Customer Reviews

In the Arms of the Enemy

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the Arms of the Enemy is the first offering by new Romantic Suspense Author, Patricia A. Guthrie. It is written like a seasoned writer. A definte page turner, It will open your eyes to how money and power are obtained at the cost of innocent horses. While this book is fiction, The reality of this story is real. Ms. Guthrie gives new meaning to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Adam Grant is covinced that former horse trainer Maggie McGregor is the enemy,but is she? Far be it for me to tell you.

For a short time in my life I became interested in Romantic Suspense. Patricia Guthrie has renewed this interest a bit if only to eagerly await her next book.
Authors today seem to have an excess of sex, violence and curse words in their books. IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY has none of these things overdone. As a matter of fact the curse words that others seem to think are necessary to writing are absent from Ms. Guthrie's book. The other two are done to a level adequate to this grand read, which delights me to no end.

Ms. Guthrie uses a storm to set the scene for big troubles to come and she has a spinning wheel of suspects that keeps one actively involved in the plot.

In short spurts you grow to dislike a character and then in a brief scene you begin to see another side and then the author kills the character. At the moment I found this character was dead, I screamed and hollered at Patricia with all the fury within my soul. She evoked such emotion in me that I for one cannot wait to read her next book. I also thank her for sharing her creative soul with us. Great job, Patricia.

Suzanne Valente

"But don't go leaving here with the idea that I don't love you. That would make your leaving way too easy...If it's a case that you're expected to marry a Kentucky Blueblood socialite rather than a good, Scottish woman, that's a different story. Then, be on your way"...(p. 154)

Meet the fiery and beautiful Maggie McGregor, horse trainer extraordinaire, in Patricia A. Guthrie's wonderful first novel, In the Arms of the Enemy. Guthrie's book is an exciting blend of suspense and sexy romance, within the sometimes dangerous world of horse racing.

When Maggie's fiancé, Ricky Lane, showed up with a beautiful woman on his arm, along with George Blakely, owner of the horse, Black Autumn, she was suspicious and jealous. But her feelings quickly turned to anger when he left her alone to attend Black Autumn during the race. Then when the horse she had trained won, Ricky was quick to identify himself as the winner's trainer!

It didn't take any more than that for Maggie to finally end her engagement, quit and leave.

Even so, when Black Autumn, Ricky Lane and George Blakely, were all murdered within a week, it was Maggie that was most suspected--especially by Blakely's son, Jonathan Adam!

As may be expected by the title, Adam and Maggie were instantly attracted to each other. Adam had come to investigate Maggie, posing as, first, a novice who wanted her to train his horse, and then later as a private investigator and also, sometimes, as an owner of a software company, aka a playboy entrepreneur. The clumsiness with which Adam tries to be undercover provides a thread of humor for readers since Maggie is quite adept at seeing the many mistakes he makes. But Maggie seems quite willing to play along with his various roles, at least until she figures out why he's really there!

Guthrie's inclusion of Maggie's father as an important minor character also provided an unusual perspective to the emerging relationship between his daughter and Adam--whoever he was!

Fortunately while this antagonistic couple is falling in love, there are sufficient, real lawmen that are working to solve the murders of the two men and high-priced horse! Adam had at least been able to feed his friend and FBI agent important information, even as he struggled between wanting to prove who destroyed his father and his growing love and need for Maggie.

And then a series of accidents start--with Maggie as the intended victim! Adam now found himself the protector, rather than the investigator out to prove her guilt, as he strives to keep safe the woman he must admit to himself he loves. A scene between Adam and his former mother-in-law was one of the best in the book and revealed the author's sensitivity to detail about her characters' lives that was especially impressive, in my opinion.

Guthrie has a fast-paced, fluent writing style that makes reading her book fun! Only problem...I wanted more! Maybe there will be a series coming up, or at least a sequel. Maggie McGregor is too good a character and too good a horse trainer not to find another mystery to solve in her life, especially as Adam's wife!

So, readers, are you planning a quiet Sunday afternoon for yourself sometime in the future? Grab a cup of tea and Patricia Guthrie's, In the Arms of the Enemy! And Enjoy! You'll be so glad you did!

A self-appointed private investigator has only one desire--to track down his father's murderer. The problem is, he may already have fallen in love with her. Maggie is smart, strong, capable, and beautiful. Does she have it in her to commit murder and insurance fraud? Or has the culprit been overlooked? As Adam grows closer and closer to Maggie, he finds her irresistable, from her devotion to horses to her dazzling red curls. Meanwhile, she finds Adam equally compelling. But can she trust her heart to the man determined to find her guilty and bring her to trial? The story unfolds through sweet romance and pulse pounding peril as Adam and Maggie struggle for a way to share their love and stay alive long enough to solve the mystery. A fun and thrilling read from page one.

I am a horse lover and I also enjoy romance novels. This book fulfilled both things.It was a fast read and very enjoyable.I would recommend it to horse lovers.

To find who killed his champion race horse and caused his father's death, Adam Grant assumes a new identity. The self appointed amateur investigator unsuccesfully posess as a novice rider. In Maggie McGregor's riding establishment many surprises and a killer are waiting. A bit of romance adds to Grant's problems.

Guthrie knows how to keep the reader on the edge of his seat. Being a Dick Francis fan, this reader was not dissapointed.
Kingmaker

After the deaths of his father, a horse trainer, and a prize steed, Adam Blakely suspects the assistant trainer, Maggie McGregor, of being the one who killed all three, even though she was nowhere near the trio at the time, having left a month before following a falling out with her fiancé. Yet, he discovers a woman who seems innocent, a woman he could love. Unfortunately, key evidence does seem to support his original theory. There is also someone trying to kill her, or are they? Adam does not know what to believe, or if Maggie is innocent, if she will forgive his suspicions.

*** It is easy to read In the Arms of the Enemy in one sitting, but the story is fully developed despite its brevity. The true culprit will be a total surprise, yet will also make sense in retrospect. It is clear that the author's early love of Agatha Christie well prepared her for her career and bore fruit. ***

Amanda Killgore

Arms of the Enemy has all the qualities that make a book a page turner. A brutal murder of both a character and a courageous, beautiful racehorse jolts the reader in the opening chapter. Guthrie then weaves murder, mystery and romance into a web so tangled with intrigue that it is impossible to put the book down. Her talent as a storyteller is brilliant and a tribute to all horses who have been abused or killed through power and greed. A growing attraction between the accused trainer and the racehorse's owner proves once more that love and ingenuity conquers evil. This book is in the winner's circle. *****

Micki Peluso