARC Review: Crash and Burn by Allison Brennan and Laura Griffin

When I heard that two of my favourite romantic suspense authors were teaming up to co-write a new suspense/mystery series, I jumped at the chance to read CRASH AND BURN, the novel that kicks off the Moreno & Hart series. I love Allison’s dark and twisted romantic thrillers and think that Laura’s Tracers series is some of the best straight-up romantic suspense around, so I was intrigued to see how these two fantastic authors would combine their two very different writing and storytelling styles into a cogent whole. The result is two great (but short) stories featuring two kickass characters that reads like the pilot for a new high-octane television series and sets the stage for what is sure to be a very successful collaboration.

CRASH AND BURN is an unusual collaboration in that it’s actually two separate-but-connected stories written by each of the two authors and each told from the point of view of one of the two protagonists, Scarlet Moreno and Krista Hart. Scarlet and Krista are former LAPD officers who were set up and nearly killed during a sting operation three years ago and now run Moreno & Hart Investigations in Orange County. Each story follows one of the investigators on a case and is heavy on the action and suspense but lighter on the romance as we are introduced to Scarlet and Krista and their romantic interests.

CRASH is very much an Allison Brennan novel, darker and with a heftier dose of murder and violence to match the older, broodier Scarlet, who’s truly still a cop at heart but enjoys the freedom being a PI gives her to investigate who betrayed Krista and her three years ago. Scarlet is working a cheating spouse case when she finds herself inadvertently in the middle of a hilarious-but-sad crazy stalker ex-girlfriend case and butting heads with new, sexy Newport Beach detective Alex Bishop in a double homicide where her favourite bartender becomes a suspect. [Note: sexual assault plays an important role in the story]. It boasts Allison’s trademark pitch-perfect pacing and approachable writing style, and the great dialogue makes both Scarlet and uptight Detective Bishop thoroughly likeable characters—even in a short(ish) story. I wish there had been more time for the romance to feature more prominently, but that will hopefully come in subsequent books! Scarlet absolutely kicks ass, and I want to be her when I grow up. Krista too.

BURN is a great example of why Laura Griffin won the 2013 romantic suspense RITA—though, again, lighter on the romance than usual. It’s beautifully written, with a great balance of humour and gripping suspense that perfectly showcases Krista’s sunnier personality and dogged determination to elevate Moreno & Hart to the top. After chasing down deadbeat dads and philandering husbands for most of the three years Moreno & Hart has been operating, Krista is hired by the biggest criminal defence attorney in Orange County to track down and deliver a missing witness. But things are not what they seem, the client is an absolute wanker, and Krista is forced to cross paths (and reluctantly work with) sexy-but-irritating-as-hell rival investigator R.J. Flynn. Though the length of the story and the focus on the suspense means there isn’t much in the way of romance, the attraction (reluctant on Krista’s part and blatant on R.J.’s) between the two of them is evident and their banter has me really looking forward to them finally getting together!

If you like your suspense primarily plot-driven (but with some really great characters) and/or are a fan of Allison Brennan or Laura Griffin, CRASH AND BURN will not disappoint. If you have never read anything by Allison or Laura, it’s a great way to get acquainted with their voices before delving into their very extensive backlists. I’m already looking forward to the next Moreno & Hart book and intrigued to see if they will keep to the current format of two connected short(ish) stories with Allison writing Scarlet and Laura writing Krista.

ARC provided by Author**

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Guest Review: Reckless by Allison Brennan

I must confess that I’m generally not a big fan of novellas—especially in romance. While I recognize and admire the incredible amount of skill it takes to write a complete story with a plot and character development in a few thousand words, I generally finish these stories with a vague sense of dissatisfaction. And in romance novellas, I usually find the development of the hero and heroine’s relationship from “I barely know you” to “you’re the love of my life and I can’t live without you” incredibly rushed and unrealistic given the time frame.

But when Allison Brennan announced that she would be releasing a digital-only story in her incredibly successful (and deservedly so!) Lucy Kincaid series during the wait time between last October’s STALKED (the best in the series yet) and this June’s STOLEN, I was stoked to read it. Brennan is a master of dark romantic suspense and edgy romantic thrillers, writing both bone-chillingly depraved villains and the good guys who hunt and thwart them with equal depth of characterization, skill, and aplomb. Not for the faint of heart or for any reader uncomfortable with hard-hitting topics and the violence humans are capable of inflicting on each other, the Lucy Kincaid series is gritty and raw and the epitome of well-written dark romantic suspense. Lucy is the type of heroine I love to read about: rebuilding her life after a brutal assault whilst in high school, she is smart, tough, with an unfailing sense of right and wrong that often drives her to bend the rules, and the right amount of emotional baggage to make her a multi-layered, complex character that can carry her own series. Cyber-investigator extraordinaire Sean Rogan is her romantic counterpoint: laid-back, almost lackadaisical, with hints of a wild past and a distrust of authority, and a protective streak a mile wide when it comes to Lucy. He’s almost too perfect—seriously, there’s nothing the man can’t do!—but he works perfectly for Lucy, balancing out her darkness and bringing her outside of herself. When it comes to a multi-book series featuring the same couple, both the hero and heroine must grow individually and as a couple with each new book, and watching that growth is one of the most satisfying aspects of reading. Brennan manages it with Lucy and Sean almost as well as J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts does with Eve and Roarke in the IN DEATH books.

RECKLESS, the latest instalment in the series after 5 full-length novels, sees kickass heroine and FBI New Agent in Training Lucy Kincaid and her P.I. boyfriend Sean Rogan camping in the mountains during a much-needed weekend off together. Nothing is ever simple with these two, who manage to find trouble wherever they go, so their romantic getaway quickly turns into much more. Brennan manages to pack an incredible amount in under 100 pages, with a fast-paced plot that grabs you from page one and keeps you holding on for the ride until the very end, and Brennan’s trademark tight, crisp writing. With a relationship developed over the 5 previous books, the focus of this novella is more on the suspense than the romance, but we still get glimpses of the chemistry that makes Sean & Lucy such a compelling couple to read. Fans of the series will surely enjoy this short but enjoyable addition—and appreciate the humour in Sean and Lucy’s inability to go away for a holiday without murder and mayhem—but Brennan includes enough background information (without major spoilers) that it can be read as a standalone without feeling completely lost. Lucy Kincaid neophytes beware: because this is a novella featuring an established couple, the romance arc isn’t the same as in more traditional strangers-to-lovers romance novellas. If you’re looking for that traditional arc heavy on the romance, look elsewhere; but if you like your suspense with a dash of romance, you can’t do much better than an author who does short- and long-form romantic writing so well. I cannot wait until STOLEN (Sean’s story) in June, and if you like your romantic suspense dark and of the depraved-serial-killer variety, I cannot recommend this series (or any Allison Brennan book) enough!

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