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The Widow
"When truth is buried underground it grows, it chokes, it gathers such an explosive force that on the day it bursts out, it blows up everything with it." - Émile Zola, J'accuse
In this thrilling noir romantic suspense, after drug lord Ignacio "El Ratón" Martinez's daring escape from a maximum security prison, DEA agent David Alvarez invested four years in deep undercover infiltrating the multi-million dollar money laundering operation of the ruthless Sonora Drug Cartel only to have his primary target gunned down by a rival gang. Now his only hope in salvaging the operation and bringing the largest drug trafficker in the world to justice lies with the man's beautiful, young widow Catherine, whom he cannot bring himself to trust.
Drowning in wine and despair, Catherine would do anything to break free from the clutches of the cartel, but despite her desperate efforts, she can never escape the mistakes of her past that continue to haunt her.
Even though he cannot deny their mystical, mutual attraction, David must carry out his orders - from both the DEA and the Cartel - catching Catherine in a spider web of duplicity and deceit. How far will David go to bring down the cartel? If he succeeds in winning the widow's trust, would he be willing to risk her life - or his heart?
NOTE: Contains strong language and intense sexual situations.
In this thrilling noir romantic suspense, after drug lord Ignacio "El Ratón" Martinez's daring escape from a maximum security prison, DEA agent David Alvarez invested four years in deep undercover infiltrating the multi-million dollar money laundering operation of the ruthless Sonora Drug Cartel only to have his primary target gunned down by a rival gang. Now his only hope in salvaging the operation and bringing the largest drug trafficker in the world to justice lies with the man's beautiful, young widow Catherine, whom he cannot bring himself to trust.
Drowning in wine and despair, Catherine would do anything to break free from the clutches of the cartel, but despite her desperate efforts, she can never escape the mistakes of her past that continue to haunt her.
Even though he cannot deny their mystical, mutual attraction, David must carry out his orders - from both the DEA and the Cartel - catching Catherine in a spider web of duplicity and deceit. How far will David go to bring down the cartel? If he succeeds in winning the widow's trust, would he be willing to risk her life - or his heart?
NOTE: Contains strong language and intense sexual situations.
376 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2015
About the author
Colette L. Saucier
9 books96 followersSHORT BIO:
Colette L. Saucier is a bestselling and award-winning author in a variety of genres under multiple pseudonyms. Her novel Pulse and Prejudice, Book I: The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire; the highly-acclaimed paranormal adaptation of the Jane Austen classic, was the 2013 Chatelaine Awards 1st Place Winner in Category, Romantic Fiction. Elle Magazine named Pulse and Prejudice a "Most Inventive Adaptation" of Pride & Prejudice in their April 2016 edition. It was also selected the 2013 1st Place Winner in Category: Chatelaine Awards Romantic Fiction.
An abridged version of The Proud and the Prejudiced: A Modern Twist on Pride and Prejudice was selected a 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Semi-finalist and Austensque Reviews’ Favorite Modern Adaptation under the title All My Tomorrows.
Colette’s latest release is the controversial erotic noir suspense, The Widow. She will be releasing Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth, Book II: The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire in eBook August, 2016, and print in October.
A writer, world-traveler, empty-nester, and a literature, history, wine & cheese lover; Colette lives in Southeast Louisiana with her historian husband and their dogs.
Colette L. Saucier is a bestselling and award-winning author in a variety of genres under multiple pseudonyms. Her novel Pulse and Prejudice, Book I: The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire; the highly-acclaimed paranormal adaptation of the Jane Austen classic, was the 2013 Chatelaine Awards 1st Place Winner in Category, Romantic Fiction. Elle Magazine named Pulse and Prejudice a "Most Inventive Adaptation" of Pride & Prejudice in their April 2016 edition. It was also selected the 2013 1st Place Winner in Category: Chatelaine Awards Romantic Fiction.
An abridged version of The Proud and the Prejudiced: A Modern Twist on Pride and Prejudice was selected a 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Semi-finalist and Austensque Reviews’ Favorite Modern Adaptation under the title All My Tomorrows.
Colette’s latest release is the controversial erotic noir suspense, The Widow. She will be releasing Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth, Book II: The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire in eBook August, 2016, and print in October.
A writer, world-traveler, empty-nester, and a literature, history, wine & cheese lover; Colette lives in Southeast Louisiana with her historian husband and their dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 13, 2015
I enjoyed this book. DEA agent David Alvarez invested four years infiltrating the ruthless Sonora Drug Cartel. He then has to protect Catherine Martinez the his main contact's widow. The book keeps me in the story line until the very end. You want to know what happens next. * I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
December 31, 2015
ARC kindly provided in exchange for a honest review. Review closer to date of publish.
November 26, 2015
*I was provided an ARC of The Widow in exchange for an honest review.*
Undercover DEA Agent David Alvarez—a.k.a. David Rodriguez—has been working on bringing down the Sonora cartel for the last four years. When his main contact is killed, he’s assigned by the family to babysit the man’s widow Catherine. David has made a point to stay away from Catherine for the last four years after having an instant attraction to her when they met at the beginning of his assignment.
Catherine Martinez only wants to return to her family once her husband is killed, but she’s wanted by her husband’s family, the DEA, and possibly a rival cartel. David’s protection is the only thing keeping her alive, even though she hates him for bringing her back into the world she wants to leave. She wants to trust David with her life and her heart, but he’s been lying to her and putting her in danger. And now the DEA wants to use her to help bring down the senior members of the Sonora cartel. David will need to find a way to get them both out alive.
