Sugar & Spice

Blackwood Family #3

by Julia Blake

Sometimes, no matter how fast or far you run, you cannot escape fate
Susannah Blackwood happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and now she is being pursued by a vicious serial killer. He has killed before, but something about Susannah has caught his interest and he won't stop until she is in his grasp.
With only her brother's colleague, Sullivan, to help her - Susannah has no choice but to leave everything she loves behind her and run - and never stop running. Because he's coming for her and has promised her an exquisite death. From the back alleys and underground clubs of London to the wilds of the Scottish Highlands, he pursues her. Yet even in the middle of the most heart-stopping terror, the most heart-aching sweetness can be found. Sugar & Spice is one book that will thrill and enthral from the very first taste to the very last bite. Susannah Blackwood believes herself contented with her  small and peaceful life, but she has no idea of the danger and love that fate will put in her path.
Sugar & Spice is book three of the fabulously exciting Blackwood Family Saga - which tells the individual stories of the strong men, and even stronger women, who make up this eclectic and eccentric clan, and their bumpy road to finding true love

Genres: Romance, Mystery

199 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 20, 2020

About the author

I was born and raised in the beautiful historic market town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, where I live still with my kid, one crazy cat and a succession of even crazier lodgers. I'm a multi-genre author which basically means I write whatever story floats into my head and worry about what genre it fits into afterwards. So far, I have written in contemporary fiction, romantic suspense, YA fantasy, folklore fantasy, sci-fi, short stories, poetry, and even a fabulous steampunk retelling of the Snow White story.

I have been writing stories and poems since I could first pick up a pen, and I promise there are many more books in the pipeline. I write the kind of books that I like to read myself. Books I can escape into and that make me laugh, cry and really connect with the characters. I also like my books to have a very satisfying ending, where all is explained and no string is left untied, well, not unless I'm planning a sequel that is.

www.juliablakeauthor.co.uk
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Reviews

[Pauline Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is the sugar and who is the spice? Well I don't know, but I do know that this book centres around a female protagonist called Susannah. She runs a little bookshop, her life quite, uneventful, until one day something happeneds which leads her to camp out at a safe house that the police provide. We are lead on a cat and mouse chase as her attacker just manages to catch up with her and then she's off again.
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This is a twisty tunnel full of suspense that Julia Blake has written, a gripping story that will keep you up into the wee hours of the morning.
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Memorable moments and why

✔Asbo, the cat - Why? Because I love how Julia introduces cats in her stories, I'm a cat lover too and I'm always intrigued to see what kind of a cat she has created.

✔James Sullivan - Why? Because he is every woman's type of man, he cooks! He actually cooks! there is love, oh yes there is love, we feel it when a kiss is planted on Susannahs lips. I also love this type of angle Julia took with the romance in this book, James is a heart throb, a Casanova, what more can you ask for.

✔The food! - Why? Because Julia is a connoisseur when manifesting eatables. I loved the mention of bacon and who cant resist a bacon sammy hmmm? and then Julia knows my soft spot, sweet treats and in her book we have a chocolate croissant and bits of flaky pastry ... the ultimate sin!

✔ The plot and delivery of - Why? Each chapter I had no idea where the protagonist was going to go next, or if at all the murderer was ever going to be caught, making it a very exciting, intriguing book and a very suprising ending.
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So this is definitely a five star recommendation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Sugar & Spice by Julia Blake
Contemporary thriller - suspense - mystery - romance

[Ellen Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sugar & Spice by Julia Blake

This is the third book in the Blackwood Family Saga and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. It’s a thriller and a romance and will keep you on the edge of your seat.
 
A serial killer is after Susannah Blackwood. For her protection, she’s forced to go on the run. The only good point of this is that she has the strong and handsome James Sullivan to go with her. He’s every woman dream man. Susannah thought she was over love but she is delightfully surprised.
 
But the killer is coming for her and she seems destined to be his victim… but not if her brother Luke and James have anything to do with it. Not to mention Isabella Santorini.
 
This is a great read. Fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable.
 
