Catch Me if You Can by Liliana Hart on May 30th 2011
Pages: 192
Goodreads
Ex-FBI sniper Shane Quincy is just trying to survive one day to the next since his wife’s death two years ago—a death he blames himself for. The last thing he needs is to have the daughter of America’s most infamous mob boss move into the apartment across the hall.
Rachel Valentine is on the run from the only “family” she’s ever known. When Shane Quincy saves her life, she has no choice but to tell him who she’s running from, even though she knows it’ll make him the mob’s next target.
For Day 3 of my No Control 365 Challenge we are diving into a steamy romance! This is also the first 5-frodo rating I’m giving in 2016, and I am as surprised as I am excited that this was the book that received it. Catch Me if You Can is no ordinary romance, however, as it is more thriller than a happy-go-lucky romp. Without further ado, let’s get into the review!
First, the characters! The MCs, Shane and Rachel, are hauntingly beautiful. Shane is an ex-FBI agent and carries a burden that causes nightmares every time he closes his eyes. His character has more depth than I would have expected, with an old-school charm and personality that hearkens of a cowboy in a Western. He constantly calls Rachel “Sugar” (much to her chagrin), is just as prone to open a door for someone as fire a well-placed bullet, and is both a “man’s man” as a ladies man, which is a combo that’s pretty hard to pull off.
Rachel is a feisty, stubborn woman, but is as caring and sweet as they come to the people important to her (of which there are sadly few). Her backstory doesn’t seem as far-fetched as many I’ve seen in similar thriller plots. She even has just the right mix of badass and realistic fear as someone who hasn’t seen combat and bloodshed before. Rachel is a fighter, but not made of stone, and will try her best but admits to her flaws and limitations. She was a joy to experience.
Then there is the romance! Not only did I love going on a journey with the MCs and the rest of the cast, but the romance developed at the perfect pace between Shane and Rachel. “Love” wasn’t thrown around until it made sense, lust was there early but didn’t get acted on until a decent ways into the book, and there were even repercussions for it! The steamy bits were well done, and didn’t interrupt the flow of the plot which I was thrilled by. THIS is how romance should be written. Thanks Hart!
As much as I enjoyed the romance in Catch Me if You Can, it was the thriller/action aspects that had me on tenterhooks. From fires, to shootouts, car chases to bombs, and even hostage situations and rescues, this book has it ALL. Every sequence was written with the perfect amount of detail, at some points describing the guns involved, at other times focusing on the plot elements and character interactions. Nothing disrupted the swift flow of the plot. It was just a blast.
I could go on and on about Catch Me if You Can, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so suffice it to say that this book is well worth checking out, even if it isn’t your typical genre. I really want to read more of Hart’s work in the future, but for now this book will tide me over. Finally, you know a book has been a great read when the biggest issue I had was Rachel’s cutesy last name of Valentine, which was likely a shoutout to the massacre given that the book is about mob bosses. Thanks as always for reading, and come back tomorrow for another random book!
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
