Disclosure: The McCaffertys

The McCaffertys #3-4

by Lisa Jackson

The truth can't stay buried forever…

The McCaffertys: Slade

Slade McCafferty was a bachelor through and through�too busy raising hell to settle down. Case in point: fifteen years ago daredevil Slade had taken wild child Jamie Parsons's innocence, and then had broken her heart. But Jamie is back in town, a lawyer, all confidence and polished professionalism. And seeing her again is setting off a tidal wave of emotions Slade thought he'd dammed up ages ago. Back then, as now, there'd been something about Jamie that made Slade ache for more. A hell of a lot more…

The McCaffertys: Randi

Is hiding the identity of her child's father worth risking her life? Randi McCafferty seems to think so, but investigator Kurt Striker is hell-bent on changing her mind. Hired by her well-meaning but overbearing brothers to keep Randi and her son safe, Kurt knows the only way to eliminate the danger is to reveal Randi's darkest secret…any way he can. Yet when protection leads to desire, will Randi and Kurt's explosive affair leave them vulnerable to the threats whispering in the shadows?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Audiobook, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2012

About the author

Lisa Jackson is the number-one New York Times bestselling author of over ninety-five novels, including the Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya Series, the Pescoli and Alvarez Series, the Savannah series, and numerous stand alone novels. She also is the co-author of One Last Breath, Last Girl Standing, and the Colony Series, written with her sister and bestselling author Nancy Bush, as well as the collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous, written with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. There are over thirty million copies of her novels in print and her writing has been translated into twenty languages.

Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.

With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.

Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, couple of things about this anthology to start; 1) What was the deal with all the dead babies? Practically everyone in these two books had a dead baby in their past. Not cool. 2) Several things are kept secret throughout the books and built up like they're super big, life-and-death type secrets....and then when the beans are finally spilled it turns out the secrets were totally lame and didn't matter. That's such a let-down.

Comments about the anthology:
In my opinion it was a mistake to put these two books together in an anthology. The writing is EXTREMELY repetitive, particularly regarding Randi's situation. All through both books we're told again and again how someone is trying to kill her. How they forced her car off the road and she ended up going into premature labor and ultimately fell into a coma. How at the hospital someone tried again to kill her and she almost died, again. And how she claims to have amnesia regarding who forced her off the road, who the father of her baby is, and other assorted topics but her HALF-brothers (the "half" part was very glaringly stressed all throughout both books) think she's faking it. And how she tells everyone to stay out of her business and gets angry and defensive whenever her HALF-brothers have the gall to try to take steps to protect her and her baby. Reread those last few sentences about twenty times and you've essentially read three quarters of this anthology, because all that information is stated, restated and stated again over and over and over in both Slade and Randi's books.

The repetition was hard enough to take in just one book but seeing it back-to-back in both books was just insane. Why did all the characters feel like they had to keep reminding each other of the situation?? Why did people keep "cornering" Randi to demand she answer questions and then letting her walk away without doing it? It was all just so much useless fluff. If the repetitive crap had been cut out, both these books would have been about 50 pages long.

Also, I listened to this in audiobook format and the narrator, Amy McFadden, was awful. She over enunciated every word so that it really intruded on the story. Read this passage out loud stressing the capital letters and you'll get a feel for what it was like listening to this book: "As SlaDe easeD ouT of the trucK, a sharP Pain shoT through his hiP anD he winceD, feeling the skin TighTen arounD the barely visiBle scar ThaT ran down the siDe of his face..."



Slade:
Slade's story was so heavily overshadowed by the Randi mystery that it really got the short end of the stick. He spent more time talking to Randi or to his brothers about Randi than he did to his love interest, Jamie. And his romance with Jamie really suffered because of it. The two of them have a history from when they were teenagers. He apparently pursued her and eventually succeeded in relieving her of her virginity. They spent a few weeks as lovers and then his previous girlfriend crooked her little finger and Slade dumped Jamie without a backward glance.

I found it hard to believe the romance between Slade and Jamie. First, Slade came right out and admitted that he'd never given Jamie a second thought after dumping her all those years ago. Even after things with the ex-girlfriend fizzled out, he went on to the next girl and the next and so on without ever sparing a thought for Jamie. He then spent the next fifteen years having the time of his life heli-skiing and white water rafting and all kinds of other adventures while banging every chick he met. Meanwhile, Jamie has spent her time still in love with Slade and nursing her hurt over a tragedy she kept to herself all these years. That makes her seem pathetic and him like a jerk. Not exactly two people I can care enough about to want to see their romance work out.

Second, they spend very little time together in this book and what little they do spend is mostly filled with repetitive arguing. Slade says he wants to clear the air and explain what happened 15 years ago, Jamie unconvincingly says there's no need, that everything's fine. Rinse and repeat about ten times. And after saying over and over that he wants to explain, there basically was no explanation. There were no extenuating circumstances that forced Slade to dump Jamie all those years ago. He really did just choose to get back together with his ex-girlfriend. He made some noise about how out of all the hundreds of girls he's banged Jamie was the one who was different and that scared him so he ran away but I just didn't believe it. If she'd truly been different and he'd really felt more for her than he'd been ready to feel, then I think she would have crossed his mind once or twice in the last fifteen years, but she didn't. And, for the record, he never once apologizes for the way he treated her.

And then basically nothing happens but they both suddenly decide they're in love with each other. They had one roll in the literal hay with each other, after which they argued and Jamie left in a huff. Then without any further discussion between them or any time spent having positive, wholesome, relationship-building interactions, they both "admit" to themselves that they're in love. Then Randi's stalker attacks and Slade almost dies and Jamie has to essentially bully him into having a relationship with her. Oh be still my heart. Truly this is a love story that will echo through the ages...


Randi:
After reading all about Randi in Slade's book I went into this one pretty much hating her guts, and nothing in her story changed that opinion. Randi is a complete brat with no regard for other people. As we were ENDLESSLY told throughout both books, someone is trying to kill her. She is very, very aware of this fact since everyone keeps bringing it up. She should also be aware that this puts her baby, her brothers, their wives and their children at risk should the stalker try again. And, in point of fact, both Thorne and Slade are nearly killed because of her stalker. And yet she refuses to answer the questions that might help them figure out who is behind it all. And she does this FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON.

All throughout Slade's book they demand Randi reveal who fathered her baby because that's one possible avenue they can pursue to determine who is after her. And Randi repeatedly refuses to give his name. She pretends to have amnesia whenever anyone asks but halfway through Slade's book she reveals to the reader that she knows perfectly well who the man is but that she'll take that knowledge to her grave. That makes it sound like she's got some legitimate reason for keeping it a secret. That by giving his name it'll actually put everyone in even greater danger. I was trying to imagine what scenario the author would come up with to justify this behavior. Maybe the father was actually some mafia kingpin whose enemies would chase them endlessly if they knew he'd fathered a child. Maybe he was the crowned prince of some foreign country. I mean, surely there has to be some really serious justification for her to endanger herself, her baby and her family by not giving the man's name, right? Nope! The real reason? He's a philandering jerk and she's embarrassed that she fell for his crap. That's IT. That's the whole reason she kept his name a secret for months and months, even after her brothers were nearly burned alive by the stalker. That makes her the most selfish, self-centered, idiotic brat I've ever read about. And the father's identity was key in determining who the stalker was so she really was solely responsible for prolonging the danger.

And she was pretty bratty everywhere else in the book too. I really hate it when authors confuse "strong" with "stubborn and b*tchy". Randi's brothers hire Kurt Stryker to act as her bodyguard. This is something she clearly needs since, as they keep endlessly reminding us, someone is trying to kill her and they don't have a clue who it is because bratty Randi won't talk. But Randi acts all put out about having Stryker around. She complains about needing her privacy and that her HALF brothers can't run her life. Seriously? Your privacy is more important than your life? You're mad at your brothers for trying to protect you? You should be on your knees both thanking them and begging their forgiveness for almost getting them killed! And how about the fact that you've got a baby now? A tiny little person who is 100% dependent on you? It might have been fine to play fast and loose with your life when it was just you, but once you have a kid, your life isn't about you anymore, it's about the kid. So get over your completely unfounded huffiness and start acting like a grown up for a change!

I have a soft spot in my heart for romance novels that feature a bodyguard and his charge succumbing to passion while they fight for their lives, but ONLY when the woman isn't a TSTL brat who constantly complains about having her life protected. I can't stand heroines who act like it's really just too much of an inconvenience to have this incredibly handsome man hanging around and keeping them safe from the maniac trying to kill them. And as you've probably already guessed, Randi is just such a TSTL bratty woman. Despite all the things that have happened and the endless talking about how she's in danger, she repeatedly runs away from Stryker, forcing him to chase after her to keep her alive. And she runs away for no reason. She does it just to be a stubborn brat protesting the fact that she's being protected. She repeatedly says "I can take care of myself" when it's been amply demonstrated that she can't. And what's more, she's not even TRYING to protect herself. She's keeping information from the cops that could help solve the case and she's hanging out in her apartment and place of business just like always. She's not altering her routine, carrying pepper spray, changing her locks, staying some place she's unknown, taking self-defense class, or anything else that could possibly help. She literally does nothing to try to resolve the situation and yet gets mad at everyone who does try. Quite frankly, Randi is a idiot and it would have served her right if the stalker had succeeded in killing her.

Which is why it's hard to understand just what Stryker sees in her. Aside from the fact that she's beautiful, there's absolutely nothing appealing about her. He, on the other hand, seems like a perfectly great, normal guy. Why on earth would he want to shackle himself to this harpy?

It's pretty standard in the bodyguard romances for the couple to spend some time alone in a secluded safe-house so that their passion can take place. And while that did happen in this book, it was actually the opposite of romantic for many reasons. First of all, their first sexual encounter happens off camera. Somewhere between Slade's book and Randi's, apparently Stryker and Randi just went ahead and had sex one night when the mood struck them. We find out at the start of this book that they've already done the deed and they both claim to regret it. That starts the whole situation off on the wrong foot because we miss out on the buildup of sexual tension and seeing them finally succumbing. It's already happened so the first time they have sex on-page, it's not that big of a deal. Second of all, when they DO have on-page sex, it's pity sex. Randi is in one of her typical bratty moods and she demands that Stryker tell her "what makes him tick" because she'd finally revealed her "big secret" (the baby's father's name) and feels that means Stryker owes her something. (Right, because clearly she deserves some kind of payment for finally being forced to participate in her own protection. Grr, she's such a terrible heroine) She says a lot of callous things about how whatever deep dark secret he's keeping can't possibly be any more embarrassing than her falling for the baby daddy's lies so he needs to just tell her the juicy details.

After much bugging, Stryker finally reveals that he had a daughter once but she drown in a boating accident. Five years later, he's still really torn up about the event, particularly because he blames himself for failing to prevent it, and having to relive it for Randi just reopens the wound. Randi, feeling guilty for having pushed him and for believing that her petty issues were the worst thing that could happen to anyone, decides that the thing to do is to force Stryker into bed. She starts kissing him and he tells her to leave him alone. That he doesn't want her pity. She keeps making sexual advances and he keeps protesting that he doesn't want the death of his child to be the catalyst for sex, but Randi won't stop. This isn't about him, it's about what she wants and right now she wants him. Eventually Randi wears him down and they do the deed. Ick. Could it be any less romantic? And third, after this they apparently continue to have sex all night, every night that they're in the safe-house......the safe-house that the author was very careful to establish has no running water, electricity or indoor plumbing. Gross. How nasty and smelly were these two getting after a few days in these conditions with nights spent exchanging fluids.

