Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Pulling The Trigger (Kenner County Crime Unit Series) by Julie Miller
Contemporary romantic suspense released by Harlequin Intrigue 9 Jun 09

Harlequin is my last hold-out for impulse buys. Shorter page counts at a lower price make me more open to navigating uncharted waters. I’ve discovered a lot of great new-to-me writers this way, but I’ve also had my fair share of duds. While I would hardly classify Julie Miller’s latest as a dud, I must have been asleep at the wheel when I purchased it because I failed to notice the “Kenner County Crime Unit” series logo smack in the middle of the front cover. For those not familiar with the previous books in this multi-author series, the beginning of Pulling The Trigger is a bit of bumpy ride. However, those readers willing to stick with it will be rewarded with a page-turning cat-and-mouse style suspense story.

Joanna Rhodes left Kenner City, Colorado determined not to look back. Growing up on the reservation, with two parents chained to the nearest whiskey bottle, meant Joanna’s childhood was particularly harrowing. In order to survive, she had to get out. She’s since gotten herself an Ivy League education, through the grueling training at Quantico, and is now an FBI agent in Washington D.C. She’s also in line for a serious promotion, but in order to show her superiors that she’s got what it takes, she needs to return to Colorado and interview Sherman Watts. Watts has been linked to the murder of another FBI agent, and the Kenner City Crime Unit has been looking to nail him. Joanna wants to nail him to, but for entirely different reasons.

Joanna knew it wasn’t going to be easy confronting her past, but running into Ethan Bia again makes her trip home that much harder. Ethan was the boy she loved, and lost, breaking his heart when she fled Colorado. As much as she had to run away from home, Ethan could not leave it. He’s a part of the land, now working as a tracker for the KCCU after a couple tours in Afghanistan. He never forgot Joanna, and has his own guilt for the demise of their relationship. He was supposed to protect her, he failed, she left. And now she’s confronting her past in the form of Sherman Watts, a snake who is proving to be most elusive. Before the cops can haul him in for questioning, he takes off.

There’s quite a bit of series baggage here, and numerous characters to keep track of. The prologue drops the reader right in the middle of the series, and it’s a little confusing for those not in the know. That said, by the end of the first chapter, the author does a really good job getting the reader up to speed. Dead FBI agent, mob families, missing pile of money, and in the middle of it all is Sherman Watts. The author also seamlessly weaves in other elements that will be fodder for the next two books in the series.

The cat-and-mouse hunt for Sherman Watts keeps the pages turning, although I found the romance a little on the light side. It helps that Joanna and Ethan share a history together, but with so much series-baggage and so many secondary characters, there were times when I felt that they got lost in the shuffle. I also felt that there were more than a few holes in Joanna’s back story. Her history with Sherman Watts is particularly traumatic, that one has to wonder how she managed to make it past the FBI’s army of psychologists. Also, Ethan has been back in town for a while, living in the vicinity of Watts. I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t gone after Watts long before now, regardless of whether Joanna was in the picture of not. He doesn’t make Watts his personal mission until after Joanna is back in town, and given the severity of the man’s crimes, this didn’t ring true to me. Certainly Ethan is a stand-up guy, but he’s also the kind of Alpha dog who would rip someone’s throat out for messing with his woman. Never mind that it happened over 10 years ago.

For me this was just an OK read. I easily kept turning the pages, and found the suspense thread particularly fast-paced. That said, I don’t feel any sort of burning motivation to go back and read the other books in the series. Those already hooked will undoubtedly want to read this story, and pick up on the clues Miller leaves behind for future installments.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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It had been more than ten years since tracker Ethan Bia had seen the woman who’d loved him and left him with no explanation. FBI agent Joanna Rhodes was as beautiful and secretive as ever, but insisted on keeping their past—and their passion—where it belonged. Ethan knew tracking an elusive killer through the mountains was their assignment, but his need for answers was as tempting as his urge to touch Joanna. Unfortunately, resisting both was crucial to surviving this mission. A mission that would determine how long Joanna stuck around once it was over….
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Shannon C.‘s review of Kansas City Christmas by Julie Miller
Contemporary romantic suspense released by Harlequin Intrigue 11 Nov 08

I know that, by the time you read this, you are probably not looking for another Christmas book. I know that I’m certainly not in the market for one now that the excitement of the holidays is past. But I did read this book on Christmas eve, having been drawn to it because of the title. (I know, I know, I shouldn’t encourage the Harlequin marketing department.) After all, I have spent Christmas in the Kansas city area and surrounding environs, and I decided that, since I was reading the book on Christmas Eve, I could forego my obsessive need to read all previous books in a series. What I got was exactly the kind of book to read during the holidays–a heartwarming story of love and redemption. 