5 Stars all the way. Well done, Julia.

[Julia Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sugar and Spice, the third - and arguably the most exciting - book in The Blackwood Family Saga, is the tale of Susannah Blackwood, the younger sister of Luke. Still numb from her divorce two years earlier, Susannah has settled into cosy domesticity running her own quirky little bookshop and living quietly in the flat above it.

In Susannah's own words, her life is "small" but boring? Surely not. Then fate takes over and places Susannah in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Narrowly missing becoming a vicious serial killer's latest victim, she is saved only by her brother's friend and employee, James Sullivan. But the serial killer now has her bag - he knows where she lives. He's read her diary - he has seen into her innermost thoughts and longings. And now he wants Susannah.

On the run, with only Sullivan as her companion and protector, Susannah must run and never stop running, because the killer won't stop until he has her. He has promised her an exquisite death, and it's a promise he's simply dying to keep.

I loved writing Sugar and Spice. Written over a three week period in frenzied and intense writing sessions, I think this urgency is reflected in the pacing and style of the novel. This is one fast, heartstopping read, and readers have commented on how they consumed it in one sitting because they simply couldn't put it down. That tells an author they've done something very right.

Susannah Blackwood was an interesting character to write. Very different from Marcus and Luke, her two older brothers, she was so normal. Just like you and I, she went about her day-to-day life never dreaming that there could be so much more. Did an evil part of me enjoy throwing her and Sullivan into ever increasingly dangerous situations ... maybe. but it was a lot of fun watching them try to find their way out of them.

The character of Sullivan was a joy to write. Son of a Jamaican immigrant and an East End woman, he is a rich and fabulous mix of laid-back, easy-going charm, and intelligent professionalism. One of Luke's best operatives in ICRA, Sullivan is tough and resourceful - the perfect person to protect Susannah, and there is no one Luke would trust more to take care of his baby sister. Sullivan is also a fabulous and inventive cook - the way to every woman's heart is definitely through her stomach.

But please don't think this is a "tough man saves frail girlie" type of book, because it is far from that. Although normal. Susannah isn't weak and shows her strength in many ways during their desperate attempts to shake the killer from their trail.

I really hope you enjoy Sugar and Spice, and, if you did, then a few words in a review on here - and on Amazon if you can - would make such a huge difference to me.

[Linda Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blake continues the saga of the Blackwood family with Susanna Blackwood who is forced to run and keep running for her life; but she’s not alone in facing these life threatening actions of a deranged serial killer.

Bare Bones thoughts…
~A savory, spicy and titillating love story
~Action from the git go. Blake doesn’t waste any time.
~A serial killer, a man hunt, a game of wits and hide and seek
~ There’s more to Isabella
~The titles and the photos on the covers of this series hints to what is inside
~If you’ve read The Book of Eve by Blake, the last chapter may give you an ahhhh moment.

Be still my beating heart! I didn’t see this one coming; but it was inevitable by chapter 2! There’s no wasting of time in setting the stage for Susanna and James Sullivan. Blake has concocted a story of heart rendering terror mixed with heart fluttering love that will have you holding your breath. This story is packed full of action, sweeteness and tingling spiciness in all the right places to make you keep turning the pages till the very last page is turned. Believe me, Blake takes you to the very edge and then ties it all together into a neat little package.

I love this series thus far as it takes an element of life and turns it into an intricate, fast paced hand wringing and emotional story. That’s life, after all, even if on a less grander scale than the Blackwoods. I’m looking forward to the next one because I’ve got to really know more about Isabella and her story....

[Sherry Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third book in Ms. Blake’s Blackwood Family Saga, Sugar and Spice, is just that when it comes to the main characters in this romantic thriller. Their romance is under a lot of pressure as they race for their lives, but there is plenty of sugar when it comes their falling in love and plenty of heat too, the good spicy kind and the bad dangerous kind. The stars in this tale are James Sullivan and Susannah Blackwood. The sexy, handsome and charismatic James Sullivan, loves to cook. We girls love a man who can cook. And he likes to cook spicy, as Jamaican cuisine often is, a culinary skill he learned from his mom. And boy does he cook, in more ways than one. Susannah Blackwood has a sweet tooth and when things between them begin to steam up, James teases her and calls her Sugar when she claims she is more of a dessert girl. But I can assure you, she quickly learns to love spice. I always enjoy Ms. Blake’s banter and dialogue and she is especially good at it when it comes to lovers.

