Another Review of Hostage Heart - 4 Hearts!

Review of

Hostage Heart

Chelle Cordero
Romantic suspense
Vanilla Heart Publisher
ISBN: 978-1-935407-71-3
July 2009

Deanna Blair moved to New York City to make more money so she could send it home to her parents whose home and business were ravaged by the hurricanes. Then Deanna is accidentally caught up in the middle of a bank robbery and taken captive. One of the brutal men seems different from the rest and he keeps Deanna safe from the other men and she is very attracted to him. When the police find and raid the group, the man she has feelings for is shot down in front of her. Now Deanna's entire life has been turned upside down. But there is more to the story than even Deanna knows¦ This is a highly emotional and stressful read. My heart pounded and I cried for Deanna in several places in the story. Deanna is truly an innocent in all of this and now she will likely live with the aftermath from the kidnapping for years to come and no one seems really concerned about helping her get on with her life except one man but can she trust him? Deanna's heart has been broken, her innocence shattered, and she doesn't trust her instincts anymore. How does she move forward with her life? I found the first part of the story, when Deanna is with the kidnappers, very hard to read and I was tempted to put the book down. I kept going though and I am very glad I did, Deanna proves to have a fighting spirit and the rest of the book about what she does after the incident is wonderful! Chelle Cordero is an author I will keep my eye on; her story telling ability is riveting and she has a gift for making even unlikable people likeable! If you want a suspense filled, emotion charged story, then read Hostage Heart! Overall rating: Sensuality rating: Very sensual Reviewer: Steph B. August 28, 2009

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Copyright © 2009 theromancestudio.com

Hostage Heart (print)
on Smashwords (ebook formats)

A Review of Hostage Heart

http://coffeetimeromance.com

Deanna Blair works in a bookstore and is from Louisiana. She is living and working in New York so she can help to support her parents.

Ryan Hunter is a hot shot FBI agent who has no idea that his life is about to change in a very drastic way. He is instantly attracted Deanna.

When Deanna goes to pick up a large sum of money for her employer at the local bank, she is less than enthused. She is never comfortable with carrying large sums, but she needs the job and so does so anyway. One morning when she goes to pick up the money, the bank she is in is robbed, and instead of handing over her purse she fights with the bank robbers. In the ensuing scuffle she gets taken as a hostage, and discovers that the handsome man she was trying to help is in cahoots with the bank robbers. Needless to say Deanna is less than happy. Fortunately for her Ryan is not all that he seems, and her intuition tells her that he is a good man. When she sees him shot in front her, and is told he has died, she is devastated. Deanna tries to get on with her life, but when she discovers she is pregnant with Ryan’s child, she knows her life has been irrevocably changed by her two encounters with the handsome Ryan. What will she do when Ryan comes back seemingly from the dead? Will she accept his story, or will she walk away?

I enjoyed reading Hostage Heart. It is a well written story with characters that are realistic. While it was hard at times going through the ups and downs in Ryan and Deanna’s relationship, it certainly kept me turning pages to find out what would happen next. The descriptions of Louisiana, and Deanna’s Cajun heritage were obviously well researched and gave the book a great ethnic flavor. I especially liked the parts about Deanna’s grandmother. For those who love to read about sexy FBI agents saving damsels in distress, this book is definitely for you!

Regina, Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Hostage Heart
By Chelle Cordero

Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood...Deanna did the only thing she could do. She moved to New York City, found a job, worked hard, scrimped and saved to send what little she could manage back home to Louisiana to her parents. An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her and deserved her courageous help in return... But he wasn't the man she thought he was...no, he was so very much more!

Another FUN Contest!

1..Cordero's writing and plot is engaging and entertaining

2. A major work, and a great story

3. the author skillfully captures emotion and feeling

4. Chelle Cordero has shared a suspenseful, romantic tale of two people the reader can't help but become involved with

5. another Cordero whirlwind of gut-wrenching danger and prospective star-crossed love

6. High RPM Romantic Suspense

7. This is a five star book by a five star author

8. I kept turning pages because I had to know what happened next. The author didn't let me down.

9. Any more books by Chelle Cordero?????

10. Gut-wrenching novel

11. Kudos to Ms. Cordero for penning an entertaining read.

12. The combined love story and suspense story really kept me intrigued

13. There is so much depth, intrigue

14. winning combination of romance and suspense

15. The story is so well crafted and the characters evoke lots of emotion from the reader

16. This author is a true hidden gem

17. Real people, Real Problems and Real Solutions

18. a love story between two seemingly very different kinds of people

19. turns in the plot to keep readers guessing about choices and outcomes until the last page.

