“You have something we want. We have something you want.” Gabriella has never forgiven her former fiancé, homicide detective Eli Cavazos, for breaking her heart. Then a man she’s never met shows up at her restaurant, a bullet in his chest and her brother’s name on his lips. Gabby soon realizes this man is connected to a powerful ring of criminals who know far too much about her. Against her …
Against her better judgment, Gabby turns to Eli for help in finding her brother. When she receives a cryptic text from her brother’s cell phone, she realizes she is in deep and may be dragging Eli down with her. With her brother nowhere to be found and pain from her past threatening to overwhelm her, Gabby wonders how she will make it through this unexpected quest unscathed–or alive.
Taking us into the heat of Laredo, Texas, the secrets of a gun-smuggling ring, and the tensions on both sides of the border, Over the Line will keep you guessing until the last page.
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I have kinda become addicted to Kelly Irvin’s Romantic Suspense books and this one is no exception. It is filled with gun running to the cartels in Mexico, kidnapping, murder, romance and a lesson in forgiveness for others as Jesus forgives us. I love the main characters, Gabriella and Eli, and even the supporting characters were all good. Over The Line will keep you turning pages long into the night to find out what happens next.
I actually read this latest suspense by Kelly Irvin soon after it came out in the summer of 2019. Her topic was timely as racial tensions continue to be high due to immigration. I enjoyed the characters overall, and it definitely made me think. The four star rating is because parts of the plot were a bit confusing and tricky to follow. I do look forward to reading more books by Kelly Irvin in the future.
I received a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild. I was not required to give a favorable review. This was a story of things that have been going on at the border dealing with drugs and guns, also having police both good and bad involved. Gabi was once a lawyer and now is a dessert chef in San Antonio, her ex boyfriend that man she loves but a situation broke them up and caused them to separate and she wasn’t listening to him. But she helps her sister and her sister’s children, and her brother is a ATF and located in Laredo. One night changes everyone’s life. Can they save their brother with the help of Eli, Deacon and a whole group of government agencies. With lots of twist and turns.
Here’s another book I wish I could give more than 5 stars!
This was an excellent book. One I enjoyed very much!!
Be prepared to spend an afternoon reading because this is Kelly Irving at her best. I didn’t really like crime books until I read this author. Now I’m hooked!
It is very action packed and exciting all rolled into one! You’ll get to meet new characters and make friends with them. At least I do. And then there are some that are not so friendly.
I love Kelly. She’s one of my favorite authors and her ability to pull you in from page one is amazing!! I just can’t say enough about her writing style!
I’m sure those of you who love Kelly will agree with me.
If you like crime and suspense then this is for you!! I strongly recommend it and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!! I wasn’t!
If you are looking for a book filled with intrigue and heart pounding action, look no further. The author has really outdone herself with this story that could easily be front page news. I really liked the locations of the story since I live in Texas. It was easy to picture the characters in Laredo or San Antonio with ease by the descriptions.
What I liked about the book was the intensity of who was the bad guys and who were the good guys. There is some back history between Gabriella and Eli that did take a while to get to. I liked that because it gave readers time to know each one and see where their flaws were. I loved how they each were a bit stubborn and neither one was willing to give in. Eli certainly tried but Gabriella was harboring unforgiveness which was obvious by her sass and attitude towards Eli.
The story centers around a gun smuggling ring and at the forefront is Jake, Gabriella’s brother. With him working undercover it became dangerous for the entire family when he comes up missing. I liked the investigation into his disappearance and the author gave us just enough to suspect many people. There was definitely some shady people in the story. At times I wasn’t sure who was behind everything. There are many secrets throughout the book and the best part of the book for me was between Eli and his father. It is worth reading just for this part because it deals with forgiveness in a way that humbles both characters.
Overall the story is good and definitely action packed. Finding Jake will put lives in danger and I was surprised at who was the head of the gun running operation. Fans of intrigue will not be disappointed in this story that has twists that put you on the edge of your seat.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Over the line
Gabrielle finds out her brother is missing. Her ex who is a detective is helping find out what happened. Will she be able to work with him?
There is a lot going on. Gun-smuggling ring. Most of it takes place in Laredo, Texas. The book has a lot of action take place. Like watching a action movie. Kept me wandering if her brother would be found alive or dead. Great suspenseful book.
This was my first book from the author. It definitely won’t be my last. I enjoyed her writing very much.