So basically the romance didn't work for me on any level, and I was so sick of Randi's crap and hearing about the stalker that by the end of her book I was seriously hoping Randi would be killed. The resolution of the stalker felt very rushed. After all the time spent repeatedly discussing it over multiple books, the actual villain got almost no screen time and the revelation of who it was was pretty weak. I won't say who the stalker turned out to be but I will say that it was very obvious to me that it would turn out to be a woman. Whenever an author goes to great pains to avoid using any pronouns that would denote gender 99 times out of 100 the villain is a woman. And sure enough, this book was not the 1/100 to buck that trend. The final climax was weak because just when I thought we were getting into the meat of the encounter, the scene ended and next thing we know, Randi is waking up in the hospital and everything is fine. It definitely would have been better to cut out some of the earlier repetitive brattiness in favor of giving us a longer, more exciting showdown between Randi and her stalker. Not to mention that the part that did happen was in and of itself a repeat. The stalker tried to run them off the road again. Been there, done that, and have been talking about it for hundreds of pages. How about a different method of attack this time?

All in all, this anthology was a dud on every level.

[Marleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is awful. Truly bad. I don't know when this author wrote this but it is so uninspired and cheap. I just couldn't listen to one more word of this audio, it was that bad; story-wise, content-wise and character-wise. Poor narrator Amy McFadden, she didn't do a good job narrating it either, but then she had pretty awful material to start with....
I'm sorry if I'm being harsh, but I can't say otherwise if there is nothing there. I deserves less than 1 rating.

[Evelyn Bryant · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found this book as well as the previous one, "Rumors:The McCaffertys" to be dry and not very "now". These stories were so dated in style that I began to wonder if I had read them in the eighties. The stories of the brothers were fair since they were likeable characters and I wanted them to find happiness.
The sister, however, Randi, is one of the most stupid characters I have come across. Someone has tried to kill her several times thoughout the stories. Does she heed this fact or the concern and caring that her brothers show and express to her. Oh no. She must go and do this stupid thing and that idiotic thing and keep this secret and that. I still don't get why she kept so many secrets from her family. They were'nt that big a deal. So she puts her brothers in danger and her newborn baby in danger as well as the bodyguard her brothers hire to keep her safe. I say she was not worth the trouble.
I found this series disappointing . I have read other books by this author that were nothing like this one. Or is there more than one Lisa Jackson out there?

[Jami Dutcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished Randi's story!! I loved this series. I'm a big fan of Lisa Jackson and I'm also a big fan of series books. I love the continuity, the characters and the way they overlap in each book. It helps me feel like I'm part of their world for a brief time. It takes me away from my own life which is chaotic in comparison.

[Reader Katie Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second and conclusion of the story that begins in Rumor by Lisa Jackson. I thought Rumor was pretty good, but would have been better as individual stories (which are available). The same is true of this one, even more so. Brother Slade is the worst of the three brothers both on paper and in character. He has no life and is just sort of “there.” So this book starts out pretty slow and since the story started in a completely different book, by the time you get into this one you’ve almost forgotten what it is you’re trying to figure out. My recommendation would be to read each individual story. I am a big fan of Lisa Jackson and I can see the real possibility in three of the stories. As for Slade - that one might not be worth it.

[Mary Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are two novels in this book, one about the youngest of the three McCafferty brothers and one about their younger sister. I thought the first book about Slade was almost a copy of the first book in the series. I read the book about Randi to find out who was trying to kill her. I didn't feel that the relationship between the couples in either book was as well developed as it could have been. I usually like Lisa Jackson's books and have been reading them for a long time so I won't quit now.

[Dewey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This might be my 1st book by this author. If this writing is indicative, it will be my last. Awful characters; don't like them at all. Repetitive angst. Randi, the sister, has amnesia, has suffered 2 attempts to kill her and, yet, she angrily denies needing any help at all. I have little time for dumb females. And Slade is a real pushy boor. Jamie can't seem to control herself round Slade, even though she says she doesn't want him around. Eye-rolling bad melodrama. Truly awful. I did finish it.

[Angela]

0

[Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

- 2 books in 1
- someone is trying to murder a family member
- both books needed more time to develop

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Rumors, this book also has two parts: Slade and Randi. And I strongly recommend you read Rumors before Disclosure.

Slade is the youngest of the McCafferty brothers. The kind of man who lives to do the extremes in various sports. A ski accident left him with a slight limp and a bad facial scar. But like his two older brothers, he is determined to protect his younger (half-sister to all the McCafferty brothers) sister and find out who forced her off the road and why.