So it is Susannah Blackwood who is the Blackwood featured in this book. She is the sister who leads a quiet life, who saved half of her large inheritance from her dad and used the other half to buy a bookstore, lives in the apartment above the store and likes her independence. Her quiet life is about to change. The Blackwood family doesn’t get a break from drama and disaster. Susannah unwittingly catches the obsessive interest of a particularly heinous serial killer. Her brother Luke, who runs a prestigious and successful corporation for finding lost children, assigns his best agent, James Sullivan, to protect her. James has been in love with Susannah for a long time. Susannah has feelings for James, but when they first met, she was married and then the marriage fell apart and after that she was rather reclusive as far as it came to men. James respectfully kept his distance. Now they are thrown together in an intense race for their lives with the maniacal killer on their heels. The climax is spine chilling. Another plus to this book is that you learn a lot more about the mysterious Isabella, who is part of the Blackwood clan through marriage. She’s Luke’s’ wife, Ariana’s sister-in-law and just wait until you find out more about this lady!

[Nita · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Sugar and Spice, the drama continues for the Blackwood family. This time it is Susannah's turn.

Susannah is having a string of bad luck since her divorce. It only seems to be getting worse when she is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up being attacked by a serial killer. When the killer is chased away before finishing what he started, his obsession with her grows and Susannah's dark adventure begins.

The Blackwood Family Saga is a five-star experience. Blake has truly outdone herself!

[Nisha Harbola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third in the series on Blackwood family. It takes the story forward, but you can understand it even if you haven't read the first two. I read all three one after the other in what must be a record time. Simply unputdownable! I'm waiting for the next in the series.

[Charli West · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s not to love? I love the friends to lovers trope and the constant intrigue and adventure in this story. There is a little more “spice” in this book than the first two, although it fades to black, thank you. It also has a couple of cuss words the others did not. I know that will not bother most people and I could easily skip over them and move on with this fast-paced story. These characters and this story kept my attention and I wanted to know what in the world was going to happen next.

The relationship between Susannah and James is so sweet and he is definitely one of those swoon-worthy heros. I love that he loved her first.

The drama/mystery that is the main plot has a little twist toward the end that I really enjoyed. I’m finding that Blake likes throwing those little plot twists in her stories and I enjoy them a lot. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes a little adventure and mystery tossed in with their romance.

[Becky Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sugar & Spice is the third in the Blackwood series, and I have to say probably my favourite one to date; although I won't hold my breath as I know, there are lots more to follow.

As with the previous in the series, Lost & Found, and Fixtures & Fittings, this concentrated on a member of the Blackwood family, running with a storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Each book cleverly introduces the reader to new key characters, hinting at previous plotlines but never giving too much away... the mark of a good book series. Though I would always suggest reading the Blackwood Family Saga in order, each book is a standalone story in its own right, so if you pick this up not realising there are previous books, it won't be the end of the world...just make sure you read the others too.

I never like to give too much of the plot away in a book review; the blurb gives plenty to grip the reader. But what I will say is, from page one you pulled right in, diving headfirst, and by the end of the first couple of chapters, there is no turning back. I read this in a couple of sittings. I am a slow reader but honestly found this difficult to put down!

As a writer, Julia Blake has a gift of believable characters, multifaceted, who always act true to their natures. By her own admission, she is a multi-genre author, bringing readers works in fantasy, romance and sci-fi. Still, it is here in her fast-paced contemporary thrillers that I think her writing style shines; it is slick, uncomplicated (the plot is in-depth enough) allowing the reader to completely immerse themselves in the quick-moving storyline without being bogged down with unnecessary descriptions and superfluous passages. The dialogue is slick and credible, adding to the real, quick time of the ever-moving plot. If that wasn't enough, there's just enough romance to soften the edge, giving us tender, sensual moments along the way to satisfy.

A great, quick read that packs a punch.

[J.A. Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susannah Blackwood, you were such a quiet character, who knew the bookshop girl had such a story. Obviously, Julia Blake did! Susannah has to go on the run because of a murdering stalker, which pushes her towards James Sullivan. Honestly, you already sense the lingering chemistry in the first meeting of them. But put them on the run together, and things heat up, quickly! The bonus in this book, there was more of Isabella Santorini!

