Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Book Review: Brazen Virtue (D.C. Detectives 2) by Nora Roberts

Book Title: Brazen Virtue ( D.C. Detectives 2)
Author:  Nora Roberts |Website| Twitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone: Series Book 2
Format: trade paperback
Cost: $11.69
Pages: 288
How I got it: Purchased 
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: November 22, 2011
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Synopsis:
Grace McCabe was shocked to find her sister Kathleen living in a grungy D.C. suburb, supplementing her income as a phone sex operator after a bitter divorce. But with the company Fantasy, Inc. guaranteeing its employees complete anonymity, how dangerous could it really be? Grace was soon to learn the answer when she returned home one night to a horrifying scene that might have come from one of her own novels. Ignoring the warnings of cool-headed detective Ed Jackson, Grace sets her own daring trap to rouse a killer out of hiding. But what can protect her from a brilliant madman whose lust for murder stops at nothing...and no one?
First Trigger warnings for those who need it. Because graphic scene involving sexual violence is in the first few chapters of the novel.

OMG this book is clearly an older book that has been republished, because the attitudes, the lack of cellphones, the smoking casually without people freaking out and telling the characters to quit, the discussion of typewriters, all of it dates the book, and yet murder never changes, the methods may advance but it's the same crime throughout the ages, however the actually story?? The characters, the mystery and the case keep you intrigued and glued to the pages, and let you know why Nora Roberts has been a powerhouse for so many years, she can really tell a tale.

I wasn't expecting the story to go so hard when it did, and I certainly didn't expect it to be so close to the protagonist and man listen, it just went there.  Grace is a novelist, who is trying to hide out and get a chance to relax, then this big crazy case goes off right in front of her and she needs to see it through to the end.  I like Grace, but umm honey, you're not a cop. Detective Ed (can I just say there are almost no Eds as heroes now a days, in all the reading I have done they generally tend to be the serial killers or the side characters of no real consequence, but this was pretty cool to see as a hero).  I really liked that hte characters were two strong, determined well established people, and that Grace was so fluid in her ability to make her life and living anywhere, that the thought of getting up and moving around didn't affect her strength as a character.  I'm all for strong willed heroines but I'm not down for dummies. When I read I imagine how I would react and way too many times the character goes way too far into the stupid barometer for me to be coll with it, and at page 173 she went right into the full fledged full time idiot mode.

Ed and Grace made me laugh because they just flowed so well together, sometimes a little more than I expected considering the circumstances.  Funny how beards are now back in style if she'd said he had a ,an bun I would have loved Ed even more than I did. I pictured him looking like :

found on Pinterest using the search term ' red beards"
On page 187 I started to panic, Don'e do it dude, she's way too nice, just leave her alone, as I'm reading the scene my palms start to sweat and my heart hammers. please let some one come back and let her kick his butt please, just please anything to save her.  OMFG sweet Goddess that moment that effing moment just wow.  I almost cried reading that scene it was so emotional. Oh gawd there is going to be so much fear and issues to deal with.

I loved the mystery, no the devastation being left behind by the killer, but the motivations that pushed him were so odd.

I enjoyed the overall story, even though it's a bit dated, I still loved the chemistry between them and I'm going to pick up Sacred Sins the first book in the series soon so I can really get the full expedience.

★★★★☆
Happy Reading

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