The Widow is a gripping novel of love and betrayal. With David working undercover, he constantly has to be careful of what he says and who he says it to, even as his relationship with Catherine grows. Once his position with the DEA is revealed, Catherine still isn’t sure what she can trust—and neither is David. Each has to fight through the lies to find the truth while working to save their lives. The story is full of angst within their relationship, keeping you on the edge of your seat each time you turn a page.
I loved the heroine of this story. Catherine may look weak and ignorant at first glance, but underneath she’s actually tough and smart. She is able to outsmart David on more than one occasion, and she plays the part assigned to her by the DEA with ease even when it’s the last thing she wants to do.
There were a few minor drawbacks in The Widow. In a few places a scene is repeated from the other character’s point of view, and there was some backtracking, which made it a little difficult to follow exactly what was going on. At some points, the lack of dialogue tags made it hard to be sure who was speaking. I did like the realism of the families speaking Spanish though. (Don’t worry, it’s written in English but you can clearly tell when they are speaking Spanish through the use of italics.) It gave the story a true feel, and it had the added advantage of being a plot point. Catherine didn’t know Spanish and felt excluded. Also, she wasn’t able to provide much information when she couldn’t translate what was said in front of her.
The Widow is a worthwhile read if you enjoy a little angst, a lot of suspense, and a good love story.
For more of my reviews, please visit https://rachlawrencebooks.wordpress.com/.
Undercover DEA Agent David Alvarez—a.k.a. David Rodriguez—has been working on bringing down the Sonora cartel for the last four years. When his main contact is killed, he’s assigned by the family to babysit the man’s widow Catherine. David has made a point to stay away from Catherine for the last four years after having an instant attraction to her when they met at the beginning of his assignment.
Catherine Martinez only wants to return to her family once her husband is killed, but she’s wanted by her husband’s family, the DEA, and possibly a rival cartel. David’s protection is the only thing keeping her alive, even though she hates him for bringing her back into the world she wants to leave. She wants to trust David with her life and her heart, but he’s been lying to her and putting her in danger. And now the DEA wants to use her to help bring down the senior members of the Sonora cartel. David will need to find a way to get them both out alive.
The Widow is a gripping novel of love and betrayal. With David working undercover, he constantly has to be careful of what he says and who he says it to, even as his relationship with Catherine grows. Once his position with the DEA is revealed, Catherine still isn’t sure what she can trust—and neither is David. Each has to fight through the lies to find the truth while working to save their lives. The story is full of angst within their relationship, keeping you on the edge of your seat each time you turn a page.
I loved the heroine of this story. Catherine may look weak and ignorant at first glance, but underneath she’s actually tough and smart. She is able to outsmart David on more than one occasion, and she plays the part assigned to her by the DEA with ease even when it’s the last thing she wants to do.
There were a few minor drawbacks in The Widow. In a few places a scene is repeated from the other character’s point of view, and there was some backtracking, which made it a little difficult to follow exactly what was going on. At some points, the lack of dialogue tags made it hard to be sure who was speaking. I did like the realism of the families speaking Spanish though. (Don’t worry, it’s written in English but you can clearly tell when they are speaking Spanish through the use of italics.) It gave the story a true feel, and it had the added advantage of being a plot point. Catherine didn’t know Spanish and felt excluded. Also, she wasn’t able to provide much information when she couldn’t translate what was said in front of her.
The Widow is a worthwhile read if you enjoy a little angst, a lot of suspense, and a good love story.
For more of my reviews, please visit https://rachlawrencebooks.wordpress.com/.
July 14, 2015
Received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about a woman who married into the cartel that has just become a widow a week earlier. The DEA has been keeping tabs on her for four years hoping that she knows anything about any activities that the Martinez family deal in. Their mole in the inside David, has been in love with her since college and has been assigned to her case for the past four years. Catherine decides to try to escape the cartel after her husband dies but is dragged back into it's fold by David in an effort to get closer to the Martinez family. The DEA decide to bring her into the fold in an effort to get closer to Cesar Martinez who is second in command to his father Ignacio, the leader of the Sonora cartel. Thus begins an adventure to bring down the cartel and maybe just maybe fall in love in the process.
I will admit this is the first time I have read a noir thriller novel. It wasn't bad. The only real complaint I have is that the author made Catherine a woman who was addicted to drugs in college and then a grown woman addicted to her prescription drugs. Plus she's also a alcoholic. Geez, I understand needing a drink to deal with the Martinez family but with every meal and in between all she was drinking was alcohol. This book is a noir thriller with a bunch of steamy deliciousness for the reader's pleasure. I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys a good noir thriller. The book will be released on August 5th, 2015.
Rating: 4½ stars out of 5
This book is about a woman who married into the cartel that has just become a widow a week earlier. The DEA has been keeping tabs on her for four years hoping that she knows anything about any activities that the Martinez family deal in. Their mole in the inside David, has been in love with her since college and has been assigned to her case for the past four years. Catherine decides to try to escape the cartel after her husband dies but is dragged back into it's fold by David in an effort to get closer to the Martinez family. The DEA decide to bring her into the fold in an effort to get closer to Cesar Martinez who is second in command to his father Ignacio, the leader of the Sonora cartel. Thus begins an adventure to bring down the cartel and maybe just maybe fall in love in the process.
