3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good follow up to "Killing me Softly", November 12, 2007
This review is from: The Perfect Stranger (Silhouette Romantic Suspense) (Mass Market Paperback)
New Orleans crime busting heiress/PI Saura Robichaud finds herself joining forces with a stranger she picked up in a bar months before in order to insure that crime kingpin Nathan Lambert is brought to justice for his many crimes, including the death of Saura's fiance. Detective John D'Ambrosia is a perfect match for the butt kicking Saura, and as they try to bring Nathan to justice, the two fall passionately in love.
The second book featuring the Robichaud/Fontenot family (following Mill's brilliant "Killing Me Softly" featuring Saura's brother Cain), the bar has been set for the remaining two novels in the series ("A Little Bit Guilty" featuring cousin Gabe Fontenot and "Sins of the Storm" featuring estranged cousin Camille Fontenot).
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
NON-STOP Suspenseful Read!, April 26, 2007
This review is from: The Perfect Stranger (Silhouette Romantic Suspense) (Mass Market Paperback)
In a passionately sensual beginning Ms. Mills, sets the stage for her newest suspense novel by giving you a glimpse into the secret life of Saura, a member of the wealthy and influential Robichaud family of Louisiana. Saura has suffered losses from the criminal underbelly that operates in New Orleans and has taken the lives of people Saura had loved. Emotionally closed off, she encounters a stranger whose eyes reflect the inner turmoil of a kindred soul - one who like herself is tormented and lost. After a night of fiery passion, Saura walks away to continue her quest to bring down justice on the person she holds responsible for the loss of her loved ones. Weeks later they would meet again.
Detective John D'Ambrosia was a perfect machine, a cop who would not make mistakes except for possibly letting the woman walk away from him who ignited a spark of flame in his otherwise dead soul. After discovering Saura was getting closer to the target he had earmarked to `take down' they reluctantly join forces. As John tried to take the lead in the investigation, he discovered that Saura was way ahead of him and her secrets would provide surprises that he'd never seen coming.
In addition to the edge of the seat suspense, Ms. Mills fills the pages with a passionate romance and a hero and heroine who are both fiercely intelligent and capable. What motivates them are the circumstances which the author feeds to the reader in bits and pieces as they discover the reasons for their individual tormented pasts. It is a remarkably good character study for both the leads and filled sensual heat and just the right amount of secondary characters to keep the pace moving at a fast clip. The author puts in enough detail to take the reader on a whirlwind ride searching for clues to nail the bad guy, even as they themselves often get caught in the cross-fire. As the story gains momentum a couple of twists pop out that this reader did not see coming which supported the mystery and enlightened the story. The dialogues were sharp, the passion steamy and sensual, and the pace kept this reviewer reading non-stop from beginning to end! This is an excellent read!
Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a pulse pounding and suspenseful adventure, April 23, 2007
This review is from: The Perfect Stranger (Silhouette Romantic Suspense) (Mass Market Paperback)
Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
John D'Ambrosia spent one night with a beautiful mystery woman before she disappeared. He has not been able to get her out of his mind so he's quite surprised when she reappears... on the arm of the criminal John is investigating. He is even more surprised to find out she is the sister of one of his former coworkers from the police force.
Saura Robichaud is suffering, has been suffering, ever since she lost her fiancé at the hands of New Orleans Crime Lord Nathan Lambert. Former private investigator, Saura went into hiding and has just now reappeared, sworn to find out everything she can about Nathan's activities. When the stranger she spent one unforgettable night with shows up at Nathan's home, she needs to get to the bottom of things.
Upon the realization that John is one of the good guys, Saura reluctantly agrees to work with him on the case. Their passion still lingers and makes both Saura and John long to give in to their desires. But their stakes in bringing Nathan down are far too steep. Dangers lurks around every corner and grows even stronger when they fear one or both of their covers have been blown. Can they outwit the enemy and find the love they both long for?
Saura and John are perfect for each other. Both have their inner wounds from past experiences they carry around with them. In spite of that, both are very strong individuals who know how important their respective missions are and won't let anything stop them. This added some great tension and conflict since John is all alpha male who will protect his woman at any costs. Saura is no shrinking violet though and won't let him call the shots. One of the best things about Saura's character is that we don't really know why she feels so strongly about taking Nathan down. It initially seems like she has a death wish, just as her brother Cain believes. However, as the story progresses, we learn there is much more to Saura and we see her true motivation shine through.
The Perfect Stranger is a pulse pounding and suspenseful adventure sure to keep readers fascinated until the very last page is turned and the mystery solved. I will admit, I found myself somewhat confused a few times where it was obvious there was a lot of back story not explained in this book. However, this didn't influence my understanding of the plot itself. It just affected my deeper perception of our characters' motivations and personalities. Once I realized there was a book preceding this one, Killing Me Softly, I tried not to worry as much about everyone's behavior, assuming it would be explained fully enough in this book for me to follow, as it was. And now I have a good excuse to move Killing Me Softly up on my reading list.
Jenna Mills proves she is a master of suspense with The Perfect Stranger. She kept me guessing throughout the novel with several twists and turns in the plot and even tossed in a few zingers that totally surprised me. One I later realized I should have seen coming but had missed all the clues. The other surprise I never in a million years would have guessed.
There is a nice secondary story with another strong mystery involving Saura's cousin Camille as well. This is obviously going to come into play in future books in the Midnight Secrets miniseries. I found this one as fascinating as the primary story surrounding Nathan Lambert's crime syndicate and can't wait to see how it will be resolved.
© Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2007. All rights reserved.
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