4
Nov 24, 2018
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Fatal series
is one of the best in this genre and rather unique. Most romantic
suspense series are based around something like a police force, security
company, military team or something similar with each book featuring a
different couple. This series is all about the same couple as they
progress in their relationship and
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Â
The Fatal series
is one of the best in this genre and rather unique. Most romantic
suspense series are based around something like a police force, security
company, military team or something similar with each book featuring a
different couple. This series is all about the same couple as they
progress in their relationship and careers. I like it.
I seem to
be surprised by where the story goes in each new book. I make
assumptions based on the blurb and they were wrong. That's ok. The key
events going on in the story are Nick's trip overseas, a home invasion
homicide case, Cruz's wedding and Gonzo's struggle with his partner's
death.
In Fatal Invasion, as with the previous
book, we spend much more time with Sam and her character than with
Nick. Often the female is the key point of view in a romance, but I do
feel like I am losing my feeling of Nick's character. His interactions
are standard for him with no depth. The primary action and issues here
are related to Sam's work though, so his role is more a supporting one.Â
I am sort of annoyed with Sam's attitude here and in the last few
books; I'm a special snowflake so I don't have to follow the rules.
The
five-year-old twins were a key piece of the mystery and I loved them. I
felt for their fears and uncomfortable situations. Sam, Nick and Scotty
were amazing with them and it was awesome. I felt so proud of Scotty.
Gonzo's
difficulties were a layer of realism thrown in like so many things we
all experience. In daily life, we have multiple factors, problems, ideas
and worries. The wedding was a great time of connection and celebration
for co-workers, friends and family.
I wish we had more page time
with Sam's siblings and her father. Sometime I hope someone will solve
her father's shooting. I enjoy each story as the characters and
relationships progress, along with a homicide case or two. I'm attached
to these characters for the long haul.
Â
Narration:
I've
listened to Eva Kaminsky on the last few books in this series. She is
the sound of Sam for me, but she gives a great voice for Nick and the
other characters, including the children. Each character has a distinct
tone. I was able to listen at 1.5x speed which is new for me recently.
Her performance is a pleasure for listening.
Listen to a clip:https://soundcloud.com/harperaudio_us...
Â
Excerpt of Chapter 1:Â
“This
is a classic case of be careful what you wish for.†Nick placed a stack
of folded dress shirts in a suitcase that already held socks,
underwear, workout clothes and several pairs of jeans. Only Nick would
start packing seven days before his scheduled departure for Europe next
Sunday, the day after Freddie and Elin’s wedding. “That’s the lesson
learned here.â€
“Only anal-retentive freakazoids pack a week
before a trip.†Sam sat at the foot of the bed and watched him pack with
a growing sense of dread. “Three freaking weeks. The last time you were
gone that long, I nearly lost my mind, and I don’t have much of a mind
left to lose.â€
“Come with me,†he said for the hundredth time
since the president asked him to make the diplomatic trip, representing
the administration on a visit with some of the country’s closest allies.
Since President Nelson was still recovering—in more ways than one—from
his son’s criminal activities, several of the allies had requested he
send his popular vice president in his stead.
Sam flopped on the
bed. “I can’t. I have work and Scotty, and Freddie is going on his
honeymoon for two weeks and… I can’t.†No Nick at home to entertain her.
No Freddie at work to entertain her. The next few weeks were going to
totally suck monkey balls.
“Actually, you can.†Nick hovered
above her, propped on arms ripped with muscles, his splendid chest on
full display. “You have more vacation time saved up than you can use in a
lifetime, and you have the right to actually use it. Scotty will be
fine with Shelby, your dad and Celia, your sisters and the Secret
Service here to entertain him. We could even ask Mrs. Littlefield to
come up for the weekends.â€
Their son’s former guardian would love
the chance to spend time with him, but Sam didn’t feel right about
leaving him for so long. However, the thought of being without Nick for
three endless weeks made her sick. His trip to Iran earlier in the year
had been pure torture, especially since it kept getting extended.
“Why’d
you have to tell Nelson you wanted to be more than a figurehead vice
president?†She play-punched his chest. “Everything was fine when he was
ignoring you.â€
He kissed her lips and then her neck. “You’re so, so cute when you pout.â€
“Badass cops do not pout.â€
“Mine does when she doesn’t get her own way, and it’s truly adorable.â€
She scowled at him. “Badass cops are not adorable.â€
“Mine
is.†Leaving a trail of hot kisses on her neck, he said, “Come with me,
Samantha. London, Paris, Rome, the Vatican, Amsterdam, Brussels, The
Hague. Come see the world with me.â€
Sam had never been to Europe and had always wanted to go, so she was sorely tempted to say to hell with her responsibilities.
