Review & Giveaway x 2: Shiver of Fear & Face of Danger by Roxanne St. Claire

Title: Shiver of Fear

Series: The Guardian Angelinos #2

Author: Roxanne St. Claire

Available: Now

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Description from Goodreads:


The legacy that haunts her . . . 

The mystery she must solve . . . 

A man who threatens to reveal her secrets . . . 

and break her heart. 

Burned by a failed marriage, former FBI agent Marc Rossi wants back in the investigation game with no emotional strings attached. Taking an assignment for his enterprising Angelino cousins, he heads to Northern Ireland to pry a key piece of evidence from a missing socialite-any way he can. But when the ice queen turns out to be warm, beautiful, and on a secret mission of her own, the job becomes a passionate reminder of what happens when duty and desire mix. The daughter of an infamous fugitive, Devyn Sterling has survived betrayal only to find that her mother has mysteriously disappeared. When her search uncovers secrets, lies, and threats, Devyn and Marc must trust each other when every instinct says they can't . . . and a terrorist wants to make sure they won't live to try.


My thoughts:


Shiver of Fear is book number two in The Guardian Angelinos series. I haven’t read the first book, but feel it would have offered helpful background on how the family owned P.I business came to be. The series can be read out of order, but I wish I would have started with book #1.With that said, I feel the author did an excellent job of giving readers a brief overview of what happened in the first book so I wasn’t completely lost. 


Events that happened in the first book seem to have set those for book #2 in motion. Devyn Strong is seeking the truth about the woman who gave her up for adoption. She knows her birth father is a man who has committed many crimes, and she hopes her mother will be a law abiding citizen and not a criminal like the man who fathered her. Her desire for answers leads her to Ireland, and directly into the path of danger. Marc Rossi has been hired by the FBI to find and bring Devyn back to the United States. He arrives in Ireland and finds himself involved in something so much more complicated than he had anticipated. He also finds it hard to resist falling for the beautiful Devyn. With both Devyn and Marc left slightly bitter and cautious after failed marriages neither are looking to get involved, but they find the attraction hard to fight.


I enjoyed the action and the setting in Shiver of Fear, but found I couldn’t connect with main character, Devyn. Her thoughts and actions just didn’t make sense to me. I understood her desire to meet her birth mother, but her desperation was very extreme and her constant focus on her “bad blood” was a little annoying. Her ex obviously did a real number on the poor girl, but one minute she was strong and assertive and the next throwing another pity party. Marc was an excellent hero, but I wasn’t feeling much chemistry between him and Devyn. This caused the romantic aspects to fall flat for me. Thankfully the action and suspense were enough to hold my interest and keep me reading. I also enjoyed many of the secondary characters, and can’t wait to learn more about them as the series continues.

My Rating:

Title: Face of Danger

Series: Guardian Angelinos #3

Author: Roxanne St. Claire

Available: 4/26/11

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Description from Goodreads:

Private investigator Vivi Angelino has never met a risk she wouldn't take-and her latest client, a starlet with a madman on her heels, gives Vivi the perfect opportunity to walk on the wild side. That is, as long as she can make sure a certain overprotective, overly gorgeous FBI agent stays out of her way-and out of her fantasies.

Special Agent in Charge Colt Lang is not about to stand back and watch Vivi dangle herself as bait for a serial killer. Yet trying to rein her in means throwing his well-worn rulebook-and his iron self-control-to the wind . . . and taking the chance that his heart will become collateral damage in an already perilous case. Because a woman who can't stop searching for the truth is impossible to resist-even when every discovery she makes brings them closer to a calculating murderer with nothing to lose.

My thoughts:

Vivi Angelino is on a mission to get the name of her new company known. She decides to approach famous actress, Cara Ferrari, about working as a body double in order to protect her from a possible serial killer. When Cara agrees, Vivi finds herself disguised as Cara and under the protection of Special Agent Colt Lang. They’ve worked together before and she knows hiding her identity will be even harder than hiding how bad she has the hots for him. Colton has always thought Vivi was cute, but won’t get close to another woman who is a risk taker in order to protect his heart. The sexual tension grows almost as quickly as the danger in this edge of your seat page turner.

Holy cow! The chemistry between Vivi and Colt is seriously HOT! I didn’t expect Colt to be such a stud, but I’m smitten. I couldn’t get enough of these two.  I don’t usually go for the preppy type, but I’m crushing on Colt in a bad, bad way. Thankfully he doesn’t let his straight laced demeanor carry over into the romance department of his life, but his intense nature never waivers. This is definitely a good thing if you’re the girl he is getting intense with ;) I’ve loved Vivi since I first met her in Shiver of Fear, but never would have guessed based on her fun loving demeanor how much emotional baggage the poor girl is carrying. She hides her past traumas behind her sassy attitude and tomboy attire. Colt could not be a more perfect match for her even if his rule following and khaki wearing self couldn’t be more different from Vivi. She deserves a man that makes her feel safe, and Colt is qualified to do just that.


Some parts of this book are really graphic and down right heartbreaking. A very emotional read without a doubt. There isn’t anything fluffy about this romance novel. The author tackles tough topics, but balances out the plot perfectly with well timed romantic rendezvous to keep it from getting too heavy.

I’m 100% addicted to this big Italian family, and can’t wait to see where their adventures take them next! 

Roxanne St. Claire on the web:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Fun Extras:

Guardian Angelino Feature Site

Shiver of Fear - Excerpt

Face of Danger - Excerpt

Giveaway:

3 sets of Shiver of Fear & Face of Danger are up for grabs thanks to Hachette Book Group!

Rules:

Open to residents of the U.S & Canada

No P.O Boxes please

Winners are subject to the 1 copy per household rule

Books will be shipped directly from HBG

Ends 4/30

Please fill out This Form to enter. Comments are appreciated, but will not count as an entry :)