I will admit this is the first time I have read a noir thriller novel. It wasn't bad. The only real complaint I have is that the author made Catherine a woman who was addicted to drugs in college and then a grown woman addicted to her prescription drugs. Plus she's also a alcoholic. Geez, I understand needing a drink to deal with the Martinez family but with every meal and in between all she was drinking was alcohol. This book is a noir thriller with a bunch of steamy deliciousness for the reader's pleasure. I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys a good noir thriller. The book will be released on August 5th, 2015.
Rating: 4½ stars out of 5
July 14, 2015
Received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about a woman who married into the cartel that has just become a widow a week earlier. The DEA has been keeping tabs on her for four years hoping that she knows anything about any activities that the Martinez family deal in. Their mole in the inside David, has been in love with her since college and has been assigned to her case for the past four years. Catherine decides to try to escape the cartel after her husband dies but is dragged back into it's fold by David in an effort to get closer to the Martinez family. The DEA decide to bring her into the fold in an effort to get closer to Cesar Martinez who is second in command to his father Ignacio, the leader of the Sonora cartel. Thus begins an adventure to bring down the cartel and maybe just maybe fall in love in the process.
I will admit this is the first time I have read a noir thriller novel. It wasn't bad. The only real complaint I have is that the author made Catherine a woman who was addicted to drugs in college and then a grown woman addicted to her prescription drugs. Plus she's also a alcoholic. Geez, I understand needing a drink to deal with the Martinez family but with every meal and in between all she was drinking was alcohol. This book is a noir thriller with a bunch of steamy deliciousness for the reader's pleasure. I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys a good noir thriller. The book will be released on August 5th, 2015.
Rating: 4½ stars out of 5
This book is about a woman who married into the cartel that has just become a widow a week earlier. The DEA has been keeping tabs on her for four years hoping that she knows anything about any activities that the Martinez family deal in. Their mole in the inside David, has been in love with her since college and has been assigned to her case for the past four years. Catherine decides to try to escape the cartel after her husband dies but is dragged back into it's fold by David in an effort to get closer to the Martinez family. The DEA decide to bring her into the fold in an effort to get closer to Cesar Martinez who is second in command to his father Ignacio, the leader of the Sonora cartel. Thus begins an adventure to bring down the cartel and maybe just maybe fall in love in the process.
I will admit this is the first time I have read a noir thriller novel. It wasn't bad. The only real complaint I have is that the author made Catherine a woman who was addicted to drugs in college and then a grown woman addicted to her prescription drugs. Plus she's also a alcoholic. Geez, I understand needing a drink to deal with the Martinez family but with every meal and in between all she was drinking was alcohol. This book is a noir thriller with a bunch of steamy deliciousness for the reader's pleasure. I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys a good noir thriller. The book will be released on August 5th, 2015.
Rating: 4½ stars out of 5
June 1, 2015
DNF @ 40%
This started out as something that might have been interesting, maybe a good suspense novel with a wicked Mafia twist but I simply could not connect with any of the characters nor find anything intriguing in the plot.
The H/h was wooden to say the least, the secondary characters were even more so, the writing and formatting sloppy and the plot wanes so dramtically, I ended up much more depressed than the Widow.
Have too much to keep busy than waste my time....
ARC kindly provided by the Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
June 2, 2015
Classic noir at its best. Beautifully written, almost poetic prose, which created fully fleshed three dimensional characters. Love, crime, betrayal - this is NOT a novel for the faint of heart. I believe this is may be the best book from one of my favorite new authors.
Received ARC for honest review.
Received ARC for honest review.
May 18, 2015
(The publisher provided me an ARC e-book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
My review of The Widow by Colette Saucier is proving difficult to write. Since I am a big fan of mafia romance, I am always excited to see a book from this genre. The simplicity of the title, elegant book cover, and the intriguing synopsis had me hooked right from the start. It is an absolutely fantastic storyline for this type of romance. In the beginning, Catherine, the heroine, was everything I had hoped and more. Beautiful, spirited, and determined to break free from the mafia crime family she had naively married into. The fact she could outwit not only her mafia assigned bodyguards but the DEA agent, David, was a refreshing twist to her character’s role.
This gripping, angst-filled story begins at the funeral of her estranged husband, Adrian, whom she had separated from seven months prior to his murder by a rival crime family. I liked how the author chose to point out, on more than one occasion, Adrian had loved and respected Catherine, even though he had a dark side. She, in turn, had loved him but became disillusioned and resentful when she realized not only herself but any of her future children would be forced to be part of Adrian’s world.
The story was fast paced and interesting, with Catherine more emotionally broken as events unfolded and David going back and forth on whether to trust her and how far he was willing to jeopardize his career. Overall, I enjoyed most of it. However, I certainly had some issues with the book. Catherine, who vehemently opposed the drug trade, talked about and used drugs like it was no big deal (i.e., acid with Pete, used “X” at parties, etc.). In fact, she quoted it as being fun. It took away from her character’s likeability/credibility. The Halloween scene at the club was a clever idea but poorly written. Instead of finding it romantic, I felt awkward and embarrassed for the couple, who were both high as kites from drug use, that Catherine had initiated. Would recommend that part be rewritten omitting the drug factor. By far, the most objectionable part of the book was when Caesar forced Catherine to meet him and David in his study. At that point, David figuratively turned in his man card and no longer felt the hero. Catherine, likewise, ceased to be the strong, spirited heroine. Until then, she had proven herself to be quick-witted/strong willed enough not to have complied with Caesar’s outrageous request. It was degrading, disturbing, and completely unnecessary to throw in. Looking back, I am fairly certain that is when I disengaged from the story and found myself just wanting it to end, which is a shame since it did have an action packed ending.
