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Retribution: A Gripping Romantic Suspense Kindle Edition
Winner of Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award 2017.
‘Keeps you enthralled to the last page’
‘Gripping, emotional and fast-paced’
‘Phenomenal must read’
‘A non-stop bundle of twisted intrigue’
She’s a ballerina with a dark secret.
He’s a retired sniper with a tortured past.
Will they find love or fall prey to a stalker’s deadly game?
Professional ballerina Jessie Hilton wraps her battle scars in satin pointe shoes, but there’s a deeper hurt that haunts her sleep. When a handsome man steps in to save her from a mugging, something about her hero makes her heavy heart leap. Though her career can’t afford distractions, he may be her sole source of safety when she gains the unwanted attention of a relentless stalker.
Ex-sniper Brad Jordan survived his tour of duty, but a tragic accident cost him the lives of those closest to him. With his faithful border collie Whiskey by his side, Brad gets a second chance when he protects the beautiful Jessie from danger. When the ballerina’s stalker grows more brazen, Brad’s tactical training may be their only weapon against tragedy.
Will Jessie and Brad survive a deadly game or will the assailant destroy their chance at love?
Retribution is a standalone romantic suspense novel. If you like tough-as-toe-shoes heroines, second-chance romance, and page-turning plots, then you’ll love Diane Demetre’s heart-stopping saga.
Buy Retribution to uncover secrets and rescue romance today!
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJune 8, 2018
- File size5482 KB
Editorial Reviews
Review
I was captivated from the start, intending for this to be my work lunch break book for this week,however, I got so into it that I kept reading at home and now I'll need to pick another lunch break book because Retribution only lasted for one day.
The ballet dancing - loved all of this! Jessie's dedication and drive to fulfil her ultimate goal was admirable.Despite being so single focused, she still came across as someone you would want to hang out with.
The hero - there wasn't much to not love about BJ. He really was a dream personified, and such a gentleman! He was perfectly suited to Jessie and they complimented each other well.
The atmosphere - Diane's prose is a delight, her settings were infused with atmosphere, be it in the city or the country. She brought Melbourne to life so well and the Yass countryside just sang from the pages.
Whiskey the dog - I can't go pasta great dog character and Whiskey was such a beautiful, obedient, loyal dog.Plus, I used to have a Border Collie so I have a particular soft spot for that breed. I kept picturing my old dog as Whiskey, so she was always going to be a winner for me.
For those who read a lot ofromance and romantic suspense, this is a novel that will appeal to youimmensely. There's plenty of romantic tension and sizzling scenes ofanticipation. The issues explored were done so with sensitivity and obviousresearch. The suspense aspect of the story was well drawn out with a fewunexpected twists. There's plenty going on in Retribution and you'll find it tobe one of those stories that you're hard pressed to put down.
From the Author
This story is my way of paying tribute to the people who have endured more than most. Those who have lived hellish childhoods, those who have fought for our freedom, those who have experienced unimaginable trauma and those who may never recover from their suffering. With the overarching theme of forgiveness and redemption, Retribution pays homage to the human condition in all its glory and misery.
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Following her onstage career, she spent many years as a stress & life skills therapist, keynote speaker and presenter, appearing on national radio and television.
Launching into a writing career, Diane's debut erotic romance series, the Dance of Love was voted Luminosity Publishing Reader's Choice Best Book and Best Cover for 2015 and 2016. Her romantic suspense, Retribution, won the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award 2017 for Best Unpublished Manuscript. Diane loves to write genre-busting stories with a twist. Her works are packed with emotional punch and feature empowered heroines who live life to the fullest, much like the author herself.
Product details
- ASIN : B07DB49G2T
- Publisher : New Age Productions; 1st edition (June 8, 2018)
- Publication date : June 8, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 5482 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 322 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,817,197 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #605 in Australian & Oceanian Literature
- #1,519 in Kidnapping Crime Fiction
- #2,607 in Serial Killers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Diane Demetre is a passionate thought leader, energetic speaker, life coach, award-winning author and Master Mindset Mentor who believes everyone deserves to manifest their dreams, and she’s on a mission to show them how! With over forty years’ experience performing, teaching, speaking, coaching, and leading teams of people, she’s entertained and empowered countless people through her work.
