ARC REVIEW The Intended Victim by Alexandra Ivy

The Agency #4, A standalone, the main characters in this one is brother to the main character in the previous book but that is where the connection ends. Ash Marcel was a Chicago PD Detective until his partner mysteriously disappeared, with the amount of blood left at the scene they all assumed he was dead, and his relationship to his partner's daughter/fiancee ended, now he's a professor. Five years ago Chicago was plagued by a serial killer the press named The Butcher, but after an unsuccessful attack on Remi Walsh and the disappearance/death of her father the murders stopped. Remi was never the same after that. Now, five years later Ash's brother Chicago PD Detective Jax Marcel walks into this classroom telling him The Butcher is back and Remi is dead, only it's not Remi she just looks almost identical to her.

Ash knows it's only a matter of time before The Butcher goes after Remi again and figures he's the best person to protect her. Not just because she's in danger and she's the daughter of his old partner but because he still loves her. Remi still loves Ash also but she's worried things won't go back to the way they were. As Ash and Remi dig into the old files and try to figure out what they missed all those years ago Jax investigates the recent murders.

Overall, it was a great read. It was an intense and interesting read with a good mystery and a nice second chance romance. I really liked Ash and Remi they are a good pair. I do hope Jax is next to get his own story.     

ARC REVIEW You WIll Suffer by Alexandra Ivy

 The Agency #3, Each book in this series is a stand alone. More suspense than romance but both equally balanced throughout the story. A story of a small town lawyer, Ellie Guthrie, and former FBI agent, Nate Marcel, working together to unravel the dirty secrets of their town Curry, Oklahoma. Ellie went against her parents wishes and settled in the small town she spent part of her childhood in; Nate after leaving the FBI got in his truck and just started to drive he ended up in Curry started ranching and woodwork. Nate was already living in Curry when Ellie moved back to her old home; Ellie was attracted to Nate from the get go but something about him told her he was an all or nothing kind of guy, and not wanting to settle down with anything other than work she tried her best to ignore her sexy neighbor. That is until weird stuff started to happen.

It started with a weird feeling and then slashed tires and escalated to dead animals outside her work. She wasn't the only target another woman in town, Mandy, was the victim of what seemed like normal vandalizm. But the first dead body shows up a supposed drug overdose and then Mandy ends up the same way not even a full day later. Ellie and Nate both know something else is happening but the local sheriff is lazy and easily accepts that it's a drug overdose. Things start to go sideways when the dead body of a known dealer is found in a building that Nate just bought. Now the narrow minded sheriff thinks Nate is behind it all. Good thing Nate has a good lawyer. Despite it all it doesn't slow Ellie down trying to figure out what's happening and why she's being targeted along with her father and other prominent figures in town.

Overall, it was a really good read. I loved the ending it was a nice twist. The suspense kept me guessing the whole way the pacing was good it had a nice flow one event to another with enough down time for Nate and Ellie to fallin love. I liked Nate and Ellie together. I love it when the guy is already halfway in love with the woman and she just needs to be shown how much and that it's okay to fall in love back. For Ellie the attraction and the feelings are there she just never had a good example of a happy couple and Nate is fully prepared to show her what one looks like and his entire family embraces her into their fold. 

ARC REVIEW What Are You Afraid Of? by Alexandra Ivy

The Agency #2, Another great romantic suspense from Alexandra Ivy. What Are You Afraid Of? is book two of  The Agency series which can be read as a stand alone. Griffin Archer sexy computer geek, software programmer, millionaire and delicate looking but tough journalist Carmen Jacobs whose claim to fame is her true crime non fiction Heart of the Predator in which she interviewed five serial killers and went over their cases. Carmen is on a well deserved break from her book tour in an isolated cabin in the woods. No one is suppose to know where she is and her publisher isn't suppose to forward any mail but that doesn't stop them a large brown envelope appears on her doorstep and as much as she want to ignore it she is curious by nature and opens it. Inside she finds fightenly familiar pictures, pictures so similar to the first serial killer in her book, but it couldn't be him he was already dead. When the local police won't take her seriously she knew of one person who could help her as long as he still didn't hate her.    

Griffin knew Carmen was in trouble the moment he saw her, if her constant attempts to call him wasn't a dead giveaway her pale complexion and the terrified look on her face was. After the way they parted company the last time he knew it must be serious if she asking for his help, but even after she explains there might be a copycat killer out there he still was hesitant to help her. It's not until after she leaves to continue on her own does he realize that another thing the victim all have in common, they all look like Carmen. Griffin gives a friend at the FBI a heads up about what happening, and he starts checking things on his own. It escalates when Carmen receives a bouquet of flowers with an old nickname on them. Griffin thinks this is more personal than even Carmen realizes and starts asking questions about her past and the murder suicide of her parents.

The relationship between Carmen and Griffin starts off rocky. When they first met, in events before the book starts back when Carmen was still in the process of writing her book, she wanted to interview Griffin because he wrote the program that assisted the police in apprehending on of the serial killers she was writing about but he wouldn't do it. Carmen managed a "chance" meeting and they got close but then Griffin found out who she was it didn't end nicely. Despite all that Griffin is still insanely attracted to Carmen and when he realizes she is the focus of the copycat his protective instincts kicks into overdrive. Griffin is willing to do anything to protect Carmen catch the copycat and prove to Carmen he's worth the risk of loving.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one it really hit the spot. I like Ivy's writing, she does fantastic with the suspense and the whodunnit, she kept me guessing. She always transports me into the story and I just can't put it down.  

   

ARC REVIEW Pretend You're Safe by Alexandra Ivy

Pretend You're Safe is the first book in the new series The Agency. Alexandra Ivy spun a web of misdirection, she had me second guessing my second guesses, although the red herring was fairly obvious. This was a great first book for the series it introduces you to the characters and sets it up for more. It has some really good suspense but it's not very dark. This book really hooked it me it was hard to put this one down.

Jaci started to receive creepy little tokens when she was a teenager, but no one believed that these lockets meant anything bad. They finally stopped when she left for college and didn't start up again when she returned to her grandparents farmhouse. Jaci has successfully started her own bakery business, baking for local restaurants and cafes. This year the rains have been particularly bad, constant enough to start flooding the river and with the flooding comes the appearance of dead bodies.

Rylan is back in town to help his father with the house after the basement got flooded. He left to go to college and then go into the FBI but in college he met Baldwin and together they created a new program for security systems and made a butt load of money and started their own business. At the time Rylan didn't take the lockets Jaci was getting seriously, when she approached him he was working deputy and thought it was just her looking for attention; he had no idea that this went on for years. The appearance of the Jane Doe also brings a new locket on the door. Rylan understand his mistake and isn't going to make it again, he has an overwhelming urge to protect Jaci at all costs. But Rylan showing interest in Jaci makes the stalker escalate and starts kidnapping woman and leaving the bodies where Rylan can find them. Rylan and the Sheriff are forced to work together to track down the serial killer before he gets to Jaci.

Jaci and Rylan, I liked that romance. Jaci always had a crush on Rylan and Rylan always liked Jaci but she was too young for him; now that they are adults Rylan finally admits Jaci is the one. Once it becomes obvious where things are going they just sort of accept it, Jaci knows she can trust Rylan and that he will protect her. The only thing she is not sure if he's going to stay or go back to California when all this is over.

Overall, this was another great one by Alexandra Ivy.