Despite my misgivings, I am still giving it four stars since I enjoyed most of the book.
My review of The Widow by Colette Saucier is proving difficult to write. Since I am a big fan of mafia romance, I am always excited to see a book from this genre. The simplicity of the title, elegant book cover, and the intriguing synopsis had me hooked right from the start. It is an absolutely fantastic storyline for this type of romance. In the beginning, Catherine, the heroine, was everything I had hoped and more. Beautiful, spirited, and determined to break free from the mafia crime family she had naively married into. The fact she could outwit not only her mafia assigned bodyguards but the DEA agent, David, was a refreshing twist to her character’s role.
This gripping, angst-filled story begins at the funeral of her estranged husband, Adrian, whom she had separated from seven months prior to his murder by a rival crime family. I liked how the author chose to point out, on more than one occasion, Adrian had loved and respected Catherine, even though he had a dark side. She, in turn, had loved him but became disillusioned and resentful when she realized not only herself but any of her future children would be forced to be part of Adrian’s world.
The story was fast paced and interesting, with Catherine more emotionally broken as events unfolded and David going back and forth on whether to trust her and how far he was willing to jeopardize his career. Overall, I enjoyed most of it. However, I certainly had some issues with the book. Catherine, who vehemently opposed the drug trade, talked about and used drugs like it was no big deal (i.e., acid with Pete, used “X” at parties, etc.). In fact, she quoted it as being fun. It took away from her character’s likeability/credibility. The Halloween scene at the club was a clever idea but poorly written. Instead of finding it romantic, I felt awkward and embarrassed for the couple, who were both high as kites from drug use, that Catherine had initiated. Would recommend that part be rewritten omitting the drug factor. By far, the most objectionable part of the book was when Caesar forced Catherine to meet him and David in his study. At that point, David figuratively turned in his man card and no longer felt the hero. Catherine, likewise, ceased to be the strong, spirited heroine. Until then, she had proven herself to be quick-witted/strong willed enough not to have complied with Caesar’s outrageous request. It was degrading, disturbing, and completely unnecessary to throw in. Looking back, I am fairly certain that is when I disengaged from the story and found myself just wanting it to end, which is a shame since it did have an action packed ending.
Despite my misgivings, I am still giving it four stars since I enjoyed most of the book.
July 29, 2015
****WE RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE PUBLISHER EXPLAINING THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY ASKED FOR A FULL AND HONEST REVIEW, WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO CROSS-POST THIS REVIEW TO ANY OTHER WEBSITES. SO BESIDES THE BLOG, THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ THIS FULL AND HONEST REVIEW***
The Widow is a twisted tale about a woman who married into a large drug cartel and can’t escape, even after her husband’s death. David is an undercover agent who has been working for the Martinez family for the last few years. He has loved Catherine since their college days, even though he was the “best friend” of her husband. David must do anything he can to bring down the family and their business, even if it hurts Catherine.
The beginning of the story starts out very strong. Catherine is standing at her husband’s grave during his service and later goes back to the family home to receive guests and their condolences. She has no feelings for her husband’s death and asks David to take her home. Unaware that she is being watched by the agency David works for, she fools the Martinez Family guards and makes an escape. David reports this to the family, hoping it will earn their trust even more when he finds her. I really enjoyed this part of the story and how fast paced it was. This kind of suspense is what keeps a reader engaged and wanting more. Unfortunately, the story and integrity of Catherine fell flat about halfway into the story. She partied her way through college by using drugs and is addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol as an adult. While I understood her need to numb herself because of her marriage and the life she lived, I found her to by hypocritical in the way she denounced her husband’s and is family’s business. However, I tried to push past that and found that the story fell flat for me. I tuned out and could not enjoy the rest of the story.
With the fantastic writing and unique story-telling by the author, this book will appeal to a large group of readers that enjoy a good, suspenseful, Mafia type of story.
Reviewed by Kim for Crystal's Many Reviewers
*Copy Provided for Review*
The Widow is a twisted tale about a woman who married into a large drug cartel and can’t escape, even after her husband’s death. David is an undercover agent who has been working for the Martinez family for the last few years. He has loved Catherine since their college days, even though he was the “best friend” of her husband. David must do anything he can to bring down the family and their business, even if it hurts Catherine.
The beginning of the story starts out very strong. Catherine is standing at her husband’s grave during his service and later goes back to the family home to receive guests and their condolences. She has no feelings for her husband’s death and asks David to take her home. Unaware that she is being watched by the agency David works for, she fools the Martinez Family guards and makes an escape. David reports this to the family, hoping it will earn their trust even more when he finds her. I really enjoyed this part of the story and how fast paced it was. This kind of suspense is what keeps a reader engaged and wanting more. Unfortunately, the story and integrity of Catherine fell flat about halfway into the story. She partied her way through college by using drugs and is addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol as an adult. While I understood her need to numb herself because of her marriage and the life she lived, I found her to by hypocritical in the way she denounced her husband’s and is family’s business. However, I tried to push past that and found that the story fell flat for me. I tuned out and could not enjoy the rest of the story.
With the fantastic writing and unique story-telling by the author, this book will appeal to a large group of readers that enjoy a good, suspenseful, Mafia type of story.
