Dangerous Refuge

Sometimes some of the best scripted stories can be ruined by repeated suggestions that come far too often that they distract you from the original story. Such is the case in the latest novel from Elizabeth Lowell, Dangerous Refuge. In this novel, the reader is immediately introduced to Shaye Townsend, who works for National Ranch Conservancy, whose goal is to broker a deal between ranch owners and the Conservancy to retain the land for the purpose of ranching instead of seeing the property abandoned or turning into shopping malls or high-priced resorts. When Shaye discovers the body of Lorne Davis, to her untrained eye, it doesn't appear that he died of natural causes.

When Tanner Davis shows up at the ranch, the sparks begin to fly and between the two with sexual innuendos on almost every other page about what either of them wants from the other. That is the downright distracting part. I can deal with the fact that these two are more than mildly attracted to one another but I felt like I needed to be reminded of that fact throughout the entire first half of the book. Even though the story behind this was really well written, it was that repeated reminder between the two that really ruined what could have been a great novel for me.

The novel focuses on Tanner Davis working with Shaye Townsend on investigating the mysterious death of his uncle while taking a much needed break from working the morgues in Los Angeles as a Homicide Detective. Now discovering that the 1932 Saint-Gauden gold coins he had been collecting his whole life had suddenly gone missing even though it their hiding place would have made his Uncle look like a Pirate to discover them. Tanner believes that whoever had stolen the coins might in fact be the very same person who he believes murdered his Uncle and won't stop until he uncovers the truth.

I received Dangerous Refuge by Elizabeth Lowell compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. The story was well written and the premise that inspired me to want to read this was amazing. However the intense sexual undertones and consistent reminders of their intense sexual attraction to one another really got old after the first few chapters. However, with that being said, if you like that type of reference in your murder mystery dealing with a bit of modern western fiction thrown in, then you will find this novel suitable for your tastes. For me, this one ranked 3 out of 5 stars and I was hoping for a bit more than what I got between the pages, but that is my preference. There are bound to be countless readers that would really enjoy this novel.

For more information about Dangerous Refuge, Elizabeth Lowell and where to preorder a copy of this book coming early April, please click on the links below:

Dangerous Refuge by Elizabeth Lowell

You can find Elizabeth Lowell on Facebook to keep up to date with all her latest novels.

Beautiful Sacrifice - Giveaway and Review

Well here it is, 2012 and once more there is talk of the Mayans and the prophetic December 21, 2012 date looming in the very near future. This is the under lying theme for the latest book by Elizabeth Lowell, Beautiful Sacrifice.

This one is an action-packed version of Romancing the Stone meets Indiana Jones with a whole lot more sexuality going on between the two main characters Dr. Lina Taylor and Hunter Johnston. There on and off again steamy relationship became when Hunter was called in to audit some of the classes Lina teaches at the museum her family owns. Now with the light being drawn on the Mayan prophecy, Hunter calls in a favor with Lina. Apparently during a recent arrest some Mayan artifacts have gone missing. Very rare artifacts that border on priceless and would guarantee the owner of such items to be not only wealthy but to gain such importance in all social aspects, they could write their own ticket to anywhere.

Hunter's friend, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer or ICE for short, has been accused of the stealing the artifacts. If he can't locate and return the items, he will be fired. This isn't something he can do since he's married to his wife Ali, who is pregnant and between them already have five kids. So he enlists Hunter's help.

This is where the storyline truly escalates in fast forward as the body count begins to climb. These artifacts are objects used in a blood sacrifice ritual that is culminating around the Mayan calendar prophecy. As arrests are made, the trio discover human sacrifices are already being conducted, lives are being exchanged and the hunt is on. Only now Lina is the object of the hunt and a man by the name of El Maya and he will stop at nothing to ensure that she is found and brought to him. Could her lineage have anything to do with the artifacts, the upcoming ceremony and the need for a blood sacrifice? You'll just have to pick this one up to find out!

I received Beautiful Sacrifice by Elizabeth Lowell compliments of William Morrow, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. This book does contain some graphic violence and sexuality, so the reader should be warned before picking this one up as some subjects matters may not be suitable for all audience types. However if you love a great romance story with a bit of mystery, suspense and action thrown in, then you will love this one. It definitely keeps the reader engaged til the very end. I would rate this one a 3 out of 5 stars just based on my personal rating system, but overall the story is amazing.

For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the link below:

Beautiful Sacrifice by Elizabeth Lowell

Thanks to the generous folks at William Morrow, they are offering a giveaway copy of this book to one lucky follower of my blog. Here's your guidelines:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

3. Leave a comment below telling me why you would love to win a copy of this book. Please remember to include your email address along with your comment. If you don't include it, I can't email you back to let you know if you're the lucky winner. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

4. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart and leave me a comment telling me you stopped by. Hopefully you'll enjoy my page because I update it all the time with the latest giveaways I'm offering so you won't want to miss out.

I will notify the winner via email when the giveaway ends on June 4th.