Connected, by Kathryn Gayle

Format: Kindle Edition

Published: July 27, 2011

Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House

Back cover blurb:

The last thing Delilah Preston wanted to do was be a hero, but her conscience wouldn’t let her walk away, and now she’s caught up in an FBI investigation and the media spotlight. The problem? She’s not who she claims to be. Special Agent Dominic Santiago discovers her true identity and realizes she’s his ticket to taking down major Underworld crime boss Cap Grimaldi. But Cap is not about to go quietly and devises a plan to not only get his revenge on the Agent, but also get back his errant wife…dead or alive.

My review:

This debut novel reads like a screenplay, and I could totally see it as a Hollywood blockbuster with someone really hunky playing Agent Nick Santiago. Rawr!

There’s action from the first page as Dee bumps into – almost literally – a hitman who used to work for her Mob boss husband. To prevent him from asassinating a senator, Dee must use her martial arts training, and in doing so becomes embroiled in more than she bargained for. She left Cap Grimaldi years before after witnessing the murder of her sister-in-law, and took some of his ill-gotten gains to set herself and her mother up in a new life. Appearing on the news as the senator’s good samaritan alerts Cap that she is still alive, and thus ensues a game of cat and mouse with Cap hunting for Dee and Agent Santiago as they run across the country. To complicate matters further, along the way Nick and Dee fall in love.

There are plenty of twists and turns to satisfy any thriller enthusiast, and the romances (there are more than one!) are nicely done. I was a little annoyed with Dee’s attitude near the end, but thankfully the HEA arrived as expected.

My rating: 4/5