Stranded with the Prince by Dana Marton

Harlequin Intrigue, May 2010, #1206

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Marital Consultant Milda Milas is hired to find the perfect mate for Prince Lazlo of Valtria. He’s not an easy man to fix up, especially since he’s resistant to the idea of settling down with one woman. However, the Prince’s mother isn’t backing down and Milda comes all the way from New York to do the job she is hired for.

Prince Lazlo is more than a little annoyed with his mother and Milda and their attempts to play matchmaker at his expense. His anger hits the roof when Milda schemes to leave Lazlo stranded on a desert island with three very eligible women. These are three women he already dated and things didn’t work out, so the situation becomes even more sticky.

When things go awry, Lazlo and Milda wind up stranded on the island alone. Things get really dicey when two of the Royal Guards are found murdered and the couple realizes they aren’t as alone as they thought. As they try and make their way back home, they find themselves fighting off a gang of escaped convicts.

It doesn’t take long before Lazlo comes to the realization that the one woman he truly loves is Milda. She feels the same way, but will they live long enough to be together?

This was another fast-paced book with great characters. It may have been a short read but it had quite a bit of story to it. I wasn’t ready for the book to end. This is the third book of Dana Marton’s “Defender of the Crown” Harlequin Intrigue series. I haven’t read the others by Marton, but it didn’t matter. I was still able to enjoy this one.





For reading challenges:

Harlequin/Silhouette Reading Challenge
Whats in a Name 3 Reading Challenge

Stranger in a Small Town by Kerry Connor

Harlequin Intrigue #1207
May 2010

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Maggie Harper is determined to restore the old house that her grandparents built, but she meets with much resistance from the citizens of Fremont. One thing they don't want to see is this house rebuilt. There are way too many bad memories including the murder of a married couple thirty years ago. A murder which left their young sons orphaned and thrown into the foster care system. The town wants to put the murder out of their minds, but they can't do that as long as Maggie insists on digging around in the past.

John Samuels wanders into town and applies for a job helping Maggie fix up the house. With no one else offering their assistance, she hires John, but not without some reservations. She can't help wonder what secrets this man possesses and how he really learned about her project.

It doesn't take long before Maggie starts receiving threats, but she doesn't let that stop her plans. She's determined to restore the home that once belonged to her grandparents, but is it worth her life?

John vows to protect Maggie, but he needs to learn a few things himself. For reasons he refuses to say, he won't rest until he learns who committed the murders all those years ago and why. His life, as well as Maggie's, depends on it.

This story has everything I love in a romantic suspense - secrets from the past, a hero and heroine I grew to love, and even a spooky old house. It's been awhile since I read a Harlequin Intrigue and I missed them. I couldn't put this book down. It kept me guessing until the last chapter. Just when I thought I figured it all out, I realized I jumped to all the wrong conclusions. This is a real page-turner.

Familiar Double by Caroline Burnes

Harlequin Intrigue #729, October 2003
Genre: Romantic suspense

Fear Familiar is back for another fun adventure! I so love this sleek, black cat and his crazy antics. Most of the time he knows so much more than the humans in the book. LOL

This story finds Familiar in the role of a “stunt cat” on a movie set. When the beautiful stuntwoman, Nicole Paul, is accused of stealing an expensive piece of jewelry, Familiar is on the case. No way does he believe this sweet woman could do something so awful. He’s convinced she’s been framed and he intends to prove it. He lets Nicole’s boss, Jax McClure, share in the investigation. It doesn’t hurt to have a human involved, too.

Jealousies and old hatreds are flying high on this movie set. The last straw is when Nicole’s father is released from prison after serving a 20 year sentence for stealing an expensive and cursed diamond. When he hears that his daughter is now being accused of a similar crime, he’s sure it has to do with the false accusations that left him in a jail cell for all these years.

Nicole, her father, Jax and Familiar set out to find who is behind framing them. The stakes get higher when Nicole’s father is kidnapped. If they don’t crack this case, time could run out on her father’s life. With Familiar playing detective, and a bit of a matchmaker too, things are bound to work out.

This is a quick read that had my hysterical – especially when Familiar gets insulted at his treatment at a local restaurant. Familiar may not actually speak, but he gets his thoughts across  I love this series so much. I only have two books and a novella left in my TBR. I hope Burnes never stops writing these delightful books.

For reading challenges: What an animal reading challenge, a to z reading challenge

I'm also giving it the Socrates' Book Reviews Great Book Alert

Silent Guardian by Mallory Kane

Harlequin Intrigue #1037, January 2008
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Former detective, Geoffrey Archer’s life is destroyed by the actions of one person – the Lock Rapist. The Lock Rapist is a psychotic serial rapist who takes great joy in raping women, including Archer’s wife. His wife is so distraught after the attack that she commits suicide. The tragic event causes Archer to lose everything he holds dear to him – his wife and his career.

