His skills can keep her safe Her secrets could get them killed…
Security expert Ryan West’s worst fears come to life when hotel CEO Nadia Shelton is pushed in front of a taxi and nearly killed. Someone will do whatever it takes to find the brother Nadia thought was dead, and the only way Ryan can protect her as they uncover the truth is to stay strictly professional. But the sparks igniting between them are nearly impossible to ignore.
K.D. is a former attorney and educator. Her books are action-packed, page-turners with strong female characters and twists that will surprise. Follow her on bookbub https://bit.ly/2TLCA7z.
This is a Romance Suspense book. I really love the suspense story in this book. The main characters Ryan and Nadia where great, and I loved their romance. The characters where developed. I have to say their was not a boring moment in this book. Between the romance and the suspense storylines I did not want to stop reading it. I loved this story so much. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Intrigue) or author (K. D. Richards) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
Read for Black Author Readathon - Romantic Suspense
Pursuit of the Truth is everything you could want in romantic suspense! It starts with pops and bangs in the action department. It moves into a mystery that grabs your attention. Then it fills you with so much sexual tension that you know that the main characters will be getting it on soon. I enjoyed all the twists and turns that the storyline ended up taking, and the ending though complete for this couple, teases you with the next couple so well that you need it NOW! I cannot wait to read more from this author and these characters.
Pursuit of the Truth was also the featured video book review in this sneak peek video on my YouTube Channel.
Video review available in Week 6: Feb 7 – Feb 13, 2021, full weekly book reviews available on Steph's Romance Book Talk Patreon.
For other bookish content, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
This book has the fast-paced suspense I needed and once I got into the story it was hard to put down. There's been a series of strange things that have happened to Nadia Shelton the past few days and she isn't sure what to make of it. When she's pushed into ongoing traffic in the streets of NYC she's sure someone is out for her life. But who could be out for blood? The hotel heiress is lucky to have a top notch security team that takes her safety seriously. West Investigations is run by two brothers and The Shelton Hotel is one of their longest running clients. Ryan West is has been crushing on Nadia for over a year and he's offering round the clock service free of extra charge to make sure she's safe.
There was constant action in this story. Car chases, arson, kidnapping, break ins, etc made sure there was never a quiet moment and reminded you of the looming threat. They worked well together as a team and K. D. Richards knows how to write action scenes which is where some suspense writers struggle. She didn't lean too heavy on the romance side and let the plot go to the wayside which I appreciate.
The one thing I'll say fell flat for me was the sex scenes. Ryan and Nadia had great chemistry throughout so I expected them to be smoldering. Especially since this is Harlequin. But instead they felt very technical. And that was a let down.
Even though Nadia is in trouble she can handle her own. I liked the glimpses of her at her workplace as a very hands on CEO of a boutique hotel change.
This romance debut got me interested in the rest of the series and I look forward to reading Shawn's story next. Even though this is a part of a series all books can be read as standalones. And luckily the next two take place during Christmas time so that should be a treat.
Pursuit of the Truth is the DEBUT title by K.D. Richards and WHOA! I loved it. If you are a fan of romantic suspense, or like me, have been determined to read it more-AND if you're wanting a romantic suspense by a woman of color, this is a must read.
The issue with romantic suspense at times is the difficulty balancing the romance and the suspense but K.D. Richards obviously knows what she's doing because at no point was that an issue with this book and I think it all boils down to writing strategy: The hero is a Security Expert who serves as almost a body guard for the heroine who literally within the first page finds herself being pushed into traffic and almost killed by a taxi. He works at her hotel as security-Workplace romance/Body guard romance. With all the suspicious things happening to her, he feels he needs to stay close to protect her-Close proximity. One thing that helped me believe the romance between the two is that the author establishes that they have had feelings for one another for a while, now they are just spending more time together admist all of the craziness that is going on around them.
It was wonderful. I am a true believer that if you want to see a trope broken down to its basics for you study and figure out how to do them-turn to Harlequin's where the authors have to pull it off in less than 250 pages. I am totally rooting for K.D. Richards! Can't wait for more!
Pursuit of the Truth by K.D. Richards checked all of my romantic suspense boxes and made for an enjoyable and quick weekend read. It features two fully adult people who are in no way angsty and are past the stage of trying to figure out who they want to be. Both Nadia (35) and Ryan (36) have established careers that have overlapped and have been ignoring an attraction that they both feel. Nadia has found herself in charge of her family's hotel business and Ryan is co-owner of the security company that has her hotels as long time clients.
I truly appreciated they way that Richards developed Nadia and Ryan. Nadia is smart, determined, and willing to do what is necessary to continue to grow and strengthen the legacy left to her. Ryan, despite his strong protective instincts, does not try to take over and steamroll Nadia when he sees her in trouble. He's helpful and thoughtful while respecting her need to be involved in every step of what's happening and being investigated. I loved that!
If you are looking for a romantic suspense story that features adult Black characters and romance, low on angst but will have you wanting the couple to get together despite their initial hesitations, and contains a well written, enjoyably straight forward plot I recommend picking up Pursuit of the Truth. This made for a wonderful weekend read and would be excellent as a vacation read. I am so glad to have been offered a copy by the author and I am very much looking forward to reading her next release.
Pursuit of the Truth by K.D. Richards is an action-packed romantic suspense novel with just the right balance of heat and suspense. Boutique hotel heiress Nadia Shelton finds herself the target of someone’s attacks…and she has no clue why she would be targeted. Her hotels utilize West Security for property security and Nadia has been eyeing up Ryan West since she took over the hotels. Ryan has been trying to suppress his feelings for Nadia as well and keep things professional. But as it becomes clear that she needs personal security and help to figure out who is coming after her and why…Ryan can’t trust anyone else to keep her safe. Their time together brings their attraction to the brink.
The chemistry between Nadia and Ryan sizzles on the page and leaves just enough to the imagination. The suspense kept me reading and wanting to see how everything would play out. This was an exciting read and I liked the secondary characters. I’m looking forward to more in this series from Ms. Richards.
I read an early ebook copy of this book for review. My opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
Who is Nadia? Where does she live? What does she do for a living and where do we find her this morning? What catches her attention in a window she looks at? Who are Ryan, Shawn, and Olivia? What do they each do? Who is Mike? Why does he show up at Nadia's office? How does she know him? What does he want? When Nadia gets home from work one night, what does she see and hear and what happens because of it? Who is Erik? What does Nadia say to him and what happens after that? Who is this Smith character? What happens when Nadia finds him in her office? What happens when she calls a realtor? Why does she go see Erik? Oh, the tangled web we weave. Oh goodness, I did not see some of that coming that happened! Read and see what I mean!
RECEIVED THIS BOOK from Harlequin through Netgalley AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.
Terrific combination of romance and suspense. Nadia took over as CEO of the family hotel chain when her brother died in a car accident almost a year earlier. Since then, she has had no time for a personal life, but that hasn't stopped her from noticing Ryan West, the head of the security company they use. Unbeknownst to her, Ryan is equally interested in her. But because of their professional relationship, neither one made any attempt to alter the situation. All of that is about to change.
On the way to work the morning of her quarterly meeting with Ryan, someone pushed Nadia off the curb and into traffic. She was lucky to get out of it with just some scrapes and bruises, carefully treated by a very concerned Ryan. That concern increases exponentially when Nadia barely escapes a kidnapping attempt, leading Ryan to make her safety his personal mission. This includes taking her to stay at his apartment, opening them up to all kinds of complications.
