Where did you get the book: E-arc from Netgalley
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: Out now
Breaking up is hard to do, as Kathleen Turner discovers. After a falling-out with her ex, high-powered attorney Blane Kirk, she’s moving on the best she can. Unfortunately, someone from her past is set on revenge and nothing short of killing Kathleen will stop them.
Keeping his brother’s ex-girlfriend alive isn’t something new to assassin-for-hire Kade Dennon, but this time can he protect her from himself? She’s a woman he can’t convince himself to walk away from, no matter what it costs him.
Regret is a constant companion for Blane as he realizes the truth behind the lies he’s been told. Can love heal the past, or can some mistakes not be undone?
Murder reunites Blane, Kade, and Kathleen as the police put Blane in their crosshairs. Blane may lose everything unless he and Kade can find the real murderer before it’s too late. But if they can’t set aside their love for the same woman and work together, it will tear them apart.
In Out of Turn, Kathleen is caught between two warring brothers, and the consequences may be fatal.
*Blurb taken from Goodreads*
Kathleen Turner is picking up the pieces of her life after being dumped by her fiance, Blane Kirk, who accused her of cheating with his half-brother, Kade. Despite losing her job, Kathleen is embarking on a new degree and moving on with her life, even though she is nursing a broken heart and is drinking a tad too much. But danger lurks again when her life is threatened from an old face from her past, and Kathleen also has to face Kade and Blane who both want to win her back.
I had the first book in this series waiting to be read for a long while in my Kindle. A few months ago after a series of DNF’s and meh books, I took the chance to check it out because I haven’t read a Romantic Suspense in a long while. The first book was inhaled in a day, and I later glommed on the following books in a matter of days. I was taken by surprise on how I got sucked into this series because it has a love triangle which involves two brothers and a heroine who is torn between the two of them. Now I have been burned badly in the past because I have suffered when bad love triangles have gone bad, or in the odd cases of quadrangle or even a harem (I am looking at you LKH). But for some reason, Tiffany Snow really engaged me into this series despite it having a love triangle involving brothers–although I did find in this 4th installment it went into an unexpected direction, and there were a few issues with the way this played out for me.
In the previous entries in this series, Kathleen was swept off her feet with her romance with the older dashing brother, Blane, who was a former SEAL and now a partner in a law firm that is flourishing. However, she shares an attraction with Blane’s half brother Kade, who is an ex-FBI agent turned assassin/hacker for hire and is the more darker and tortured love interest. I actually felt he was the better fit for Kathleen because he welcomed her as being a full partner instead of the damsel in distress which Blane views her as one. I also felt that Blane never really understood Kathleen with what she needed, and that their relationship was always slanted in his favour, although I did like him being her potential love interest.
In OUT OF TURN, I really liked that Kathleen has started to come into her own, even though her world collapsed around her and she is still recovering from the ordeal of her kidnapping. But she is determined to not to let that grind her down even though she would cope by drowning her sorrows to try to numb the pain. Tiffany Snow has a great grasp of characters and Kathleen’s development has gone from the almost innocent in the first book to a more wary but strong-willed and tenacious woman.
I also liked how the mystery tied in with the previous plot threads in the first few books, and one of the highlights in this book is the suspense elements which is seamless with the action and intrigue that surrounds Kathleen, Blane and Kade. And the mystery is closely linked with Blane who finds himself in hot water as well as facing the huge mistake over his split with Kathleen which was manipulated by his great uncle who is not the perfect man he envisioned.
However, this book is a game-changer in the series and this may upset a few readers who are firmly entrenched with one suitor. And that is the thing about love triangles; there is always a loser, especially if you’re invested with a choice. Although I found myself happy with both guys and I think that was the strength of Snow’s characters. Nonetheless, there were issues with the way this was handled and it was how vague and indecisive Kathleen became with her choices in this book which I really got frustrated with.
Spoiler:
[spoiler]
Kathleen was torn up about hurting the brothers because she didn’t want to come between them and cause conflict. She splits up from Blane in the last book, and three months have gone past and she is aware of the real issues about her relationship with him. I did find it tiring that she kept questioning herself about not embarking on a fling with Kade which ends up as a drunken one night stand which then ends up with some forced angst.
Although it becomes more intense when their true feelings comes out, and it is obvious that her real choice in this book is Kade because emotionally he understood her better than Blane in the early books. I also wished that there was more time spent with them exploring their relationship, like she had with Blane. And that is the crux of the matter with the issue of the love triangle. So much time was spent with Blane and the to-ing and fro-ing with Kade, who is not a gentleman and does pursue her despite Kathleen being his brother’s girlfriend. That makes him not that likeable in some respects but it does add to the complexities of his relationship with Blane because of their own past issues due to the fact Kade was the illegitimate brother who was brought up in care and was abused.
So there is a lot of abandonment issues playing out as an undercurrent and I think that was part of the reason why I was drawn into this triangle, because the brothers’ relationship was just as interesting. It also became a bit of a disservice for Blane’s character because I really liked him and I didn’t find that fair for his character even though he could be a bit of an arse as well towards Kathleen. I also hope Kathleen confirms and sticks to her choice because it is pretty vague and I really hope the relationship drama doesn’t become overwrought.
[/spoiler]End Spoiler.
I just hope that with the decision, which is strongly hinted in this book, is confirmed early on and we get some quality time with the couple’s development which isn’t mired in angst. I know Snow has plans for a book for the suitor who lost out, and I will definitely be checking his book. But I felt that with the ongoing mystery threads which carries onto the final book, there seems to be so much going on. I hope the relationship drama doesn’t drag on because it’s starting to overpower my enjoyment of the series.
Overall, this is a tightly written romantic suspense series, with engaging and memorable characters. However, the love triangle may not be for everyone especially since it does involve two brothers who do compete for the heroine. I found that it worked because Tiffany Snow’s writing was appealing and despite my own views with triangles in the past, I was intrigued enough to carry on with the series because I liked the humour, suspense and the characters. OUT OF TURN, provides a tense suspenseful ride and hot romantic tension which was definitely rewarding for this fan of a certain suitor. I just hope the final book lives up to the promise and that Kathleen has her HEA without the tortured angst and fallout that may mar my enjoyment of this series.
I give OUT OF TURN a B-
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