Friday 10 June 2016

Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway ~ Cold Hearted (Cold Justice #6) by Toni Anderson


Book Description:

Hunting For A Killer...

Detective Erin Donovan expects life to quiet down after the arrest and conviction of a serial rapist who terrified her university town last summer. Then two young women are brutally slain and the murders bear all the hallmarks of the campus rapist. Did Erin arrest an innocent man? Now her job is at stake and tensions are high and just when it looks like things can’t get worse, her department gets the help it needs to solve the double homicide—in the form of a man Erin has never been able to forget.

Who Doesn't Play By The Rules.

FBI Agent Darsh Singh has no interest in reliving the past. Three years ago, his feelings for Erin Donovan had him breaking all his rules about getting involved. Now his only interest in the former NYPD detective is figuring out if she screwed up a rape investigation and helped send an innocent man to prison. But being forced to work together rekindles their old attraction, and as Darsh and Erin fall for each other, the campus predator fixates on Erin. The race is on to identify the ruthless killer before he makes Erin his final victim.


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Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***



“She wasn’t cold-hearted, but she was a coward.”


I do love romantic suspense and as much I am a softie at heart and love all the mushy stuff I love it when there are other plot lines that also keep your attention and have your brain running all sorts of theories at the same time. Cold Hearted was just that, my brain was running a mile minute trying to read between the lines, fish out the red herrings and sort the wood from the trees, but as per usual, I didn’t solve the crime, this one had me guessing all the way through.

My favourite TV show is Criminal Minds and this book was extremely Criminal Mindsesque, so not only did I get my romance but it was blended perfectly with my friends at the BAU. This plot was intricate and delicately woven all the while giving us a front row seat to a blossoming romance between a female detective that was enemy number one and an FBI profiler that was brought in to check her work and assist on what seems to be a copycat.


“He was in love with a woman who guarded her heart as carefully as most men guarded their balls.”


A campus rapist, Hawke is behind bars for a thirty-year stretch who just so happened to be the star quarterback has given rise to Detective Erin Donovan being public enemy number one. With sly glances, name calling, prank calls and just general disdain it is amazing that Erin has stayed in her job. But Erin stands behind her convictions, the evidence spoke for itself and the jury agreed. The case was a slam dunk…or so she thought. When Hawke’s girlfriend and flat mate are brutally murdered and raped with the same MO as Hawke her confidence begins to unravel, the DA are on tenterhooks in case the conviction was wrong and are all out for damage limitation, so they call the BAU and Agent Darsh Singh is the man sent from Quantico.

Darsh is now an agent for the FBI but his time as a sniper in the marines only adds to his charm and appeal. Darsh was like a dog with a bone and never gave up, this guy was tenacious, stubborn and professional but had a heart of gold. He could be the ice man when needed but Erin had the knack of thawing it extremely easily. Darsh has his issues too, but he is more open to a future with Erin. His feelings are a first for him so he knows that the potential that he and Erin have is something special.


“And now you chase serial killers.”
“I got a taste for hunting humans…after that it’s hard to hunt anything else.”


Erin was top of her field, especially for a woman but she had put her husband’s career before her own. Now that they are not together Erin is grabbing her moment to shine and the Hawke case cemented her as a Detective that couldn’t be bought and one that had the guts and determination to put the bad guys away despite their bulging wallets and social standing. Erin was fantastic at her job so to suddenly be under constant scrutiny is hard, especially when she ends up scrutinising herself.

Darsh and Erin had met years ago at a convention at Quantico and it seems they had one night of hot, steamy sex that neither one had ever forgotten, now that they are in each other’s company once again, old feelings begin to resurface, however now they have complications…the job they are on and Erin’s reluctance to ever trust a man again.


“One of these days you’re going to stop running away from the fear of being hurt again…I just hope there’s a little bit of life waiting for you when you do.”


All the characters in Cold Hearted were intriguing, relatable and imperfect and it is these imperfections that made them human. All secondary characters had their parts to play and their character traits clearly defined with just enough information to colour you intrigued but never giving you a certain suspect. As I was reading I felt as if I was totally submersed in an episode of Criminal Minds as the story played out page after page and those pages just kept turning and turning.

With an UNSUB that had an intricate knowledge of the criminal justice system, forensics and criminal psychology, Erin and Darsh seem to have met their match as the UNSUB always remain one step ahead. Never knowing whether to trust the evidence before them has them in a novel situation and one that calls on all their gut instincts and training. This plot was captivating as well as intriguing and literally was a constant guessing game with potential candidates coming and going with every chapter. Toni Anderson did an amazing job in keeping you on your toes throughout without ever having a clear front runner.

Toni Anderson is a new to me author and is one that I will definitely be checking out again, if the other books in this series are anything like Cold Hearted it looks like I have at least another five books to read. Totally loved this book, something different and something much needed to break up a run of contemporary romance reads.

Excerpt:

Darsh pushed through the crowd of spectators who lingered despite the lateness of the hour and the sub-zero temps. He hoped someone here had the smarts to photograph the onlookers in addition to the crime scene. Killers often came back to observe the chaos they wrought. It was all part of the thrill. Unlike most fictional killers and rapists, the real life versions were generally as smart as a thumbtack. He flashed his creds at the police officer manning the outer perimeter and ducked under the tape. “Agent Singh. FBI. I need to speak to whoever’s in charge.”

“You’re FBI?”

He ignored the skepticism. “That’s what they told me when I graduated the academy.” He pocketed his gold shield as the officer shouted to one of her colleagues before leading him to the two-story clapboard house surroundded by yellow crime scene tape.

“Sorry.” The rookie was flustered. A dark blush worked its way into her cheeks and matched her cold-looking nose. “I wasn’t expecting a fed to show up.”

Darsh signed his name on the log, put paper covers over his boots, latex gloves on his hands, and walked into the house. It was just as cold inside—front and back doors were wide open. At least it would slow decomposition.

The rookie button-hooked a right and walked up to a blonde who wore a gray pantsuit beneath a black parka with a fur-lined hood. The blonde had her head down but seemed vaguely familiar.

She looked up, and a pair of smoky blue eyes collided with his. Every neuron in his body sparked to life as recognition slammed into his gut. Her pupils dilated, but apart from that, she betrayed no visible reaction.

Fuck.

There was no smile. No “Hey, how’re ya doin’?” But then their last encounter had been conducted under very different circumstances. Horizontal. Naked. Panting.”

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today international bestselling author, Toni Anderson, writes dark, gritty Romantic Suspense novels that have hit #1 in Barnes & Noble's Nook store, the Top 10 in Amazon and Kobo stores, and the Top 50 in iBooks. Her novels have won many awards. A former Marine Biologist from Britain, she inexplicably ended up in the geographical center of North America, about as far from the ocean as it is possible to get. She now lives in the Canadian prairies with her Irish husband and two children and spends most of her time complaining about the weather.

Toni has no explanation for her oft-times dark imagination, and only hopes the romance makes up for it. She's addicted to reading, dogs, tea, and chocolate.

If you want to know when Toni's next book will be out, visit her website (http://www.toniandersonauthor.com) and sign up for her newsletter. If you want to read other fascinating stories about life in a city that, during winter, is sometimes colder than Mars, friend her on Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/toniannanderson).

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