I liked the development of the relationship between Ryan and Nadia. Nadia knows she needs Ryan's protection, but she's not about to stay hidden away. She is determined to continue to run her business, and Ryan respects her intelligence and strength enough to work with her to make it happen. As the attacks on Nadia escalate, Ryan's insistence on remaining professional is undermined by the intensity of the attraction between them. I loved that their respect for each other's intelligence and capabilities, combined with excellent communication, made it possible for their relationship to grow and deepen. I liked that when he realized the depth of his feelings for Nadia, Ryan didn't freak out and try to push her away but accepted it. Ryan endured a fair amount of teasing from his brother and coworkers because of it. I also liked that Nadia had the confidence to go after what she wanted while maintaining her professionalism when needed. Protectiveness is a two-way street for her, and she doesn't hesitate to get involved when she thinks it's necessary. I especially enjoyed seeing her go to bat for Ryan against her smarmy ex-boyfriend. The ending was excellent, with the simple admission that it's never been just a working relationship between them. I hope to see more of them in the next book.
The suspense of the story sucked me in from the beginning. From the moment Nadia was pushed off the curb to the final confrontation with the bad guy, I could not put the book down. Nadia has a lot to deal with - a rash of unexplained incidents, an ex-boyfriend pushing her to sell her hotels to him, and the growing suspicion that her brother isn't dead. The escalation of attacks, from the minor ones of a dead rat and a keyed car to attempted kidnapping, attempted murder, and being taken as a hostage, kept Nadia, Ryan, and his team on their toes as they searched for answers. I loved the teamwork as they worked through the unexpected and unbelievable to arrive at the truth. The final confrontation was a nail-biter that took many moving parts to pull off. The ending was entirely satisfactory.
After the death of her brother, Nadia Shelton assumes the CEO job of their family's hotel. When she is pushed in front of a taxi and almost killed, she fears that someone is after her. She has no idea why but when someone comes looking for her dead brother, she can’t help but wonder what he got himself into.
Ryan West is in charge of the security at the hotel and he immediately puts himself in charge of the safety of the CEO. It doesn’t take long before Ryan and Nadia are drawn closer to each other as they go on the run from killers.
This is romantic suspense at its finest. It is an action-packed drama. From page one, the adventure took off and never stopped.
The sparks more than fly between Nadia and Ryan. The chemistry between this couple is apparent from the beginning. The characters come to life on each page. I fell in love with them from the beginning.
I never read K.D. Richards’ books before, but I will from now on. I’ve quickly become a fan with this book.
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
A hotel chain CEO and her security guard will work together to solve the mystery around her brother’s death.
Pursuit of the Truth is a light and fast-paced crime and mystery with the right amount of sensuality and romance.
It’s the first book in the West Investigations series but can be read as a standalone.
Nadia Shelton is the CEO of Shelton Hotels and was too busy keeping the business afloat to have a personal life.
The bright spot in her routine was the quarterly meetings she had with Ryan West, owner of the security firm that served her hotels. She knew she had to keep it exclusively business, but the attraction she felt for him was hard to disguise.
When strange things started to happen, and it became clear that Nadia’s life was in danger, Ryan stepped up and did all he could to keep her safe, including taking her to stay in his house.
I loved that while still delivering romance, the story also brought a lot of action. Car chasing, kidnapping, arson, a little bit of everything happened on the pages and kept me reading.
Ryan and Nadia were so lovely together. They worked well as a team, trying to solve her brother’s death and even better as a couple.
This was my first book by the author, and I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series. I’m particularly interested in Ryan’s brother, Shawn, but I also cant’ wait to see what the thing is between his friend Gideon and the FBI agent, Johnson.
A light read that delivers both romance and action!
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pursuit of the Truth was a great read featuring a romance between a woman and the man she hires to find out who is trying to kill her.
CEO Nadia Shelton has barely looked up since her brother passed leaving her in charge of the family hotel chain by herself. When someone pushes her in front of a taxi, nearly killing her, Nadia can't help but think it was an accident. But when accidents continue happening around her, Nadia turns to security expert Ryan West for help. With the threat against Nadia increasing, the pair must work together to stop them before it's too late.
