In Seconds

excitement and danger

Ms. Novak has done it again with another great joy for her fans and other readers looking for a great read. Although this is the second book in the series and I always recommend to read in order, each book can also stand on its own, and you are given enough background information so as not to be lost. This is a book I had a hard time putting down; tons of excitement and danger, some romance and excellent storyline to satisfy. Matilda Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Loved it!!!

This is Brenda's second book in her Pineview Trilogy. I was captivated from the beginning starting with the immediate murder of a close neighbor. I love books that start with a bang! I loved the small town backdrop of this series. The characters were very realistic you wanted to root for Vivian (Laurel) and Virgil. The suspense in this story had you nestled in your covers at night afraid that the "crew" was at your back door. The romance in this story was not farfectched like other books. I would recommend this book it has just the right amount of suspense and romance..the perfect balance. I look forward to the finale in the series due to come on in October.

I'm Novak's Newest Fan

"In Seconds" by Brenda Novak:

Vivian Stewart's (formerly Laurel Hodges) life with her two children and purse design business has once again become the backdrop for several murders, this time in Pineview, Montana, the newest place she's run to in order to escape her former existence.
Realtor Pat Steuben's wife Gertie, finds him murdered inside one of their cabins for rent. He was beaten to death.
Sheriff Myles King-the head lawman in Pineview-is determined to find Pat's killer. It quickly becomes obvious that Vivian may have more than a few answers-to his questions-stemming from the "thorny" past of her brother Virgil. The problem? She's not sharing, determined to keep her past as hidden as her fiercely growing feelings of desire for Myles. The dilemma with keeping secrets? People you love can and will get hurt.or worse.
Did I mention Myles is falling for her, too? He learns of her complicated past, and while the sheriff in him needs to solve Pat's murder, the man wants to protect Vivian and her children.
Even though we are privy to who's guilty from the beginning, watching Novak's characters leap off the page was nothing short of spectacular. At first, I felt she was dragging out the inevitable, but I read on and before I knew it, I was happily sucked in. And as I reached the summit of the story, I was mesmerized as Novak brought everything and everyone full circle to create a magnificent ending that did not disappoint. Her weaving of a tale is an extraordinary mix of deadly-serious moments with lust and even teeny bits of humor perfectly peppered throughout. The way she sparks your imagination, allowing a full-color picture to come into view, is brilliant. She expertly puts the pieces together and makes it a very intriguing read, easily displaying why she's so popular. This was my first book of Novak's and I was captivated. A splendid author and a must read.

Reviewed by Terri Ann Armstrong, author of "Morning Menace" & "Medieval Menace"

Loved It!

Absolutely adore Brenda Novak - can't wait for the third in this series!

Good

I have enjoyed many of Brenda Novak's novels. I did not enjoy this book as much of the others because I found Laurell character not as strong as in her other books. She was a bit too winey for my taste. But I would still recommend this author.

GREAT Read

Where do you go when there's nowhere left to hide? That's a question Laurel Hodges-as of two years ago, Vivian Stewart-asks herself when a local realtor is brutally murdered.

In Seconds is the story of Laurel Hodges, sister of Virgil Skinner, the hero in Inside, Book One in Brenda Novak's new Bulletproof series.

In Book One, Inside, Laurel's brother Virgil Skinner, exonerated after serving fourteen years for a crime he didn't commit, agreed to infiltrate a gang in California's Pelican Bay maximum security prison in exchange for protection for his sister and her two children. However, The Crew, a notorious gang to which Virgil belonged in order to survive, can't forget what they consider his betrayal, and they're out to get Virgil, his sister, and friend Rex McCready. At the end of Inside, Virgil, his wife Peyton, Laurel and Rex had relocated to Washington, DC.

After having been found by The Crew, they've had to re-locate again, and for the past two years, Laurel is living in Pineview, a small Montana town where, under the assumed identity of Vivian Stewart, she hopes she has finally eluded the revenge-seeking gang members. Here, she's finally bought a house and started an online business making classy handbags. She also has developed an unwelcome interest in her sexy neighbor, Sheriff Myles King. However, because of her past, she's content to let the interest remain unfulfilled. Until she proposes a one-night stand with Myles, on the promise that he will not try to see her again. Myles, however, is also attracted and realizes he wants much more from Vivian. After being widowed for three years, he's ready to start living again, but caught in a moment of weakness, he agrees to the tryst. It is both exhilarating and a letdown, and Vivian at once regrets her hasty decision.

When a local realtor is brutally murdered, warning bells echo in Vivian's mind. Her friend Claire, the town's hairdresser, wonders if the murder has any connection to the disappearance of her mother fifteen years earlier, but Vivian wonders if it's an omen that The Crew may have finally located her. When she learns from her brother that Ink, one of the vengeful gang members has escaped from prison along with a youthful cellmate, she is determined to protect herself and her children at all costs, but her dilemma is that she can't tell Myles about it and she can't allow her feelings for him to get in the way.

Ms. Novak pens a gritty story with her usual superb characterization. Viewpoints move with dramatic realism between Vivian, Myles, Virgil, Rex and Ink and his prison cellmate accomplice. I couldn't put down this well-plotted and compelling, character-driven story until I had finished it...well into the wee hours of morning. It was wonderful to see the reappearance of Virgil and Rex from Inside, and though I wanted to see Rex achieve his happy ending, I felt Myles was the perfect man for Vivian. All in all a superb series. Wonderful characters, tense drama, realism and darned good reading are some of the trademarks that keep Ms. Novak on bestseller lists.

Originally posted at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

a tense thriller

She has kept her present persona as Laurel Hodges for two years. Laurel and her two children (seven year old Mia and nine year old Jake) have felt safe in remote Pineview Montana. That is as safe as a person can be while running from a vicious prison gang; her brother Virgil joined The Crew while inside of California's Pelican Bay Maximum Security Prison. The Crew blames her when she was Vivian Stewart for the death of a member. The Crew never forgets.

Her feelings of security end with the murder of fifty-five years old Pat Steuben. Laurel believes the Crew has come to Big Sky country hunting for her. Her neighbor Sheriff Myles King investigates the homicide that has shaken the townsfolk, but though deeply attracted to her neighbor she trusts no one as the Witness Protection Program sold her out to the ruthless Crew.

The second Bulletproof romantic suspense (see Inside) moves from exonerated Virgil to his still in trouble sister. The story line is action-packed from the moment the local postman announces the murder of Pat and never slows down as more murders occur, which has Laurel believing she is the cause and Myles protecting the woman and kids he loves. Brenda Novak provides a tense thriller.

Harriet Klausner

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