THE PRETENDER (GAMES PEOPLE PLAY #3)

They say it takes a thief to catch a thief, and Harrison Tate is proof. Once a professional burglar, he now makes a lawful living tracking down stolen art. No one needs to know about his secret sideline, “liberating” artifacts acquired through underhanded methods. At least until one of those jobs sees him walking in on a murder.

Gabrielle Wright has long been estranged from her wealthy family, but she didn’t kill her sister. Trouble is, the only person who can prove it is the sexy, elusive criminal who shouldn’t have been at the island estate on that terrible night. She’s not expecting honor among thieves—or for their mutual attraction to spark into an intense inferno of desire.

Under the guise of evaluating her family’s art, Harris comes back to the estate hoping to clear Gabby’s name. But returning to the scene of the crime has never been riskier, with their hearts and lives on the line.

Release Date: December 26, 2017

Avon

Games People Play #3

Romantic Suspense

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

The Pretender is the latest book in the Games People Play series from HelenKay Dimon. Once again I was pulled into the story from the very first page and taken on a sexy and wild ride.

I really do think Harrison Tate became my new favorite character in the series with The Pretender. Seriously he is not only super smart, but witty and sexy as all get out. He also wants to make sure Gabrielle doesn't take the fall for the murder of her sister when he knows she didn't do it. Harris and Gabby's basically instant connection totally worked for me. Harris really only ever trusted a select few people, so it was refreshing to how quickly he accepted and trusted Gabby.

Gabby was a bit of a mystery to me at first. While she was an incredibly strong and independent woman, I felt like there was more to her that what we saw at first. I knew she didn't kill her sister, but also knew she was keeping secrets about her sister. I loved how protective she was of her little sister and even understood her reasoning once she was honest with Harris about everything that had happened. 

I loved the chemistry between Gabby and Harris. I do believe part of it was they had a pretty instant connection to one another. They just worked for me as a couple, even knowing Harris was keeping a huge secret from Gabby. I knew it was torturing him, so I guess that is why I was okay with it, as I'm usually very unhappy with characters lying to each other. I will say I completely supported Gabby's reaction upon finding out the secret and have to say she actually was way more forgiving than I would have been.

I thought the suspense portion of the story line was spot on and have to say I had the wrong person in mind as the killer early on. I love when an author keeps me guessing and HelenKay Dimon did an awesome job keeping me guessing in The Pretender. I loved that while the suspense portion of the book was always in the forefront, it never took away from the romance between Harris and Gabby. The Pretender was another winner from HelenKay Dimon and I can't wait to revisit the characters from the Games People Play series soon.

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

THE NEGOTIATOR (GAMES PEOPLE PLAY #2.5)

Lauren Gallagher’s life changed almost three years ago. After her husband disappeared at sea, she was left with a failing pleasure boat company and more than a few secrets. Now, after years spent rebuilding the business and paying off the pile of debts, she finally feels in control. But when she finds her husband, actually dead, on the floor, she becomes the leading suspect in his murder investigation.

Garrett McGrath wants Lauren in his bed, not his heart. He doesn’t do emotions, but every time he sees her, holding himself back gets harder and harder. When Lauren comes under suspicion for killing her previously presumed-dead husband, he knows he has to help her, any way he can.

But as the danger becomes more intense and Garrett and Lauren grow closer than either planned, they’re in danger of losing everything…including their hearts.

Release Date: November 14, 2017

Avon Impulse

Games People Play #2.5

Romantic Suspense

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

With The Negotiator we finally got Garrett's story. I absolutely adore him and am pretty sure I might have squealed a bit when I saw we were getting his story.

As The Negotiator is a novella length story, it is really set at a fast pace and I felt like the pacing was absolutely perfect. I felt like Lauren and Garrett had been circling around each other long enough and needed to move forward. With the reappearance of her husband, and his subsequent death, Garrett was the perfect person to help her solve the mystery.

I loved the banter and chemistry between Lauren and Garrett. I knew it would take a strong woman to make him lose his heart and Lauren is just the woman for the job. She is such a smart and strong woman who really has taken care of herself with help from no one for too long. Part of what I loved about Lauren was when she knew she was outside her abilities she had no problem asking Garrett for help.

I did figure out the real killer of her husband pretty early on, but the elements of suspense were still strong without overshadowing any of the romantic times between Lauren and Garrett. I love when a romantic suspense has such a perfect balance in the story. I highly recommend The Negotiator as well as the other books in the Games People Play series.

Rating: 4 stars (B)