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A review by theeditorreads
Cold Cruel Kiss by Toni Anderson
5.0
Cold Cruel Kiss is FBI hostage negotiator Max and a demure assistant PA to the US ambassador to Argentina Lucy's story.
Trigger Warning:
Synopsis:
Kristen, Irene, and Gemma are out shopping. Having lived a stifled life over the years, what with being the current US Ambassador to Argentina's daughter, Kristen wants every ounce of freedom she can get. But then she's kidnapped in broad daylight along with her friend Irene who had decided to intervene.
In Buenos Aires, Lucy Aston is at the biggest Christmas Eve party, where even the Argentine president is present. From being at the top of everything, she becomes a nobody to blend in and worries whether it was due to her that the girl was abducted.
One of FBI’s top negotiators, Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne is brought in to rescue the missing girl. He needs someone to work with him, someone who speaks fluent Spanish and knows the area, and that's where Lucy comes in. But she has secrets, secrets big enough to shake the foundations of everything that Max detests. Lucy has a mission to accomplish, which nobody knows nothing about.
Review:
I have wanted to read [a:Toni Anderson|2820461|Toni Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1607125087p2/2820461.jpg]'s Cold Justice series for a long time now. I even have the first three books in my Kindle. But that never seems to happen, sigh! Now, with the honour of being a member of the Cold Crew, I can't say how glad I feel to have finally read her book.
But I seem to have run out of words already before I even started with this review. I finished reading this book in a couple of days and since then it's as if I am not able to structure my thoughts into a proper review. So, here goes…
The first thing I loved about the story was the importance given to the hostages in this story. Kristen and Irene are not an afterthought, rather they are very much a part of Cold Cruel Kiss, as important as the protagonists, Max and Lucy. I have never come across a story where, in a kidnapping, the hostages are characterised the way the two girls have been characterised in this one.
Following that, what an introduction Max got. And what was funnier was him, kind of tiptoeing around Lucy as she always seemed to get the better of him. I went in blind into this book (without reading the blurb) and Lucy's character was a very pleasant surprise.
The plot of kidnapping in a story, especially when it involves women, can be frightening to read. Because there are always a variety of heinous acts that can be carried out against women.
Narrated in the third person, Cold Cruel Kiss is an intense story which constantly keeps the reader in suspense about how and when will the kidnapped girls be released. Along with that, there's Russia also, with the threat of the kidnapping being tied to something that the FBI is already covertly working on in the country.
There are hostage negotiations, chasing down leads, vulnerable moments, heartfelt emotions, deceit and betrayals, past heartaches, and so much more. Lucy is such a shocking surprise towards the end, and how I loved the way the author presented her character! It was such a twisted and exhilarating journey.
And the ending was pure beauty. A romantic relationship which starts really slow, and is respectful, then hot, and has the sweetest of conclusions.
P.S. I was watching season 3 of Jane the Virgin simultaneously, and the things revealed to us about Lucy reminded me of how the narrator in the series described writing when Jane is in the process of getting her book edited. Especially the part about giving readers something to chew on about one of the characters, about which the other character has no idea. Because of that, I loved Lucy's character so much more. Lol.
Thank you to the author for an e-ARC of the book.
Trigger Warning:
Synopsis:
Kristen, Irene, and Gemma are out shopping. Having lived a stifled life over the years, what with being the current US Ambassador to Argentina's daughter, Kristen wants every ounce of freedom she can get. But then she's kidnapped in broad daylight along with her friend Irene who had decided to intervene.
In Buenos Aires, Lucy Aston is at the biggest Christmas Eve party, where even the Argentine president is present. From being at the top of everything, she becomes a nobody to blend in and worries whether it was due to her that the girl was abducted.
One of FBI’s top negotiators, Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne is brought in to rescue the missing girl. He needs someone to work with him, someone who speaks fluent Spanish and knows the area, and that's where Lucy comes in. But she has secrets, secrets big enough to shake the foundations of everything that Max detests. Lucy has a mission to accomplish, which nobody knows nothing about.
Review:
I have wanted to read [a:Toni Anderson|2820461|Toni Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1607125087p2/2820461.jpg]'s Cold Justice series for a long time now. I even have the first three books in my Kindle. But that never seems to happen, sigh! Now, with the honour of being a member of the Cold Crew, I can't say how glad I feel to have finally read her book.
But I seem to have run out of words already before I even started with this review. I finished reading this book in a couple of days and since then it's as if I am not able to structure my thoughts into a proper review. So, here goes…
The first thing I loved about the story was the importance given to the hostages in this story. Kristen and Irene are not an afterthought, rather they are very much a part of Cold Cruel Kiss, as important as the protagonists, Max and Lucy. I have never come across a story where, in a kidnapping, the hostages are characterised the way the two girls have been characterised in this one.
Following that, what an introduction Max got. And what was funnier was him, kind of tiptoeing around Lucy as she always seemed to get the better of him. I went in blind into this book (without reading the blurb) and Lucy's character was a very pleasant surprise.
The plot of kidnapping in a story, especially when it involves women, can be frightening to read. Because there are always a variety of heinous acts that can be carried out against women.
Narrated in the third person, Cold Cruel Kiss is an intense story which constantly keeps the reader in suspense about how and when will the kidnapped girls be released. Along with that, there's Russia also, with the threat of the kidnapping being tied to something that the FBI is already covertly working on in the country.
There are hostage negotiations, chasing down leads, vulnerable moments, heartfelt emotions, deceit and betrayals, past heartaches, and so much more. Lucy is such a shocking surprise towards the end, and how I loved the way the author presented her character! It was such a twisted and exhilarating journey.
And the ending was pure beauty. A romantic relationship which starts really slow, and is respectful, then hot, and has the sweetest of conclusions.
P.S. I was watching season 3 of Jane the Virgin simultaneously, and the things revealed to us about Lucy reminded me of how the narrator in the series described writing when Jane is in the process of getting her book edited. Especially the part about giving readers something to chew on about one of the characters, about which the other character has no idea. Because of that, I loved Lucy's character so much more. Lol.
Thank you to the author for an e-ARC of the book.