The Last Mile (Blood Ties #2) by Kat Martin (2023)

 

Abigail “Abby” Holland, the granddaughter of legendary treasure hunter King Farrell, has inherited a map from King that he claims will lead to the gold for which he spent the last 10 years of his life searching. When someone breaks into Abby’s house looking for the map, Abby is even more convinced her grandfather was on to something. Abby contracts with another professional treasure hunter, Gage Logan, to help her find the treasure. Their quest leads them into the Superstition Mountains with danger following and then to Mexico where their biggest obstacle is the government and the cartels.

Abby is a beautiful woman who knows what she wants so expect a lot of conflict between Abby and Gage. Gage is your typical tall, dark and handsome male with a phobia about commitment. Mention of the sexual tension between the two characters gets a bit monotonous and distracts from the story.

Kat Martin is one of my go-to authors. Her books have never disappointed and this one does not either, although it is not one of her best. The “Blood Ties” series follows the three Logan brothers but can be read as standalone novels.

4.04 stars on Goodreads, 4.4 on Amazon

Sunburst (Sky King Ranch #2) by Susan May Warren (2022)

 

Sharpshooter and Navy Seal, Ranger Kingston has always put duty above dreams and he therefore views love as the biggest liability out there. When Ranger gets word that his brother Colt has been taken hostage in Nigeria along with the refugee worker he was there to protect, Ranger rushes to join the rescue team. No one is more surprised than him when it turns out the refugee worker is none other than the woman he loved and left four years before, Noemi Sutton.

When the injured Ranger and Noemi get separated from the rescue team they are on their own to get to safety. Ranger needs medical care but both know the hospital is out of the question as they are still being hunted by the kidnapping terrorists. When they arrive at a small village, the people are reluctant to aid the white soldier. It is only when Noemi introduces herself by her Nigerian name and tells the villagers she and Ranger are married they agree to help.

The lie backfires when Noami’s Nigerian uncle comes to collect them. According to Nigerian custom the prospective groom must first bargain for the bride’s hand and get permission before the marriage takes place. Noami’s extended family insist the couple get married again. Will the relationship last this time around? Are Ranger and Noami finally free of the terrorists who kidnapped her?

A secondary story revolves around the non-speaking Tae who was introduced in the first book in this series and is now staying at the Sky King Ranch where the Kingston clan live. I suspect book number three, Sundown which is due to be released in November, 2022, will be Tae’s story. The three books are tied together by this story arc but can also stand alone.

I have also read Warren’s Global Search and Rescue series and enjoyed those books as well. Several of the characters from that series make an appearance in the book. Warren is a Christian author and her story lines reflect that.

4.57 stars on Amazon, 4.7 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Phantom Evil (Krewe of Hunters #1) by Heather Graham (2011)

 

Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters paranormal mystery series is an offshoot of her Harrison Investigations series. Thought the plot lines are much the same, the Harrison series takes place when Adam Harrison, a firm believer in the existence of ghosts, worked in the private sector. These investigators work alone. In Krewe of Hunters (self-named) the investigators work in teams for a special FBI unit run by Harrison. Harrison handpicks the people who work for him; searching the country for individuals he believes has a special skill useful in the investigation of the unexplainable.

Harrison recruits Jackson Crowe, a skeptical veteran of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, to lead a krewe comprised of Angela, a seasoned cop, a nurse, a magician, the cameraman for a paranormal cable series, and a musician. All have them have had experience with the paranormal whether they admit it or not.

The krewe is called to New Orleans to investigate a house once owned by a serial killer. The house is now owned by a popular senator who is convinced ghosts caused his wife to fall to her death from their bedroom balcony. The police have ruled the death a suicide but the Senator is certain ghosts were involved and wants the team to prove it. As in most mysteries, nothing is quite what it seems and the senator might not like what the team discovers.

The book focuses mainly on Jackson and Angela whose relationship develops a little too fast. Little attention is paid to the other krewe members.  They will have to wait until their story is told in subsequent titles.

Currently there are 35 books in the series, several novellas, and seven seasonal titles. Three more titles are scheduled for released in 2022.

The Search by Nora Roberts (2011)

 

When we first meet Fiona Bristow, she is happily living her life on an island off Seattle's coast, where she runs a thriving dog-training school, and has three labs of her own. Fiona also heads up a search and rescue team with the dogs. The reader soon finds Fiona has struggled to find this idyllic life after her escape from the Red Scarf Killer, the serial killer who then killed her K-9 officer fiancé and his four-legged partner.

Fiona’s peaceful existence is interrupted by the arrival of grumpy artist Simon Doyle and his out-of-control puppy, Jaws. Jaws is the glue that brings these two very different people together. Just when all is going well, Fiona finds herself being hunted by a copycat killer, with a possible connection to the Red Scarf Killer. Will she be able to escape this time?

Reviewers either love or hate the Fiona/Simon dynamic, but all agree the dogs steal the show. The Search is one intense read.

4.15 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon