“Did you think you were going to die?” Kerra

Hello Everyone,

The adventure starts. So, okay, I promised myself that I would pace myself reading this particular book, since I had just finished another book earlier (review for that coming next). I hate myself for breaking my promise, but it is what it is. I mean, I couldn’t help it. This book is hot, hot, hot. I’m not talking about erotic hot, but edge of your seat action from the first page hot; sexy, stubborn, alpha male hot (of course the sex was indeed hot too). I bring you Sandra Brown’s Seeing Red.

First off, the cover art catches your attention right off the bat. Then the first sentence grabs you as you start reading. Now, I’m going to be real here; there are some novels that I have read that grabbed me at the beginning and then fizzled out by the end by bogging readers down with unnecessary details that do not propel the story forward. All it does is distract from the main plot until you lose interest in the whole thing.  Seeing Red doesn’t do that. Every detail is meticulous in the use of plot development. The characters are so well fleshed, they didn’t need anything more to keep me enthralled. I knew who they are and what they are about from the first intro. I fell in love with and ship Trapper and Kerra. I couldn’t wait for their love to commence. Wait, let me introduce this book and the OTP. Oh, did I fail to mention that Sandra Brown is also one of my top favorite authors? She is one of the first authors whose books I binge read when introduced to romance novels. But I digress, back to the OTP’s story.

The story starts with an interview between TV journalist Kerra Bailey and The Major (that’s how he is referred to in the book haha) who became a national hero twenty-five years ago when he lead the survivors of the bombing of a Dallas hotel to safety and for the past few years has inexplicably withdrawn from the limelight, eschewing interviews and other appearances. Things get hairy after the interview when they are both attacked. The attack seems to be related to the bombing, putting both of their lives in danger.

Enter John Trapper, aka Trapper, The Major’s estranged son and former ATF agent. Kerra enlists Trapper in her quest to reunite with The Major. After they are both injured in the attack, Trapper, now a PI, feels the need to investigate and protect the both of them. Sparks fly from the first moment Kerra and Trapper meet.

Trapper is a stubborn, caustic, hot-tempered man and charismatic man. Although he tries to hide it, the antagonism between him and his father bothers him. Despite that, he chafes at authority and doesn’t care what people think of him. He isn’t necessarily a sensitive man, but he is highly intuitive and dare I say misunderstood, which makes him very abrasive to people who don’t know him. His is a strong man, mentally and physically. His stubbornness is his strength as commented by his father.

“I don’t know if all your hypotheses are correct, but, along with your stubborn streak, you also have integrity that’s equally ironclad.” The Major

Kerra, who suffered through a traumatic event at a very young age, grew up to be a well-adjusted young woman. She is a respected journalist who does what is needed to report human interest stories without exploiting the people she interviews. She has a steel core that enables her to not only deal with the thought of a killer after her, but assist in finding the killer while maintaining her integrity as a newswoman. Her rapport with The Major is heartwarming and the fact that she doesn’t take Trapper’s sh*t and is a calming influence on him and a buffer between him and his dad supports her as the perfect match for Trapper.

Though I love them and was invested in their romance, I was just as intrigued with the action. From the both of them on the run from and attempting to flush out the killer, to seeing how everything is related to the past, this story had all the ups and downs, twists and turns and family angst of a Sandra Brown thriller. And I swear my heart stopped when everything was revealed. It was the last thing I expected, or rather what I didn’t want to be true. Seeing Red is a masterpiece that threatened to ruin my equilibrium because I couldn’t put it down. I was unable to not turn the next page (I do love my kindle for the convenience of reading at night, but nothing beats holding a hard cover in my humble opinion), so if this review seems all over the place, I blame the giddiness of reading a most excellent Sandra Brown book on no sleep.

Seeing Red is a red hot read for a frigid winter’s day (I say that even though I am not in frigid weather residing in AZ)! So bundle up with a Snuggie or fleece throw, your favorite fuzzy socks and a big mug of hot chocolate and enter a world of romance, thriller and suspense as only Sandra can weave. Drop me a line to let me know if you enjoyed it as much as I did. And hey, did I mention that Sandra Brown is one of my favorite authors? I did? Ok, time to stop fan-girling now.

Happy Reading,

The Book Diva