Shatter by Joan Swan
Kensington Books
Publication Date: December 31, 2013
Date Read: December 28, 2013
In the interest of full disclosure, I received an advance reader edition
of this book from Kensington Books and Net Galley for the purpose of
providing an honest review.
This book was a solid 4 out of 5
stars for me. There was a lot of action and romance and to be honest I
just LOVED the Hero, Mitch. After I started the book I noticed that
Goodreads had it labeled as book #4 in the series. I have not read any
other books in this series or by Joan Swan and had no trouble keeping
up. That being said, I do think that the reader would benefit from
reading the series in order. There were quite a few characters that
were most likely introduced in previous books. Knowing the full back
story of the supporting characters would have added more depth to this
story. I also believe that there is an overall story arc through the
series. Since this was the series conclusion a lot was explained but
there were a few points in the book that I wish I had read the previous
novels. As with most things, it is better to start at the beginning but
this book can be thoroughly enjoyed on its own.
Halina has been
in hiding for the past 7 years and has assumed a new identity. She left
Mitch 7 years ago saying that she was going to try to work things out
with her husband. Mitch was crushed and has spent the past 7 years
going out with woman after woman. Halina sees Mitch running
surveillance on her and confronts him. There is an altercation that
ends with Halina and Mitch running together from a bigger enemy.
Mitch
and Halina still have the same chemistry as before but are both guarded
with each other. Mitch does not want to be hurt again and Halina feels
that the only way to keep Mitch safe is to stay away from him. The
couple connects with Mitch’s friends to work together to bring down
Schaeffer and Abernathy. In the end, they are able to work out their
issues and have their happily ever after.
This book brought
together the right balance of action, romance, and steamy sex with just a
hint of a paranormal element. There was even a perfectly written
sidekick for Halina – Dex, the most awesome dog ever. I thought that
Mitch was a very well written character and the author was able to make
the reader feel everything he was feeling. I did not feel quite the
same with Halina. Mitch was definitely the star of this show.
I
would recommend this book to anyone who like an exciting romantic
suspense. If you can start with book #1, it would probably even be that
much better. I will definitely look for the other books in this series
and by this author, Joan Swan.