Reviewed by Kim for Crystal's Many Reviewers
*Copy Provided for Review*
August 4, 2015
**I received an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review**
DEA agent David Alvarez has been deep undercover for 4 years. When the object of his case gets killed, David has no choice but to try to get close to the man’s widow Catherine. He’s avoided being around her from the beginning, ever since his feelings starting going out of control around her. Now that he’s tasked to force her to stay around the cartel, will she start to hate him?
The first thing I must say POOR Catherine!! This is definitely a crime drama that kept me at the edge of my seat. It’s predominantly from David’s POV, so we follow his double life as he gets close to the woman he’s cared about for so long, only to be shown proof that she’s way more than he thinks. However, the author seamlessly fits in enough pieces in Catherine’s POV to see she really is a complete victim who has lost her hope as David’s personality is the only thing she’d been allowed to cling to.
This is definitely one of the first time’s I’ve read such a story fully integrated into deep undercover ops with realistic situations that made me cringe. I absolutely LOVED the twists in the end as I was chewing off the ends of my nails. I absolutely recommend this story.
DEA agent David Alvarez has been deep undercover for 4 years. When the object of his case gets killed, David has no choice but to try to get close to the man’s widow Catherine. He’s avoided being around her from the beginning, ever since his feelings starting going out of control around her. Now that he’s tasked to force her to stay around the cartel, will she start to hate him?
The first thing I must say POOR Catherine!! This is definitely a crime drama that kept me at the edge of my seat. It’s predominantly from David’s POV, so we follow his double life as he gets close to the woman he’s cared about for so long, only to be shown proof that she’s way more than he thinks. However, the author seamlessly fits in enough pieces in Catherine’s POV to see she really is a complete victim who has lost her hope as David’s personality is the only thing she’d been allowed to cling to.
This is definitely one of the first time’s I’ve read such a story fully integrated into deep undercover ops with realistic situations that made me cringe. I absolutely LOVED the twists in the end as I was chewing off the ends of my nails. I absolutely recommend this story.
July 31, 2015
Classic noir at its best. Beautifully written, almost poetic prose, which created fully fleshed three dimensional characters. Love, crime, betrayal - this is NOT a novel for the faint of heart. I believe this may be the best book from one of my favorite new authors.
Received ARC for honest review.
Received ARC for honest review.
August 1, 2015
I received this from NetGalley.com as, I believe, an ARC. I think the book really rates a 3.5 stars as the first 25% of it is pretty darn good. The problems arise in the last 75% of the book and yes, unfortunately, that is the majority of it.
First, it's divided into three logical parts - the first one is about the recent aftermath of the murder of Catherine'e drug-cartel husband and her trying to escape from his family. This is the part of the book I most enjoyed. The cat and mouse between Catherine and her DEA "handler" David is done well. Definitely not in the category of "too stupid to live", Catherine has a lot of pluck, smarts and determination to escape to her family in Connecticut and employs tricks and tactics with varying success. It is in this part of the novel that we learn of David and Catherine's "past" as it were - a fateful Halloween night where, masked and under the influence of a powerful drug, he attempts clumsily to extricate Catherine from her fiance (the drug cartel guy). David and Catherine share a very memorable kiss which she recalls completely and he has completely forgotten until now when she tells him of this night, not knowing that the masked man (her dread pirate Robert) and the DEA agent are one in the same. Of course, once she tells him this, he remembers it with blinding clarity. It then makes sense why they have such chemistry.
The second part is her return to Los Angeles and back in the control of her dead husband's family. At this point, she loses her will to live and tries to commit suicide. The DEA whisks her away for recuperation to Seattle and here she learns exactly who David is and that she's been watched and shadowed for the past four years. She becomes quite angry at him for not "saving" her from marrying her husband in the first place, since he knew more about the family than she ever did until the very end. At this point, the family patriarch suggests a little vacay to Puerta Vallarta with David as her chaperone since he's managed to convince the cartel family that he is either gay or just thinks of Catherine as his little sister - that one varies back and forth. Of course, the DEA says sure, since they get wind of another family member who will be there, too, and enlist Catherine to become an informant.
This middle third is a bit of a murky mess - yes, there's consummation. After all, this is a romance novel, so you know they're going to do it. And as predictable as rain at some point, it's amazing (d'oh!). But the little fly in the ointment is the cartel family member, Cesar (even more dangerous than her dead husband was, but oh-so-suave-and-debonair too), who sweeps Catherine away and right under David's nose - after all, they're undercover and she was enlisted specifically to get close to this man.
Okay, so do I have to say it? To keep up the tension, they introduce this nasty excuse for a human being to woo the widow, except she can barely control her face (and is told to do so - I'm not making this up) to keep up the pretense of being open to Cesar's attentions as well as not interested in David. Naturally Cesar, being no dummy, thinks something's up between the two of them despite their protestations. Finally, in a come-to-the-DEA moment, David is shown pictures of a past encounter between Catherine and Cesar which implies a bit more of a history between the two of them. So now David's all ticked off at Catherine. Really - maybe he's the one too stupid to live.
