Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Book Review: Fatal Judgment by Irene Hannon

Fatal Judgment (Guardians of Justice, Book 1)Fatal Judgment by Irene Hannon
Publisher: Revell Books
Publish Date: January 1, 2011
Trade Paperback,  330 pages
Romantic Suspense, Christian, Guardians of Justice Series #1





My Review:
I will admit I am a fan of Irene Hannon since I first read Against All Odds last year, but I have to say that Fatal Judgment just blew me away.  Tight suspense, great romance and strong characters made this book shine and made it hard to put down.  I'm not even sure I can do this book justice, it was really amazing.

First I'll start with the plot.  Diving right into the action, the book starts with Liz's sister being shot in Liz's home.  What looks like a domestic dispute gone wrong turns into something much more sinister.  Because Liz is a judge, the U.S. Marshal service steps in to protect Liz until the threat is determined.  This brings Jake Taylor back into Liz's life.  This does not make Jake too happy, but he will do his job no matter what.  Liz was Jake's best friend's wife and he always thought of her as a cold fish of sorts, but as Jake gets to know Liz he finds she's not who he thought she was.  The plot continues to thrill right up until the last page as the Marshals and the local police try to figure out exactly who the threat is.

Second is the characters.  Ms. Hannon is a natural with developing characters.  I love how the layers of Liz and Jake are slowly peeled away and we learn about them little by little, their past, their brief history and how they start to interact with each other.  I also enjoyed the look into Jake's family who will be featured in the later books in the series I believe.  I love seeing how families interact and the Taylor family is very interesting.

If you are looking for a great romantic suspense, I can't recommend this book enough.  I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment in the Guardians of Justice series and I am sure that Fatal Judgment will go down as one of my favorite books of the year.  It definitely reminds me of all the reasons I really enjoy romantic suspense.  All the elements are there and it's amazing to read and hard to put down.

My rating: 5.0/5.0

About the Book:
U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward Liz haven't warmed in the five years since she lost her husband--and Jake's best friend--to possible suicide. How can Jake be expected to care for the coldhearted workaholic who drove his friend to despair?
As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, his feelings slowly start to change. When it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life--and his heart--are in mortal danger.

Full of the suspense and romance Irene Hannon's fans have come to love, Fatal Judgment is a thrilling story that will keep readers turning the pages late into the night.

About the Author (from Amazon.com):
Irene Hannon is the author of more than 25 novels, including the CBA bestsellers Against All Odds, An Eye for an Eye, and In Harm's Way. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier award, and the Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine. She lives in Missouri.

Website


**Available January 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group**

***I received this book from Revell Books for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  I do not receive money for my amazon links since I live in NC (something about some law), so they are up purely for my readers to have a place to check out the book.***

Waiting on Wednesday - January 26


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Secrets and Shadows: A 13 to Life Novel
Secrets and Shadows (13 to Life #2) by Shannon Delaney
Release: February 15, 2011
Nothing's simple when you run with werewolves. Jess Gillmansen thinks she's seen it all but her eyes are about to be opened to even more danger and a reality far more paranormal than she's suspected. With Jess' realization that the Rusakovas' mother is still alive and imprisoned, the group's choices become harder and trust more important. Lines are drawn and relationships change as the broken Rusakova family struggles to reunite to free their mother - and those who Jess thought to be normal people show themselves to be much, much more...
I'm in the middle of 13 to Life so I am excited that this one is releasing so soon.  I can't wait to read more of this series.

So what are you waiting on this week?