“Come
on.†He rolled her earlobe between his teeth and pressed against her
suggestively. “Three whole weeks together away from the madness of DC.
You know you want to go. Gonzo could cover for you at work, and things
have been slow anyway.â€
There hadn’t been a homicide in more than
a week, which meant they were due, and that was another reason to stay
home. “Don’t say that and put a jinx on us.â€
“Come away with me.
Scotty will be fine. We’ll FaceTime with him every day and bring him
presents. He’ll be well cared for by everyone else who loves him.†He
kissed her neck as he unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it aside. “You’d
get to meet the Queen of England.â€
Sam moaned. She loved the queen—speaking of a badass female.
“And the Pope. Plus, you’ll need some clothes—and shoes. Lots of shoes.â€
“Stop it.†She turned her face to avoid his kiss. “You’re fighting dirty.â€
“Because I want my wife to come with me on the trip of a lifetime? I need you Samantha.â€
As
he well knew, she could deny him nothing when he said he needed her.
“Fine, I’ll go! But only if it’s okay with Scotty and if I can swing it
at work.â€
“Yes,†her husband said on a long exhale. “We’ll have so much fun.â€
“Will we actually get to see anything?â€
He pushed himself up to continue packing. “I’ll make sure of it.â€
“Um, excuse me.â€
“What’s up?â€
“My temperature after your attempts at persuasion.â€
A
slow, lazy smile spread across his face, making him the sexiest man in
this universe—and the next. “Is my baby feeling a little needy?â€
She pulled her T-shirt over her head and released the front clasp on her bra. “More than a little.â€
“We can’t have that.†Stepping to the foot of the bed, he grasped the legs of her yoga pants and yanked them off.
“Lock the door.â€
“Scotty’s asleep.â€
“Lock
the door, or this isn’t happening.†With Secret Service agents all over
their house, Sam couldn’t relax if the door wasn’t locked.
“This is definitely happening, but if it’ll make you happy, I’ll lock the door.â€
“It’ll
make me happy, which will, in turn, make you happy.†She splayed her
legs wide-open to give him a show as he returned from locking the door,
and was rewarded with gorgeous hazel eyes that heated with desire when
he saw her waiting for him.
“You little vixen,†he muttered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.â€
“Sure,
you don’t,†he said, laughing as he came down on top of her and set out
to give her a preview of what three weeks away together might be like.
They
broke the news to Scotty the next morning at breakfast. “So,†Nick said
tentatively, “what would you think if Mom came with me to Europe?â€
Thirteen-year-old Scotty, never at his best first thing in the morning, shrugged. “It’s fine.â€
“Really?â€
Sam said. “You wouldn’t mind? Shelby, Tracy and Angela would be around
to hang with you, and Gramps and Celia too. We thought maybe Mrs.
Littlefield could come up for a weekend or two if she’s free.â€
“Sure, that sounds good.â€
Sam
glanced at Nick, who seemed equally perplexed by his lack of reaction.
They’d expected him to ask to come with them, at the very least.
“Is everything okay?†Sam asked her son.
“Uh-huh.†He finished his cereal and got up to put the bowl in the sink. “I’m going to finish getting ready for school.â€
“Okay, bud,†Nick said.
“Something’s up,†Sam said as soon as Scotty left the room.
“I agree. He didn’t even ask if he could miss school to come with us.â€
“I thought the same thing.â€
“We’ll have to see if we can get him to talk to us before we go—and not in the morning,†Nick said.
“I’ll
ask Shelby to make spaghetti for dinner. That always puts him in a good
mood.†Sam’s phone rang, and when she saw the number for Dispatch, she
groaned. “Damn it. You jinxed me!†So much for getting out of Dodge
without having to worry about work. She took the call. “Holland.â€
“Lieutenant,
there was a fire overnight in Chevy Chase.†The dispatcher referred to
the exclusive Northwest neighborhood that was home to a former U.S.
president, ambassadors and other wealthy residents. “We have two DOA at
the scene,†the dispatcher said, reciting the address. “The fire marshal
has requested Homicide detectives.â€
“Did he say why?â€
“No, ma’am.â€
“Okay,
I’m on my way.†Thankfully, she’d showered and gotten dressed before
she woke Scotty. “Please call Sergeant Gonzales and Detective Cruz and
ask them to meet me there.â€
“Yes, ma’am.â€
Sam flipped her
phone closed with a satisfying smack. That smacking sound was one of
many reasons she’d never upgrade to a smart phone.
“You’ll still be able to come with me, right?†Nick asked, looking adorably uncertain.
