Blinded

Retrieval, Inc. #3

by J.B. Schroeder

The most dangerous threats of all are those you’re blind to…

Charlie Hart and Mitch Saunders’ new case couldn’t come at a worse time. Thomas Weihle continues to torment them both from behind bars and the stress of testifying against him is taking its toll. Things go from bad to worse when District Attorney Gerty Kolacsko’s sister disappears without a trace. With Gerty’s focus divided, they risk the unthinkable—letting that monster go free.

Mitch and Charlie have no choice but to take the case before Retrieval, Inc. is even up and running, and Leah’s perilous situation triggers their worst fears. Someone close to her is trying to kill her. In poor health and completely blindsided, she doesn’t know who to trust or where to hide. Can she get to safety before her body gives out?

Meanwhile, Charlie is hiding a secret that will change everything. This time she can’t run, but she’ll be damned if she’s trapped again—even if Mitch refuses to let her go.
. . . . . . .
Retrieval, Inc
RUNAWAY - Book 1
TRAPPED - Book 2
BLINDED - Book 3

The Retrieval, Inc. series is gritty, edgy, fast-paced, and emotional! Books can be read stand-alone—but you'll want to read the whole series!

What readers say about
“A spine-tingling, gritty, edgy, THRILLING Romantic Suspense novel that pulled me in and rattled my bones without the slightest chance of allowing me to put it down!... It's heart-breaking, heart-pounding, haunting, steamy~ an edge of your seat marvel that never misses a beat!” ~Denise B., Wild Sage Book Blog
“Runaway is fast-paced and compelling; Schroeder's masterful writing sucks you in and keeps you there. This is the kind of book that stays with you long after you've read the final page.” —Diana Q.
“A riveting story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and anxious for more! [Runaway] has a unique plot and strong characters that sucked me in and kept me turning the page… There was a shocking twist I hadn't expected that gave me chills as I read it…” ~Maria K. Alexander, Award-winning Author

What readers say about
“Wow! What a great romantic thriller. If you can put this book down, you have more self-discipline than I do.” —Ed S.
“Lots of action and cling to your armchair suspense.” —Natalie S.
“Fast paced, dark and so entertaining this suspenseful romantic thriller kept me wanting to read late into the night!" —Meredith
“Action packed drama, mystery, suspense, betrayal and a dose of romance that will keep you intrigued throughout the story."—Romaine
“The suspense intensified as the danger became imminent, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages." —Stephanie
“Most suspenseful JB Schroeder book yet. I was reading as fast as I could to find out how it might end…I’m looking forward to more heartbreaking suspense surrounding them in the next book! ”—Susan

Genres: Romantic Suspense

388 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2023

About the author

JB lived for Sunday trips to the library growing up, and her favorite subjects were english and writing. She graduated Penn State with a degree in creative writing, then landed a job in publishing in New York City. Production led to design, which fed her creative soul and her bookshelves for a long time...

Now, JB writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance to make your heart race!

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Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Hart should be happy. The trial of the man who kidnapped, abused, and tortured is finally coming up. She has a good man who loves her and wants to not only have a personal future together but also professionally with their new PI business.

The optimum work there is “should be”. Charlie’s PTSD is getting the better of her the closer the trial gets. All she wants to do is fall back on her old habit of running. She gets another shocking surprise that she doesn’t know if she is ready for. In the midst of this the District Attorney who is trying her case gets distracted when her sister goes missing. Charlie absolutely needs her at the top of her game, so Thomas Weihle is put behind bars for the rest of his life. So, Charlie and Mitch take on the case to find the sister and unravel quite a mess.

This is a great suspense series with two damaged people who are helping each other heal while fighting for justice for others.

[Noreen Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real heart stopper. Starts pretty sedately then it's up and running. In the end I couldn't put the book down there was so much going on. Look forward to reading more in this series.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding book that will keep you up to finish it. Fast paced, suspenseful with strong characters that take you through the secrets and mystery. Can’t wait for the next.

[Charlotte Puderbaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of twist and turns this book will keep you guessing. The characters are very real.

The story holds your interest with every page and makes you want to find out more.

[Becky Claxon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in this suspenseful series. If was so hard for Charlie to get over what she went though. She was still skittish and didn’t want to commit to anything or anyone. The worst part for Charlie was she was going to have to testify against Thomas’s who had done some many horrible things to her. The district attorney, Gerty, was small but mighty. I had every faith in her as well as did Mitch and Charlie. Unfortunately there was something horrible going on with Gerty’s sister Leah that had Gerty off center at times. I was glad that Gerty trusted Charlie and Mitch enough to put them on the case. There were so many ups and downs with the clues trying to find Leah. I loved this book, and the whole series. I strongly encourage you to read it. I was given a copy and voluntarily wrote a review.

[J.B.]

Celebrating the release of BLINDED tonight with a lovely glass of wine! Woo hoo! Thanks to all of you who entered the Goodreads Giveaway! I hope you won (books going out soon!), but if not I hope you will still dive right in anyway. All my books are available wide.

Loving the response from ARC readers (giant smooches!)
“Full of twist and turns"
"Great suspense series"
"A real heart stopper"
"A page turner"
"couldn't put the book down"

Happy weekend, all!
JB
💝 💝 💝

[Teresa Reitnauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An edge-of-your-seat page-turner filled with twists and challenges. The characters are well-developed and believable. The story's suspense keeps the reader guessing until the very end. I received a copy, and I'm voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Eileen Rath · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to see Charlie and Mitch relationship grow. I liked the reference back to the last book. The new characters worked well and it was suspenseful. JB knows how to spin the characters. I was back & forth between who might be the villain.

Also you were hung out to dry for a while on What Happened to Leah. Did she run off road, did she run over someone! Was she alive or hurt!

And Gerry was such a strong character as DA but is vulnerable when it comes to her sister!

Loved the book! Next one when?

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one keeps you guessing almost to the end. There's a trial, but the attorney is a bit distracted by her sister who disappeared. The main witness in the trial is involved with finding the missing woman. There's arsenic poisoning, but who is administering the poison. And that's just a general overview of the action. It's almost impossible to put this one down!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Brett Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blinded - JB Schroeder

Masterminded Blinded

Blinded is a good suspense read and the romantic components are nicely intertwined into the story. For me, this book was somewhat like a rollercoaster. There were certainly some high points and then some downhill thrills and those moments were fast and exciting. As a newcomer to the Retrieval, Inc. series, the uphill climbs in the book were a bit tricky and a slower pace for me.

I was expecting a stand-alone story. And indeed, it was a stand-alone story. The main characters, Mitch, Charlie, Gerty, Mandi, Brooks, and Leah were all easy to relate to on different levels. I always appreciate when a character is believable and the characters in this series all seem to be like someone you could bump into at the grocery store. My challenge though was with the number of characters mentioned and all of the back stories that were referred to along the way. Blinded is the third in this series and I feel pretty strongly that you should start with Runaway, and then move onto Trapped, all prior to reading Blinded. Keeping all the characters straight was a challenge for me having not read any of the other books.

The last quarter of Blinded moves at breakneck speed and the action certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat. I was not only entertained, but I was cycling through different emotions seemingly tied to each of the characters. I felt anger, frustration, exhilaration, and relief, while the climax of the book was wildly weaving toward the exciting conclusion.

I definitely recommend this book. JB has written a great, suspenseful, thriller. With multiple stories involving Mitch and Charlie woven into one, Blinded will keep you in the dark until the very end. Good job, JB Shroeder!!

I received an advanced review copy of “Rescued” for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily!

[Niveditha Preeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy for a fair and impartial review.

Blinded was original, and well written. An excellent addition to the genre. This was a smooth flowing story with lots of action and very likeable characters. Each character had their troubles and backstory which made the story an engaging one till the end.

Blinded started and ended strong, but the timeline was a bit hazy at points. I had some trouble understanding each character's purpose in the story initially. But as the story progresses I was able to get the hang of it.

The characters were well written, memorable, and distinctive. I found them all intriguing. The emotions very portrayed very clear that had a deep impact on me. The struggle Leah and Charlie went through were so painful. Sometimes it made my heart ache.

The author had wonderfully maintained the suspense throughout the book. Instead of dumping the story in a single go, the author has sprinkled the entire story piece by piece in every chapter, gradually unveiling the plot. I found it hard to put Blinded down. It was fast-paced, engaging and suspenseful; a joy to read.