Resa Wade’s life is also turned upside down when the Lock Rapist makes her sister his next victim. As the only one who can identify the madman, Resa is now in the line of fire and has become his obsession. The only one who can save her is Archer, but can he put aside his own feelings of guilt and anger? As Resa and Archer are drawn closer and closer, they ignite their own flames of desire, but they must fight their feelings to prevent the next attack.

This story mixes romance, adventure and suspense all in 250 pages and Kane does it expertly. This is a fast-paced book as it keeps you at the edge of your seat. It’s a totally gripping storyline that will grab the reader’s heart and not let go.

For reading challenge: RYOB

Texas-Sized Secrets by Elle James

Harlequin Intrigue #1052, March 2008

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Mona Grainger’s advertisement for a “Cowboy for Hire” brought more than she bargains for when Reed Bryson applies for the job. The rugged cowboy is exactly what Mona needs to save her land from cattle rustlers, but when the bank threatens to foreclose on her ranch, she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous plot to undermine her promise to her late father to keep the land in the family. It doesn’t help that she is several months pregnant and desperate for the baby’s father not to find out or she could lose everything.

As a former law enforcement officer, Reed is just the person to protect Mona’s land, but can he protect himself from falling in love with his boss? When the bank president refuses to give Mona an extension on her loan and other banks refuse to give her any credit, Pierce is sure there is a conspiracy to destroy the woman. Then, men start turning up dead and he knows Mona is in serious trouble. He vows not to give up until he exposes the truth and saves Mona’s legacy.

It’s been awhile since I read a Harlequin Intrigue but this one gripped me from the first page. It reminded me how much I enjoy these books. The characters and plot are well written and readers will be on the edge of their seats wanting to know how this will end. The conclusion wasn’t a big surprise, but it was like a huge jigsaw puzzle trying to figure out how everything fit together. There were many twists and turns. An excellent weekend read. I know I have others by this author in my TBR and I’ll have to check them out too.


For reading challenge: A to Z Reading Challenge

Familiar Oasis by Caroline Burnes

Harlequin Intrigue #673, August 2002

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Familiar, the sleek black cat detective, is at it again! Just as he’s about to go back home to the United States with his human family, he finds himself detained in Egypt trying to crack another mystery. This time the beautiful Amelia Corbet finds herself thrown into danger as she tries to help her sister. It seems as if the only ones to help her are a strange black cat and her sister’s new brother-in-law. Amelia doesn’t particularly like either one.

Although Harad Dukhan separated himself from his family’s life in the desert, he agrees to watch out for Amelia for his brother’s new bride. As soon as Amelia lands in Egypt, she becomes the target of several people who seem to think she holds the key to a mysterious plot in the desert. Harad has his hands full trying to keep her safe, but when she’s kidnapped, his only hope is Familiar. To add to his trouble, he finds himself falling in love with the beautiful Amelia.

This is one of my favorite series and it has been for years. This is the 15th book in the series and they just keep getting better. Familiar is a cat with attitude! It’s so much fun reading how he systematically tries to solve each mystery and always ends up bringing an unsuspecting couple together in the end. It’s a quick, fast-paced story that leaves you wearing a big grin after the last page is turned.

Familiar Lullaby by Caroline Burnes

Harlequin Intrigue #614

Genre: Romantic Suspense

The sleek black cat, Familiar, is back for another mystery. This time he has his beautiful lady cat friend Clotilde by his side. When his humanoids neighbors are left with an abandoned baby on their doorstep, Familiar decides to lend a paw in finding out how any mother can leave their child in the hands of strangers.

Homicide detective Mel Haskin strays away from his usual cases to figure this one out. This case is a particularly personal one to Mel and he isn’t about to allow the mother off the hook. He wants to find her and have her declared an unfit mother. He never expected Lily Markey, a top Washington DC reporter, to be involved. The question was, why a reporter leaving an abandon child on doorsteps?

Lily had her work cut out for her. She couldn’t let Mel find out who the parents of this child was or the child would never be safe. Neither would the baby’s mother. Lily vowed to do all she could to protect both of them.

This story had everything from romance to mystery, it will keep readers turning the pages until the very end. I actually found myself in happy tears at the end. I love re-visiting Familiar and following his adventures.

I read this one as part of my Harlequin/Silhouette reading challenge, plus I’ve read all the previous books in this delightful series.