Review: Christmas Past by Mary Burton

Christmas Past by Mary Burton

Publication Date: October 29th 2019 by Zebra

Pages: 96 for Christmas Past

400 pages with the two other novellas by Fern Michaels & Judy Duarte

Source: Publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

From New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton comes a captivating tale of romantic suspense set in the heart of a rugged winter . . .

Photographer Nicole Piper moved to Virginia hoping to put a troubled past behind her and start fresh with her baby daughter. But those hopes are dashed when she receives a very unwelcome Christmas gift—from her late husband. It’s a letter that holds clues to an elusive killer’s identity. The victim had helped save Nicole’s life—and paid with her own. Nicole owes it to her to follow the letter’s trail, and perhaps put to rest the fear that stalks her once and for all. But she can’t do it alone.

When Homicide Detective David Ayden first met Nicole, he was looking for a fresh start too. Widowed and raising two teenage boys, Nicole was the only woman who’d stirred his interest—and the attraction was mutual. But that was months ago and she wasn’t ready to trust again. Maybe she still isn’t. All that matters now is that she needs his help—even if it means embarking on a road trip that will take them both into the heart of danger—and desire . . .

My Thoughts:

Christmas Past is a quick suspense read with the wintery holiday as a backdrop providing a nice little story to read by the fire.

Nicole escaped her abusive husband, now dead, and is moving on until she receives a letter promising to identify the killer of the woman who helped her escape. Nicole knows the letter will dredge up the past, and it does require she go on a goose hunt for information.  Not something she’s looking forward to, but Nicole wants the man who murdered her savior brought to justice, not only for her, but for the woman’s family so that they might have some measure of peace, especially since it’s the holiday season. Also, on the upside she won’t have to face her past alone, since Detective David Ayden is determined to see her through this journey.

Nicole and David were getting close, but Nicole put the brakes on their relationship not yet ready for romance so soon after running from her horrid husband. Spending time together while they try and hunt for the killer gives them a second chance at love. 

Christmas Past was a quick, entertaining read, one you could blaze through in an evening. I really liked David and didn’t understand some of Nicole’s reluctance, but I’ve never come out of an abusive relationship so what do I know? I liked Charlotte Wellington, the attorney, despite her taking on Nicole’s ex-husband’s task, and I worried for her welfare. She was a fighter and I liked that!

I didn’t realize Christmas Past was part of a collection of stories, three I think, with Fern Michaels and Judy Duarte authoring the other two novellas. Christmas Past was the only story I received for review, and I’ve never read anything by the other two authors.

3 Suns

Review & Giveaway: Hide and Seek by Mary Burton

I been loving Mary Burton's mysteries, thrilling and suspenseful with a bit of romance. Hide and Seek is my favorite to date, so I'm pleased to share my review, a little background on Macy Crow, our heroine, and a $25 Amazon Gift Card along with a digital copy of Hit and Run!

Hide & Seek (Criminal Profiler #1) by Mary Burton

Publication Date: April 23rd 2019 by Montlake Romance

Pages: 344

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the book:

She’s hunting. He’s watching.
Special Agent Macy Crow is a survivor. After a vicious hit-and-run nearly kills her, she gets right back to work, and now she’s gunning for a spot on the FBI’s elite profiling team. As an audition, she offers to investigate the recently discovered bones of Tobi Turner, a high school girl who disappeared fifteen years ago.
While investigating with local sheriff Mike Nevada, a former colleague and onetime lover, Macy discovers a link between Tobi’s case and several others that occurred around the same time as her disappearance. As Macy interviews victims and examines old cases, she uncovers a sinister picture of a stalker who graduated to sexual assault—and then murder.
Macy and Nevada race to put this monster behind bars before he can come out of hiding. But the murderer’s had years to hone his skills, and soon Macy herself becomes a target. She’s no stranger to pain and terror, but will Macy’s first profiling case be her last?

My Thoughts:

Macy is back at the Bureau on desk duty after a hit and run assault almost cost her life, but she’s got a chance at getting back in the field when the bones of a missing teenager, Tobi Turner, who disappeared fifteen years earlier are found and DNA connects the case to other unsolved assaults around the county.  She’s pulled in to connect the dots while working with her former FBI colleague and lover, the newly elected sheriff, Mike Nevada.

There was never a dull moment, especially since the killer is on the hunt and targeting new victims as Mike and Macy race to unmask this villain.  To find Tobi’s killer they must go back to the beginning, interviewing her friends and schoolmates who’ve since grown up.  Macy uses her top-notch instincts along with the FBI’s cutting-edge technology to analyze the evidence, melding good old-fashioned detective work with modern crime fighting tools, and I enjoyed the process.

The romance between Macy and Mike wasn’t the focus for the most part, which made sense given the urgency of the case, but their chemistry was a constant nice buzz in the background.  Macy’s a little unsure of Mike’s feelings since she’s still not at 100% physically since the hit and run, but Mike’s intent was always clear to me, and I knew it was just a matter of time before their feelings turned into more.

