Virtual Book Review Tour & Giveaway for Vicki's Key by P.M. Terrell

Welcome to my stop on P.M. Terrell’s Virtual Book Review Tour for Vicki’s Key.  Please leave a comment or question for P.M. below to let her know you stopped by.  P.M. will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during her tour.  You can follow her tour here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning will be. 

Vicki's Key

by P.M. Terrell

Black Swamp Mysteries, Book 2

Publisher: Drake Valley Press

Release Date: March 17, 2013

Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense

Pages: 324 Pages

Book Description: 

Following a failed mission, Vicki Boyd leaves her job as a psychic spy with the CIA, determined to start her life over in a small town assisting an elderly lady. But when she arrives, she finds that Laurel Maguire has suffered a stroke and is confined to the third floor of her home and her nephew Dylan has recently arrived from Ireland to care for her.

Vicki very quickly falls in love with the charming, handsome Irishman. But all is not what it seems in Aunt Laurel’s old, rambling home. And when the CIA arrive on her doorstep to convince her to accept one last mission, she finds her past and her future are about to collide… In murder.

Excerpt

“Stay out of the tunnel.”

“What tunnel?”

The man pushed against her with his entire body, pinning her flat against the wall. “Stay out of the tunnel.” He venomously enunciated each word, spraying spittle on her as he spoke. He pushed against her again, and she realized he was silently threatening her with rape—or worse—if she didn’t comply.

Vicki felt a chill creeping across her skin, leaving it tingling as though the circulation had been cut. His whole body felt like iron and he clearly intended on keeping her pinned to the wall until she complied with his demands. As he continued to exert pressure against her, her lungs began to feel weighted and she struggled to catch her breath. Even if she’d intended on agreeing to his demands, she was unable to speak.

He shoved against her once more, pushing the remaining air out of her lungs. She was suffocating, she thought with rising panic.

Then two tanned hands landed on both his shoulders, pulling him off her so abruptly that she nearly fell to her knees. As she gasped for air, she caught sight of him being pulled backward through the fish house, through the doorway and into the yard.

Her knees shaking, she rushed after Dylan as he slammed the man against the trunk of an ancient oak tree.

“This isn’t your fight,” the assailant said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Dylan slammed his fist into his abdomen, causing him to drop to his knees and double over with pain.  "I'm makin' it my fight."

Buy Links:

Amazon Print│ Kindle  │  Nook  │  Barnes & Noble Print 

Smashwords   │ iTunes

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 18 books in 4 genres. A full-time author since 2002, she previously opened and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her specialties were in the areas of computer crime and computer intelligence and her clients included the Secret Service, CIA and Department of Defense as well as local law enforcement. 

Computer and spy technology are two themes that recur throughout her books. She is the co-founder of The Book 'Em Foundation, whose mission is to raise awareness of the link between high illiteracy rates and high crime rates. And she founded the annual Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair which takes place each February.

Author's website: www.pmterrell.com

Author's blogs: www.pmterrell.blogspot.com and www.vickisangelfish.com 

(inspired by the angelfish "front" used by the CIA in the Black Swamp Mysteries series)

Twitter: @pmterrell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.p.m.terrell

My Review

Building a series around an area in North Carolina, P.M. Terrell introduces us to remote viewing psychic Vicki Boyd in Vicki’s Key, the second book in her Black Swamp Mystery series.  Well developed characters, good dialogue, a smoldering romance and a well developed mystery kept me turning the pages to discover what was going to happen next.  Giving her main character the psychic gift of remote viewing, Ms. Terrell aptly combines a paranormal romance with a romantic suspense to give us a very enjoyable read.

Still suffering nightmares a year after a mission went terribly wrong, remote viewer Vicki Boyd decides to leave the CIA and begin her life over again.  Applying for and accepting a job as an assistant to Laurel Maguire, an angelfish breeder in a small town in North Carolina, Vicki hopes the new career and new location help her begin to have a life of her own.  Only nothing is quite what it seems; neither the house or the job are quite what she expected and neither is her new employer, or Dylan, the handsome Irishman rebuilding the house who just happens to be Laurel’s nephew.   When her boss from the CIA shows up and blackmails her into working for him again; Vicki begins to wonder if she’s jumped from the frying pan into the fryer.

Unable to share everything about his aunt and the secrets of the house he’s rebuilding, Dylan Maguire can’t help being attracted to Vicki, his aunt’s new employee.  Realizing there’s something different about her, Dylan makes it his mission to keep his eye on her and make sure she does a good job dealing with the angelfish.  When her past comes back to threaten her, Dylan has to choose whether or not he wants to get involved.  Especially since her past is tied to the government and her psychic powers.

Ms. Terrell does an excellent job developing Vicki’s character and walking us through the situations she finds herself involved in.  Beginning with a vivid nightmare recalling Vicki’s failed mission, we get a sense of not only Vicki’s powers but also of her desire to keep others from harm.  Torn between what she can and can’t control, Vicki is the kind of woman I would gladly call a friend.  Plus I can’t help being drawn to her psychic power, something I’ve always been interested in.    

Ms. Terrell also does a good job developing Dylan.  Attractive, strong and with a gorgeous accent, he’s just the right kind of guy to fall for Vicki.  His desire to protect her from harm makes him her perfect match.  The secondary characters are also well developed, though I have to admit that I didn’t really care for Sam, Vicki’s CIA boss, who I felt was pretty much a jerk at the beginning of the book.

Will Vicki’s new visions about what’s taking place in a remote village in Afghanistan lead to something good or something awful taking place?  Will Vicki be able to conquer her nightmares and have a chance at a real romance?  You’ll have to read Vicki’s Key to find out.  I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to finding out what’s going to happen to Vicki next.  While tied to a series, this book can be read on its own.

My Rating:  5 out of 5 Stars

                         

Please don't forget to leave a comment or question for P.M. below to let her know you stopped by.  P.M. will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during her tour.  You can follow her tour here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning will be.