I loved In the Arms of a Stranger by
Virginia Kelly so I'm thrilled to be part of the Blog Tour. The tour is
hosted by Entangled Publishing and you can see the complete list of stops HERE.
Our tour stop includes my review, and exclusive excerpt and a giveaway,
Publication Date: October 28th 2013 by Entangled: Ignite
About the Book:
A
dangerous man on the run…
Wounded and accused of treason, CIA operator JP
Blackmon is on the run from his own agency and desperate to clear his name.
When he finds out his old partner is dead, he’ll do anything to get to the
truth...including using his partner's widow.
Finds
a vulnerable woman looking for answers…
Abby Price wanted nothing more than a family and a
safe home. But her late husband kept big secrets from her—secrets that got him
killed and has government agents watching her every move. And she’s started
fearing for her life. The only man who can help her is a mysterious stranger
who suddenly appears out of nowhere. But can she trust him?
Together
they discover a passion worth dying for.
As danger stalks them at every turn, unexpected
passion flares between JP and Abby. But the last thing either wants or needs is
more complications. Romance? No. Way. That would involve trust—something
neither is willing to do. But in the end, sharing their deadly secrets is their
only hope for survival…their only hope to hold onto the love they’ve just begun
to share…
My Thoughts:
In the Arms of a
Stranger is romantic suspense at its finest. The writing is tightly paced keeping you on
the edge of your seat, and eagerly clicking through the pages. I was glued to
my Kindle for several hours straight loving every minute! Add in a romance with
just the right amount of tension and build-up and I was a happy girl!
Abby Price is left hungering for answers after her husband’s
murder. She’s hurt by the secrets Wade
kept from her about his work and his life, and now she’s being hounded by his CIA
boss who implies he died while up to no good.
Abby wants to clear his name so her young son Cole can remember his father
with pride. This is when JP Blackmon, a dark and mysterious (and yes,
handsome!) stranger tumbles into her life.
Will she finally get the answers she’s been looking for?
JP has been on the run for the last year, framed by someone
unknown after a mission gone wrong. He’s
shocked to find out Wade Price, his CIA partner was killed. Now the only key to clearing his name is Wade’s
widow, Abby. She wants answers too, but
he’s afraid to hurt her further with the truth.
And using Abby sets her up as a target for the dangerous men that are
after him. Even worse is the attraction
he feels for Abby which couldn’t come at a more inconvenient time.
The mystery behind Wade’s death and JP’s frame-up was
engrossing and kept me hooked trying to figure out what would happen next. I
had my suspicions at who was behind it, and that’s an important component to
writing a good mystery: making the reader feel part of the solving by giving
little hints here and there. Twists and
action packed turns kept the tension high, making this an addictive read.
Abby was a heroine anyone would admire. Not a whiny or illogical bone in her body. She was a good mother, strong woman, full of
determination. My heart went out to Abby for the betrayal she felt knowing Wade
kept so many things hidden. It was nice
that she had JP to lean on! *wink, wink* I wouldn't mind leaning on those
strong arms myself. You did see the
cover, right? O_O JP was capable, caring,
and maybe a little overprotective. Just
what want in my male heroes!
He was very focused. It was the way he did
everything. One hundred percent. And when he brought all that male intensity to
bear on her, she was helpless to resist.
The intensity of the situation just lends itself to a juicy
romance. The simmering attraction was right
at the surface for Abby and JP. Heated
glances, and stolen kisses amp up the anticipation making the payoff
oh-so-sweet when these two finally give in! This was more than just physical attraction,
though, with both yearning for more of a connection:
He’d never wanted
anything like he wanted this woman. What was laughable was that it wasn’t about
wanting sex. He’d had sex before without any deeper feelings. This was
different. No, he wanted what Abby promised. Home. Hearth. Family. Stability.
*sigh*
Romantic suspense is one of my all time favorite types of
reads. I love the adrenaline rush that the danger, action and mystery bring.
In the
Arms of a Stranger checks all those boxes while delivering an intense and
delicious romance as well! This was my
first novel by Virginia Kelly, but it won’t be my last. There’s a novella in this series that I’m
eager to get my hands on next:
Dancing
in the Dark which centers on JP’s sister, Janey, getting a second chance at
romance.
4.5 Suns
Excerpt:
JP
sat on a bale of hay and unzipped his windbreaker, revealing the holster and
gun. They suited him. A gun suited him.
She should be scared, but she wasn't. That said more about her than about him.
When
she saw the blood-soaked, makeshift T-shirt bandage, she fought back momentary
panic. “Maybe you should lie down.”
“No,”
he replied quickly. “No. You can get to it just fine with me sitting.”
All
right. Maybe that was too much familiarity for him. Or vulnerability.
She
knelt in front of him and pulled up his shirt. She had to bite her lip to
contain her gasp.
“That's
deep.” And bloody. “Is this a knife
wound or a bullet wound?” she asked. She’d never seen either before, never
thought she would.
“Bullet.
Never mind. I can take care of it myself,” he said, pulling his shirt back
down.
“Don’t
be silly,” she said, knowing full well he’d understood her shocked reaction.
“It’s
pretty ugly.”
“No
one could ever accuse a bullet wound of being pretty.” She took clean gauze and
soaked it with antiseptic lotion.
He
winced as she wiped around the wound. She held her breath.
“How
did it happen?” she managed.
“My
luck ran out,” he said on a hiss as she used a fresh, antiseptic-soaked gauze
pad to dab gently at the area.
“The
bullet—?”
“Just
grazed me.”
She
looked up to see him gazing beyond her, pain evident in the terse line of his
lips.
“I’m
sorry,” she said.
He
looked down at the wound, then up, to meet her eyes. “That it grazed me?”
She
laughed. Hysteria, she was sure. Prepared to apologize, she caught the uptilt
of one side of his mouth. The smile reached his eyes, softened his features. It
made him look younger, even more attractive. He held her gaze for an
uncomfortable moment, then reached for the gauze still clutched in her fingers.
She
shook her head. “No, I can do it. Let me…” But her protest died on her lips.
She couldn’t figure out what to do with his hand on hers, couldn’t deal with
the look in his eyes. The same look she’d seen when she came back into the
barn.
Heat?
No.
No way. She was projecting.
Virginia Kelly Bio: An RWA Golden Heart® finalist, Virginia Kelly’s first book was published as To the Limit and finaled in several contests such as the Holt Medallion, The Golden Quill and The Aspen Gold.
Virginia has always loved adventure novels, but romance is at the core of her stories—romance with the adrenalin rush of danger. Against the Wind, a full-length novel, and Dancing in the Dark, the prequel novella to In the Arms of a Stranger, are about dangerous men and the adventurous women willing to take a chance on them.
Traveling is a passion that came early in life. Her first airplane ride was a trip over the Andes Mountains in Peru at the ripe old age of two months. Her travels provide the settings for her novels, whether it’s a fictitious Latin American country based on Peru, the country of her birth, or Florida and the American South where she now lives.
A graduate of the University of Alabama with a master’s degree in Library Science, Virginia is an academic librarian. She tries to include a librarian in all of her books as either the heroine or as a minor character. Having taught high school and college, she has a great appreciation for teachers and often uses that as the profession for her heroines.
Connect
with Virginia Kelly:
As part of this tour Virginia Kelly has
generously provided this amazing giveaway:
1st place prize of $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card, + a digital
copy of the novella prequel to In the Arms of a Stranger: Dancing in the Dark.
2nd place prize is a digital copy of
the novella prequel to In the Arms of a Stranger: Dancing in the Dark.
About the Author:
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