Tasting Fear [Paperback]

Shannon McKenna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

Nancy, Nell, Vivi...Three sisters who know there is no force on earth greater than love...unless it is the desire for vengeance. When their adored foster mother is murdered, the D'Onofrio women come together to hunt for her murderer - and track down a family legacy gone missing: rare, priceless art from the Renaissance, a treasure worth killing for. The law can only do so much and the three sisters are on their own - until three mysterious men get involved...Startled to find a brawny stranger at her mother's house, Nancy is even more surprised at the heat of passion that flares between them. Liam is intense and instantly protective. But is it wise to trust him with every secret? Her sister Nell has turned to Duncan, her new boss, for help. He's an expert on the dark underworld of cyberspace, where other clues may lurk. And Duncan is so sexy it's scary. All Nell has to do is say the hardest word of all: yes. But what about the youngest of the D'Onofrios, the wild and willful Vivi? She's on the verge of falling in love with Jack, who's all about fierce vigilance...The sisters embrace the ultimate in passion as danger stalks them all. Unknown and unseen, the killer is very, very near...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Art-hungry psychopaths" and three daring couples enliven this trio of linked romantic suspense novellas from McKenna (Ultimate Weapon). The D'Onofrio sisters' adoptive mother is a former Italian contessa who dies while being interrogated by an agent of Ulf Haupt, a Nazi SS officer's son who has picked up his father's search for the invaluable Renaissance-era sketches in the Contessa's possession. The Contessa has left clues to the location of the sketches for her daughters, who find themselves with a puzzle on their hands. Each novella follows one of the daughters as they pursue their mother's killer and the treasure she has left for them-all while seducing and enlisting the help of three helpful lovers. Though the Nazi art angle is as moth-eaten as the crooks are over-the-top, McKenna expertly stokes the fires of romantic tension.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Brava; 1 edition (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758228635
• ISBN-13: 978-0758228635
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #621,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shannon McKenna is the NYT bestselling author of over ten action packed, turbocharged romantic thrillers, among which are the stories of the wildly popular McCloud series. She loves tough and heroic alpha males, heroines with the brains and guts to match them, villains who challenge them to their utmost, adventure, scorching sensuality, and most of all, the redemptive power of true love. Since she was small she has loved abandoning herself to the magic of a good book, and her fond childhood fantasy was that writing would be just like that, but with the added benefit of being able to take credit for the story at the end. Alas, the alchemy of writing turned out to be messier than she'd ever dreamed. But what the hell, she loves it anyway, and hopes that readers enjoy the results of her alchemical experiments. She loves to hear from her readers. Contact her at her website, shannonmckenna.com, or join the newsletter by signing up at http://eepurl.com/hb3JY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars tasting fear, July 30, 2009

By 

C. Stone "Reese" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tasting Fear (Paperback)

Ok the story pertains to 3 women adopted by an italian woman with secrets. The sisters each have their own story in this "trilogy" all in one. While I am a huge fan of McKenna, I didnt exactly love this particular novel. I found the storyline and mystery true to McKenna's style but the romance lacked the particular "oomph" that I've come to expect. The heroes seemed identical in personality and not just in the "alpha" way and the heroines each had an issue with men and sex. In fact their is a line that is repeated in each woman's story about hoping not to choke during the sex act. I guess their were too many similarities to me and it was as if this story was written as one book and the names of the characters were changed to make it seem like 3 seperate stories involving 3 seperate couples.

I am going to eagerly await the missing McCloud brother and probably pass Taste of Fear to my sister .

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Missed the mark, August 11, 2009

By 

D.Stipo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tasting Fear (Paperback)

Okay, brace yourself. For those of us who embraced the fast-paced, exciting plot, great characters and a hot read of the McCloud series don't bother with this new book. It missed the mark on every count. There are 3 sisters so she wrote 3 separate stories in one book. After you read through the 1st sister-Nancy- the other 2 stories are a cut & paste that are even less interesting. What a shame. There is no desire to pick this book up again once you put it down, which is a true disappointment from this author. The ending, with sister #3, gives you the impression that the author was tired writing it and just needed to finish. Well, we can can only hope that she gets her head back into the game for her next one - rent this from the library if you need to read it. It's not worth the purchase.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tasting Fear by Shannon McKenna, July 29, 2009

By 

jjmachshev "jj" (Grovetown, GA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Tasting Fear (Paperback)

Stayed awake WAY too late just to finish "Tasting Fear". Shannon McKenna has delivered three stories in one (really thick) volume. The stories are interconnected with an overarching storyline, yet each story could have been published as a standalone and tortured fans into waiting for the next one. For that alone, this is a wonderful book!

Three women, adopted as girls by an Italian woman, become sisters. Each 'daughter' has her own personality and her own path to follow. The book opens with the death of the mother, and the early realization by the daughters that it was murder. Their determination to catch the killer is only heightened by the fact that THEY are now being hunted too. A wacko bad guy (or two), a hunky carpenter, a sexy, rather OCD agent, and a former Special Ops turned gardener comprise the main masculine characters. And let me just say...YUM! McKenna sizzles the pages with her special blend of Alpha male dominance and caring. This time out, each of the daughters learns to be strong in her own way and how to depend and care for that most rare of beast...a caring Alpha.

Mystery, hot sex, danger, smoking sex, and action (and did I mention the hot sex?) come together to create a page-turning story that demands all a reader's attention. I meant to just read 'one' of the stories and then finish up...HAH! I couldn't put it down and HAD to finish. I enjoyed how each of the sisters had a different personality and that was reflected in their story and their seduction. There weren't too many TSTL (too stupid to live) moments, I could see how and why each one happened and it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. The bad guy is really bad and a real sicko...and so's his boss (think Nazi offspring with all the bad traits). The mystery involves a mysterious hidden 'something' whose story and history gradually unfold throughout all three stories.

McKenna's characters all have foibles and strengths in equal measures. Nobody's perfect or a prince, etc. Both heroes and heroines work hard for what they have and have to make life-changing decisions under pressure. These things provide her stories with the aura of reality while still providing a great escape and maybe even make me think about what I would do in the same situation. (Scream and faint most likely...or just jump the hottie!) In any event, while I didn't love ALL three of the stories, I did enjoy the heck out of them. And rather than tell you which one was my favorite, I'll just let you read and guess it on your own.