One date with the sexier-than-sin Detective Drake Nash. Simple.
Until you take into account that my brother finally proposed to his girlfriend, so Nonna is on a warpath—and the crazy old bat has Cupid by the balls.
The upcoming mayoral elections has everyone running on full speed, and while I couldn’t give any less craps about the corrupt Holly Woods mayor’s office, a dead body in the middle of a campaign speech has me thrown right into the middle of it. The victim is close to the mayor, but all he cares about is minimizing the damage to his campaign, so he hires me to work alongside Drake to close the case as quickly as possible.
Bad news for our tentative relationship.
We disagree far more than we agree, but being at loggerheads won’t get this murder solved… Or deal with the arrival of someone from his past.
The mysteries behind the murder aren’t the only things unraveling, and despite being knee-deep in lies and corruption and bonds so tangled they’re almost indecipherable, I have to figure out if I’m willing to fight for Drake the way I do justice…
Or if he’ll be my one who gets away.
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25798995-tangled-bond
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1gmPxeZ
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1SN5k2c
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/TangledBondBN
Review
Noelle Bond continues to be one of my absolute favorite sassy and badass heroines due to her quick comebacks, take charge attitude, and thorough detective skills. In Tangled Bond, book 2 in Emma Hart’s Holly Woods Files series, readers get to experience Noelle Bond in all her awesome glory when another case needs to be solved and her expertise is required. She has the mind and the attitude to do a kickass job on any case, which she definitely illustrates throughout the text, but what I love most about book 2 is that amidst the uncovering of clues and interviewing potential suspects, we get to see a softer side of Noelle – a side she doesn’t want others to see because it goes against her “badass gene.”
Noelle always comes across as a confident, independent woman, but when dealing with a certain Alpha Detective, her temper gets the better of her and the control she tries so hard to hold onto slips when they go head to head.
Drake Nash knows exactly how to get under Noelle’s thick skin, which consistently leaves her in a state of flux, wanting to give in to his demands and also threatening to destroy his manhood. Noelle thinks they’re opposites in every way, but to me, they’re too much alike, which is the stem of their problem and hostility. I love how Emma Hart plays up their attraction for one another as well as their constant state of fury. Drake and Noelle blaze with hatred and passion for one another and that is definitely made clear in every interaction they have, both professionally and personally.
Emma Hart has created a fantastic romantic suspense series with a hero and heroine who keep readers entertained with their banter and chemistry, and a detective storyline that flows seamlessly with the tension and sizzle of Noelle and Drake’s relationship. Readers can play along as the Detective and PI work to solve the case, developing their own theories and uncovering the guilty parties, which actively keeps them engaged from start to finish.
I can’t wait for Noelle and Drake’s next case and their continued relationship in both the private and public sectors.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples
Excerpt
“So,” she says to us, turning back to her cooking. “You come-a together?”
I choke on my water and thump my fist into my chest. “Excuse me?”
“Dinner. You come-a together?”
Unfortunately, I catch Drake’s eye. He’s grinning at me. Bastard.
“Yes,” he tells Nonna. Double bastard. “We came together.”
“So you-a dating? Noella! You-a dating?” She spins around quickly, the spoon still in her hand. White sauce splatters across the cupboards. “You-a really-a dating?”
“Dating is a strong word,” I hedge, shooting a fuck-you look to Drake over the top of Nonna’s head. “We are…trying not to kill each other every time we see each other.”
“So you-a dating.”
“Not every relationship has to be defined, you know.”
“So you-a admit-a it is-a a relationship?”
“Not all relationships are romantic ones. Some of them really do come with murderous tendencies.” I scowl at her, but it goes right over her head.
“Oh! Noella, you-a dating!” She drops the spoon and shuffles into the front room. “Antonio! Noella is-a dating!”
“You’re dating?” Dad and Trent ask at the same time.
“You’re taking the word of this crazy old woman? I’m already married inside her head!” Seeing her hopeful grin, I point my finger at her. “No. No. Put those wedding bells down, Nonna!”
“You’re dating?” Trent repeats, turning on the sofa so he’s facing us. “Really?”
“No!” I protest.
“We’re apparently tryin’ not to kill each other,” Drake adds. “Which is a good start, I reckon.”
“Well, if that’s what you’re callin’ it,” Mom sighs, “then no wonder she thinks you’re dating. Her whole marriage was spent trying not to kill Nonno.”
“She’s crazy,” I tell her. “Look at her. She can’t walk to the car without her cane, but she’s dancing—why is she dancing? Dad, make her stop dancing. That ain’t right.”
I fill one mug and smile sweetly over my shoulder. Then I slide the cup along the counter to him. He picks it up and sniffs.
“Hey,” I say to him, “Normal coffee, no cream or sugar.”
His smile reflects in his eyes. “We already know how the other takes their coffee. Maybe there’s hope for us yet.”
I purse my lips, but he winks, exaggerating his smile, and I laugh at him. To be fair, Trent and Alison never really got it right until he finally learned how she takes her coffee on a morning before her shifts…and that took him eighteen months. So Drake does have a point there.
“What if one of us didn’t drink coffee? Then what?” I ask, fitting the lid on my cup.
“Let’s be honest here. You’d never be the one to not drink coffee, and if I didn’t drink coffee, I wouldn’t come near you before four in the afternoon. I wouldn’t be brave enough to face you until you were falling asleep.”
“I could so go without coffee,” I argue, grabbing a muffin and shoving it at him. “I’m not that much of a bitch without it.”
“Sweetheart, don’t take this the wrong way, but you can be that much of a bitch with coffee.”
I glance at the clock on my fireplace before I step outside. “Fifteen minutes into the day. I’m going to count myself as the bigger person here and not respond to that asinine comment.”
“Oooh, asinine. Big word for this early.”
I spin on the balls of my feet by his car. “Keep that sass up, Detective Nash…”
“And you’ll shoot me?” His eyes twinkle.
“No,” I say with a sassy half smile. “I can implicate a sex ban now. That’s way more threatening than shooting you.”
Drake snorts, getting back into the truck and putting his cup and muffin in the center console. “A sex ban? Yeah, all right, cupcake.”
“I’m dead serious.”
“Noelle, if you think your dumbass sex bans can stop me from touching you and turning you the fuck on whenever I want to, then clearly I need to fuck you again—and harder this time.” He lifts one eyebrow, almost running a red light.
“You need to pay attention to the road,” I scold him, but my mouth is dry.
Holy shit, and I thought I had no brain-to-mouth filter. Does Drake Nash spit out every sexy thought in that delightful little mind of his without a second thought?
Wait—delightful little mind? What kind of voodoo is this prick pulling on me?
Handsome, part Italian, a Catholic in theory, killer eyes, deadly kiss… Oh, that voodoo.
New Orleans, I need a cure, please and thank you.
Photograph cheating spouses. Hand over the evidence. Cash my check.AMAZON US: http://bit.ly/TwistedBondUS
AMAZON UK: http://bit.ly/TwistedBondUK
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/twisted-bond-emma-hart/1122098908?ean=2940151506649
By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies – usually wine – and writes books.
Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.
She likes to be busy – unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.
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