Thursday, March 8, 2018

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway of Seeking Mr. Wrong by Tamara Morgan

Review, Excerpt, Giveaway, Seeking Mr. Wrong, Tamara Morgan, Sourcebooks Casablanca

Bea's Book Nook, Review, Excerpt, Giveaway, Seeking Mr. Wrong, Tamara Morgan
Series: Penelope Blue #3
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 6th, 2018 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | iBooks* | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A fool-proof way to spice up any relationship:
1. Infiltrate a deadly ring of thieves, cons, and crooks.
2. Try to escape with your lives.

Penelope Blue used to be one of the best jewel thieves in New York City―but that was before falling in love with FBI poster boy Grant Emerson. Now she works at his side, helping her former enemy catch her past-life colleagues, and she couldn't be happier.

If only Grant would remember to play by the rules.

Now he's gone undercover on a cruise ship full of hardened criminals. To keep him safe, Penelope must pretend they're nothing but strangers...while searching for an information broker desperately wanted by the FBI. While doing her darndest not to backslide and steal 20 million dollars' worth of diamonds from beneath the noses of the criminal elite. It's all Penelope can do to keep this mission afloat...

Good thing this cat burglar has plenty of lives to spare.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed the first two books in this series and could hardly wait for this one to release. Morgan didn't disappoint. "Seeking Mr. Wrong"  had witty banter, steamy love scenes, action, tension, and humor.

Infamous 'retired' jewel thief Penelope Blue and her husband FBI agent Grant Emerson seem like an odd couple. They met when he was investigating her and talk about sparks. The two are dynamite together.  She has given up, more or less, her life of theft and instead helps the FBI as a consultant and amateur field agent. Grant, despite being Mr. All-American and a possible successor to Captain America, is willing to bend or break the rules where Penelope is concerned.

This story wasn't quite as breezy as the others,it was darker, but it was twisty. Penelope and Grant haven't been married long and they are still figuring out their relationship which led to some spirited, and sexy, bickering. Grant was injured at the end of book two and at the beginning of this one he is impatient to get back to work, while Penelope would rather he take more time to recover. Then they got brought in for an emergency and they are both out in the field. Penelope's family and some of her friends are along for the ride. Penelope worries about Grant and his injuries while he tries to pretend that he's perfectly fine which led to tension between them.

A high stakes poker game, old friends, new enemies, and a story set on a ship at sea with no easy escape made for an engaging story. Most of the twists took me by surprise though there was one I figured out early on. That didn't decrease my enjoyment or the suspense especially as there was a lot going on. And there was one thing pleased me; one of the new characters (who I'd love to see again) has asthma and Morgan actually portrays it pretty accurately. Most books, movies, and TV shows get it wrong so it was a nice surprise to see it presented realistically.

The rest of the story stretched credibility at times but was interesting. While the story didn't quite live up to the wit or humor of the earlier books, it was still enjoyable and the tension of the poker competition and finding a master criminal as well as the side dramas going on kept me reading. Morgan also further developed Penelope, Grant, and some of the others, fleshing them out. I'm looking forward to more adventures with Grant and Penelope.

My review of book 2, Saving Mr. Perfect

Bea's Book Nook, Excerpt, Review, Seeking Mr. Wrong, Tamara Morgan

Before my foot has a chance to touch the ground, my back comes into contact with a fleshy wall that I could swear wasn’t there a moment ago. A pair of strong hands grab me by the waist to ground me, the grip familiar for the fraction of a second it lingers.

“Whoa, there,” says a low, rumbling male voice. “Take it easy. You don’t look too steady on your feet.”

Even if I had been steady on my feet, I wouldn’t be now. I know those hands, and I know that voice—and more importantly, I know the body that houses them both.

“She’s fine,” Hijack says for me, his hand once again taking a proprietary place on the small of my back. “She’s not used to the constant movement of the ship yet, that’s all.”

I manage a feeble smile and look up into my husband’s face. It’s a testament to his skills as a federal agent and a man of steel that no signs of his emotions are apparent. At least, no signs of his emotions are apparent to anyone meeting him for the first time. As I know full well, that unreadable look in his eyes only appears when he’s hiding something.

