My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Montlake Romance for the ARC.

This really is a cracking good start to a new series featuring Bree Taggert, a homicide detective with the Philadelphia PD and Matt Flynn, a K-9 handler retired from the Sheriff's department in Greys Hollow, New York.
Their paths cross when Bree checks a missed call from her sister Erin asking for help and then not answering Bree's calls. Bree heads for Greys Hollow. Matt, with his Alsatian Brody, call on Justin - Erin's husband (banished from the marital home due to his drug addiction). He finds Erin's body and Justin is missing, as well as Erin's truck. He doesn't want to believe that Justin was a murderer but there aren't many suspects to choose from. Bree is determined to find the killer. Knowing she'll be away from work for a time her friend and fellow detective Dana - on the cusp of retiring - joins her in Grays Hollow, looking after the children.

There's a history of deep mistrust in the Sheriff's Department on Matt's part and, with Bree, they team-up with the acting Sherriff Chief Deputy Todd Harvey as an investigating team.

Bree re-lives the horror of her childhood - she promised to keep Erin and baby Adam safe as she hid them under their house porch whilst their father killed their mother and then himself. But she hadn't kept Erin safe had she; she needed now to keep her sister's children safe and make decisions. She has a fear of dogs, stemming from a childhood trauma, and this makes working with Matt and Brody somewhat difficult.

When Bree disturbs an intruder in the family house; finds large money withdrawals from Erin's account; discovers her sister recently got a shotgun, and the children's absent father emerges to take custody of Luke and Kayla - well things become complicated.
We have intermittent rather chilling narrative from the killer's point of view - is he setting out to kill Bree as well?

There are lots of twists and turns as well as red-herrings to throw thoughts in different directions - it is well-written and atmospheric with excellent dialogue making the story flow.
This is a mystery/thriller with some heart-stopping moments; totally absorbing, though with some heart-warming moments as the relationship between Bree and Matt develops.

I am really looking forward to the next instalment!

Cross Her Heart is a fabulous beginning to Melinda Leigh’s Bree Taggert series. A gripping whodunit that provides readers with all the essential elements a good thriller; mystery, deception, danger and revelations, all go hand in hand to make this a thoroughly enjoyable read. I can definitely recommend this book and I’m eager to see what Ms Leigh has in store for us next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really, enjoyed this newest book by Melinda Leigh. I am a fan of her Morgan Dane series, and I will for sure be adding this new series to my list.

Bree Taggert and her siblings survived the horror of her parents' murder-suicide 25 years ago. She returns to Greys Hollow when her sister is murdered. Determined to find the killer, she teams up with her sister's ex's best friend and his K9 companion. This is marketed as a romance, but there is very little romance in this book. I imagine it will pick up as the series goes on, similar to the Morgan Dane series. I could not put this book down!

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

This is a new series by an author I have heard a lot about so I decided to try it. And I am so glad I did. Now I get it. The writing of Leigh is great. She pulls you in right away.

Bree comes back to her hometown and is immediately pulled into an investigation that she doesn’t think the police are handling correctly. And she has to team up with Matt who just happens to be the suspects be3st friend. So of course he has an ulterior motive.

I can’t wait to read the next in the series. And I think I may need to go back and read some other books by Melinda Leigh.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Was really excited to read this book as love the Morgan and Lance series and was not disappointed. The book centres upon a detective whose sister has been murdered and she needs to move her life back to where she used to live to investigate it and look after her sisters children. The main characters are endearing and the author introduces them well to allow insight into their lives. A subtle reference to a link with Lance was great. Hoping there will be more in this series as the book is set up for further chapters. An excellent read 5 stars 🌟

Very well written romantic/suspense/murder from an excellent author. I really enjoyed this book and was glued to the kindle the entire time. (Very slow burn romance). The plot kept me guessing who the murderer was right throughout. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. 4.5 stars.

From the first page I knew I would love this book. Some stories just draw you in and you have to know where the story will go. Right off the bat you learn Bree's tragic backstory and the action does not slow down from there. While this novel is marketed as a Romantic Suspense, there is literally no romance in it. Since it is the first book in a new series I can only guess that maybe later on there will be more romance and this was just those characters backstory.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a quick thriller that will keep you guessing until the end!

