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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Book Review: Blackout by Annie Solomon

This is a fast paced, twisting suspense; a bargain of a read on Kindle for $2.99!
by Annie Solomon

  • File Size: 470 KB
  • Print Length: 376 pages
  • Publisher: Forever Yours (December 2, 2008)
  • Sold by: Hachette Book Group
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B001M2FTFQ
Genre: Romantic Suspense
My rating: 4.25 of 5.0
 
Book Description
Publication Date: December 2, 2008
LIVING NIGHTMARE

A month ago Margo Scott was a book dealer with family and friends. Now, suddenly, she can't remember the last four weeks of her life, everyone close to her has disappeared, and she's the prime suspect in a murder. When an intruder attacks, she responds with lightning-quick moves she has no memory of ever learning. Undercover agent Jake Wise has her in his sights and can't decide if this mysterious woman is an assassin or a pawn. Is he tempted to protect her because she's innocent or because he's falling for her? Thrust together, these two loners realize that trusting each other is their only hope of survival. Because the good guys and the bad guys have one thing in common. They all want Margo Scott dead-the sooner, the better.


Review:

Margo Scott wakes up one day and feels a bit under the weather. Later in the day she discovers from her book store neighbor that she has lost a month.  Not only has she lost time, but she realizes she can’t really verify her identity, much less her whereabouts. She really knows she is in trouble when she begins to respond with skills she doesn’t recognize: fighting off an attacker with skilled defense moves, throwing knives with deadly accuracy and picking up guns that feel naturally familiar to her hands.

The police are beginning to suspect Margo of first one murder, then another. Since she has no memory she isn’t certain she didn’t commit the crimes.  As she begins to get flash backs she suspects she may be a skilled, government or covert assassin who has committed worse killings. Is it possible she shot a child a point-blank range?

Jake Wise was asked do ‘watch’ Margo by his ‘mentor’ and covert operations boss, Frank. Now Frank is dead, Margo is a likely suspect and there are lots of questions as to why Jake was to be watching her. Is Margo the killer and who are the men who are attacking her? One group is looking to question her and another is intent on executing her. Can he keep her alive long enough to find out what the heck is going on?

Can two loners with clearly deadly skills find a place of comfort and peace together? Assuming they live of course.

This story has great suspense and full on action from beginning to end. The romance starts as a battle of two untrusting loners and slowly moves to a merger of need, first for comfort and reassurance of life, and later for companionship, passion and commitment. The writing is crisp and has a fast flow that moves well with the pace of the story.There is some rough language - "f" word used 13 times.

I looked back to see I read Two Lethal Lies by Annie Solomon in September 2010 and gave it a 4.5 rating.  I don’t plan on letting another two years go by before reading this author again. She is going on my "don't miss" list of romantic suspense authors!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Margo realizes she doesn't know what has happened over the past month:
Then where had she been for the last month?
The question thumped inside her, deadly and relentless, and she longed to skitter away to a safe comforting place. A place with no questions. Location 382
Jake wonders if he had made up his mind if she was telling the truth:
Had he? The truth hit him like a gale-force wind, like one of those moments in the movies where the camera closes in and everything slows way down. ... It was that he didn’t care. He would support her either way. Fight for her either way. Location 2455.
Love this quote!! Margo thinks about her love of books:
Books were always more reliable than people anyway. Stories never let her down. No matter where she went there was a bookstore or a library. New worlds, better worlds. Location 2938.
I am very glad that I picked this title up on NetGalley to read for Hachette/Forever Yours imprint of Grand Central Publishing.
This story is set in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. for the Where are You Reading Challenge.

2 comments:

  1. I have to say that your review is just great. I honestly saw the title and was passing on it. At first glance it didn't entice me. :) But I'm definitely putting it on my TRL. Your review was worded in such a way that I wanted the book right here, right now. Thanks.
    Carol L.
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

    '

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice review, especially about the writing.

    ReplyDelete

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