Showing posts with label D.V. Berkom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label D.V. Berkom. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Cargo by DV Berkom - Review and Giveaway


This review is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. DV Berkom will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Haunted by memories of an op gone bad, former assassin Leine Basso travels to Bangkok in search of a missing backpacker. With help from an old contact, she discovers the man responsible for the girl’s disappearance is connected to a violent Hong Kong triad and is the linchpin of an extensive trafficking network—both animal and human.

Making enemies isn’t new for Leine, but making one in the triad is—she soon finds herself a prisoner onboard a cargo ship headed for sub-Saharan Africa. To ensure her survival and to continue her hunt for the missing girl, she must join forces with Derek, an ivory poacher who promises to help her.

For a price.

Another great book from DV Berkom--I absolutely love her kickass heroine Leine Basso. This is the fourth book in the series (you can read my review of the book just before this one here, but it can be read as a standalone. However, you don't have to because for a limited time, DV is offering the first three books as a boxed set and it's ON SALE! Treat yourself to an early Christmas present!

Leine Basso is not a woman to mess around with. She is doing a favor for a friend and looking for said friend's daughter, who has gone missing on a backpacking trip to Bangkok. Leine finds way more than she expects, though, when it turns out Kylie is more than just missing--and it will take all of Leine's skills and former contacts to retrieve her from a very dangerous situation.

I don't want to say too much for fear of giving away spoilers, but this is definitely a book you do not want to put down once you start--so I recommend you don't start it if you have an appointment soon (or dinner to get ready). The action is non-stop!

I love all the characters (even the bad guys... you're gonna love to hate 'em!) and I really liked Derek-- I would love to see a series with him as he continues his path in Africa (just a hint, DV). And Leine is just as kickass as ever. She does not put up with anything from anyone-- and it was great to see an unmovable force in the person of Leine meet an immovable object in the case of Derek-- both strong characters and both determined in their own way.

Great job! I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series. 4 flowers! Take a look at one of the scenes from this book.

With a deep inhale, she low-crawled to the apex of the roof, expecting to feel the hot bite of a bullet with each meter gained, or, alternatively, the hair-raising buzz and crack of a lightning strike. The storm hadn’t yet washed away the dirt and dust on Derek’s roof. The resulting slurry made progress even more challenging.

She reached the top and removed the rifle, then released the bipod, setting it up so only the tip of the barrel cleared the roofline. She lay on her stomach, flipped up the front and rear dust covers on the scope and sighted on the house across the street. Her body relaxed into the most efficient position naturally, as though it hadn’t been years since she’d done this. Muscle memory was a powerful thing, especially after spending hours upon hours learning a specific weapon.

Part of her missed the familiarity. This was something she was good at.

Leine scanned the area across the street through the night scope, pausing at the positions she might have chosen, but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. She wondered where the police were, or if anyone had called them. The neighbors had probably confused the crack of gunfire with the sound of the storm.

She kept coming back to a dark area near the house across the street. All she could make out at first were two garbage bins. She scanned the bushes next to them.

A shadow near one of the bins moved. A man in a dark shirt and pants broke away from the house and headed across the street in a crouch, a machine gun in both hands.


About the Author:
DV Berkom is a slave to the voices in her head. As the bestselling author of two award-winning thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of creating resilient, kick-ass women characters stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female equivalent within those pages.

Raised in the Midwest, she earned a BA in political science from the University of Minnesota and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Several cross-country moves later, she now lives just outside of Seattle, Washington with the love of her life, Mark, a chef-turned-contractor, and several imaginary characters who like to tell her what to do. Her most recent books include Cargo, The Body Market, Bad Traffick, A One Way Ticket to Dead, and Yucatán Dead.

Website: http://www.dvberkom.com
Blog: http://dvberkom.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DvBerkomAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dvberkom
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dvberkom
Google+: http://google.com/+DVBerkom
Instagram: https://instagram.com/dvberkom/
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/oMUb1Z US or http://amzn.to/pBwClD UK
Smashwords Profile: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dvberkom

Buy Cargo at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, May 11, 2015

The Body Market by DV Berkom - Review and Giveaway


This review is in conjunction with a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post during the tour. Click the banner above for other stops on the tour.

A retired assassin is called in when a celebration south of the border turns into a nightmare.

Everything's for sale...

Former assassin Leine Basso is hired by a wealthy Beverly Hills power couple to find their missing daughter, Elise, who was last seen partying with her boyfriend at a club in Tijuana. At first, police believe the two teenagers are the victims of a carjacking. But when Leine finds their missing vehicle with the boyfriend’s mutilated body inside, and the local cartel warns her away, she knows if Elise isn’t already dead, she will be soon, or worse.

In the lethal world of organized crime, there’s always a worse.

As Leine races to uncover the reason behind Elise Bennett’s disappearance, she must also battle the powerful interests fighting to keep her from the truth.

MY REVIEW:

I really enjoyed this book. You can tell that it's part of the series (in fact, I discovered it's book three of the series--the first two being Serial Date and Bad Traffick.  However, it is definitely a standalone.  The author gives enough clues so you know there is a backstory you don't know, so there's also enough character development within the story itself that you don't feel like you are missing anything.

I really liked the main characters in this book.  Leine is tough, but she also has her tender side, and I like her scenes with Santa-- it really shows that side of her.

The book starts off right in the action and gives the reader a first-hand look at Leine Basso's style and toughness.  This book is very much a page-turner and I could not wait to find out what happened--and the ending was not quite what I was expecting.  Now I have to go back and reread the book to see what clues I might have missed!  I'm also going to be picking up the first two book in the series--I think I might just have found a new auto-buy.  4 flowers and, thanks, Ms. Berkom, for a good read.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

The first man seized him by the arm and shoved him away from the car and onto his knees, aiming a gun at his head. With the weapon still trained on Josh, he reached inside the car and unlocked Elise’s door.