The suspense plot in Pursuit of the Truth was intriguing and drew me in from the start. It's clear someone thinks Nadia knows something about her brother potentially being alive despite the fact she is blindsided by the news. There's a fair amount of action throughout the book with a few very tense moments. There were some twists along the way I didn't see coming and I was happy with the way everything was resolved. Nadia and Ryan's relationship develops quickly in part due to the situation they're in and in part due to the intense attraction between them. Nadia and Ryan did know each other prior to the story as Ryan's company provides security for Nadia's hotels. The chemistry between these two was great and I was happy with the way the pair worked things out to be together.
Overall Pursuit of the Truth was a nice start to the series and I will definitely be picking up the next book, Missing at Christmas, in the future.
Nadia is a CEO who has been in a couple strange events but its when she falls in front of a taxi that things start to seem like a pattern. Ryan West is security for her busniess and will do everything to protect he while they try to figure out why a person might be after her and how it might have a connection to her brother who recently passed away.
If you love mystery suspense novels you'll enjoy this book I loved seeing the progression as clearly someone was after her but the question was why. Then theres the whole thing about her brother and what was really going on. I had a couple of people I was thinking might be behind things but I loved that with this book it kept me guessing which made this book that much more enjoyable. There was the bit of romance going on but with high tension people look towards relief and these who found it in eachother. Overall great book I really enjoyed it.
“You deserve a man so in love with you he burns with it. Who can’t make it through a single day without seeing your face. Kissing your lips. Taking you to his bed."
This was so actioned pack from the beginning to the end and the chemistry between Nadia and Ryan was amazingly hot! Can't wait to see what's next for this series.
I really enjoyed this intriguing romance. I bought this at a local store and I voluntarily chose to review it. I've given Pursuit of the Truth, a 5* rating. It had lots of action and I had a hard time putting it down. There are several bad guys, as well as the good guys so let the reading begin. Not for the under 18 reader.
I enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to the next one. Nadia and Ryan were good together; low-angst, competent, flirty, and fun. "Pursuit of The Truth" was a fast paced, sexy story full of action, banter, and steamy scenes.
Nadia and Ryan have danced around each other for a year, interested but keeping their distance. Ryan's security company, well, it's a family business, provides security for Nadia's chain of hotels, also a family business. They've avoided each other romantically because of the professional connection but when Nadia's life is threatened, Ryan doesn't hesitate to step up and keep her safe. One thing you don't usually see in romantic suspense where one MC is a bodyguard or in the security business was talk about the cost of providing security. Ryan knows Nadia can't afford round-the-clock protection so he calls in favors and is prepared to pay for the cost himself. It was nice to see it addressed as often it's not even acknowledged.
Nadia is not a stupid or flighty heroine nor is she a damsel in distress. She's not a hard-ass either but she is strong. She accepts Ryan's protection but won't just hide in a safe house; she has a business to run. She works with Ryan to find a way to still live her life while taking precautions. Since her brother's death a year ago, she's running the business on her own. So of course, this is when a competitor makes an offer to buy her company. While she's fending that off, there are business problems, attacks on her life, and questions about her brother's death. While I did figure some of the mysteries out, others kept me guessing and Richards neatly balanced emotional moments with action or drama. Ryan and Nadia communicated well, and there were no major conflicts keeping them apart though Ryan had some insecurity around the fact that he was a college dropout and Nadia had a college degree. But that was a minor conflict, not a big deal. The action and death threats ramped up the intensity of Ryan and Nadia's romantic relationship but they already had a foundation as they had known each other for a year; that helped to keep the HEA from feeling too fast, as sometimes happens in a romantic suspense.
"Pursuit of The Truth" was sexy, action-packed, and an entertaining story, and a good start to the series.
