Thursday, December 18, 2014

Deadly, Calm, and Cold (The Collectors #2) by Susannah Sandlin


How far will ordinary people go to protect their secrets? The Collectors’ games are as much about manipulating lives as finding lost treasure. Everyone is expendable as the ruthless C7 pushes people into gambling with their lives in order to find priceless objects lost to history.

Samantha Crowe’s secrets could ruin her career, while Brody Parker’s could get him killed. They become pawns for two Collectors seeking Bad King John’s crown jewels, which disappeared in rural England back when Robin Hood roamed Nottingham. This time, however, the Collectors—a ruthless dotcom billionaire and a desperate London detective—might not be playing for the same team, leaving Sam and Brody trapped in the middle.

One thing’s for sure: if either hopes to survive, Sam and Brody will have to find a way to overcome their distrust—and their growing attraction—in order to succeed on this winner-take-all treasure hunt.

Type: Light Romantic-Suspense
Heat: 2.5 out of 5
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Something about Deadly, Calm and Cold just screamed out "Anna you must read me!!!!". And so I did... and yay I'm glad I listen to random book demands :) It was one of those books that was just easy to get in to with likable characters, light suspense and light romance. Plus, you know, sexy artist, a backdrop of the English countryside and a little danger as Sam and Brody hunt for a centuries old treasure, deal with blackmailers and a clock counting down until their time is up and their lives ruined by said blackmailer. Yep it was a pretty good time.


The quick of it is there's a group of very very rich and very very immoral people that are playing a game. They come up with something and do whatever it takes--ruin whoever they want to--to make it happen. And this go around Brody and Sam--who are strangers--wind up in their cross-hairs. Find the 800+ years missing Royal Jewels in a month or their lives will be destroyed. And so Brody and Sam are forced together and oh how they are tempted along the way as loyalties are questioned and everyone around them turns into a potential "enemy".
"I probably should tell you that I find you really attractive. Oh my God,  really attractive. But I've taken a vow of celibacy."

Brody didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or strangle her--or all three, in that order. His willingness to give her the benefit of the doubt only went so far, though, and what a shame that she seemed as attracted to him as he was to her. There was some serious chemistry.

Still, he was intrigued. "Let me get this strait. Now you're a history grad student nun from LSU? That's a new one."

She gave him an eat-shit-and-die look that tugged at something deep in his gut. Damn it. He liked this woman. ...

"I'm not a nun, goof nuts. I just have such horrible judgement where men are concerned that I recently came to the conclusion that celibacy is the only possible solution."

He took a step closer, close enough to feel her body heat and give him his first non-self-induced hard-on in longer than he cared to admit. "That's a waste, Samantha Crowe. You could plow the field without buying the farm, you know,"

She laughed, and it came out as a snort, which made them both laugh. "Oh, tell me you didn't just say that. Where the hell did you grow up?"

He grinned. 
It's fairly light on both the suspense and the romantic sides of things but it easily kept me turning the pages and interested. I liked both Sam and Brody. They're good people who have at some point in the past found themselves in terrible positions and had to change their identities--that are now being compromised by the blackmailers--but they're survivors and have a wonderful strength about them. The romance is slow building but easy as well. The two are nice together. There's a little touch of humor, a little touch of pain they have to get past and a little heat as well. It was nice seeing them work together and getting to know one another.

Really I don't have too much to say about this one. It's light on pretty much everything and while it didn't have a huge punch to it it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon and the perfect type of read for me during the crazy Christmas season when it's helpful to have a book I can put down and pick up whenever I have a chance and fall into very quickly each time. I personally would have liked a little more on the hunt for the crown jewels but what was there was intriguing and there were a couple surprises--one rather heartbreaking--along the way. I'd give Sandlin another read no doubt.

Have you read Sandlin? What did you think?
Do you like "easy" reads like this now and again?
Have a favorite blackmailer/treasure hunt storyline?

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