Tracks of Her Tears by Melinda Leigh and Dead in Her Tracks by Kendra Elliot- A Book Review

  In the first thrilling Rogue Winter Novella, sleepy little Solitude, Oregon, wakes up to another deadly threat.
County investigator Seth Harding intends to spend the holidays with his newly reconciled family, but a few days before Christmas, a homicide thwarts his plan. Seth arrives at the scene and makes a painful discovery: the victim is his brother-in-law’s girlfriend. Her apartment has been ransacked and her toddler left motherless. To make matters worse, Seth’s brother-in-law, Bruce, is missing. With Solitude locked in a rare, deadly deep freeze and the temperature plummeting, the residents launch a desperate search.
Seth calls his wife, social worker Carly Taylor, to take the case so the little girl doesn’t get lost in the foster care system. With the holidays near, Carly brings the child home with them to celebrate Christmas. But when the Taylor farm is also trashed, Seth and Carly must race against time—and against a paralyzing winter storm—to find Bruce and catch a killer in the first pulse-pounding sequel to the Rogue River Novellas
MY REVIEW:
Tracks of Her Tears by Melinda Leigh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Tracks of her Tears by Melinda Leigh – A Rogue Winter Novella is a 2015 Montlake publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It is the holiday season in Solitude, Oregon, but it's anything but merry and bright. When Carly's brother, Bruce goes missing and his girlfriend is found murdered, it's up to Seth, to solve the case and keep his family safe.
It seems like it's been a long time since I have touched base with this series, so I was happy to see a pair of novellas coming out this month- this one from Melinda Leigh and “Dead in Her Tracks” By Kendra Elliot.
This story reunites us with Seth and Carly, who are back together and making their marriage the top priority is their lives now. But, when Bruce's girlfriend is found murdered, they find it hard to find balance in their personal lives, especially when a young child is left without parents.
This is one action packed story, though, a little gritty, and pretty realistic as the author showcases just how dumb criminals can be and the horrible consequences of their actions.
I was happy to touch base with Seth and Carly, and am thankful that this couple are working things out, and that for once, Seth didn't get on my last nerve. He is really coming along, and showed that he can stick to his guns when it comes to trusting his wife and letting her do her job, just like he has to do his. The pair actually worked together on this one and make a pretty darned good team, if you ask me.
While the circumstances are sad for many concerned, there is a bright ray of light that we see shining through in the end and it looks like Carly, Seth and Brianna will have a very Merry Christmas!
GET YOUR COPY HERE:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YG3S9W8/ref

  Melinda Leigh is a fully recovered banker. A life-long lover of books, she started writing as a way to preserve her sanity while raising her kids. Over the next few years, she learned a few things about writing a book and decided the process was way more fun than analyzing financial statements. Melinda's debut novel, SHE CAN RUN, was nominated for Best First Novel by the International Thriller Writers. Her bestselling books have twice been nominated for the Daphne du Maurier Award.
Melinda holds a 2nd degree belt in Kenpo Karate. She's dabbled in Arnis stick fighting, studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and taught women's self-defense. She lives in a messy house in the suburbs with her husband, two kids, a couple of shelter dogs and two rescue cats who clearly run the show. With such a pleasant life, she has no explanation for the sometimes dark and disturbing nature of her imagination. Find out more about Melinda by visiting melindaleighauthor.com    This wasn’t how Police Chief Zane Duncan expected to spend his first Christmas with fellow officer and girlfriend Stevie Taylor. But when a local motel calls in the discovery of a dead body, the couple’s holiday takes a grim turn. This is the second murder in Solitude within the week, despite the fact that their primary suspect is already in custody. Together, Zane and Stevie must face a disturbing truth—their small town may be harboring two killers.
As their investigation digs deep into the backgrounds of newcomers and longtime residents alike, Zane and Stevie also struggle to adjust to life under the same roof. Even if the stress of homicides and cohabitation don’t bring an end to the couple, the murderer lying in wait just might.
  MY REVIEW:   Dead in Her Tracks by Kendra Elliot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dead in her Tracks by Kendra Elliot is a 2015 Montlake Publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book in the Rogue Winter novella arc. The first book is “Track of Her Tears” by Melinda Leigh and I highly recommend reading it first, if possible, since the two stories tie in together. However, this one can be read a stand alone too.
Zane and Stevie have their hands full on Christmas day when the body of a young girl is found in a seedy motel room and the prime suspect is already sitting in jail. When a shocking and unexpected hitch in the case occurs, Zane and Stevie must start all over at square one to determine who is killing young women in Solitude.
On the personal side of things Zane is finally getting Stevie to consider taking the next step in their relationship, especially now that Stevie sees her mother's predictions seem to be accurate after all.
This is another well written, fast paced thriller by Kendra Elliot, and for such a short story, this one packs a solid punch. This is certainly not your typical holiday reading, that's for sure.
But, never fear, there are a few lighter moments and some really sweet romantic gestures too, which will put all the lurid crime elements into perspective in the end.
I really love this series and hope to see a lengthier novel- or two- in the near future.
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YG3S9UU/ref=

 Kendra Elliot grew up in the lush Pacific Northwest and still lives there with her husband, three daughters, two cats, and a Pomeranian. She's fascinated with forensics, refuses to eat anything green, and loves a strong Mai Tai on the beach on Kauai.
The BONE SECRETS NOVELS: HIDDEN, CHILLED, BURIED, ALONE, and VEILED (a novella.) KNOWN coming JAN 2016.
The CALLAHAN & McLANE novels are a spin-off of the Bone Secrets books. VANISHED, BRIDGED, SPIRALED, and a fourth coming Summer 2016.
BURIED was a 2014 International Thriller Writers finalist, a 2014 Daphne Du Maurier winner, and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice finalist.