I forget how good category romance can be. Shame on me. Good thing KD Richardson reminded me with her excellent romantic suspense debut, Pursuit of the Truth ( West Investigations #1). I also forget how fun a read romantic suspense can be when it’s cold and grey and you’re stuck in your house for day 1320498574298457034 of the pandemic. Richardson is very, very good at balancing the requisite danger and action with good character development and romantic tension. She’s mastered the art of telling a fully fleshed story while setting the scene for the rest of the series with the introduction of secondary characters whose stories will come next in the series. I’m intrigued by the premise of the series, Ryan West and his brothers who own both a security business and a bar, as well as the men who work for the security business. I have recently discovered how compelling the bodyguard trope can be, and Richardson employs it skillfully here and Nadia, her “damsel in distress”, is a capable and intelligent CEO who just happens to be targeted by the mafia. I love that even though Nadia relies on Ryan for safety, she isn’t a falling apart mess. I highly recommend Pursuit of the Truth.
In Pursuit of the Truth, K.D. Richards delivers. Characterization and a suspenseful plot, put me right into New York and Nadia Shelton's world. Although she's a boutique heiress, she's struggling financially and emotionally after the death of her brother. In addition to running her Harlem-based hotels, a larger chain wants to buy her out. From the start, Richards puts her protagonist in danger. Enter Ryan West, part of her security team, and the romantic tension flares between them. A reverse Cinderella-story, Ryan, who thinks he'll never be good enough, strives to keep things professional. Nadia is hyper aware of him, but the threats to Nadia's life are constant and all-consuming. From accidents, to chase scenes to break-ins, Pursuit of the Truth is a page turner and I looked forward to picking it up every time I was forced to put it down. I enjoyed Nadia and Ryan's chemistry on the page, and Ms. Richards did a great set up for Gideon's story. Can't wait to read!
I really enjoyed K. D. Richards’ Pursuit of the Truth (West Investigations #1). The book is a well-paced romance suspense featuring Ryan West, a security consultant, and Nadia Shelton, CEO of Shelton hotels. When there are several threats made against Nadia’s life Ryan volunteers to become her private security guard while they figure out what’s going on. The two have worked together for over a year, each harboring a crush on the other, and those feelings flare when they are thrust together while chaos reigns all around.
The story is interesting. The characters are well drawn and likable (except for the bad guys who are so hatable). The romance is steamy and the suspense keeps you at the edge of your seat. I’m looking forward to the next West Investigations book.
4 stars. This was so good. I loved the relationship and the chemistry between the main characters, Ryan and Nadia. They’ve known each other for a while and both are interested in the other and the tension was so good.
The intrigue and mystery itself was also really fun. It definitely kept me on my toes and had me questioning everyone and everything. It’s exciting. I loved the writing style and how much of a breeze this was because of the pacing. Once I started I could not stop reading, I needed to know what was going to happen next. The ending action was great but everything was wrapped up abruptly. I wanted more.
It’s a really good and entertaining read. I hope the next one follows Ryan’s brother since that what it feels like it’s going to be so I’m excited.
This was my introduction to K.D. Richards and the West Investigations series. By the end of Chapter One, she had me. I loved both Nadia and Ryan and the story kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. A definite winner!
First book by this author and I was NOT disappointed! The action starts literally in the first few pages, I could barely put this book down. I just want to say I’m definitely Team Nadia & Ryan LOL I was so happy when they both stopped talking about professionalism and let love take over. I thought it was so crazy how since day one they both wanted each other but they had no clue at all that the other felt the exact same way.
If I was Nadia I would never talk to to her Uncle Erik again. I don’t want to hear “we’re all the family we have” and “we’ll work it out.” He went entirely to far in the deception and betrayal. Nate was definitely wrong too but Uncle Erik literally almost killed her with his stupidity. Then to know people were after her and he still didn’t say anything until he was basically caught up. And I’m also still very curious as to why he’s so close to Nate. I thought at some point it would be revealed he was really Nate’s father 👀😂 But maybe that will be in book 2! I can’t wait to read the rest of this series✨
Terrific romantic suspense. A page turner that makes you laugh, bite your nails, and root for the couple to have their happily ever after. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.