I received a advanced copy of the book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write an positive review. This review is my opinion.
“Pain danced with regret while loneliness looked on, always the wallflower.”
This is the first book by Kelly Irvin I have read and it hooked me with an intricately woven plot of suspense and action. The story is well-written with twists and turns to the plot, interesting and multi-dimensional primary and secondary characters, and a wonderful theme of grace, forgiveness, and second chances.
The story involves Eli, a detective in the San Antonio PD, and Gabriella, a former assistant prosecutor turned chef. They have a complicated history and a broken engagement between them but must work together when Gabriella’s brother, an ATF agent, goes missing and the family is threatened. As Eli and Gabby dig deeper into Jake’s disappearance and several connected murders, they find themselves in the middle of a dangerous gun smuggling cartel in an environment where they’re not sure who to trust. The romance component is relatively small in the book but does make for a good tense atmosphere for Gabby and Eli as they dodge those who want them to disappear.
The book, though it’s a stand alone novel, actually felt like book 2 in a series because the backstories of the characters either weren’t fully revealed or weren’t revealed until much later in the book. It was slightly disconcerting to feel like I was missing something about the characters while reading, but the intense suspense, intrigue, and mystery was excellent.
I received a copy of the book from Thomas Nelson via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
Laredo, Texas.
A border town, like my native San Diego. But not so much like my native San Diego. (Actually, I’m from North County SD, but who’s counting?) I first heard of Laredo from my work in the supply chain field; Laredo is a major import/export location. For one of my customers, all shipments to Mexico went through two cities, and Laredo was one of them. It’s a city that has been in my vocabulary and geographical knowledge for several years, but I didn’t know much more about it until I read Over the Line.
What I Liked About Over the Line
Actually, getting the feel of Laredo was one of my favorite things about this book. Authors who create their own fictional towns get to have a lot of fun with world-building, but there’s something about a book that feels really authentic. Now, I have never lived there. But Kelly Irvin has, and while she creates some parts of the city to suit her needs (as she tells us in the afterword), it felt real to me!
The suspense element: I was successfully “suspended.” Haha. The theme of forgiveness was pretty powerful too, but I’ll admit I got more out of “mom and dad’s” story towards the end than out of Daniella and Eli’s. I enjoyed getting to know this “ragtag band” that sets out to save Daniella’s brother and make a dent in the gunrunner business at the same time. These different skill sets come together for a common goal, and even the journalists set aside (sometimes, haha!) their need to break a story to protect loved ones. And a cop and a journalist who despise each other, working together? Recipe for something interesting.
What I Didn’t Like About Over the Line
I can’t really imagine any police officer allowing civilians to become that involved in the hands-on portion of an investigation unless you were in a situation where the government had completely fallen apart. Although, getting journalists involved might make sense due to the corruption issues addressed here.
Some of the characters in this story bugged me, too. Eli keeps smoking in secret and just seems to avoid getting caught because he wants to please Daniella. I don’t know if that’s a good reason to quit smoking – but lying about smoking? He just rubbed me the wrong way. He wants so badly for Daniella to forgive him, but he isn’t willing to tell her the truth until the end. Not much to build trust on. More generally, I had some questions about these characters that weren’t successfully answered.
Would I Recommend Over the Line?
Yes. This story drew me into gun wars, corruption, and a search for truth. I enjoyed it. Will you?
I received a review copy of this book; all opinions are my own.
This novel had lots of action and danger among the pages. Dealing with gun smuggling across the border, U.S. to Mexico, made for some fast paced action. The mystery of who was behind it all added to the suspense.
Gabriella, former DA turned restaurant chef, finds a dying man with bullet wounds right outside her restaurant as she’s leaving one late night. On his lips is the name of her brother, Jake, who’s in law enforcement. Thus begins a tangled, twisted story of how to locate him after he’s gone missing. Her ex-fiancé Eli, homicide detective, joins in the search despite their troubled past. Many characters come to light, law enforcement, relatives, journalists, and the shady criminal ones. There are murders, kidnappings, bombings and car chases. All the fun stuff. And romance for sure.
Gabby had my mouth watering a time or two. Even among all that was going on she baked to relieve stress. I could almost taste her brownies and strawberry shortcake! The one thing I found taxing was the Spanish. Knowing it was very close to Mexico and even though a Spanish glossary was included in the front of the book, I got tired of flipping back and forth to find out what the words meant. Although they were sporadic in the writing, I know no Spanish but wanted to make sure I knew what was going on.