The world-building was superb and each scene was easy to visualize based on the character's senses and mood. Every scene was vividly presented and easy to follow. The writing style was consistent and the exposition didn't slow the plot. There were no typographical and grammar errors. Beautiful cover design too.

Highly recommended story.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5) I love this series. This was a page turner, an emotional roller coaster and heart wrenching as Charlie and Mitch try to solve the case and build their relationship. Blinded is more suspense, intrigue with our favorite couple or work in progress couple, Charlie and Mitch. Charlie is on pins and needles as the trial looms, then shes thrown for another loop. Mitch is doing his best to be there and not demand things that make Charlies want to run. When her attorney's(Gerty) sister goes missing there is a whole lot of happening. When the why comes out its distrust after distrust. I will say the first time the perp is on paper, I went that's who, but I wasn't sure how. Each book could technically be read as a stand alone but you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't grab book 1 (Runaway) and 2(Trapped). So looking forward to the next one in the series. Thank you for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #Blinded #RetrievalInc #J.B.Schroeder #JB Schroeder, LLC and Two Feet Press #booksirens

[RICK SAULLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blinded is a must read! The compelling relationship between Charlie and Mitch’s love story continues with more depth and challenges. Charlie’s past from the first book in the Retrieval series, Runaway, returns with the court case that could lock up evil predator Thomas for good and help Charlie put that part of her past completely behind her. The DA on the case finds out her sickly sister goes missing. Of course Charlie and Mitch are on the case and more than one character in the book has motive to potentially be behind Leah’s health issues and where she could be.
Once again, author JB writes a page turner (I read the book in 2 days!!) that I couldn’t get enough of!! If you’re looking for fast paced, plot twists and compelling characters this is your book! But read Runaway and Trapped first in the series!!

[BookishDramas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book and my thanks to the team of BookSirens and the author for the copy.

All views expressed in this review are my own and based on my reading of this book. Some of the initial comments were made as I progressed in this book and I have not tried editing them as it expresses my contiguous thoughts as I proceeded with the story.

This is my first book from the author and despite being a part of a series the story blurb had enough to intrigue and beckon me to try it. I can't say that I am disappointed.

Charlie and Mitch our protagonist are awaiting an early conclusion of their part testifying in the case against their longtime nemesis Weihle and get on with their lives. Weihle like most villains has a long reach and is creating trouble for them despite being in custody.

That influence translates into a new case with the trial DA's sister missing and this puts a greater stress on their nerves as well as putting them in a classic catch-22 situation. They don't take the case and solve it they end up weakening the character who is in a pivotal position in the trial and is at the most vulnerable. They take up the case and they pile up pressure on themselves and increase chances of run ins with Weihle's men which they can ill afford but a situation where he goes free is unthinkable.

What I like about this story is that the story has two, for a want of a better word, damaged people at the forefront and their mutual equation drives the story. They have had a history together and they have enough together to plan a personal as well as professional life together with their joint business, Retrieval Inc. They would love to put their shared past in the backburner but somehow the situation never seems to let them go. Charlie's personal angst against Weihle and getting back to him drives an interesting part of the tale.

What rankles is that for a thriller which gets interesting as we proceed the start is sluggish and slow. As a reader you have to overcome the first quarter of the book for the ball to start rolling. The book reads well as a standalone but not having read the earlier books sometimes puts one behind in the jumping to conclusions department.

The book overall is a good read and I will recommend it as a good reading.
The review is also available on amazon
https://www.amazon.in/review/RZ948HH8...

[Robert H. Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retrieval Inc. Book 3 – “Blinded”
Couldn’t put it down! A ‘MUST READ’! What a story! Plot moves like a rocket on steroids with twists & turns you don’t expect & deeply-drawn characters capable of anything. Charlie & Mitch are on an emotional roller coaster of romance, mystery, sex, legal headaches, a DA’s missing sister. All this & a love triangle which complicates it all. Nothing is as you think it is. Suspense till the end.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another thrilling suspense novel from the author of Runaway and Trapped. Emotions run high for Charlie as she faces the trial for the man who she helped put behind bars. At the same time, Mitch and Charlie take on a new case that hits close to home and had me guessing until the end.