I could not put this one down! Hide and Seek was an addictive, fast-paced mystery with a nice bit of romance. Macy Crow was a secondary character in Cut and Run, where her attack occurs, but it’s not necessary to read it before diving into Hide and Seek.  I enjoyed seeing Macy get back on her feet after the assault, never letting self-pity or doubt creep in and cripple her. 

4.5 Suns

Profiling FBI Profiler Macy Crow

Special Agent Macy Crow is 33-years-old and is an accomplished FBI Agent.  She’s worked a series of high profile cases across the United States and isn’t afraid to take chances. When her father was murdered, she headed to Texas to investigate the crime. Following clues left behind by her father, she was closing in on the killer when she became the victim of a hit and run accident.

Most would have died from the injuries Macy sustained or would have been permanently disabled. However, Macy channeled her extreme ability to focus into her recovery. Though her fit muscles have softened during her recovery, she is regaining strength each day and is now laser-focused on returning to the  FBI as a field agent. Before her accident, she had shoulder length blond hair but the brain surgeons who saved her life cut off all her hair. She now proudly sports a pixie cut.  

When Macy returned to Texas, she learned a startling fact about herself. She has an identical twin—medical examiner Dr. Faith McIntyre. Though adopted by different families, the sisters already have a strong connection.  

Macy’s adoptive parents split when she was two and she moved from Texas to Alexandria, Virginia located outside of Washington, D.C. Over the years she remained close with her father and spent many summers with him helping repair old cars on his auto salvage lot. In Alexandria, she and her mother lived in a large apartment complex. When she was young, a neighborhood girl was murdered. That tragedy had a very profound affect on Macy, who discovered she wasn’t afraid of the police and FBI agents swarming the apartment complex. Instead, she was fascinated by their work and not only watched law enforcement in action but also walked the actual crime scene herself in search of clues.

Macy has never been married and has no children. For a long time, she considered herself married to her job and it wasn’t until she met FBI Special Agent Mike Nevada that she reconsidered her single status. However, her accident cut short their romance. Nevada is now the sheriff in a small Virginia town in the Shenandoah Valley. He understands Macy’s need to reclaim the FBI job she has always loved so much. In the last year, he has never forgotten her and is committed to helping regain her old life. When the two are paired on a cold case murder investigation in Nevada’s district, they become an unstoppable team.

Author Biography

New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Mary Burton is the highly praised author of twenty-six romance and suspense novels and five novellas. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three miniature dachshunds.

Connect with Mary Burton:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

The wonderful people of Montlake Romance have generously provided a $25 Amazon Gift Card along with a digital copy of Hide and Seek to one lucky reader!  Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.  Good luck!

Review: The Doll Maker by Mary Burton

The Doll Maker (The Forgotten Files #2) by Mary Burton

Publication Date: November 15th 2016 by Montlake Romance

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the book:

Dr. Tessa McGowan had never seen anything quite like it. But the mutilated bodies on her exam table tell a stunningly macabre tale: someone with a twisted mind is kidnapping women and altering their faces to resemble real, life-size dolls. As a forensic pathologist, it’s her job to aid the agent leading the case—even if that agent is her estranged husband.
Twelve years ago an unspeakable tragedy destroyed Dakota Sharp’s world. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, he’s devoted himself to capturing killers. His only regret is that it cost him Tessa. Now, as the Dollmaker case brings them together—and raises his suspicions that he’s crossed paths with this deranged psychopath before—they may just have their second chance. But it seems Dakota’s not the only one who wants to make Tessa his own…
She may be the Dollmaker’s next target, but Tessa has no intention of winding up as another toy on his shelf. Can she and Dakota stop this ghastly killer before his next deadly playdate?

My Thoughts:

The Doll Maker is part romance (second chance/estranged marriage), part murder mystery and suspense, and I enjoyed each aspect thoroughly! 

Dr. Tessa McGowan is back in town after a rift in her marriage made working abroad seem like a good option.  But the months away clarified her priorities and Tessa’s back to stay. 

Agent Dakota Sharp harbors guilt and anger over the death of his younger sister.  Her death was ruled an overdose twelve years back, but his family never accepted the ruling. Dakota feels Tessa deserves better than he’s able to give, but his feelings for her are a hard thing to fight. 

Two murders connect the past and present, and the fact the killer may be after Tessa as well, force these two to work together, making it impossible to deny the intense connection they share.

I’ve read a lot of mysteries in the past, and even though I did think of the murderer in passing as a possibility I was surprised by his/her identity in the end. There were plenty of twists that kept me guessing.   The Doll Maker was a well plotted mystery with a very creepy edge! I read it late into the night and ended up lying in bed a little spooked envisioning all the sinister possibilities beyond my bedroom door!  

4 Suns