Amusement, if I’m lucky. Anger, if I’m not. At this point, it could go either way. I guess I’m not the only one who noticed Hijack’s hands in my hair.

Grant lifts a brow. “Good thing she has you to take care of her. And to speak for her, it seems. Does she have a name?”

“As it so happens, she does.” I offer him my hand. “Penelope. Penelope Blue. And you are?”

“Kit O’Kelly, at your service.”

I fully expect him to shake my hand or, given the formal way he introduced himself, bow at the waist, but he lifts my fingers to his lips and drops a light kiss on the surface instead. Between the tuxedo molded to his godlike form and the dark hair that gleams in the moonlight, it’s all I can do not to swoon at the contact. Especially since he lingers a moment longer than necessary, the touch of his mouth soft and warm against my skin. The whisper of his breath is a reminder of everything I want right now—and everything I can’t have.

“Penelope Blue, Penelope Blue…” He says my name with the affectionate inflection he normally reserves for our private time together. “The name is familiar, but I can’t think why. Should I know you?”

I struggle to keep a laugh from springing to my lips. The question is a ridiculous one. There’s no man on earth who knows me better than this one; even before we were married, he had an alarming amount of insight into my inner workings.

“Probably not,” I say. “I’m a pretty small-time thief. But you might know my father, Warren Blue.”

He pretends to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. “No, that’s not it. Were you in Prague last year?”

“Uh, no. I’ve never been.”

“Paris in the winter of ’14?”

“I’m sorry. You must have me confused with someone else.”

“Impossible. I never forget a face, especially one as beautiful as yours.”

I can’t help it. I blush. It’s the cheesiest and most overused compliment in the world, but the way Grant’s eyes—no, the way Kit O’Kelly’s eyes—are devouring me makes me feel as if I’m standing on deck without a scrap of clothing on. It’s been less than two days since he and I parted ways, and already his absence has become a physical ache.

This is a man I cannot live without, I think. And this is a man who’s never been in more danger than he is right now.

Despite the balmy air of the Caribbean, I shiver.

He sees it, of course. The stubborn idiot is unable to hide his concern over my well-being and starts to shrug out of his jacket.

“You’re cold,” he says. “Let me.”

I jump back, determined to put as much space between us as possible. If he touches me again, if he keeps being solicitous and caring to a perfect stranger, Hijack is going to notice. My ex-boyfriend is far too interested in my FBI husband for my comfort level. The last thing we need is him asking more questions.

“I’m fine,” I state, even as goose bumps break out on my arms. “It was just a cold breeze.”

Hijack clears his throat, and I turn to him with a smile, grateful for the distraction he offers. “This is Hijack,” I say, nudging him forward. “I don’t think you’ll have heard of him either—he’s even smaller time than I am.”

Both men laugh obligingly.

“Hijack?” Grant offers his hand. “That’s an interesting name. Am I to take it literally?”

“Not while we’re on board the Shady Lady.” He shakes Grant’s hand, both their fingers gripped way too hard for a friendly greeting. “Except for the ship itself, there’s nothing here for me to hot-wire. We’re sorry to have interrupted your meal, but like I said, the lady needed some fresh air. She wasn’t feeling well.”

The lady still isn’t feeling a hundred percent, but no way is she going to show it. If Grant thinks for one second that I’m not able to see my side of this job through, we’re both done for. I’m supposed to be the one worrying about him out here, not the other way around.


About the author ~

Tamara Morgan is a contemporary comedy romance author. Ninety-nine percent of her information comes from television, movies, books, and all other pop culture activities that limit the amount of time she has to spend in polite company.

Her long-lived affinity for romance novels survived a B.A. degree in English Literature, after which time she discovered it was much more fun to create stories than analyze the life out of them. She lives with her husband and daughter in the Inland Northwest, where the summers are hot, the winters are cold, and coffee is available on every street corner.

Tamara loves to participate in reader conversations, blog tours, and the occasional venture into public, so feel free to drop her an email at tamaramorganwrites (at) gmail (dot) com.

Find Tamara online ~ 

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