The last part of the book is set back in Los Angeles and none too soon. David who is the money laundering guy for the cartel has to show Cesar the ropes and keep gathering intel on their next drug operation , and he has to protect Catherine, although Catherine seems to be doing a pretty good job at this herself (she does after all have all that pluck and smarts - she handles herself pretty well considering dunderhead David seems to muck everything up over and over). She manages not to sleep with Cesar, claiming her recent widowhood, although in one memorable scene mainly to enrage David, Cesar demands and gets oral sex from her. Later, she claims that she's almost a virgin and didn't know why Cesar was commanding her to get on her knees in front of him (uhmmm . . . almost virgin or not, any younger woman would know what a man wanted at that point) but aside from that very false note, the last third ably amps up her true danger in being drawn closer in to the cartel family - to the point of moving into the family compound, and David's attempts to free her and himself, too.
To tie off a few loose ends, David learns that he was just a wee bit manipulated by his bosses into thinking more existed between Catherine and Cesar (better that their CI be with Cesar after all). And if we didn't loathe a guy like Cesar enough, we learn that one of Catherine's few family allies has been brutally murdered, along with several of her babies by Mr. Suave himself. Worse, Cesar never intended to make Catherine a wife since he already has one of those, but he wouldn't mind a gringa mistress. I'd like to think we'd all know which is worse, but since this is a romance, maybe the mistress part is worse than the murder part?
The last 5% of the book is a nice payoff - no longer the dunderhead and recently demoted to the El Paso office (hey, El Paso - don't take that lying down!), David infiltrates the rival cartel for the DEA but also engineers a little extra for himself and Catherine. In the final moments, he has the rival cartel off killing the bad guys, kills Mr. Sauve himself, escaping with a big satchel of money and rescues Catherine from the cartel's clutches. My hero - after all!
With all this going on, why does it feel a bit . . . flat? Maybe it's just a case of learning the tropes and ropes of romance. There's a lot of good tension, a wistful moment to set up a reason these two might have the hots for each other, then in the actual description of the consummation - uhhhh . . . is that all there is? I was laughing at the use of "Spanglish" in the sex scenes. I'm not sure I even want to know what a throbbing pigna is (okay, I know what it is - it's just funny to read it in italics after other more Anglo Saxon words have been used). And speaking of Spanglish, we're to believe that this woman hasn't picked up nary a word or phrase of it during her years living with these folks? That's pretty darn laughable, too.
Look, I live in Los Angeles and am not a Spanish-speaker, but I know all sorts of words and phrases just from living here!
Other than these accidental laughs, though (along with a more cringe-worthy pigna moment or two), the book takes itself way too seriously. And maybe that's where the flatness comes from. It's either that, or the author is going for supreme irony. Really? It's not an episode of Portlandia here, it's a standard issue suspense romance, with all the romance tropes on display. And by the way, there's nothing wrong with this. But a lighter moment (a deliberate lighter moment, I should say) would have helped this book immensely.
The other big issue is the formatting; this could be because I read the file on a kindle and it wasn't set up properly for this - I don't know. There were also a number of minor typos throughout, to the point of a few "missing" sentences that found their way back a few screens later which makes for a disconcerting read. Basically, the book would be greatly helped by some copyediting and proofing.
Lastly, although I know it's not the fashion anymore for prologues or epilogues, this book could have used a two-page epilogue to wrap up where our hero and heroine next find themselves - a beach on the Riviera? Some jungle in Asia? Maybe on a cruise to Antartica - somewhere they can spend their loot and disappear into the woodwork. It ends somewhat abruptly and I'm not sure if this was a choice of the author or publisher. Either way, spend a page or two and properly wrap it up.
A quick note - there's plenty of f-bombs throughout this book so if that offends, you are now warned.
First, it's divided into three logical parts - the first one is about the recent aftermath of the murder of Catherine'e drug-cartel husband and her trying to escape from his family. This is the part of the book I most enjoyed. The cat and mouse between Catherine and her DEA "handler" David is done well. Definitely not in the category of "too stupid to live", Catherine has a lot of pluck, smarts and determination to escape to her family in Connecticut and employs tricks and tactics with varying success. It is in this part of the novel that we learn of David and Catherine's "past" as it were - a fateful Halloween night where, masked and under the influence of a powerful drug, he attempts clumsily to extricate Catherine from her fiance (the drug cartel guy). David and Catherine share a very memorable kiss which she recalls completely and he has completely forgotten until now when she tells him of this night, not knowing that the masked man (her dread pirate Robert) and the DEA agent are one in the same. Of course, once she tells him this, he remembers it with blinding clarity. It then makes sense why they have such chemistry.
The second part is her return to Los Angeles and back in the control of her dead husband's family. At this point, she loses her will to live and tries to commit suicide. The DEA whisks her away for recuperation to Seattle and here she learns exactly who David is and that she's been watched and shadowed for the past four years. She becomes quite angry at him for not "saving" her from marrying her husband in the first place, since he knew more about the family than she ever did until the very end. At this point, the family patriarch suggests a little vacay to Puerta Vallarta with David as her chaperone since he's managed to convince the cartel family that he is either gay or just thinks of Catherine as his little sister - that one varies back and forth. Of course, the DEA says sure, since they get wind of another family member who will be there, too, and enlist Catherine to become an informant.
This middle third is a bit of a murky mess - yes, there's consummation. After all, this is a romance novel, so you know they're going to do it. And as predictable as rain at some point, it's amazing (d'oh!). But the little fly in the ointment is the cartel family member, Cesar (even more dangerous than her dead husband was, but oh-so-suave-and-debonair too), who sweeps Catherine away and right under David's nose - after all, they're undercover and she was enlisted specifically to get close to this man.
