Tasty Review Tour & Giveaway for The Blue Dolphin by Robena Grant

Welcome to my stop on Robena Grant’s Virtual Review Tour for The Blue Dolphin.  Please leave a comment or question for Robena to let her know you stopped by.  You can follow her tour here.  You can also enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter below.

The Blue Dolphin

By: Robena Grant

Book Two of the Desert Heat Series

Publisher:  The Wild Rose 

Press, Inc.

Release Date: May 13, 2013

Buy Links:  Amazon │The Wild Rose Press

Book Description:

She's determined to expose a murderer, but opening her heart to love might be the greatest danger of all.

 When Debbie Williams discovers a dismembered body in the dumpster behind her health spa, she’s determined to find out what happened. As a single parent, she must be sure the town she loves is safe for her daughter. Debbie won’t be deterred by anyone—not even the ruggedly handsome agent on the case who doesn’t appreciate her amateur sleuthing.

After his partner’s body is uncovered, DEA agent Jack Davis vows revenge. But three words shouted over the phone before his partner died—azul, delfin, Almagro—are Jack’s only clues. Even worse, a sexy blonde spa owner refuses to stay out of his investigation, and the chemistry between them is difficult to ignore. 

As danger strikes ever closer, Jack and Debbie must figure out what blue dolphins and a small California desert town have to do with a dangerous drug cartel…all while protecting their hearts from an attraction neither can resist.

Excerpt

What did he want?

She gestured toward the bed and recalled how he’d stared at her at the meeting. Perspiration began to bead on her brow and upper lip. She moved closer to the doorway. “Go ahead and, ah, lie down. You don’t have to remove clothing if you don’t want to…um, just your

boots. Maybe take off your jacket, too. Um, I’ll leave you now,” she said, unable to stop the rush of words. “If you get cold there are blankets folded at the end of the bed. I turn on the treatment switches at the front desk. If you need anything, there’s a buzzer.”

“You don’t stay in here with me?”

“Nope.” Thank goodness. The very last thing she needed would be to sit beside his gorgeous body while the bed undulated. She pointed to a buzzer. “Press that if you get anxious. Remember it’s your private time to relax and to let the vibrations soothe you.”

“Anxious?” He sat on the side of the bed and stared at her, his dark eyes narrowing again.

“Well, some people feel claustrophobic. Most don’t, as a rule. But just in case.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and turn off your cell phone so you don’t have any disturbances.” She closed the door behind her, pulled in several deep breaths, and scurried back to the desk. The man had her all on edge and not in a good way. Actually, it was a good way, but one she didn’t want to explore with him. He was all wrong. So big and dark, and she’d bet he had chest hair. In her limited adult love life, she’d never been with a guy who had chest hair. She’d often wondered what it felt like and—

“Oh, hell,” she said. “Snap out of it.”

Author Info

Robena Grant writes contemporary romance about ordinary women who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Travel and discovering new places brings her great pleasure, and she often includes travel locations in her stories. She is Australian by birth, and now lives in Southern

California. Robena may be contacted at: www.robenagrant.com where she blogs weekly, or follow her on Twitter and Facebook

My Review

A dismembered body found in a dumpster, a local business owner determined to make the town safe for her daughter and an undercover DEA agent trying to catch the killer, all come together in Robena Grant’s The Blue Dolphin.  Interesting characters, good dialogue and plenty of action kept me turning the pages to discover what was going to happen next in Ms. Grant’s book.  Adding a touch of romance, Ms. Grant added another layer to her characters and kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next.

Hearing a scream coming from the back alley behind her health spa, Debbie Williams is shocked when she discovers a dismembered body in her dumpster.  Determined to keep Rancho Almagro safe for both her customer’s and her college age daughter Janelle, Debbie refuses to sit by the sidelines while the cops try to solve the case on their own.  Ramping up the local neighborhood watch, pressuring the city to hire more police and starting her own private investigation into what happened are just part of what Debbie decides to do.

Determined to discover who murdered his partner and why, DEA agent Jack Davis finds himself in Rancho Almagro undercover posing as rancher looking at some local property and as a would be mystery novelist.  The only clue he has to his partner’s murder is the phrase “blue dolphin”.  Discovering a local spa has a “dolphin” therapy treatment seems to be a step in the right direction till he discovers it’s got nothing to do with his partner’s death.  Attracted to the owner, Jack is unprepared when she decides to plant herself into his investigation.

The scenes between Debbie and Jack are full of pent up attraction, suspicion and good dialogue.  While Ms. Grant does a good job developing both of their characters, I did find it difficult to connect with them both at the start.  They grew on me as the story progressed but I never really connected with them, or their romance, like I would have liked.

The mystery portion of the story was very well done.  The clues are slowly released and just when you think you know who and why, Ms. Grant adds just the right twist to get you guessing again.  She also does a good job with the secondary characters, especially Janelle, Debbie’s daughter, and Rachel, Debbie’s best friend.

Will Debbie and Jack be able to solve the murder without getting hurt?  Will their romance be more than just a strong working attraction while they solve a murder?  You’ll have to read The Blue Dolphin to find out.  I enjoyed it and I think you will too.

My Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Stars

                                                                        

FTC Disclosure:  I was provided a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a blog tour.  I was not given any additional compensation for my opinion of the reading material provided.  It is solely my opinion.

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