20. she poignantly tells the story of their journey

Lazy days of August - just the perfect time for a contest!

Above are actual quotes & phrases from reviews about MY books (hint, ALL of these reviews appear on Amazon.com).

Just find the NAMES OF THE REVIEWERS for any 3 or more of the quotes above and your name will be put in for a drawing - there will be prizes (ebooks, lady's XL ChelleCordero.com T-shirt, ???)

I will hold a random drawing from everyone who emails me at ChelleCordero@gmail.com and lists the names of 3 or more reviewers along with the # of the specific quote (in other words, if I wrote a review of someone's book and the quote was number 3 on the list, the answer would be 3-Chelle Cordero) - put Contest in the subject line.

Winners will be drawn September 7!

Download a FREE First Chapter Chapbook of Bartlett’s Rule, Forgotten, Within the Law, Courage of the Heart, Final Sin & Hostage Heart

Oy - what I put my heroes through...

I put each one of my heroes into the hospital!!!

I realized that the other day and wondered why. Am I being sadistic? Yikes.

But then I suddenly understood – vulnerability. I like knowing that my muscled and independent hunks are vulnerable. Okay, maybe hospitalizing each of them is a bit extreme, but it helps to point out how very human they are and it gives a chance for the heroines to take care of them.

Lon gets a busted shoulder, that wasn’t too serious. Brandon winds up getting treated for burns, but only 2^nd degree. Poor Tom gets his femur (thigh bone) broken and needs a metal rod inserted (ouch!). Adam comes down with an advanced case of pneumonia and nearly loses his life. Jake is shot in the chest, the bullet pierces his pleural cavity and his lung collapses – luckily for him a paramedic is standing next to him when he goes down. Finally Ryan suffers severe spine and head injuries in a meth-lab explosion and wonders if he will ever walk again.

Omigosh – the insurance companies would have a field day with my novels.

In Forgotten I used Brandon’s injury as a turning point in their relationship. Caitlyn got a very heavy dose of reality that she could lose him forever and while it still took some coaxing from her cousin Tom, she takes care of him through his recovery and has long moments to think while he sleeps from the pain meds.

The room was dark when he opened his eyes. Feeling a little disoriented, he expected to see the familiar surroundings of his hospital room. It took a minute or so for Brandon to realize where he was and who the silhouette at the window was.

He watched Caitlyn in silence. She seemed so absorbed in her thoughts that she never turned around as got up from the bed. He walked up behind her. The moonlight and the neon sign in front of the motel shed a little light into the room. He saw her shoulders shake and realized she was crying. Then he looked beyond her, out the window, and could see the rubble that was all that remained of her home across the street.

“I’m so sorry.” He put his hand gently on her shoulder and felt her jump. “I’m sorry about the house.”

She sniffled, but tried to hide it. “I was just thinking. On around the age of thirteen, I was just so angry and I felt so cheated. My mom’s cousin was super. She and her husband really took me in and tried to give me everything, but it just wasn’t the same. I wanted to know why it was my parents that died. They were such good people.” She waited while she tried not to cry. “I always ran away every time that something didn’t go the way I planned it. But I never ran far. I always ran to the house and sat on the porch. Even though there were people renting the place, it was still my house. One tenant even called the police. They thought my obsession was scary. Tommy had just gotten his driver’s license, and every time I disappeared, he drove by here to find me.”

“It must have been nice to know that someone would come looking for you if you tried to run away.” Brandon figured that his father would have offered him train fare if he had threatened to leave home. “You and Tom are real close. Why didn’t I ever meet him?”

Caitlyn turned to him in the dark. He saw her shrug. “You were always busy. He came to the city once, but you had to go out of town on business. The few times I went back home, you were always working on some project and you never seemed to be interested, so I didn’t push.”

“I am sorry. I should have been more interested.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She turned back to the window. “I was so anxious when the house was mine again. Tommy tried to get me to take it slow. But I just had to get moving with the renovations... and I had to move in. One of the first things I did was take my folks’ stuff out of storage and put it back in the house. Now look at it, it’s all gone.”

“I wish I could undo what happened.” Brandon had a whole laundry list of things he wished he could undo. Be honest with her; that was what Tom had said. “Your cousin told me about the insurance. Caitlyn, I can help you to rebuild.”

She took a long time responding and he worried that he had said the wrong thing. “I don’t know if I do want to rebuild.”

“But why not?”

Again, she was silent for a while. “It just wouldn’t be the same. And I couldn’t replace the material things that really mattered anyway. The family photo albums are gone. So is my mom’s wedding dress. Even my dad’s love letters to my mom are only memories now.”