[S.E. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugely enjoyable

This book was hugely enjoyable to read, and I almost raced over the pages eager to find out who the serial killer was.
Susannah Blackwood escapes an attack. But only after giving a description to the police does she discover that she narrowly missed being another victim to the Hampstead Heath murderer. Saved by her brother’s friend, James Sullivan; he vows to protect her after the sickening promise of the serial killer, that he will hunt her down and kill her.
This is a fast paced, edge of your seat drama, written with exciting prose and good character development. I felt as if I was there as Susannah and her protectors raced from one safe-house to another with the serial killer chomping on their heels. Thoroughly recommend.

[Caroline Noe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sugar and Spice is the third novel in Julia Blake's Blackwood family saga.
Still reeling from divorce, hiding in her bookshop, Susannah Blackwood has a small life, or so she thinks, until a chance attack is thwarted by the extraordinary Jimmy Sullivan. The revelation that she is now the target of a serial killer thrusts her and her saviour into a hunt to the death, and falling in love is only going to make staying alive more difficult.
Personally this is my favourite book of the Blackwood saga, the narrative being darker and more frightening, though no less romantic. The fabulous Jimmy doesn't hurt either.
A page turning 5 star thriller.

[Trisha Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite of the three books so far.

Susannah Blackwood's life is in danger from the Hampstead Heath murderer. She is now under the protection of James Sullivan, a friend of her brother. I love the creation of the characters who feel so real, the backdrop, the family history evolving in each book as the series progresses.
We are finding out everything about each member in the fast-paced stories which really will leave you gripped. I don't like giving storylines away. There is a balance of romance and terror which is just perfect. I can recommend Julia Blake as an author not to be missed.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always a bit guarded when I start a book by an author I have not read anything by before and I am happy to say that Julia Blake delivered just what the title says. A little bit of sugar and a lot of spice. The storyline is well thought-out, the setting changes every once in a while, twists and turns making the story flow easily and effortlessly. I would have liked a bit more romance between the two main characters but overall I have thoroughly enjoyed the third installment in the Blackwood Family Saga, eventhough I have not yet read the ones before.

[C.N. Jannain · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great and exciting read. Fast paced, well written I highly recommend Sugar and Spice. Without giving anything away, the story was a nailbiter. I read it in three days. Well written, this book contained romance, mystery, and suspense. It was fast paced I am a satisified customer. What's next? I can't wait.

[Bruce Spydar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet with heat, and all the thrills
As with the first two books of Julia Blake’s Blackwood series, the title and cover provide clues as to what you’ll find inside. Sugar & Spice is a sweet-with-heat romance, and the black feather, the calling card of a serial killer. If you’ve read anything from this talented author before, this alone should be enough to entice you in.
If not, then the promise of a thrill ride through safe-houses and brothels in the London underworld, to the serenity of the Scottish glens, and all back in time for a spicy Jamaican dinner … well that all sounds rather tasty, doesn’t it?
It's a great read. Why not try it and see?

[Julie Embleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susannah Blackwood has caught the attention of a serial killer. Forced to run, her brother charges James Sullivan with her protection, but the man hunting Susannah won’t be deterred.

The action and excitement just keeps coming with this Blackwood Family series from Julia Blake. Book three gets straight down to business with Susannah escaping an initial attack by a serial killer. When it becomes clear he’s fixated on Susannah and won’t stop until she’s his, she flees London with handsome James Sullivan by her side. As with the first two books of the series, Sugar & Spice is another hard one to put down. Blake keeps you turning the page as tension builds on all fronts. There’s hardly time to catch your breath as Susannah and James find themselves in a terrifying game of cat and mouse.

Blake writes efficiently in this series, bringing a believable but uncomplicated plot along with a host of engaging characters. The members of the Blackwood family we’ve met to date make an appearance in Sugar & Spice, so while this book could be read as a stand-alone, for context, it would be better to read the series in order. The romance between the two main characters is sweet, and certainly balances out the tension of a looming serial killer. As always, dialogue flows with ease and Blake provides just enough description to set the scene and then lets the reader get on with it.