Okay, so do I have to say it? To keep up the tension, they introduce this nasty excuse for a human being to woo the widow, except she can barely control her face (and is told to do so - I'm not making this up) to keep up the pretense of being open to Cesar's attentions as well as not interested in David. Naturally Cesar, being no dummy, thinks something's up between the two of them despite their protestations. Finally, in a come-to-the-DEA moment, David is shown pictures of a past encounter between Catherine and Cesar which implies a bit more of a history between the two of them. So now David's all ticked off at Catherine. Really - maybe he's the one too stupid to live.
The last part of the book is set back in Los Angeles and none too soon. David who is the money laundering guy for the cartel has to show Cesar the ropes and keep gathering intel on their next drug operation , and he has to protect Catherine, although Catherine seems to be doing a pretty good job at this herself (she does after all have all that pluck and smarts - she handles herself pretty well considering dunderhead David seems to muck everything up over and over). She manages not to sleep with Cesar, claiming her recent widowhood, although in one memorable scene mainly to enrage David, Cesar demands and gets oral sex from her. Later, she claims that she's almost a virgin and didn't know why Cesar was commanding her to get on her knees in front of him (uhmmm . . . almost virgin or not, any younger woman would know what a man wanted at that point) but aside from that very false note, the last third ably amps up her true danger in being drawn closer in to the cartel family - to the point of moving into the family compound, and David's attempts to free her and himself, too.
To tie off a few loose ends, David learns that he was just a wee bit manipulated by his bosses into thinking more existed between Catherine and Cesar (better that their CI be with Cesar after all). And if we didn't loathe a guy like Cesar enough, we learn that one of Catherine's few family allies has been brutally murdered, along with several of her babies by Mr. Suave himself. Worse, Cesar never intended to make Catherine a wife since he already has one of those, but he wouldn't mind a gringa mistress. I'd like to think we'd all know which is worse, but since this is a romance, maybe the mistress part is worse than the murder part?
The last 5% of the book is a nice payoff - no longer the dunderhead and recently demoted to the El Paso office (hey, El Paso - don't take that lying down!), David infiltrates the rival cartel for the DEA but also engineers a little extra for himself and Catherine. In the final moments, he has the rival cartel off killing the bad guys, kills Mr. Sauve himself, escaping with a big satchel of money and rescues Catherine from the cartel's clutches. My hero - after all!
With all this going on, why does it feel a bit . . . flat? Maybe it's just a case of learning the tropes and ropes of romance. There's a lot of good tension, a wistful moment to set up a reason these two might have the hots for each other, then in the actual description of the consummation - uhhhh . . . is that all there is? I was laughing at the use of "Spanglish" in the sex scenes. I'm not sure I even want to know what a throbbing pigna is (okay, I know what it is - it's just funny to read it in italics after other more Anglo Saxon words have been used). And speaking of Spanglish, we're to believe that this woman hasn't picked up nary a word or phrase of it during her years living with these folks? That's pretty darn laughable, too.
Look, I live in Los Angeles and am not a Spanish-speaker, but I know all sorts of words and phrases just from living here!
Other than these accidental laughs, though (along with a more cringe-worthy pigna moment or two), the book takes itself way too seriously. And maybe that's where the flatness comes from. It's either that, or the author is going for supreme irony. Really? It's not an episode of Portlandia here, it's a standard issue suspense romance, with all the romance tropes on display. And by the way, there's nothing wrong with this. But a lighter moment (a deliberate lighter moment, I should say) would have helped this book immensely.
The other big issue is the formatting; this could be because I read the file on a kindle and it wasn't set up properly for this - I don't know. There were also a number of minor typos throughout, to the point of a few "missing" sentences that found their way back a few screens later which makes for a disconcerting read. Basically, the book would be greatly helped by some copyediting and proofing.
Lastly, although I know it's not the fashion anymore for prologues or epilogues, this book could have used a two-page epilogue to wrap up where our hero and heroine next find themselves - a beach on the Riviera? Some jungle in Asia? Maybe on a cruise to Antartica - somewhere they can spend their loot and disappear into the woodwork. It ends somewhat abruptly and I'm not sure if this was a choice of the author or publisher. Either way, spend a page or two and properly wrap it up.
A quick note - there's plenty of f-bombs throughout this book so if that offends, you are now warned.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2015
This was wasn’t what I had anticipated, and that caught me unawares. It was a thriller yes but it was a little darker than I actually had anticipated and probably more than I would have liked if I am honest.
Catherine had been a drug user in her youth and even now, her drug of choice may be her prescription medication or alcohol – really it was a wonder she wasn’t pickled the amount of liquor she digested but either way she was still chemically dependent.
And I found this juxtaposed with her now vehement opposition to the drug trade. It was hypocritical to me for her to almost glorify what she had done or perhaps I should trivialise its significance. I didn’t and don’t like fact that she was so flimsy in her stance, I got the impression that she was anti-drug trade, because she was anti cartel not the drugs themselves.
But that didn’t stop her doing her damndest to get away from a life that she hated with every fibre of her being. I liked the fact that she was spirited, that she did everything they didn’t want her to do.
Catherine was married to the cartel, or should I say had been married to a member of the cartel but at eth beginning of the story we discover that she is burying her husband Adrian, following his murder. They may have been estranged but that didn’t mean that she got to live a life free of him and his activities, the cartel were ever present but now he is no longer around, this not so merry widow is ready to finally escape the vice like grip they have on her.