“I am so sorry Caitlyn.” His voice was very low. Even though it was dark in the room, he couldn’t stand the possibility that she would turn to face him. So he walked back to the bed. “It seems all I have brought to you has been misery. You’ve lost everything because of me. I’m sorry. I really am.” He sat on the edge of the bed again.

“Brandon.” Her voice was stronger, almost reprimanding. Caitlyn came back to the bed. She switched on the lamp that sat on the nightstand. Brandon squinted from the glare. “You have done everything to protect me. My gosh, you saved Tommy and me. You saved our lives. And you almost lost yours.”

Caitlyn could no longer contain her tears. She sat next to Brandon and began to sob. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him. Her tears stained his T-shirt.

Brandon felt uncomfortable. He really hadn’t thought about his dying. He was definitely frightened when he saw the timer. “We’re all okay. Ssh. I was just scared that you would be hurt.”

“I heard the explosion and you were jumping out of the window... and you were on fire.” She clung to him. “I thought you were going to die. I thought I was going to lose you forever. I was never so scared in my life.”

He was surprised. He had never expected Caitlyn to react that way. He had never even given thought that his dying would even be mourned.

She clung to him until her sobs subsided. Brandon just felt good holding her. He hoped she wouldn’t regret saying the things she did to him. He needed the time to show her that he still loved her, and always would.

After her tears stopped, Caitlyn used her shirt sleeve to wipe her eyes. Then she backed away from him. Tentatively she looked up at him. He got the impression that there was something he should be saying to her, but he didn’t know what. There was an awkward silence.

Finally, Brandon had to break the silence. “Uh, how long did I sleep?” Damn, he thought, she’s going to figure I’m changing the topic because I don’t want to share. “By the way, thank you.”

“For what?”

“It was beautiful waking up and seeing you.”

She sniffled and then she chuckled. “You’re welcome. You slept for a couple of hours” Caitlyn stood up and walked to the bathroom. Brandon heard the running water. When she came back, she was drying her face. “Are you hungry? I brought you some dinner.”

He put a hand over his stomach. “I guess I do feel a little bit empty.”

“I got you a turkey breast sandwich. I figured burgers would just be too heavy.” She had filled the ice bucket with ice and was using it to keep his food cool. Using the tray from underneath the bucket, she spread a napkin and unwrapped a sandwich. She placed a small container of potato salad and a plastic fork next to it and popped open a can of ice tea with a straw. She brought the tray to the nightstand and placed it there. “Sorry, I know it’s not that fancy hospital fare you’ve come to love...” She grinned.

“Thank you. I think I can manage.” He caught her hand before she could walk away. Brandon figured out what he should have been saying. “Caitlyn, I love you.”

In Chaunce of Riches, coming out later this year, I do NOT put Ben into the hospital – but then I realized it was his hospitalization after a car accident several years before that separated him from Samantha. Oh well.