Also like his brothers he brought some local girls’ hearts, one of which is Jamie Parson. Jamie now a lawyer is back in town to deal with her grandmother’s home and her boss assigned her the McAfferty’s account. She thought she could deal with her feelings for Slade – it had been long ago. But love demands attention.

And Randi’s would-be killer is still trying.

Randi, the last book of this four-part two-book set is just as determined to stand on her own feet, take care of her young son and wish her brothers would stop trying to meddle in her life. Does Randi know more than she will tell her brothers? The police? Kurt Striker who is hired by her brothers to protect her and get to the bottom of what is going on? Who is the father of her baby boy? And why won’t she tell anyone?

It doesn’t help that Striker also light a fire in Randi that no one else ever has. Is the would-be killer caught in time? Can Striker really protect her and the baby? Can he keep his mind on business?

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the last two of the series about the McCaffertys. The first story was about Slade the youngest brother and he, like the rest of the brothers, had decided he never wanted to get married and have a family especially after losing the girl he loved and their unborn baby. When Matt decided he wanted to buy his brother’s share out of the ranch, a young lawyer was sent to do the paperwork and Slade realized that Jamie Parson had been his fist love while in high school but had not seen her since and now she will be around for a while. What was he going to do? They both had a lot to work out between them and they realized that they had always loved each other.

The second story is about the half sister Randi who has an accident while pregnant when no one knew about her condition. Slade has a good friend who is a PI and they hired him to be Randi’s bodyguard since someone was trying to kill her. Her story winds in and out of her brother’s stories which makes it interesting. Randi’s story was more intense and more romantic. I enjoyed these stories.

[Emily Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spade McCafferty returns home when his sister, Randi, was injured when her car was forced off the road and is hospitalized for an extended period of time. He meets a former girlfriend, Jamie. They realize that their love was as strong as ever.

Randi's brothers hired Kurt Striker to protect her from a killer who has been stalking her. During the time they spent together while evading the killer, they realized that there was a growing attraction between them.

These two short novels are more good stories from Linda Lael Miller.

[Bobi Boon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 3 boys books I loved and the 4th book! The sisters story was just ok!!! i mean here's the end of a 4 book series a big stalker, attempted murder mystery and the ending was just ok no big nothing! Disappointed!

[Gjbates · Rating 3 out of 5]

This continues the story of the McCaffertys started in the double book Rumors about Thorne and Matt. This double book contains the stories of the other brother and their sister Randi. Also it continues the story of trying to find out who is trying to kill Randi from the previous two stories.

[Misty (Reds Romance Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a VERY enjoyable read for me, I enjoyed meeting the McCaffererty Family,and reading each of their stories. Each of their stories were full of passion, mystery and truly kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through! Lisa Jackson does not disappoint!!

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this audiobook. The story was good in that it covered the 3 brothers and their 1/2 sister, each in a separate part, after the death of their father and the suspense of who is trying to kill each of them and the romance of each siblings. I was a good story for listening.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The McCaffertys
Category: Suspense

[Glenda Bettin · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow loved this series and family

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good

[Jeanette Arens]

I love this series I really didn't want these books to end. I suggest reading them in order. The mystery continue in all of them.

[Julie Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both stories in this book were great. Really enjoyed the story about Slade and Randi two siblings who fall in love.

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two werenot as interesting as Thorne and Matt. It took too long to get a clue on the person responsible for all of the attempts.

[Dhaverma · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's kind of flat. Dialog is not good. Rushing through it.

[Bernie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure review

Disclosure is the second two book set in The McCaffertys series featuring Slade and Randi written by author Lisa Jackson.

[Purple Osprey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dialogue is repetitive and the whole book is, well, repetitive, keeps going around in circles and repeats same thing over and over again. With proper editing would have been a short story.

[Randi · Rating 2 out of 5]

not my type of read

[Renn · Rating 4 out of 5]

both stories were good, but it took me awhile to read them. didn't keep my interest very long.