Compared to its series predecessor, Off the Edge didn’t work quite as well for me. But I still enjoyed the story and overall continue to appreciate Carolyn Crane’s obvious talent for interweaving romance and suspense. In a genre that can seem a hackneyed (to me, at least) The Associates series so far stands out by distinguishing its operatives as pretty genuine nerds — shockingly handsome ones, of course — but real egghead types, with particular specialties that make them well-suited for investigative work. Macmillan, in […]
Romantic suspense that came recommended and which I now, too, recommend
Against the Dark was a very fun entry to a series I plan on finishing. Thank you to Malin and Sophia for the recommendation! Angel Rodriguez is a retired safecracker who is pulled into one last mission with her old gang, because the life of a loved one is on the line and she is the only one who can crack a certain make of safes, due to an apprenticeship with their inventor. The burglary job targets Walter Borgola, one of the most slimy and reprehensible […]
Sexy v. Evil
I first heard of Against the Dark (2013) by Carolyn Crane through a Cannonball review. It sounded right up my alley, but wasn’t available at my library, so I didn’t do anything about it. Then I saw that the Kindle version was free on Amazon (and still is, if anyone is interested). With the right price and needing the escapist fun of a romance, I picked it up, read it in a day. And it was totally worth it! Against the Dark is the first book in […]
The Party Princess and the Thug
Thorne McKelvie has meticulously and ruthlessly worked his way up through the ranks of criminal organisation the Hangmen, a group that doesn’t shy away from human trafficking in sweat shops, drug or arms smuggling. The leader of the Hangmen is suspicious of Thorne, however, and worried that he is gunning for his spot next, taking over the whole organisation. So after a series of unexpected attacks on the gang’s and their allies’ warehouses, he sees an opportunity to have Thorne framed and removed as a […]
She’s a lounge singer. He’s a linguistics professor (and a spy). Together they hunt bad guys
Laney Lancaster has been on the run from her monstrous ex-husband for the past two years. While he’s in jail (because of Laney), she knows that there is no way he’d let his many efficient and ruthless henchmen stop looking for her. Hiding as a lounge singer in a hotel in Bangkok, Laney is aware that the brothers of her friend Rajini may be involved with organised crime, but they have also been keeping her safe, with a job and a place to stay. She […]
The safe cracker and the nerdy secret agent
Five years ago, Angel Ramirez gave up safe-cracking and stealing and swore to mend her ways, sick of hurting and using people. She’s been working hard to stay on the straight and narrow, making a living as an interior decorator, trying to earn the forgiveness of her disappointed family members. When the woman Angel considers as close as a real aunt is kidnapped, and the ransom demanded is the hoard of diamonds belonging to notorious gangster Walter Borgola, Angel has no choice but to reunite […]