I do have this WIP on my desk and he never winds up in the hospital, but we’ll see what happens in re-writes.

~~~~~

All of my novels are available through Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com and other major online retailers in print (& Kindle from Amazon) – and ask at your favorite bookstore, some of them are carrying my books on their shelves. My books are also available as instant-download-ebooks from SmashWords & PayLoadz.

Download a FREE First Chapter Chapbook of Bartlett’s Rule, Forgotten, Within the Law, Courage of the Heart, Final Sin & Hostage Heart

Contest Winners

On Monday, July 27 I began a contest for everyone who belonged to my ChelleWrites group - well I got several new members - Thank you!

I pulled names today (using a random number generator so it WAS totally random) and emails are going out to the winners. Actually I was so pleased with the number of new members that I decided to pull TWO additional names!

The grand prize winner of a signed copy of Hostage Heart is Barbara V (just have to get her current mailing address) - 4 others will receive a .pdf copy via email of either Final Sin or Hostage Heart (the copy will be attached to the email addy I have on file)

Thank you everyone!

Please join ChelleWrites, an announcement-only list of people who would like to receive e-newsletters from me. YOU decide the frequency which you receive emails
- individual posts, daily digest, special notices or NO email/web only.
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another "teaser" (excerpt) from Hostage Heart

Hostage Heart

Amazon.com (print)

Amazon.com (Kindle)

.pdf E-Book

He pulled his T-shirt off. “Touch me Deanna. Make me as much yours as I want you to be mine.”

She timidly, inquisitively touched his broad shoulders. Her fingers trailed down his chest and she lightly stroked a male nipple. Ryan drew in a breath as she began her exploration.

He stood and unzipped his jeans letting them fall to the floor. She traced the thin dusting of hair that disappeared under the waistband of his boxers. “I want you to see me. Touch me. Is that okay?”

She nodded. He removed his boxers and stood naked before her. He was fully aroused and thrusting. Hesitantly, Deanna took the length of him in her hand. Patiently he stood still while she touched and investigated his body.

“May I undress you?” Ryan surprised even himself with the amount of control he was managing.

Deanna lifted her arms and allowed him to remove the T-shirt. He knelt before her and used his tongue to tease her nipples. He kissed the fullness of her breasts and held her in his arms.

She enjoyed the feel of his tongue. “That feels so good.” Sensations were beginning to erupt from the pit of her belly.

He smiled against her chest. “Please stand up.” When she stood, he gently pulled down the shorts she wore. Still kneeling in front of her, he kissed the triangle of curls and stroked her with his hands.

“Oh Ryan...” Her knees felt weak from his kisses. She put her hands on his shoulders and allowed herself to give way to his ministrations. He felt her shudder as she clutched at his shoulders. Lowering her to the bed, Ryan kissed his way back up her body. He paused to drink deeply from her rosy nipples.

Deanna was panting as she tried to regain control. This was nothing like before. Before she had wanted him for curiosity. This time, she was beginning to feel an ache between her legs that only he could soothe. He continued to kiss and stroke her until she was nearly ready to beg.

Ryan knew this time she was so much more ready for him than before. He was still gentle as he entered her, holding back as much as he could. There was no pain, he was sure of that, only her wide-eyed response as she wrapped herself around his fullness.

When Ryan began to move, so did Deanna. He was able to wait until he felt her tighten around him and saw the fire in her eyes before he allowed his own release. He held her close to him and felt their hearts pounding.

“Better?” He whispered gently.

“Oh yes.” She was still breathless.

Ryan waited as long as he could until he no longer had a choice before he withdrew. He held her to his side. “That’s how making love is supposed to be. I’m sorry this wasn’t your first time.” He swallowed. “That’s how I wish I had done it the first time.”

She was quiet as she lay next to him. Her fingers toyed with his muscled chest.

“Come back with me, Ryan. Turn yourself in. It’s got to be easier than always running and hiding. You’re better than this.” She waited through his silence. “Please Ryan. Please do the right thing... for you.”

He squeezed his eyes and exhaled slowly. “No Deanna, this is me. This is my life.”

“If the police capture you, they are going to put you in jail for a long time.”

“They won’t capture me.”

She sat up next to him. “Ryan, if you come back with me and turn yourself in, I’ll tell them that you didn’t kidnap me. I’ll tell them you protected me and saved me. I’ll help you as much as I can. Even if you have some jail time, they’ll go much easier on you.”

“No.” He felt a hole in his heart. “I know that you are trying to help me, but don’t. I am going to get you out of here. And then I am never going to see you again.”

“No Ryan, you could if you wanted. Not because of what we just did. I know there was no commitment. You could choose someone else... or I could. But I can feel there is so much good in you. You’re a good man.”

He wished he had the time to see where things could go. He wanted to get to know her better, maybe even to build a relationship with her. “Deanna, trust me, I am not getting out...”

“You could.”

“No. Deanna, I expect to die here.”

Download a FREE First Chapter Chapbook of Bartlett’s Rule, Forgotten, Within the Law, Courage of the Heart, Final Sin & Hostage Heart

What Malcolm has to say about Final Sin...

Malcolm R Campbell, the author of The Sun Singer and the about to be released Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire had this to say about Final Sin:

"It's probably a "guy thing," but I always find it hard to understand the man-woman relationships in a romance.

That said, this well-written book also features non-stop action, plenty of suspense, and some well-handled chilling scenes. I enjoyed this book. With Chelle's EMT background, we have--in addition to a dandy plot--a window into the world of the EMTs including one brave lady Julie Jennings. There's a killer loose and what he leaves behind is strong stuff, but Julie and her partner must maintain their composure and skill levels in spite of the horror of the crime scene. So, too, does Jake, a no-nonsense lawman whose long-time experience helps keep him on track in spite of the media frenzy and his growing attraction to Julie.

I have yet to read a Cordero book that didn't keep me reading and turning pages and wanting more late into the night."

Thanks Malcolm!

& Please check out my recent online appearances:

Chelle’s Heroes on Lindsay’s Romantics

Interview on Book Talk With J&J

Interview on The Love Struck Novice (Final Sin)