Review: Taste for Danger by Alexa Verde

Fast-paced Romantic Suspense

Amazon Description

Small-town librarian Soledad Sokolova has three days to find a hidden Russian treasure -- or she and her father will die. Out of options, she turns for help to a hunky stranger, private investigator James O'Hara. But she knows better than to let a ladies' man break her heart for the second time. Bound by his word to Soledad's father, James is ready to protect her at all costs. However, once betrayed, he's reluctant to fall in love again. Will James and Soledad escape danger and find treasures of faith, love, and hope?

Secrets of Rios Azules series: sweet, wholesome books about faith, love, and murder. Welcome to Rios Azules, a small Texas town where rivers and emotions run deep, and the secrets are deadly. Prequel River of Danger (Jacob and River), Book 1 Color of Danger (Luke and Mari), Book 2 Taste of Danger (James and Soledad), Book 3 Scent of Danger (Connor and Maya).

My Review

“Wholesome books about love, faith and murder”. 

Well, you’ve got to love Alexa Verde’s byline. And it’s accurate, because Taste of Danger had a strong Christian plotline, with Soledad as a strong Christian and James falling somewhere between lapsed Christian and complete unbeliever--at least at the beginning. I would have liked to have understood his spiritual journey a little better, but I suspect that would have gotten in the way of the fast-paced plot.

And Taste of Danger was fast-paced—it felt like I was on a non-stop roller coaster from the beginning to the end as James and Soledad try and solve the clues to find her father before the three-day deadline expires. The chase provided the couple with plenty of opportunities for deep discussions, where James challenges Soledad about her inferiority complex (a gift from an abusive ex), and they get to eat some delicious sounding meals (the meals were definitely the worst part of the book, because I’M TRYING TO DIET AND THIS ISN’T HELPING. Sorry. Perhaps I should have taken the title more literally).

Seriously, I wish I lived closer to south Texas and Rios Azules, because the restaurants sounded fantastic. In fact, the whole town sounded fantastic (well, if the town didn’t feature such a dangerous criminal element).

Taste of Danger is part of a series, and while it is a standalone novel, it’s probably best to read the series in order. I didn’t, and I did sometimes feel I was missing background information because of that. Oddly enough, I now find I have read the final book, Scent of Danger, as part of the Smoke and Mirrors box set, and I found that made a better standalone novel. Go figure.

Overall, the plot was perfect romantic suspense, with solid writing, excellent Christian themes, and two wounded but realistic characters. A quick and enjoyable read for Christian romantic suspense fans. Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

You can find out more about Alexa Verde at her website (http://alexaverde.com/), and you can read the introduction to Taste of Danger below: