Waves of Fiction: Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: In the Arms of a Stranger by Virginia Kelly

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,

In the Arms of a Stranger by Virginia Kelly

Publication Date: October 28th 2013 by Entangled: Ignite

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Amazon UK

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:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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