“No!” Elise screamed as the second man wrenched the door open, grabbed her by the hair, and yanked her out of the car. She landed hard on the gravel beside the Porsche. A sharp pain lanced down her leg, followed by the warm, sticky-wetness of blood.

Elise didn’t have time to gain her feet before the man grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the ground. She kicked and squirmed and tried to rake his face with her nails as he dragged her away from the car, losing one of her shoes in the process, but the man never faltered. The moment before he shoved her into the back of the open SUV, Elise managed to twist around and look back at Josh.

Shoulders shaking and head bowed, his wristwatch glinted in the moonlight. A light breeze ruffled his hair.

“Take my car. I promise I won’t report it if you let me go,” he pleaded with the man in front of him.

“I thought you said it wasn’t your car,” the man replied with a smile as he moved behind him.

“I lied. I’m scared. Please don’t kill me. I—I’m only eighteen.” Sobbing now, Josh put his hands up as though they were playing a game and it was time to quit. Elise held her breath. Overwhelming fear tightened her chest and spread to her throat, the nausea in her stomach gaining momentum.

Before she could utter a sound, the man aimed the gun at the back of Josh’s head.

And fired.


DV Berkom is a slave to the voices in her head. As the author of two popular thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of creating resilient, kick-*ss female characters stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female equivalent within those pages. 


Raised in the Midwest, she received her BA in political science from the University of Minnesota and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Many, many cross-country moves later, she now lives near Seattle, Washington with the love of her life, Mark, a chef-turned-contractor, and several imaginary characters who love to tell her what to do.

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Body-Market-Leine-Basso-Thriller-ebook/dp/B00P31LAT6

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Body-Market-Leine-Basso-Thriller-ebook/dp/B00P31LAT6

Global Amazon Link: http://bit.ly/bodymkt

iBooks: http://bit.ly/thebodymktiBooks

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/bodymktBN

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/bodymktSW

KOBO: http://bit.ly/bodymktKOBO

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.dvberkom.com
Blog: http://www.dvberkom.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DvBerkomAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dvberkom
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dvberkom/
Google+: www.google.com/+DVBerkom

Amazon Author Page:
US: http://amzn.to/oMUb1Z
UK: http://amzn.to/pBwClD
Smashwords Profile: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dvberkom

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Yucatan Dead by D.V. Berkom - Review and Giveaway


(Thriller Action/Adventure)



This review is posted in conjunction with a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

"...an unrelenting thriller of a tension-filled novel...Yucatan Dead is the stuff of which blockbuster movies are made...very highly recommended..." ~ Midwest Book Review

"...Yucatan Dead is a gripping thriller with a gutsy heroine and a tightly woven plot; it will no doubt please Berkom's current fans and gather more." ~ Pacific Book Review

"...Yucatan Dead ratchets up the tension from the start as Kate deals with hit women, warring Mexican drug cartels, and unofficial paramilitary organizations. Survival is never a given..." ~ Big Al's Books 'n Pals

She was a dangerous man's lover...now she's his dangerous enemy.

YUCATAN DEAD...

For Kate Jones, being on the run from her former lover--the vicious leader of a Mexican drug cartel--was never going to be easy. But with a new identity, a new lover, and a new life in Arizona, she was beginning to believe she'd made it through the worst.

Then, in an act of twisted revenge, Kate's kidnapped and imprisoned by her deadly enemy, his intention to force her to pay back the money she stole before he kills her.

Fate intervenes and she finds herself working against the cartels deep in the Yucatan with a group of off-the-grid commandos. From peaceful northern Arizona to the steamy jungles of Mexico, Kate Jones must decide for herself if she'll continue to run...

...or turn and fight the evil that pursues her.

My review:

Hang onto your hats, folks, this book is an adrenaline rush from first page to last!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this, especially since it's part of a series -- but no worries, it stands alone just fine. And honestly, once you start reading, you're not going to care much about anything but catching your breath.

Our heroine, Kate, is gutsy and brave, but unfortunately made the bad choice of being involved with a man who turned out to be part of the Mexican drug cartel. She left, helped put him in jail and then went underground. Unfortunately for her, there is nowhere to hide when someone that powerful wants you found.

I don't want to give away any of the story, but just know going in that you'll be on a nonstop rollercoaster ride. No one is safe here, and nothing is certain, even the survival of our protagonist and several other main characters. The author is one of the best thriller authors I've read, and I'm still trying to slow down my heart beat from the rush. If her other books are this crazy and amazingly well written, I have a new auto-buy author to add to my list. So while this book may stand alone, I have every intention of going back and starting from the beginning. And I'll definitely grab the next book, because I HAVE to know what happens next. 5 Flowers and a hearty recommendation that you get your copy now.

About the Author:
DV Berkom is a slave to the voices in her head. As the author of two bestselling thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of creating resilient, kick-*ss female characters stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female equivalent within those pages.

Raised in the Midwest, she received her BA in political science from the University of Minnesota and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Many, many cross-country moves (and several years) later, she now lives just outside of Seattle, Washington with the love of her life, Mark, an ex-chef-turned contractor, and writes every chance she gets.

For more information, please visit her website at www.dvberkom.com.

Buy the book at Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, or iTunes. Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DvBerkomAuthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/dvberkom Website: http://www.dvberkom.com Blog: http://www.dvberkom.wordpress.com Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dvberkom/ Amazon Author Page: US: http://amzn.to/oMUb1Z UK: http://amzn.to/pBwClD a Rafflecopter giveaway