Friday, July 27, 2012

Unwrapping: Review of INTIMATE ENEMIES by Joan Swan

When I first introduced you to Joan Swan, back in March of this year, she was a debut author with FEVER which if you haven't read yet, DO or at least check out my review before you say no! I love that book and I think you will, too. Well, now the incredible Joan Swan has ventured into self-publication so when she put out a call for reviewers of her self-published book, INTIMATE ENEMIES, I jumped at the chance. She was kind enough to allow me to read it and all I have to do is tell her what I think - somehow, I think I got the better end of that deal. *wink*

Blurb for INTIMATE ENEMIES:

She is on a quest for answers; answers that could just get her killed.

Six months after the mysterious yacht explosion that killed Cassie Christo’s mother and stepbrother, authorities still have no answers to the cause. Searching for closure, Cassie returns to her childhood home on the Pacific Coast of Baja, Mexico, where she launches her own investigation into the accident. She never expected to find an adversary in the man who had once touched her heart with kindness in her darkest moment.

Rio’s been fantasizing about reconnecting with Cassie for months. But not here and sure as hell not now. As an undercover agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he’s working the biggest sting operation in all of northern Mexico, and he definitely doesn’t have time for the wild attraction he feels for Cassie.

Not only is his cover on the line, so is his heart. Because as the end of a yearlong operation draws closer, Rio knows if he tells Cassie the truth about who and what he is, it won’t only jeopardize his mission, it may result in him losing her forever. And if he doesn’t, his lies and deception could get them both killed.

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Oh my goodness, where do I start?  This book was incredible!  *grin*

Cassie Christo has stumbled into more danger than she knows. Determined to discover some kind of dirt on her stepfather, Saul Flores, so she can get him away from the only thing she has left by which to remember her mother and stepbrother, Terra del Mar. Cassie begins asking questions regarding her stepfather's business dealings and the involvement of the dangerous and incredibly sexy, Rio Santana.

Rio Santana is not what Cassie thinks he is. He's the only one she has no reason to fear yet she refuses to trust him even as she can think of nothing more than seducing him. Rio must desperately fight his own desire to give in to her charms. Oh, the steam between these two - ooops, my thoughts started to wander to a certain alley scene.

Danger is the name of the game in Ensenada, Mexico. Cassie has more than warring gangs and kidnapping threats to worry about. She has more to worry about than the unknown threat her stepfather has made to get rid of her permanently if Rio doesn't keep her under control. Her greatest danger is falling in love with a man who she doesn't know, who won't tell her the truth, and who she doesn't trust yet she craves more than water in the dry desert.

INTIMATE ENEMIES is gritty, action-packed from the first page to the last, and sexier than anything before it. Joan Swan has topped herself which honestly I doubted she could do after FEVER - that book gave me such a Teague Creek addiction that I read it twice in one month! You know I had plenty of other reading to do! INTIMATE ENEMIES is even better than FEVER and that's saying a lot. Now I've got a RIO addiction.  *wink*

Okay, one fault with the book - I had a little problem with the formatting in the epub digital as the font size kept changing but even at that, the words kept me going so that after a while I hardly noticed it anymore.

INTIMATE ENEMIES by Joan Swan is writing at its best. It's romance at its steamiest. It's action and suspense that will have you holding on for dear life while Joan takes you on the ride of your life through danger lurking behind every next page. She picks you up and sets you down in the hot, dry desert air that surrounds you constantly except when she allows you a brisk breeze floating in from the ocean. You almost feel the hot Mexican sun, the sounds of the marina and the smell of enchiladas cooking at Miguel's. You feel the pain of loss, the pain of need and the pain that comes on with the danger that ensues. I can't say enough because INTIMATE ENEMIES by Joan Swan has to be read to be experienced. Simply said: INTIMATE ENEMIES is brilliant. The question now, will Joan be able to surpass this one? I'm betting she will because she's only getting better.

Happy Reading Everyone!

INTIMATE ENEMIES by Joan Swan, available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

Get it, you won't be disappointed or if you'd like a shot at winning a copy, be sure to come by next Wednesday when the incredible Ms. Swan will be here for a Wacky Wednesday interview & giveaway!!

                                                             

2 comments:

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