I did appreciate the fact that the author spent lots of time living in Texas and was very familiar with Laredo where the story took place. She was able to incorporate her knowledge into the story and make it extremely real and believable.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit but was not required to write a review positive or otherwise.
Over the line by Kelly Irvin is a fast-paced suspense story straight from today’s headlines. Restaurant owner, Gabriella Benoit is confronted by a college student who whispers her brothers name and then dies at her feet! Turning to her ex-fiancé, homicide detective Eli Cavazos, for help in finding her brother, was her only hope of finding Jake alive. The suspense storyline was very action packed. You never knew who you could trust. Gabriella was not your typical storybook heroine that faints at the first sign of danger and never fights back. She jumped in with both feet so to speak and wasn’t afraid to face the bad guys. I liked this strength about her. She wouldn’t be pushed around. She knew how to handle a gun but yet she was still feminine. I didn’t care so much for Eli. He needed to communicate more instead of shutting people out. The romance part of the book seemed a little stilted and you never got the whole back story. But overall the story was one I would read again.
I received this book from Celebrate-Lit in exchange for my honest review.
Wow! Just try to put this book down before you finish! The author has done an incredible job of detailing Laredo and the surrounding areas, giving one the feeling that you are in the midst of all the excitement. Try to imagine dealing with kidnapping, murder, arson as well as gun smuggling and hoping to come out of it all without further death or injury. Eli – a homicide detective, Gabby – a pastry chef, Deacon – a reporter, Natalie – a psychologist and various other personages make up the ragtag team of investigators that are attempting to unravel this scenario. Intertwined in all of this is the hurt and betrayal that will only be resolved through forgiveness.
I must admit I sat on the edge of my seat wondering how this story would end. Was it possible that they would finally learn to trust the Lord enough to put everything in His hands?
I received an ARC through NetGalley and CelebrateLit. The impressions and opinions are my own.
What an accomplishment to switch from Amish Fiction to Romantic Suspense seamlessly. I totally was sucked into this story and the many twists and turns. It was like feeling your way through a maze to see the final outcome. It is interesting to read a cultural diverse book and also have a character in a wheelchair. Kudos for tackling this with such finesse. It is a story of finding forgiveness after betrayal and keeping secrets and how the characters grow as the story progresses. I found myself engrossed in this story with its continuous action and romantic tension. The characters were believable and I was especially interested in the lesser story of Natalie and Deacon. I look forward to reading more of this genre by Ms. Irvin as she is making her mark.
I received a complimentary copy from CelebrateLit/publisher. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
When a young man literally dies at her feet and his last words her brother’s name, Gabriella is determined to find her brother. It doesn’t take long to learn that he is missing and accused of a murder. Ex-fiance Eli joins Gabriella against her wishes but despite her anger and unforgiveness toward him, she has to rely on his help before time runs out.
Tensions run high in Over The Line, the action packed tale of gun runners and the powerful men behind the scenes. Danger abounds with plenty of plot twists and surprises in this suspenseful novel. Characters are well defined with plenty of true to life flaws that make them believable. That didn’t stop me from becoming somewhat aggravated with Gabriella and her unwillingness to hear Eli’s explanations about the past. In many ways I actually thought Deacon and Natalie stole the limelight in this book.
I did enjoy reading Over the Line and recommend it to those who enjoy their suspense with a touch of romance.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
Over the Line is and intense romantic suspense with close calls, an abundance of bad guys (and suspects) and not one, but two romances.
Kelly Irvin’s second romantic suspense book almost has too much happening at once (in addition to the abundance of characters). But, for the most part, I kept up with the characters and speedy plot. Yet it’s those exact things that seemed to have diminished some development of the main character interactions.
I never did feel like I fully connected with Gabrielle and Eli. Gabby’s a former lawyer yet her stubborn resolve to assume the worse of Eli despite his attempts to apologize didn’t ring true. And Eli isn’t much better. Why doesn’t he just tell her the truth already? Even when he finally does exactly that (way too late in the plot), my thought was “That’s it? That’s what he was hiding?” In truth, I was much more interested in Gabby’s sister Natalie’s romance and backstory.