An Outstanding and Phenomenal Story .
I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy through Netgalley of Cross Her Heart . This story was intense and pulse pounding from the start . This is one of the best stories I've read . Bree Taggertis a Philadelphia homicide detective . She missed a call from her sister while taking down a murderer . Her sister Erin is in trouble and needs her help . Bree can not reach her . She decides to head to their home town to check on her . She finds she's been murdered and Erin's Instranged husband is missing . Matthew Flynn arrives at his friend Justin's house to take him to a meeting . Matt has his retired K9 Brody with him and Brody senses something . When they enter Justin's place they discover Justin's wife Erin has been shot and is dead .
Soon Matt and Bree are working together to find Justin and get answers as to what went on at Justin's . Bree has her hands full with her niece and nephew and a killer on the loose . Soon danger comes Brees way from different directions . Bree must catch the killer and hold down the fort . This story keeps you on the edge of your seat . It's full of twists and turns that keep you guessing . I could not put it down . Definitely a five star suspense romance . I highly recommend taking the time to read and enjoy .

I love Bree and Matt is this thrilling romantic suspense book!! It is suspenseful with some romance along the way!! This is my first time reading this Author and I enjoyed this book immensely. I will be buying her books!!

In the first book of this new series, Bree is introduced as the oldest of her three siblings with an abusive father. Years later she is a homicide detective in Philadelphia, and one day receives a cryptic phone message from her sister saying she’s in trouble. Bree’s life is about to be turned upside down when she finds her sister has been murdered and she will now have custody of her sister’s two children. This page-turner is incredible, full of twists and turns, and the ending is a complete surprise! I thought the main characters were well developed, and all the circumstances in the book are believable. This is my first book by Ms Leigh, and I am very much looking forward to the next books in this series. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Bree Taggert, a homicide detective in Philadelphia, has gotten the worse voicemail that anybody could receive: Her younger sister Erin is in trouble. As she drives to their hometown to her sister's house to gets even more bad news that her little sister has been murdered and the police believe Erin's estrange husband Justin has killed her and also is nowhere to be found. The murder brings up painful memories for Bree, 25 years ago, her dad murdered their mother and killed himself.
Bree vows to find her sister's killer and take care of Erin's 2 children as well. Bree teams up with Matt Flynn, Justin's old friend and former sheriff's investigator to find Justin and found out what really happen.
Melinda Leigh never ever disappoints with her story telling.

Cross Her Heart is the first book in a new series by Melinda Leigh. If you liked her Morgan Dane series you will love Bree Taggert. Bree survived a horrendous childhood. When she was 8 her father killed her mother and then himself. Bree, her sister Erin and baby brother Adam survived that night. Bree is now a detective with the Philadelphia PD...until her sister is killed. She returns to Grey's Hollow, her hometown, to find out who killed her and to take care or Erin's 2 children. What ensues is a really good mystery with many twists and changes of direction before we find out the who and why.
Matt Flynn was a sheriff's detective and K9 handler in Grey's Hollow until he was shot while on duty. Even though he is no longer with the sheriff's department because Erin's estranged husband is his friend and is missing he steps in to help Bree with her investigation.
There is definately the hint of a relationship brewing between Matt and Bree by the end of the book. It will be fun watching this play out.
Several other characters were introduced that I am looking forward to getting to know better.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Bree is a strong character who suffers a tragedy as a child. She goes back home after another tragedy and has to solve her sisters murder. It was a page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!

Really good start to a series. Great characters that I want to know more about and a really good plot.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

4.5⭐

CROSS HER HEART kicks off Melinda Leigh's new series brilliantly with a story that not only introduces and establishes these new characters, but tells a thrilling and tragic tale involving Bree's own family and sees her returning to the town she left as a child when her whole world fell apart in the worst possible way. And with some heart stopping moments and the beginnings of a possible romance between Bree and Matt, who happens to find the body that brings Bree home. This really was a page turner of a story, and a great start to the series, and I am honestly looking forward to reading more from it in the future.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping new book in a new series

this story hits all the nerves..child endangerment, murder, family bereavement, abuse... the lot

we start off at the beginning bree's background story with a 999/911 call all those years ago and the circumstances make your hair stand on end

bree misses a phone call from her sister, she tries to ring her back but gets no answer...and from there things begin to get murky...why isnt her sister answering.... its not like her not to answer...

