Cold Cruel Kiss: A Slow-Burn FBI Romantic Suspense

COLD CRUEL KISS is the fourth Toni Anderson’s contemporary, adult COLD JUSTICE: CROSSFIRE romantic suspense series-a a spin off/crossover with the author’s COLD JUSTICE series. This is FBI Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne, and office assistant Lucy Aston’s story line. COLD CRUEL KISS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments or the original series is revealed where necessary. Told from several third person perspectives including Max and Lucy, COLD CRUEL KISS focuses on the search and rescue of two seventeen year old American girls, including the daughter of the US Ambassador, kidnapped while Christmas shopping in a market in Argentina. Enter FBI and Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne, called in to help negotiate the ransom and release of the two young women but Max finds himself working with the US Ambassador’s office assistant, a women who is hiding behind oversized clothes and too big glasses. Enter Lucy Aston. What ensues is the back and forth, hunt for a kidnapper, and the possible connections to a kidnapping cartel, and a suspected Russian spy. Max Hawthorne knows that time is precious when negotiating a ransom and the release of two young woman, and working with office assistant Lucy Aston forces our hero to see beyond the frumpy exterior, hiding a beautiful, smart and secretive woman who stirs something deep within our story line hero. Lucy Aston wears a mask in a effort to hide the woman she was, and the woman she would become. Saving her young charge is Lucy’s first priority, a priority she is willing to risk her life and her reputation in order to save. The relationship between Lucy and Max is one of immediate attraction but no one understands what Max sees in the frumpy office assistant. Max sees beyond the façade of a young woman who has seen more than most but when the truth is revealed, Max isn’t sure he ever saw the woman before. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including the kidnapping victims Kristen and Irene: Kristen’s parents ambassador Catherine Dickerson and her husband Phillip; Catherine’s PA Miranda Foster; several Deep Ops warriors; the FBI; local law enforcement ; and federal police and Official Inspector Hector Cabral. COLD CRUEL KISS is a story of money and power; betrayal and vengeance; spies, agencies, secrets and lies. The premise is intriguing and captivating; the characters are dynamic and charismatic; the romance is seductive, and enticing

Anderson will have readers engaged from the very first chapter all the way until the end. Cold Cruel Kiss is a complete novel with action driven characters that share witty and engaging dialogue. The setting for this book is so detailed, readers will feel like they are in the middle of the action. I read and reviewed a complementary copy of this book. I highly recommend this book to fans of the romantic suspense genre.

Wow, wow, wow! Its like watching an in depth reality soap opera. Que the music! Twists, turns, sub plots, seeing what kidnapping can do to a family and an eye opener on the different agency's and what has to be done to get anything accomplished. It had moments of "oh no" when I first met Lucy and some of her story came out. Definitely suspense! Moments of anguish when telling the plights of the kidnapped children (ok teens). A beautiful relationship develops and I loved the way Toni handled the push and pull when there are secrets involved. The steam was **sizzling** as in hot, can't touch this, but you still felt the the love. When the mastermind is exposed, I was not surprised, but I was surprised with the accomplice! Thank you for graciously allowing me an opportunity to review this arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts an opinions.