Crossfire, the first book in the Cross Duet by Kathy Lockheart is live
A fast paced and exciting romantic mystery/thriller, this is a chemistry-filled sort-of-enemies-to-lovers story that had me hooked from the very beginning
Amazon
Blurb
In my defense, I didn’t know he was sent to kill me when I fell in love with him.
Grayson. Dark. Dangerous. Irresistible.
One moment, he’s making me feel alive for the first time since Dad died. The next? He’s got a cold steel blade to my throat. Turns out, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Homicidal is actually an assassin ordered to kill me.
Now I’m his prisoner. I hate that his touch still ignites my soul, each one a cruel reminder that the next could be my last. I want to believe he would never actually hurt me, but Grayson’s code is eliminate any threat to innocents. And someone’s working overtime to convince him I’m guilty… Who? And why?
As secrets unravel, I’m forced to confront the shocking truth about why Grayson was sent to silence me forever… Leaving me with one haunting
Will the man who gave me a reason to live become the one who takes my life?
**Author’s This book follows Grayson Lockwood, brother of Hunter from the Vendetta Duet. While not essential, readers may enjoy starting with Secret Vendetta for additional context.
Review
“My best chance of surviving was in the protective arms of my assassin.”
3.5 stars
A fast paced and exciting romantic mystery/thriller, this is a chemistry-filled sort-of-enemies-to-lovers story that had me hooked from the very beginning, and I really enjoyed this read.
This is the first book in a duet, and part of a broader series as it follows on from the Vendetta Duet – the heroes of both duets are brothers, and there are two more Lockwood brothers who look poised to have their stories told as well. But you could read this duet independently of the first (I did). Just beware mini-spoilers for the earlier books.
Grayson Lockwood is a CIA assassin who is on the trail of a dangerous arms dealer, but his mission goes all wrong when an unknown woman walks into his carefully set-up trap. It’s his second attempt to take down this particular bad guy, so when he fails again, he assumes the woman is involved somehow, and he’s determined to find out all that he can about her. So he plans a ‘random’ meeting at her local coffee shop, posing as a flirtatious customer, only to find himself completely smitten for real.
Ivy is pretty much at rock bottom. She is in some serious financial trouble, she’s got a pesky ex, and she’s still grieving the death of her beloved father a year ago. Then she gets caught up in a scary situation and barely escapes with her life. But things start to look up when she meets Grayson in a coffee shop. He’s smart, funny, their chemistry is wild, and he makes her alive for the first time in a long time.
But their two worlds truly collide when Grayson received his next target, and it turns out to be the very woman that he’s falling for. Desperate to uncover the truth, he whisks her away to a remote cabin to figure out who Ivy really is, what she is involved in, and who is targeting her.
It’s an exciting ride, and I was right on board with these two from the very beginning. I could feel their attraction, I was excited to see how their story would unfold, and when everything shifts and we get this captive/captor, forced proximity situation, it becomes even more intense. With the story written in dual POV, we know exactly what’s going on with both of them and can see how they feel about each other, but I loved watching them work through it all, falling harder for each other every step of the way. The romance is fast moving but it’s sexy and emotional with great sexual tension, and it ties in well with the mystery and suspense of their situation, which kept me guessing through the whole story.
This is my first read by Kathy Lockheart, and I like her writing, though I think there was a bit too much time spent inside the characters’ heads. It’s one of those situations where a line of dialogue is spoken, and then you disappear into the character’s thoughts so deeply that by the time they reply, you have to flick back and see what they’re responding to. I prefer more dialogue to thoughts in my books. But I am invested in the story and keen to go back and read Grayson’s brother, Hunter’s books. I enjoyed what we did see of his family, and am hoping we get to see more of them.
The book ends on a nasty cliffhanger, and I’m looking forward to the continuation of Grayson and Ivy’s story in [book:Crossover|217292064].
I enjoyed this one – 3.5 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.
The Cross Duet
Meet the Author
Kathy Lockheart is an International and Amazon Top 25 Bestselling Author of Romance with intense suspense. Her books—which have a unique blend of emotional elements typically found in women’s fiction and the romance and danger elements found in romantic suspense—contain themes that include dark romance antiheroes, enemies to lovers alpha tropes, and forbidden romance angst. When she’s not writing, you can find her silently cursing the person who put fluorescent lights in dressing rooms.
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