Sam went over to where he sat at the table and kissed him. “I’ll talk to Malone today and see if I can make it happen.â€
“Keep me posted.â€
A
ringing phone woke Christina Billings from a sound sleep. Two-year-old
Alex had been up during the night with a fever and cold that was making
him miserable and her sleep deprived. Her fiancé, Tommy, had slept
through that and apparently couldn’t hear his phone ringing either. He
was due at work in an hour and was usually up by now.
“Tommy.†She nudged him, but he didn’t stir. “Tommy. Your phone.â€
He came to slowly, blinking rapidly.
“The
phone, Tommy. Answer it before it wakes Alex.†He needed more sleep and
so did she, or this was going to be a very long day.
Tommy grabbed the phone from the bedside table.
Christina saw the word Dispatch on the screen.
“Gonzales.â€
She
couldn’t hear the dispatcher’s side of the conversation, but she heard
Tommy’s grunt of acknowledgment before he ended the call, closing his
eyes even as he continued to clutch the phone.
Christina wondered
if he was going back to sleep after being called into work. She was
about to say something when he got out of bed and headed for the shower.
Nine
months ago today, his partner, A. J. Arnold, had been gunned down right
in front of Tommy as they approached a suspect. After a long downward
spiral following Arnold’s murder, Tommy had seemed to rebound somewhat
during the summer. But the rebound hadn’t lasted into the fall.
In
the last month, since his new partner, Cameron Green, had joined the
squad, Christina had watched him regress into his grief. He’d said and
done all the right things when it came to welcoming Cameron, but he was
obviously spiraling again, and she had no idea what to do to help him or
how to reach him. Even when lying next to her in bed, he seemed so far
away from her.
Sometimes, when she had a rare moment alone, she
allowed her thoughts to wander to life without Tommy and Alex at the
center of it. She loved them both—desperately—but she wasn’t sure how
much more she could take of the distant, closed-off version of the man
she loved. They were supposed to have been married by now. Like
everything else, that plan had been shoved aside to make room for
Tommy’s overwhelming grief. It’d been months since they’d discussed
getting married. In the meantime, she took care of Alex and everything
else while Tommy worked and came home to sleep before starting the cycle
all over again.
They didn’t talk about anything other than Alex.
They never went anywhere together or as a family. They hadn’t had sex
in so long she’d forgotten when it had last happened. She was as unhappy
as she’d ever been. Something had to give—and soon, or she would be
forced to decide whether their relationship was still healthy for her.
She did not want to have to make that decision.
Only the thought
of leaving Tommy at his lowest moment, not to mention leaving Alex, had
kept her from making a move before now. She loved that little boy with
her whole heart and soul. She’d stepped away from her own career as
Nick’s chief of staff to stay home with him and had hoped to add to
their family by now. When she thought about the early days of her
relationship with Tommy, when they’d been so madly in love, she couldn’t
have imagined feeling as insignificant to him as a piece of furniture
that was always there when he finally decided to come home.
Christina
hadn’t told anyone about the trouble brewing between them. In her heart
of hearts, she hoped they could still work it out somehow, and the last
thing she needed was her friends and family holding a grudge against
him forever—and they would if they had any idea just how bad things had
gotten. Her parents had questioned the wisdom of her giving up a
high-profile job to stay home to care for her boyfriend’s child,
especially when she’d made more money than him. But she’d been ready for
a break from the political rat race when Alex came along, and she had
no regrets about her decision. Or she hadn’t until Tommy checked out of
their relationship.
This weekend they’d be expected to celebrate
at Freddie and Elin’s wedding, and she’d have to pretend that everything
was fine in her relationship when it was anything but. She wasn’t sure
how she would pull off another convincing performance for their friends.
Tommy was one of Freddie’s groomsmen, so she’d get to spend most of
that day on her own while he attended to his friend.
Dangling at
the end of her rope in this situation, more than once she’d thought
about taking Alex and leaving, even though she had no legal right to
take him. Another thing they’d never gotten around to—her adoption of
him after his mother was killed. What would Tommy do if she left with
his son? Call the police on her? That made her laugh bitterly. She’d be
surprised if he noticed they were gone.
Tommy came out of the
bathroom and went to the closet where he had clean clothes to choose
from thanks to her. Did he ever wonder how that happened? He put on
jeans and a black T-shirt and then went to unlock the bedside drawer
where he kept his badge, weapon and cuffs.
She watched him slide
the weapon into the holster he wore on his hip and jam the cuffs and
badge into the back pockets of his jeans, the same way he did every day.
Holding her breath, she waited to see if he would say anything to her
or come around the bed to kiss her goodbye the way he used to before
disaster struck, but like he did so often these days, he simply turned
and left the room.
A minute later, she heard the front door close behind him.
For
a long time after he left, she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling
with tears running down her cheeks. She couldn’t take much more of this.
Â
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