One Wrong Move by Shannon McKenna Book Review & Giveaway!

Book Review: One Wrong Move

By: Shannon McKenna 

Publisher:  Kensington 

Release Date: September 25, 2012

Romantic Suspense 

3 Heart Review

Book Blurb: 

Alex Aaro has spent most of his life on the run from his Ukrainian mafia family. But when he learns that crazy Aunt Tonya, the only relative who ever gave a damn about him, is dying, he risks returning home to say goodbye. He’s prepared for anything except the call from his friend, Bruno Ranieri, that sends him on a wild and dangerous ride with a mysterious woman with a deadly secret and a white hot passion that binds them together.

 

Social worker Nina Moro knows her life is forfeit if she makes a wrong move and the ruthless syndicate hunting the terrified Ukranian prostitute she is hiding discovers her involvement. And so Nina avoids the inscrutable interpreter who suddenly appears on her doorstep. Until that six-foot-four rock hard slab of lean muscle is the only thing between her and certain death. Now Nina and Alex are in a race against time, death, and their desire for one another… 

What I enjoyed most about this book is that you are left without any doubt that the hero and heroine of this book totally belong together. While both Nina and Aaro are self-proclaimed "damaged goods" they find their perfect counterpart in each other. 

From the way Nina can laugh off all the extremely rude and crude sexual advances Aaro sends her way, to how he can get her past her paranoid craziness, they just work. That working together as characters means we readers get some insanely hot but graphic scenes and boy does Aaro have a dirty mouth!

What didn't work for me was the slight paranormal slant the story took on. It felt like an editor had suggested the author work that angle into the story to fit it into a certain category. I could have done without it and felt it took away from what could have been a very strong contemporary romantic suspense. 

If the book had stayed out of the paranormal realm, this could easily have been a 4 Heart Review, but it just threw me out of the story more than pulled me in. By the way, this book is part of a series of books by Shannon but I had no problem at all with reading it and not having read the rest of them.

Fast pacing, a hot, dirty-mouthed hero and a solid plot make this a book I can recommend to lovers of romantic suspense. I'll be excited to check out more books by Shannon and maybe I won't be as surprised by the paranormal aspects of her next story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shannon McKenna is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of super-sexy, super-scary romantic thrillers. After a bizarre assortment of jobs, from singing cocktail waitress to medical secretary to strolling madrigal singer, she decided that writing hot romantic suspense suits her best. She lives with her husband and family in a small seaside town in southern Italy. Readers can visit her website at www.shannonmckenna.com.

Giveaway Info
Shannon is giving away TWO prizes, a copy of one of her books at each blog stop on her tour AND a grand prize giveaway of a Kindle Touch!!! There are several copies of One Wrong Move, Blood and Fire, Ultimate Weapon, and Fade to Midnight up for grabs!

1)    To win a book: leave a comment on this blog post to be entered to win a book. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. This giveaway ends five days after the post goes live.
2)    To win a Kindle Touch: Click the link to go to Shannon’s website and enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the page. A winner will be selected on September 27th. Here’s Shannon’s Website.
 

Book Review: The Conqueror By Kris Kennedy

The Conqueror
By Kris Kennedy
Kensington
4 Heart Review

England, 1152. The country is wracked by bloody civil war. Griffyn Sauvage is a valiant knight with a strict moral code of honor. But when his family's estate and vast treasures are seized, he becomes hardened by the betrayal. Now he will go to any lengths for vengence – even if it means forming a union with his most despised enemy by marrying his daughter, Lady Guinevere de l'Ami. Then, Griffyn lays eyes on Gwyn and is completely disarmed...

As war strikes, Gywn is left alone to fight her enemies who want control of her ancestral lands. When Griffyn comes to her rescue, she is grateful that the mysterious, brave knight has risked his life to protect hers. With each passing day, she finds herself drawn to him even as she senses he's hiding a dark secret from her. And when another dangerous adversary closes in on both of them, Griffyn and Gwyn's trust in each other will be put to the ultimate test...

Having not read many (hmm...maybe even ANY!) medieval romances before, I wasn't sure what to expect of this historical romance. I shouldn't have been worried since the story was very creative and it was a nice change not to have all the action taking place at a masquerade ball.

First off let me say the $3.99 price tag alone makes this book a no-brainer to add to your to-buy list! You won't be disappointed in the story either. I liked the combination of war story, revenge plot, romanace and even a treasure hunt! They all came together to make an interesting storyline in a well-written book.

Kris did a good job of side-stepping some story traps she could easily have fallen into. Early on, it looked like the only thing that was going to keep Griffyn and Gwyn apart was a good sit-down discussion, but Kris quickly put my worries to rest with new conflicts and plot twists.

The build up for the treasure hunt also had me slightly concerned, as I thought it would be hard to come up with an ending the book deserved. Never fear though, Kris had it all figured out and the ending was inventive.

Check out Kris's website at http://www.kriskennedy.net/.