Bea Reviews Cold Cruel Kiss by Toni Anderson

Series: Crossfire #4; Cold Justice #14
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Toni Anderson Inc,
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Jan. 28th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

When the daughter of the US Ambassador to Argentina is kidnapped in broad daylight on Christmas Eve, the FBI sends one of its best negotiators to investigate.

Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne arrives at an embassy thrown into chaos as US and local law enforcement hustle to track the young woman. Is this a simple kidnap for ransom, or part of a political agenda? Could it be something more sinister?

Lucy Aston has something to hide. Preferring to stay in the shadows, the lowly, fashion-challenged office assistant resents being assigned to help Max. But Max can’t resist a puzzle…he’s starting to suspect Lucy Aston is not what she seems.

When rumors emerge of a suspected Russian spy operating out of the embassy, Lucy’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble. As she and Max race to rescue the ambassador’s daughter, Lucy has to do whatever it takes to keep her cover from being blown—even if that means betraying the man she’s falling for.

My Thoughts:

Happy sigh. Max finally got his HEA; I've been waiting for what feels like forever. We've only gotten glimpses of Max previously so it was good to get to know him better. Although we got his backstory some bits were not fleshed out and I hope that will be addressed in a future book. 

I loved Lucy. She was such a mix of contrasts and had such depth. She tried to come off as wimpy and frumpy but Max saw right through that. She was a badass fighter, snarky when least expected, and determined to atone for her mistakes. Her contrasts whetted both his curiosity and his interest. Lucy was more than she seemed and she kept both Max and the reader guessing. I did figure out one important piece about Lucy but Ms. Anderson carefully laid the clues. I worried how Max would react to Lucy's secret and happily he did not let me down. He reacted with his head and his heart and proved how well he understood her. 

..., this almost stranger who'd managed to destroy all her defenses with his observant nature and compassionate manner.

I did figure out some of what was happening and who was responsible but I was enjoying the book so much that I didn't care and there was enough that I didn't figure out to keep my interest. The story was full of suspense and action, and a sexy and fun romance. Lucy and Max just worked. They got each other, respected each other, and had fun together. 

The story included POVs from Kristen and Irene, the kidnapped girls, and I was impressed with how well they held up. They were terrified but mostly kept their cool and didn't sit around waiting to be rescued. No, they paid attention, and looked for ways to free themselves. They went through a horrible experience, one I can barely imagine. Anderson did a wonderful job with the two of them. They weren't perfect by any means and Kristen especially made some mistakes but they rallied and fought back as best they could.

"Cold Cruel Kiss" was entertaining, engaging, fast-paced, sexy, topical, and darn near unputdownable. Pity I can't read while I'm at work. This may have been Anderson't best to date.

Go here to read an excerpt.