Librarian Marissa Reynolds has spent years distancing herself from her crime kingpin uncle. When she awakens in an unfamiliar hotel room with blood on her hands and no memory of how she got there, the past returns with a vengeance, and her life spirals into a nightmare.Straight-laced Assistant District attorney Scott Bannister has spent his life seeking justice for the senseless shooting deaths … deaths of his parents. When he realizes Marissa is the niece of his prime suspect, he crosses a line, guaranteed to jeopardize both his life and his beloved career.He’ll do anything to destroy her uncle. She fears he’s using her to achieve his goal. As the body count mounts, and their lives are threatened, they must put aside their distrust and work together to find the devious killer. Will they be able to forgive and find true love?
more
Gripping up to the last page
Secret Betrayal is a suspense novel that will keep you awake until you read the last page.
Marissa Reynolds is a reserved librarian who wants nothing to do with her crime king Uncle Julio DeGrazzi. After being drugged, she wakes up in a hotel room with blood on her hands and meets a strange man, not realizing she is part of a set-up until it’s too late and the police and reporters enter the room.
Assistant District attorney Scott Bannister is set on revenge against the man responsible for his parents’ deaths. He is determined to stop at nothing to catch the murderer, but he is caught in a devious scheme when he is framed in the same hotel room as Marissa Reynolds.
As Bannister and Reynolds hide from the police and work together to find the man responsible for the killings and solve the mystery, they can’t run from the love they feel for each other. But Bannister battles his own demons and Reynolds fears Scott used her to get the upper hand to capture her uncle.
I volunteered to read the ARC and give an honest review. The book is an exciting suspense with realistic characters and natural dialogue. C.B. Clark is superb at crafting plots. The reader is guessing until the end to unravel the mystery.
When college librarian Marissa Reynolds wakes up in a sleazy motel room with no memory of how she got there, she knows something is horribly wrong. She’s confused and sick, as though drugged, and believes she’s been kidnapped. Then a sexy, familiar-looking man walks in and thinks she’s a prostitute.
Assistant District Attorney Scott Bannister planned to meet a gang informant at the motel, but soon realizes both he and the woman have been set up. Then he recognizes her—she’s the estranged niece of a powerful crime lord, and Scott believes she’s just as dirty as her uncle. Framed for murder and with the evidence stacked against them, Marissa and Scott have no choice but to trust one another in order to clear their names and find out what’s really going on. Friendship and romance blooms quickly, but their secrets keep driving a wedge between them.
I really enjoyed this story. The mystery/suspense part stayed strong all throughout the book and perfectly weaved with the romance. Marissa was strong and stubborn, as I like heroines to be, but Scott wasn’t the typical macho, he-man hero. He was brave, sure, but he doubted his ability to protect Marissa. I really liked that. His insecurities made his character much more real and relatable.
There were multiple bad guys in this story, some of whom were obvious like Marissa’s uncle Julio, but I couldn’t figure out who the traitors were in the DA office and police station. Granted, I had my suspicions, and I liked the twist at the end.
The story is well-written and everything flowed great. Ms. Clark has a strong, active writing style that kept my attention. For readers of romantic suspense, check out Secret Betrayal. You won’t regret it.
5 Stars
Disclaimer – I volunteered to read and review this book. Thank you, C.B. Clark, for sending me an ebook copy.
This was a great book to lose myself in. So much going on all the time. Fast-paced to say the least.
The two main characters, Marissa and Scott were well developed and believable. They both were haunted by their own secrets from the past and refused to share those secrets, even when they possibly should have. It made for a complicated situation that the author leads you through flawlessly.
I have to give the secondary characters a mention too. Each had a purpose in the story and developed to the shocking end.
C.B. Clark has never disappointed me with any of her books, but this one may be a little more sinister than the others. I loved it!
I really ended up liking this story a lot. It had really good main characters with complex histories that made for a good story. I liked that Scott wasn’t the typical muscle bound, hero expert. Oh, he was smart but he was also nerdy smart too. Everything about that made him more realistic. That’s not to say that he didn’t stand up terrified against some pretty tough physical threats. It just made him all the more likable. Marissa, what a good woman caught up into the maneuvers of the dangers from her uncle’s crime world.
Somebody is definitely out to get them and has been diabolically clever. There has been a lot of advance evil work to try to completely frame them both. It seems like that person is so many steps ahead of them. Forget about the premise of being innocent before proven guilty. Because there is a whole lot of evidence that screams that they are guilty. They are having the hardest time trying to get ahead of it all. Add to that the fact that they are being chased by someone who is doing their best to try to kill them. You can imagine how much action it causes in this book and you would be right. There is lots!
Romance you ask if there is any? That would be a yes. Although Scott keeps forgetting who Marissa’s uncle is. Then when he does it causes him to pull back. So there will be a fair amount of pulling together and pushing back in the story. There does end up being a couple of sex scenes for the two of them without it being over-the -top detailed which I liked.
I began to get suspicious about one particular person being a villain in the piece. And the person does get outed in the explosive ending of the book. BUT…. so does one totally unexpected person as well. I liked that the author was able to surprise me so well. I never suspected it.
The story all comes together with many mysteries solved and a H.E.A. for the M.C.’s. A good ending over all.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
This is an excellent romantic suspense. This story grabs your attention right from the first page and keeps you turning pages to find out what happens next. The lead female is the niece of a mob criminal and the lead male is the ADA that is focused on the singular task of taking him down. The plot itself if intricate and well developed. The story unravels at just the right pace as Marissa and Scott try to track down the person that tied them both up in scandal. They end up on the run from the start. The romance seems a bit forced or unlikely at times, but overall the story gets 5 stars. I’d definitely pick up another by this author, this story made for great entertainment.
Secret Betrayal, my first read/listen from author C.B. Clark. Well-written & enjoyable, I found it very enjoyable. Bill Nevitt’s excellent narration made the 11-hour 20-minute mystery/suspense pass quickly. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. I definitely need to get more by this author & narrator. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
Secret Betrayal is a romantic suspense story by C.B. Clark. Having read a couple of books by this author, I expected an edge-of-the-seat story and was not disappointed. Fast-paced action, several wow I didn’t see that coming twists to the plot and of course, a romance kept the interest high. Some things were a bit unrealistic but then that is what fiction is all about, right? I like police drama stories and this one was worth the read. Who could Marissa trust…her crimelord Uncle, Scott, the ADA? I liked how the author revealed Marissa’s and Scott’s pasts layer by layer, keeping interest high wondering how the situations came about and what would happen next. I listened to a complimentary copy of the audiobook and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own. Bill Nevitt did a great job narrating the story which made for an entertaining listening experience. There are adult language and situations in this book.
Secret Betrayal: Loved the surprises and that Marissa Reynolds was a Librarian. Love that she is trying to keep away from her families background. It was fantastic writing and great characters. Great mystery throughout the book. Love the connection that Marissa had with Scott even though is not all good. They both want the same thing. C.B. Clark really puts a lot of mystery and that really makes the stories. Characters really make the story. Great job!