and so begins a tale that will keep you on the edge of your seats...i couldnt put the book down

loved the characters and the chemistry with them all and i cant wait to read the next book in this series, melinda leigh certainly knows how to put a story together, i just feel sorry for the next book i read as it cant get any better than this

Homicide Detective Bree Taggert receives a call from her sister, Erin. A call that strikes terror and unwanted memories from her past. Melinda Leigh has introduced us to a new series with the same taunt suspense as her other books. Great characters that you can relate with, especially Bree and Matt as they both try to find out why Erin was in trouble. An excellent book as Bree and Matt join forces to hunt for a killer. I look forward to reading more of this series.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher Montlake Romance. The comments and review are my honest opinion.

Morgan Dane move over please, here comes Bree Taggert!

I am a big fan of Melinda Leigh’s works and I have been reading her forever (back to her first novel, She Can Run). Morgan Dane has been a favorite character of mine from her books up to this point but I think that Bree might be taking her place. I loved this first book, Cross Her Heart, and I cannot wait for the rest of the series.

Cross Her Heart digs its hooks in from the beginning with a gripping, heartbreaking scene from Bree’s childhood. This dark, tragic moment in time sets Bree on the course for her future as a homicide detective. She has mostly kept her violent past behind her but sorrowful echoes of that night creep in now and then due to the violence and tragedy she faces daily as a cop. Her family and personal life have also taken some hard knocks. She and her younger siblings are not close, though they stay in touch, and she has no personal life to speak of.

History seems to repeat itself after she receives an unclear, frantic call from her sister and races to her aid only to find her murdered. Along with battling the terrible shock and stabbing grief Bree now has new responsibilities to juggle while searching for answers. The more questions she asks the more unclear things become. Luckily she has assistance in the form of Matt Flynn, a former investigator and best friend of her sister’s estranged husband.

I really enjoyed Bree and Matt’s characters. They were written as strong, level-headed, resourceful, determined characters who thought things through, did not overreact or jump to conclusions. They gathered facts and worked out scenarios in logical ways rather than letting emotion override the investigation. Though they each had moments of doubt as to certain people’s guilt or innocence they never let that take over their reasoning and stayed true to course to find the killer.

There is a winding, complex storyline full of suspects in this book, some with selfish motives and others with nefarious ones, but each reveal is intriguing. As the story unravels you will be drawn in deeper and deeper into the web of lies, deceit, abuse, jealousy, guilt, blackmail, and murder until the killer is revealed.

If you are looking for romantic ties, you will not find it in the start of this series. Like with the Morgan Dane series, Leigh builds the characters’ connections from bottom up forming a strong friendship first with hints of more to come as the series progresses. I cannot wait to see their relationship develop. They have a strong foundation started so I can only imagine it will be amazing.

Cross Her Heart is a wonderful fast-moving thriller full of heartbreaking drama, gripping suspense, pulse-pounding action and an unraveling mystery that will you breathless and wanting more.

*I received an arc from NetGalley and I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

*Thanks to Montlake Romance + NetGalley for the ARC!*

So per usual, I didn't remember the blurb by the time that I read the book, and I went into this having no idea what to expect. Not knowing that it's intended as the first book in a series, I was left with lots of questions and also felt things moved a little too slowly in some regards (like <spoiler>Matt and Bree's relationship).</spoiler> BUT, now with the perspective of knowing there are more stories coming, it feels totally appropriate.

Overall, I like Melinda Leigh and I'll definitely be picking up the next book! I'm especially interested in seeing what happens after <spoiler>Bree and Dana move in with the kids and settle into that new life.</spoiler>

Trigger warning: the beginning of the book has an abuse scene between adults that was super challenging to read.

Bestselling author Melinda Leigh introduces readers to Detective Bree Taggert in Cross Her Heart, the first book in her new series of romantic suspense novels.  It’s an excellent start, a solid, intriguing and well-paced mystery that introduces and starts fleshing out the central characters and the relationships between them at the same time as it presents a mystery that is very personal for Bree, whose tragic past is brought abruptly back to her in the worst possible way.