But she has another hurdle to face, one that she has been unaware of. The DEA has been watching her for years, pinning their hopes on the fact that through her they may be able to stop the cartel and its activity once and for all.
But their inside man David, isn’t about to let her go just yet, he has spent too long infiltrating the Martinez family to have his prime asset, walk out the door. And anyway his motives aren’t exactly all business either, he has feelings that he has kept under lock and key for too long
So looking around for a way to not only keep her on board but to actually enlist her help, the authorities have little choice but to use her to get what they need on Cesar.
Now I have issues with David, I really though for an undercover agent I would like him more but to be honest he just didn’t pull it off for me and the situation in the study with Cesar and Catherine was the final blow, I didn’t know what to make of him or her after that.
Now up until then I was getting with the program, I was feeling the book and in a way the storyline but that one scene finished me off and in the end I was glad to turn the last page.
Take that scene out and you have a story that is decent, it works in its own way and the ending, that was completely action packed but with the study scene in, I think I had actually glossed over
July 29, 2015
****WE RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE PUBLISHER EXPLAINING THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY ASKED FOR A FULL AND HONEST REVIEW, WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO CROSS-POST THIS REVIEW TO ANY OTHER WEBSITES. SO BESIDES THE BLOG, THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ THIS FULL AND HONEST REVIEW***
The Widow is a twisted tale about a woman who married into a large drug cartel and can’t escape, even after her husband’s death. David is an undercover agent who has been working for the Martinez family for the last few years. He has loved Catherine since their college days, even though he was the “best friend” of her husband. David must do anything he can to bring down the family and their business, even if it hurts Catherine.
The beginning of the story starts out very strong. Catherine is standing at her husband’s grave during his service and later goes back to the family home to receive guests and their condolences. She has no feelings for her husband’s death and asks David to take her home. Unaware that she is being watched by the agency David works for, she fools the Martinez Family guards and makes an escape. David reports this to the family, hoping it will earn their trust even more when he finds her. I really enjoyed this part of the story and how fast paced it was. This kind of suspense is what keeps a reader engaged and wanting more. Unfortunately, the story and integrity of Catherine fell flat about halfway into the story. She partied her way through college by using drugs and is addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol as an adult. While I understood her need to numb herself because of her marriage and the life she lived, I found her to by hypocritical in the way she denounced her husband’s and is family’s business. However, I tried to push past that and found that the story fell flat for me. I tuned out and could not enjoy the rest of the story.
With the fantastic writing and unique story-telling by the author, this book will appeal to a large group of readers that enjoy a good, suspenseful, Mafia type of story.
Reviewed by Kim for Crystal's Many Reviewers
*Copy Provided for Review*
The Widow is a twisted tale about a woman who married into a large drug cartel and can’t escape, even after her husband’s death. David is an undercover agent who has been working for the Martinez family for the last few years. He has loved Catherine since their college days, even though he was the “best friend” of her husband. David must do anything he can to bring down the family and their business, even if it hurts Catherine.
The beginning of the story starts out very strong. Catherine is standing at her husband’s grave during his service and later goes back to the family home to receive guests and their condolences. She has no feelings for her husband’s death and asks David to take her home. Unaware that she is being watched by the agency David works for, she fools the Martinez Family guards and makes an escape. David reports this to the family, hoping it will earn their trust even more when he finds her. I really enjoyed this part of the story and how fast paced it was. This kind of suspense is what keeps a reader engaged and wanting more. Unfortunately, the story and integrity of Catherine fell flat about halfway into the story. She partied her way through college by using drugs and is addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol as an adult. While I understood her need to numb herself because of her marriage and the life she lived, I found her to by hypocritical in the way she denounced her husband’s and is family’s business. However, I tried to push past that and found that the story fell flat for me. I tuned out and could not enjoy the rest of the story.
With the fantastic writing and unique story-telling by the author, this book will appeal to a large group of readers that enjoy a good, suspenseful, Mafia type of story.
Reviewed by Kim for Crystal's Many Reviewers
*Copy Provided for Review*
October 6, 2015
Make no mistake - this book is a noir thriller that does not shy away from the darkness. It pulls no punches on the graphic nature of its subject matter, and the hero curses like a sailor. True to the noir genre, the lead characters, Catherine and David, find themselves on a never-ending roller coaster of love, lust, betrayal, and mistrust. Both of them are trapped inside the deadly world of a Mexican drug cartel; Catherine because she unknowingly married into it, and David because he has been undercover with the DEA for four years. After the murder of Catherine's husband by a rival cartel, David wants to save her from the clutches of her in-laws, but his undercover assignment forces him to continually push her back into the lion's den, to use the woman he loves as bait in order to try to snare some of the biggest drug lords in the sea.
Colette Saucier's writing is characteristically strong and her sense of humor always in evidence.
Colette Saucier's writing is characteristically strong and her sense of humor always in evidence.
May 21, 2015
I received this title from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was initially intrigued by the cover of this book...And then when I read the blurb, I was definitely interested because of the mob connection. I love a mob love story! It was suspenseful to a point, but towards the middle I found myself getting a little bored, so I did skim a bit. All in all it was an OK storyline with an OK plot.
September 17, 2016
I'm not even sure how to "shelve" this story. It's contemporary, the characters were all a bit fake to me. I really wanted this story to go another way, but am satisfied the way it ended. IDK, something missing here I just can't put my finger on it.
November 15, 2017
Great story , Great characters. Loved it!
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