Edward Kincaid is one of the most damaged souls I’ve read about in a long time. After his wife and daughter were cruelly murdered just before Christmas, he spent much of his time in a bottle until the murder of his father. After that, it’s all he can do to keep going from one day to the next, slowly working his way back to sobriety. He’s not sure he can handle his family, let alone his job with the Kansas City Police Department. But his brothers–all of whom have received their own story–convince him to help pin down the last bit of the evidence they need to uncover the murderer of their father. And to do that, Edward must seek the help of cheerful, Christmas-crazed medical examiner Holly Masterson. But helping Edward puts Holly in much more danger than either of them anticipated, as a shadowy terrorist group tries to keep her from discovering their secrets.

I like to tell people that I don’t like my heroes tortured, but I don’t think that’s precisely true. It’s more that I dislike heroes who wallow in whatever has caused them angst. Which is all to say that I loved Edward, who had me from his first appearance in the book. He’s a very damaged soul, both physically and emotionally, and I liked that he starts out the story well on the way toward recovery, needing only for someone to push him just that little bit farther. Holly provides exactly what he needs in that regard, and though I don’t think she’s as well drawn as Edward, she certainly works very well as a foil for him. I believed in their romance, and I wanted them to have a future together.

The plot is slightly more problematic. I was able to keep up just fine even though this was the last book in the series, but I didn’t quite understand the stakes. It felt like it was just too big for one book, and there were often moments where I really just wanted Ms. Miller to get back to Edward and Holly, who are by far more interesting.

Ms. Miller’s writing is compelling. I was at the edge of my seat in the appropriate places, and there was one scene in particular near the end that made me shudder, and not in a good way. While I didn’t find the particular suspense plot itself compelling, I did appreciate its effect on the characters, if that makes any sense.

Overall, this book was satisfying. I came to care about Edward and Holly, and even though the series they’re in is wrapped up completely, I do think I’ll be revisiting the Kansas City police department to read the books about the other Kincaid brothers.

Grade: B

Summary:
A detective with no badge, Edward Kincaid’s brooding nature scared medical examiner Holly Masterson, but couldn’t dim her holiday spirit. It was when she attracted a stalker that the most wonderful time of the year turned into the most frightening. Working together to reveal a conspiracy too many people had died covering up, Holly found Edward’s protection–and powerful embrace–hard to resist. Now, as new clues surfaced, could she bust the case wide open and give her silent knight the Christmas miracle he deserved?

Read an excerpt.

by Michelle Styles

July is a time for summer beach reads or just taking advantage of the hot summer sun and reading. Or at least I am hoping that July will see lots of sun. Last year was a washout in the UK, and this year is not much better. I have taken to counting the number of leaks in the summer room as I bury my head in a book and escape elsewhere. But whatever the weather, July is a great time to escape into reading.

July marks the start of the Reader’s Choice 12 book continuity series, Thoroughbred Legacy. If you want to get a flavour of the series, Joanne Rock has written an exciting prequel, Winner Takes All, available now free on eHarlequin as an online read. Chapters will be posted every Tues. & Thursday in June and July.

Joanne explained why the series is close to her heart:

I first came in contact with the glittering world of Thoroughbred racing while working summers at the Saratoga Racetrack in upstate New York. The whole town of Saratoga changes during racing season as exotic cars line up at the rail with Kentucky and Tenessee plates and this historic, charming community becomes the site of glamorous parties and world-renowned racing figures. I couldn’t wait to explore more of that world in Thoroughbred Legacy and I hope readers will follow me to Woodford County, Kentucky.

Joanne also wrote Book #4, Something to Talk About, a July release along with the first three books in the series. The next four are published in September and final four in December.

And I know this has been highlighted before, but it is very exciting news. July sees the launch of the first Blaze historical. Bound to Please has been burning up the ebook chart at eharlequin and is now finally in the shops. Hope Tarr said:

I’m absolutely over the moon to have been asked to help launch Harlequin Blaze historicals with Bound to Please. A Blaze historical offers readers all the opulence and magic, that fairytale “get-away” experience, of a single-title length historical along with the strong heroines, super-sexy heroes, and sensual plotlines for which the line is known.

For those of you who love Regency, Louise Allen has a major new mini series starting in July. Louise is an auto buy for me. I love her slightly different take and settings.

I loved writing Those Scandalous Ravenhursts because I was finding out so much about the characters as the series progressed – they kept surprising me, which kept me on my toes, and they still are as I’m working on number 6, the Piratical Miss Ravenhurst. And it was such fun having the chance to revisit characters I’d loved when I was writing ‘their’ story. I hope readers will enjoy following the Ravenhursts through their adventures – they turned out to be a much more adventurous group than I had first expected – and will have fun travelling with them too, from the mythical Grand Duchy of Maubourg to the West Indies via Burgundy, fashionable London and chilly South Coast beaches.

Louise Allen said, explaining about how the Ravenhursts have taken over her life. And if you read her blog post in June about her Ravenhurst heroes, you will be able to see why I am so excited about this series.

