Author: Sheralyn Pratt
Genres: Romantic Suspense, Suspense/Thriller
Pages: 280
Published: January 18, 2016
Publisher: Wicked Sassy
Source: Purchased
For centuries, the elite of the world have sought the Pimpernel everywhere. Some want to kill him, others want to hire him, but Jack Cavanaugh knows that the love/hate relationship comes with the job title.
At present, Jack is trying to dismantle an investment scheme centered in Las Vegas, but "trying" is the operative word. It's been a month since he put the face of the scheme behind bars, yet the scam is still going strong. As Jack tries to uncover who has stepped in as the new head, what miniscule evidence there is all seems to point him back to Claire Ramsey, an introverted PhD student studying at UNLV.
If ever there as an unlikely head of an investment scheme, Claire's it. She has a genius IQ, but from all Jack has seen, Claire’s intelligence is as much a blessing as a curse when paired up with her acute OCD. Claire can barely make conversation with the cute guy down the hall, which makes it hard to believe she could be the charismatic salesperson who is getting international businessmen to invest $5—50 million a pop.
So what is Jack missing? What is the real story behind Claire Ramsey? And once Jack learns it, will he be able to walk away?
Although I’m part of a book tour, I bought my own copy of Pimpernel.
Leverage. Mission Impossible. Pimpernel.
Yep. If you like those first two, you’re going to love Pimpernel! Although Pimpernel is marketed as a romantic suspense—and there is enough romance to make that an accurate description—I was so much more intrigued with the suspense part of the story. There were secret identities, twists and turns, cons within cons, with just a bit of romance.
Pimpernel seriously reminded me of some of my favorite episodes of Leverage and the original Mission Impossible television series. There were twists I didn’t see coming, where my mouth literally hung open in delight! Then there were twists I thought I saw coming, but I was wrong and it was so much better!
Oh. My. Gosh. I loved this book!!!
Okay, okay. I’m geeking out. I can’t help it.
[bctt tweet=”PIMPERNEL: Secret identities, cons within cons, a bit of romance #suspense #giveaway”]
What did I think?
So first. In the first several chapters, I kept looking for the Pimpernel story—and it wasn’t there. I loved The The Scarlet Pimpernel book, and especially the movie with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour. But it wasn’t happening and wasn’t happening—and that was distracting. So I finally gave up on that and then—BOOM!—there was the connection. And I was absolutely giddy! (FYI: In the process of writing this review, I found this post by Sheralyn Pratt. I wish I’d read it before I started the book.)
The characters were awesome. I loved Claire in all her OCD-ness. I loved her roommate Daniel. I loved the entire team of Jack, Ren, Margot, and Kali. I loved the bad guys. I loved all the sneaky underhandedness and surprises. I just loved it. The dialog was snappy and laugh-out-loud funny in places, and poignant and heart-pulling in others.
The plot was fast-paced, short chapters with one twist on top of another. At one point, I thought maybe I should start a character list with notes to track who was who, but I didn’t want to put the story down long enough to do that. And honestly? I don’t know how Sheralyn Pratt kept all those balls in the air until they were ready to drop, right on target, like she did. It was amazing!
I loved this book! Okay, I know. Geeking out again. But I hope this turns into a series. Pimpernel will most likely hit my Top Ten of 2016 list. I give it a solid 4.5 STARS.
Click here to find other reviewers participating in the blog tour.
And here’s the Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash (ends 2/28/16)
Giveaway sponsored by Kathy at I Am A Reader; Prize provided by author.
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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