The book opens on a harrowing scene taking place at eight-year-old Bree’s home in Grey’s Hollow in upstate New York.  She is desperate to protect her younger siblings – Erin and baby Adam – from their violent, abusive father, as he rages at and beats their mother. Bree has managed to call the police and to keep herself and her brother and sister safe, although when the police arrive, it’s too late for their mother – and their father then turns the gun he used to shoot her on himself.

While Adam and Erin were taken in and brought up by their grandmother, Bree, who was something of a handful, was brought up by a stern cousin in Philadelphia. Looking back, Bree can see that their childhood separation has had a negative effect on their adult relationship; they’re not close, and although Erin continues to live in Grey’s Hollow, Bree has rarely been able to get past her issues to visit there, so Erin and her two kids visit Philly once a year instead.  When we meet Bree again, she- now a homicide detective with the Philadelphia PD - and her soon-to-retire partner, Dana Romano,  have just chased down a suspect when Bree picks up a panicked message from Erin saying she’s in trouble, but when she calls back, only gets voicemail.  Worried because Erin is the head down, go to work, raise her kids sort who’s never in trouble, and still unable to contact her, Bree heads to Grey ‘s Hollow – and her fears for Erin only ratchet up when she arrives at her sister’s house to see two sheriff’s department vehicles parked outside.  Something is very, very wrong.

Erin has been killed, and the chief deputy explains that their main suspect is her estranged husband, Justin, who is currently missing.  Erin’s body was found by Justin’s friend, Matt Flynn, a former sheriff’s investigator and K-9 handler, who was at the house to collect Justin to take him to his Narcotics Anonymous meeting.  Drugs were the cause of Justin and Erin’s split; he became addicted to pain meds following a car accident, and she didn’t want him around her kids while he was using.  But they were still seeing each other and intended to work things out, and Justin has been trying, with Matt’s help and support, to get clean.

Matt left the sheriff’s department three years earlier after he was shot in his right hand and, due to nerve damage, is no longer able to fire a weapon.  Matt is sure Justin isn’t responsible for Erin’s death and is concerned for his safety;  he’s also not completely confident that the sheriff’s department, which is short on personnel following  the dismissal of the former sheriff and other officers for corruption, is going to pursue the investigation properly – or that the corruption has been completely eradicated.

Chief Deputy Todd Harvey knows that Bree and Matt aren’t going to sit quietly by while his department investigates, so he makes a deal with them; he won’t try to stop them, but wants to be kept informed of what they find out and will share information with them in return.

As I’d expect from Melinda Leigh, the mystery is well-put together, with plenty of twists and turns and gradually building tension and suspense as Bree and Matt work together to find Justin and identify Erin’s killer.  Alongside the mystery we get the gradual unveiling of Bree’s character, a smart, competent, resilient yet flawed individual who is suddenly faced with a shedload of new responsibilities she’d never thought to have, two grieving children she doesn’t know all that well and her own grief and guilt at not keeping her sister safe as she’d vowed to do so many years ago.  I enjoyed the focus on the family as Bree slowly absorbs the fact that her life is never going to be the same;  Morgan Dane, in the author’s previous series, had a strong family unit which rounded her out and grounded her as a character, and I was pleased there’s to be something similar happening here.

I liked Matt, who is being set up as Bree’s future love interest.  He’s a good guy; dependable and supportive, he clearly cares a lot for Justin, and comes to care for and respect Bree and her abilities as an investigator.  There’s the merest frisson of attraction between them at this stage, but fingers crossed that will develop as the series progresses. Dana is a great addition to the family unit; Bree’s closest friend and work-partner, she’s about to retire from the force and goes to Grey’s Hollow to deliver Bree’s cat Vader (!) and to help out while Bree decides what she’s going to do next.

Cross Her Heart is an entertaining story featuring attractive and engaging leads and a supporting cast I look forward to getting to know in future books.  I enjoyed the balance between plot-  and character- driven elements in the story, and my one real complaint is that the identity of the villain came as something of a surprise, but not in a good way.  This character was present in one scene (apart from the few short chapters told anonymously from his PoV) and was mentioned only a few times, so when he was revealed to be the killer it didn’t feel organic or as though the clues had really been leading to that point.

In spite of that, however, I enjoyed the book and would certainly recommend it to fans of the author or to anyone looking to try her work for the first time.

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