Shiver
Karen Robards
One of the finest story-tellers in the thriller-romance genre.
When she swore off love, he was the last man she imagined would steal her heart.
If driving a piece-of-crap tow truck through the seediest part of town with a Smith & Wesson beside her means putting a roof over her son’s head, then Samantha Jones is going to be the best damn repo woman on the books. The streetwalkers, the drug pushers, the bands of looking-for-trouble punks haunting the mean streets at midnight don’t intimidate her. These are her people. The guy she finds bound and bloodied in the trunk of her latest conquest, a flashy new BMW, is a different breed entirely.
Daniel Panterro was certain he was going to die. Instead, by a stroke of luck, he was beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead. But if he’s having a bad day, Sam’s day is about to get way worse. Danny knows he hasn’t seen the last of the vicious drug runners who kidnapped him from protective custody. His only recourse is to take his pretty savior hostage and force her to help him. There’s no going back for Sam and her four-year-old son, Tyler. They’re in way too deep.
With ruthless killers stalking their trail, Sam’s only choice is to trust this handsome, menacing stranger. But as she relinquishes control, Sam feels an unmistakable desire. Could she be tempted by Danny, who seems intent on protecting her and Tyler from even his own darkest secrets? And what is the price of falling in love with a man who operates on the edge of danger; her heart, her life . . . or both?
I admit it, I had never heard of Karen Robards and the only thing that caught my eye was the cover and that was all it took! I read the synopsis and thought I’d give it a go. I can safely say that I’m very glad that I bothered to put it to one side. The book is based around Sam and her four year old son Tyler. Sam is struggling to make ends meet and is subsequently working as a Repo driver. Although that involves driving in the seediest parts of town when her son is in bed, she doesn’t care as it pays for the roof over their head. Her first job of the night should have been a straightforward one. As with any great story, that small detail is the start of a rather bizarre nightmare Sam gets dragged into. What she finds is a man beaten and shot, in the trunk of the flashy BMW. I guess at this point I was only a few chapters in and I was already hooked. The writing style and type of book this is, reminded me of Karen Rose (who I am a fan of). From that point in the book, Sam goes from being on the outside, to being taken hostage by Daniel in a fight to protect not only him but her and her son. It’s harder than this to detail too much of the storyline as it would become a spoiler, but suffice to say there is more to Daniel than meets the eye. One thing I need to point out is that this is classed as a ‘romantic suspense’ FYI there will be romance in it! It drives me crazy when I see people complain that books like these aren’t on the right genre blah, blah, Blah! This book is ultimately a suspense/thriller. It does however have a rather large portion of romance and steamy scenes going on! With the romance aside, this is a very fast-paced and action packed thriller that had me reading quickly. I was astonished to find myself at the last chapter on the same day I started it. Overall I was incredibly happy to have read this and will now find the other 2 books of hers I have and bump them up my ‘to read’ pile. For fans of Karen Rose, if you haven’t read Karen Robards I think you should try her.
Review by Katherine Everett, Best Crime Books
About Karen Robards:
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career. Today, a regular on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, among others, she is the winner of six Affaire de Coeur Silver Pen Awards for favorite romance author, as well as numerous other awards. She writes historical and contemporary romances. Her work has been translated into eleven languages, and has won awards from both Romantic Times and Affaire de Coeur.
Karen lives in native Louisville with her husband, Doug Robards, and their three sons. "I read, I write, and I chauffeur children," she says with a laugh. "That's my life."