2009 sees the 60^th anniversary of Harlequin’s founding and as with things in publishing, preparations are well in hand. According to Julie Miller, Harlequin Intrigue is celebrating with an eight-month long continuity called The Kenner County Crime Unit. Set in the Four Corners region of the Southwest U.S., you’ll meet FBI agents, CSI investigators, a Native American tracker (Julie’s hero), profilers, wealthy inventors and more–all trying to solve the murder of an FBI agent, which leads to uncovering the theft of millions of dollars, which leads to a crime family, which leads to… Twisty mystery. Droolworthy heroes. Strong heroines. Danger and action. 2009 will also see the 25^th anniversary of Harlequin Intrigue.

The end of July will be the annual RWA National conference which is being held in San Francisco. There is sure to be lots of news from the conference, not the least of which will be the winners of this year’s Rita awards.

Until next time, happy reading and may your summer be wonderfully lazy.

by Michelle Styles

Lots of things always seem to be happening in June. I was a June bride 20 years ago, and this is why I never forget that the anniversary of Waterloo is 18 June. Lots of jokes about meeting Waterloos and it being a close run thing punctuated the speeches. And my advice to any June bride is not to lock your knees as fainting just after you say ‘I do’ – tends to get remembered.

June also marks the 10^th anniversary of Nicola Cornick becoming a Harlequin Historical author, as well as the release of her 25^th book: The Last Rake in London. It features Jack Kestrel, whose ancestors were in the Regency Bluestocking Brides trilogy. Nicola says:

“It was a huge thrill and an honour for me to be asked by Mills & Boon to write a book set in 1908 as part of the centenary celebrations. That book, The Last Rake in London, is also my 25th for Mills & Boon, so it is even more of a celebration for me! I had never written an Edwardian era book before and found the research challenging but was soon swept up in the fascinating history of the period. It had a very personal resonance for me because my beloved grandmother, to whom the book is dedicated, was born in 1908 and died this year, a month short of her 100th birthday. She was a true Edwardian lady and a great inspiration to me.”

It was out last month in the UK, and is a great read. It is tremendously exciting to see what she has done with the Edwardian era. Also her next HQN book Unmasked is out in July.

Seduction Summer begins for Silhouette Romantic Suspense, starting with Nina Bruhns’ Killer Temptation in June. Other titles are: Killer Passion by Sheri Whitefeather (July) and Killer Affair by Cindy Dees (August). Nina explained why she is so excited about the launch.

If you’re looking for pure page-turning sizzle for those lazy days reading on the beach, this series is for you! For Killer Temptation, I loved working with the Fiji setting…spent hours on the Internet just drooling over the gorgeous scenery. And I so fell in love with these characters, Zoe and Breeze. This book was so much fun, it practically wrote itself. One of my personal faves! And working with Sheri and Cindy on the series was a blast. Such talented writers and great ladies.

Jill Sorenson makes her debut with Romantic Suspense this month. Jill said,

Dangerous to Touch is special to me for many reasons. It’s my debut and I couldn’t be more excited about seeing my first book in print. I absolutely love the cover. But most of all, the book is important to me because I thought it might be my last. I wrote it during my second pregnancy and was afraid that with two little ones underfoot, I’d never find the time to write again. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to complete another manuscript. That book, Dark Canyon, and my single-title debut, Crash Into Me, will be released by Bantam Dell in 2009.

Julie Miller’s first book in her latest miniseries for Intrigue, The Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge, is Protective Instincts and features Sawyer Kincaid and Melissa Teague from Up Against the Wall.

The details of the Desire pitch contest are now up on the eharlequin.com site. It is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in writing for the series. Certainly, the editors are keen to find a new author before the RWA National. Deadlines for entires is 30 June.

Kate Walker’s latest, Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife, will be available as a free download with DailyLit starting on 1 June. The offer continues until 31 August. The book will be sent in short email/rss segments.

“We have had a wonderful response from Harlequin fans using DailyLit to receive these novels, and we wanted to give them something back in return,” said Susan Danziger, President and Publisher of DailyLit. “We thought what better way than to offer them a brand new title by one of their most popular authors.”

Over 200 Harlequin titles are currently available for purchase from DailyLit.com.

The long awaited exhibition to celebrate Mills & Boon’s centenary opens this month in Manchester. Nicola Cornick is giving a workshop on “Regency Pleasures and Pastimes” 14 June at the Manchester Library in connection with the exhibition. Mills & Boon editors have been busy visiting literary festivals. To see the full list of where they will be, plus see some great early covers, visit the M & B Facebook fansite.

On the website, Mills & Boon has a signup for those of you interested in getting M & B ebooks. I am not sure when this is starting, but it is a great development. You can sign up to get more news about the launch date.

One of my favourite things about June is that it marks the start of summer holiday reading, and a chance to indulge. Happy reading, and I will be back with more news in July.