However, Irvin gives readers a great diversity of characters and Eli’s father is an excellent example of complete and total forgiveness.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
My Thoughts on Over the Line:
I wasn’t sure what to think of this book at first. It seemed to be slow. I wasn’t sure I was going to connect with the characters. But the more I read the more I wanted to read and the more invested in the story I became. This is one of those books where I say to give it two or three chapters before you decide it’s not for you.
Gabriella is a baker. She specializes in desserts. I could definitely be her best friend as I love to bake! But unlike her, I also like to eat the treats I bake when I’m stressed out.
Eli has a history and a past that he’s not willing to share with anyone. Not even his once fiancee Gabriella. That’s why they’re no longer engaged. Or at least that’s what she says. He has a different theory.
But right now the only thing that matters is keeping her safe after a man dies in front of her after saying her name. Was he trying to tell her something? Where is her brother? Is he in danger? Is she in danger?
Gabriella has another sister Natalie who is in a wheelchair. Natalie has two children. Gabriella blames herself for Natalie being in a wheelchair and with her being a widow. She shoulders all the blame internally and tries to make it better at every turn.
Natalie just wants freedom. She wants to be herself without everyone just seeing her chair.
Maybe they’ll both get a second chance. But first, they have to find their brother Jake. Well, maybe first they have to stay alive. Someone knows where Jake is and someone wants something that they don’t have.
Lots of actions and lots of characters in this story. Occasionally I had to go back to figure out which character we were talking about. The characters are relatable. Writing is clear and clean, easy to read, flows well. A good read that I recommend.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Late last year I was introduced to Kelly Irvin’s writing through her book Tell Her No Lies which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I was excited to get the chance to read this one. I really liked that the romance thread to this was complicated with a past instead of strangers meeting through circumstance. I would have liked to see more of the details surrounding their conflict earlier on though so that I didn’t feel like I was missing something for most of the book. Although I was highly interested in the premise, this was a very hard book for me to get into. It was far too easy to put down and walk away from. I desperately struggled to connect even though I really wanted to know how everything was going to turn out. I wish I could pinpoint the reason why, but to be fully honest I don’t know exactly what it was. The beginning drew my attention, the characters were likable, it had an intriguing premise, and there was steady movement in the storyline. I still plan on reading more from this author in the future especially from her other book that I read, but sadly I can’t mark this one as a favorite.
*I received a copy of this book through CelebrateLit. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
This was a good mystery/romance. I really liked the twists and the turns. Both Gabriella and Eli had some problems when they originally dated and now they are working through what happened to them. They both had problems and I liked how they got through everything that happens to them. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
3.5 stars
“I’ve seen enough to know that learning to put one foot in front of the other takes time and prayer and more time.”
When Gabrielle Benoit’s evening is interrupted by an over-protective ex-fiance and a dying stranger, her life spirals out of control; for the victim barely manages to speak her brother’s name before a very handsome homicide detective rushes to her aid. The news only gets worse; Gabby’s brother is missing, his undercover contact is dead, and the ensuing spiral of violent events have tipped off some very dangerous players in the illegal arms enterprise along the Texas-Mexico border. Gabby and Eli Cavazos have a decision to make . . . . can they put aside the broken pieces of their relationship long enough to search for Jake Benoit? Or perhaps, can this awful situation lend them the time that they need to seek the forgiveness they so desperately seek?
Readers will enjoy this fast paced suspense with its host of questionable characters and labyrinth of conflicting details; which in the end, add up to a very good story.
Over the Line is a romantic suspense with likeable characters with a storyline that could be plucked from today’s headlines. I especially enjoyed Deacon. He is an endearing character. This had two sweet romances with an inspirational message of forgiveness.
I enjoyed it and thank Thomas Nelson for an advanced reader copy. This is my honest opinion.
OVER THE LINE ..by Kelly Irwin
Gabriella , they warned her about dating a detective, Eli for four years. He wants forgiveness, she knew he came with baggage. She didn’t know the whole suitcase full would be dumped on her head. Waiting to follow her home from closing restaurant after midnight. A young kid comes out from nowhere, calling her name, then Jake her brother’s name, now falling from a gun shot wound. No one can get in touch with Jake he was working undercover, his place has been ramshacked. Tension from the first page, you get the scenario with the characters, what is really going on behind the scene.
Is it more than the cartel, and stolen guns. The author has once again given
us a suspenseful plot, that readers won’t want to miss reading.
Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion by Net Galley and Thomas Nelson.