Overall this an exciting, well-written story, with a snappy pace and great visuals between the backdrop of frenetic London and the wilds of the Scottish Highlands. Be prepared to start this book and want to finish it in one sitting!

[Kazz Mossman]

This book is such an exciting read as the two protagonists are playing cat and mouse with a killer who is determined to find them. How can you form a relationship when you are on the run? Susannah and James are greatly attracted to one another, but everything is against them. Eventually, they hide in cottage hideaway in Scotland, where no one will find them. Here they can lie low and let the police do their work. Only it does not work out as planned. The reading experience intensifies as it rises to thrilling climax keeping you on a knife edge until it leads to a satisfying ending.

[Angela Cairns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sugar and Spice
Third in the Blackwood Family Saga does not disappoint. A rollercoaster thriller romance to keep you on the edge of your seat and once again rooting for the Blackwood family to overcome adversity.
Victims of victims; a chance meeting, a line of poetry and an ice cold killer who stalks and preys. Everyone is trying to exorcise the past, but who will survive? There cannot be a happy ending for everyone.
Lots of fun - a perfect staycation read.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susannah Blackwood leads a peaceful life, and that’s how she likes it. She lives in the apartment above her bookstore, lunching with her brother Luke on occasions and passing the time of day with his employees, to whom she’s well-known. She’s content—and then one day her life is disrupted in the most violent way. Accosted in a side street when she’s just left Luke’s offices, she fights off her attacker until help arrives in the shape of James Sullivan, one of Luke’s people. A narrow escape—but it’s about to get worse.

It turns out there’s a serial killer on the loose, and the distinctive tattoo borne by Susannah’s attacker identifies him as the very same. A few unfortunate victims have already fallen prey to this monster, all bearing a resemblance to each other—hair and eye colour and so forth—and Susannah fits the mould to perfection. Worse, he took her bag in the attack, so knows where she works and lives, and he even phones her, making it clear that he won’t stop until he’s added her to his tally. Until he’s apprehended she’ll continue to be in danger, even at her brother Luke’s house, where she initially sought safety. Enter once more James Sullivan, protecting Susannah by taking her to places far removed from her usual lifestyle: from a police safehouse and a shelter for abused children, to a—club—on the fringes of the London underworld and thence to the highlands of Scotland, trying to keep at least one step ahead of the killer, who’s remarkably persistent. The difficult route Susannah’s forced to follow, however, is both sweetened and spiced-up by James, with who she forges a link that won’t easily be broken once this life-or-death pursuit is ended—if it’s ended happily, that is.

Once more author Julia Blake sets a convincing scene against which her realistic characters act, in a well-paced narrative containing enough tension to keep the pages turning as we race with them to see if they can win out against the twisted force of evil ranged against them—but the outcome is by no means certain!

 

[Ian Hornett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Sugar Spice, the third book in the Blackwood Family Saga. This is the third one I have read in this excellent series. They have all been great. Super plots and characters, and excellent writing. Although interlinked, the main characters differ in each, which means they can be read as standalone novels.

Sugar & Spice starts at a fast pace and doesn’t let up. This book concentrates on Susannah Blackwood the owner of a bookshop and a lady generally happy with life. Things change very quickly after a narrow escape from an apparently random attack. But her assailant doesn’t want to leave it there, which means Susannah is now prey for a brutal serial killer. Her family are there to help, along with Sullivan, a work colleague of her brother. But will it be enough to save her from someone who has limitless resources and cunning to get what he wants?

Absolutely loved it! Action, love, tension, superb scene-setting – a wonderful ride! I’ll be back to read the last two in the series as soon as I can.

[Nikki Book Dragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have loved the other books in the Blackwood Family Saga, but I was really disappointed in this one. The female main character felt weak with very little agency, things just happened to her and all decisions were made by other characters. Another female character was described as 'dumpy' in the narrative which is so insulting. And a third female character who is supposed to be kickass, makes this stupid mistake and didn't check for a tracker, that totally undermines her.

I also found a lot of the narrative and phrases repetitive, for example, there were several times it was said that the killer couldn't have found the safe house as quickly as he did. And I don't know how many times it said 'he won't find us here'. I got very bored with this book.