As an award-winning author of contemporary, genre-busting romance, suspense, and mystery novels, she weaves her intuitive insights into her casts of characters, heightening the intrigue in her storytelling. Set in exotic locations, her stories are packed with emotional punch and feature empowered heroines who live life to the fullest, much like the author herself. Having visited her stories’ locations, Diane writes with an authentic sense of place, dramatic flair and an evocative style that captivates her readers.
Diane was awarded the 2019 Leadership in Entertainment, Creative Arts and Media Industry award; recognition for her leadership across a diverse range of roles in the industry and notably her instrumental role in shaping national industrial relations laws in the late 1980's. It was Diane's high-profile sexual harassment and wrongful dismissal cases which shaped industrial relations laws Australia-wide and marked the first public #metoo event in Australia.
Acclaimed author of one of 2020’s outstanding personal development books, Master Mindset, 21 transformative ways to master your life in this uncertain time.
Winner of Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award Best Unpublished Manuscript 2017, Retribution is a masterful creation of insightful suspense.
Winner of Luminosity Publishing Readers’ Choice Awards Best Books and Best Covers 2015 and 2016, the re-released Steamy Secrets series are stand-alone titles filled with erotic adventures set in exotic locations.
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BJ, a.k.a. Brad Jordan, attends Jessie’s yoga classes and steps in to help when a mugger attacks Jessie after a class. He’s a former SAS sniper who lost his wife and daughter to a drink driving crash, so no stranger to heartbreak. BJ is also a natural protector so it’s no surprise that Jessie turns to him for help when she needs it.
There were some lovely aspects to this story. I adored the imagery as Dianne Demetre described the countryside around Wee Jasper. It’s country I’m familiar with and I swear I could have been there thanks to her descriptions. I liked the story too, especially because of the central role played by BJ’s border collie Whiskey.
I did find the pace of this story a bit patchy and tension came and went from time to time, which meant I found it difficult to stay focused on the story. I also felt the use of first person to take us into the head of Jessie’s stalker really didn’t work, but this could be a personal taste thing. Much of the dialogue seemed forced and I struggled to accept the almost instant relationship between Brad and Jessie.
Overall I think this novel has some lovely aspects though it did seem to need some polishing to turn it into a really good story. A thoroughly good edit would do this story a lot of favours and allow it to shine.
There is a lot going on in the book, I would say too much, and as a result the storyline and character development felt very superficial. The characters had potential. Jessie, the heroine is a ballerina vying for the role as Principal (Prima) Ballerina of the Australian Ballet. BJ/Brad is an ex-special forces officer coming to terms with civilian life and training his dog (one of my favorite characters in this novel) for search and rescue. Any one or even two of the plot lines could have created an amazing story arc with interesting character and relationship development. Unfortunately they author did not choose one or even two story arcs but 5 by my count which meant none of them was fully developed. So many bad things happened to these two characters it was almost too hard to believe. Combine that with the instant I am your new BFF relationship that had them practically joined at the hip after just meeting, and it all felt rushed unbelievable. As a reader I am all for suspending disbelief but this lacked the development to be engaged in the relationship. The skeletons in their closet are all shared through dialogue that almost feels like they are talking about the weather. Net for a romantic suspense it lacked both romance and suspense.
I would not say the book was bad it just was not very good IMHO. 3 Stars
Jessie is a ballerina competing for principal spot and she has a yoga class she goes to every Sunday. One Sunday she finally talks to a stranger (Brad) that is standing in a doorway and saves her from a possible mugger. One day shortly after her apartment has been broken into and she calls Brad and he becomes the savior. There is an unwanted admirer and Brad is determined to keep Jessie safe.
I liked the book but there was just one problem of how quickly Jessie and Brad started helping each other. There was no development it was ok, you are going home I will go with you and I will protect you. Brad has skeletons in his closet but his is very quick on divulging the information even though he doesn't know Jessie at all. It was well written, I liked it, just could have used more time.
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