Suspicious Minds: A Romantic Suspense Novel

by Kim Cox

A dangerous alliance. Love, revenge, and a hidden truth collide. Natalie's world is shattered. After witnessing her father's secret meeting with a known crime boss, she's torn between love and suspicion.

Ryan Donatelli is driven by an unrelenting desire. He'll avenge his sister's death, even if it means using the boss's daughter.

As Natalie seeks the truth, Ryan's thirst for revenge threatens her heart. Torn between duty and love, they're drawn together amidst danger.

With the mafia's grip tightening, Natalie fights to protect her family business while Ryan's quest for justice entwines with their fight for survival.

Suspicious Minds is a riveting tale of romance entangled in mystery. Grab your copy today for an electrifying journey into betrayal, revenge, and the power of true love.

215 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Kim Cox is an author of Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense and Romance. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with her chain saw artist husband, their West Highland White Terriers--Scooter and Harley, and a Yorkie mix, Candi. Kim is published in novels, short stories and articles.

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Reviews

[Winifred Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot to like about this book. It’s about two very appealing characters with enough secrets to keep the tension between them going while their attraction to each other grows. The plot has plenty of twists and turns and cliff-hanging chapter endings that kept me reading. The action scenes are well-drawn.

But there’s an awful lot of internal dialogue that seemed repetitious. There are also confusing point of view shifts, sometimes in the middle of a paragraph. Or the point of view will strangely expand so that the man can see his own chest hair curling out of the neck of his T-shirt. And there are holes in the logic that jarred me out of the story. If the chauffer had only described the man he saw in the restaurant, the father would have easily identified him. People have no trouble seeing when they’re crawling through a tunnel with no light. The main male character is bearded and then begins to grow a beard. At one point he tells the woman he’ll share his work with her, and she should respond, “You mean your work as a broker?” Instead, she apparently already knows his work is something else? These are only a few examples.

Many readers may not be bothered by this lack of attention to detail, but I had a problem maintaining the suspension of disbelief I needed to enjoy what would otherwise have been an entertaining, fast-paced read.

[Stephanie Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read. The characters were likable and easy to root for. I appreciated how the main character, Natalie, a strong independent woman, was fighting her way out of her sheltered, only-child upbringing. The story line was intriguing and the suspense was palpable. I thought it was interesting how we met the two main characters. Typically, when there's "undercover work" in a book like this, the audience is introduced to the situation before the main characters encounter one-another. In this story, the characters got the jump on us! They had already begun forming a relationship, which helped to move the story along at a fast clip. I enjoyed the relationship between Natalie and Ryan, too. I found myself yelling out loud, "Just TELL her!" and "Just TRUST him!"...always fun to earn sideways glances from my kids. :)

[Ashley Ladd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spine-tingling, page turning, romantic suspense. I think it's one of the finest in its genre.

[Kim Cox]

Snippets from the book:

Prologue: Ryan’s stomach spasmed. Acid scorched his throat. Every conscious thought screamed denial, yet his trembling hand reached for the bag. Under the fluorescent lights, the ruby pendant glowed like a hot ember. He squeezed it in his palm, trying to feel its pulsing warmth--like the warmth of Shelley’s smile. Oh, God! It was as cold as the body on the table.

Chapter One: Natalie smiled in spite of the serious situation. Alyson knew her so well. "I do have a plan, but there’s nothing harebrained about it. You’re right about my father being shrewd. He’s never accepted anyone or anything at face value. It’s a safe bet he’s done a background check on DeMarco and stashed the information in a file. I’m going to find that file. Tonight."

Chapter Two: He dropped his flashlight. Oh, no! He had to know she was there. Not moving, he appeared to listen carefully as he cocked his head to one side. She didn’t dare move. She held her breath. The stranger squatted to pick up the flashlight.

Natalie gasped as he started toward the closet. When he flung the door open, the automatic bulb illuminated the small space. She jumped to her full height, coming face to face with her boyfriend’s bearded face. "Thomas!"

[Kim Cox]

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