This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story.The side characters were such an integral part of this story as well. This is the love story i needed to read at this time. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you

Carla Cassidy knows how to write stories with the right amount of suspense along with a touch of romance. FBI Agent Lara Grant and her team are investigating a bomber, one target the police station, the other a smoothie shop. The evidence shows the bombs are connected by how. This story gives enough backdrop to understand Lara. This is entertaining without being too dark. Great Read!

A short but good read. Here we have Laura Grant, an FBI agent just coming off a big undercover case looking to "live" again. She's called on an interesting case that involves someone from her past that she thought was long dealt with.


Fast paced, full of action and suspense. Laura is a tough cookie that has seen and done some things she isn't proud of. She just wants to get back to work and find some type of normality but her past won't let her. I can't wait to read the other 7 novels in this series.

A fast read but only part of the story. I thought this was the first book from the title and the ending left me without an ending. FBI Lara Grant has a history that has come back to haunt her. Bombings in several buildings, one a police station, have the Crisis Management Unit working non-stop to catch the bomber before it can happen again. Lara is also trying to solve her mother’s murder that happened 20 years ago reminding me of the TV show, CASTLE. Rather had a book that winds up the story.

A serial type book. Story is nice. It starts with lots of action, police procedures.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher

I really loved the serial format of the Tough Justice series by authors Carla Cassidy, Tyler Anne Snell, Emmy Curtis and Janie Crouch that Harlequin published last year. Each installment blended from each one pretty seamlessly, even though each author wrote two installments in the eight part serial featuring FBI agent Lara Grant. And these four fabulous authors are back again with another set of eight in the latest part of Lara Grant’s story, Tough Justice Countdown.

In the first part of Tough Justice Countdown, written by Carla Cassidy, a serial bomber is taking down seemingly random spots around Manhattan, and Lara and the other agents in her Crisis Management Unit within the FBI must work with Homeland Security to find who’s responsible before anyone else is killed. While Lara is still suffering from the demons left by her last big case and the scar that was her mother’s murder when Lara was a little girl, she’s a hard-working, determined agent who’ll toe the line and bring the bad guy to justice. But her partner Nick is much more straight and narrow and they’re walking on eggshells around each other after their fling has gone bad, so working together isn’t as easy as it should be. Luckily, their other agents are up to the challenge of flushing out the bombers and will leave no stone unturned–even if they dig up dirt that would have been better left undisturbed.

I really loved Lara as a character. Even though she has a sadness around her, she can still do her job and leave her personal problems at home for the most part. She’s not completely fearless at her job, so she is very human and very likable. Nick is still very much interested in Lara and wants back in her personal life, but he’s not sure how to break through to her. He sees that she’s very fragile on the inside, and he doesn’t want to push. The rest of the side characters that you’re introduced to in part 1 are fleshed out and realistic. Even the one-and-done witnesses/victims aren’t one note–they are vivid, developed people.

I give Tough Justice Countdown Part 1 an 4.5 out of 5. I love how you can read each installment in this serial in a few hours, and still get a well-rounded story that is fleshed out and enjoyable. The sights and sounds of Manhattan come to life, and the crime scenes are vivid as well. Lara, Nick, and the other agents are hot on the trail of the bomber, and at the end of part 1 they have someone who has confessed, but he has a very personal connection to one of their own. Can they trust that this is a real lead or a setup? I can’t wait to dive into part 2 and the rest of the serial since all 8 parts are available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks.

Great book. I really enjoyed reading it. Great suspense that kept me reading. I look forward to the next book by this author.

Well written story. Plot line was easy to follow. The story was steadily paced.

I've read every part of the series so far and I loved them all. They keep adding to the story that keeps your interest.

Tough Justice Countdown is a thriller written by 4 different authors and is being released in eight installments. For this tour, I read the first installment written by Carla Cassidy. Lara Grady is an FBI agent who works for the Crisis Management Unit. She and her team are tasked with finding out who is setting off bombs in the city.

I definitely enjoyed the first installment. I was sucked in enough that I am looking forward to finishing out the series to see what happened next. I do have some mixed feelings about not having read the first series involving these characters. I think readers would benefit from reading the first set before this one. In the recaps, there are some spoilers that I fear might ruin things if I go back and read series one after this one. At the same time, the recaps did allow me to see more into the characters to get a feel for them in this installment. I never really felt like I was missing anything that took away from my enjoyment.

I look forward to reading the rest of the installments. I want to know who is bombing New York City and why.

At 85 pages, Tough Justice Countdown (Part I) is a quick read, more a novella than a short story. It opens, almost literally with a *boom* – a bomb threat that is actually (apparently) followed through on within the first couple of pages. It’s an amazing way to start off a series, and from that moment, I felt like we were racing through an adventure reminiscent of the best episodes of shows like 24 and Person of Interest.

FBI agents Nick and Lara – especially Lara, as this is really her story more than anyone else’s quickly became very real to me, as much so as if they were crime-solving partners in a movie or television series (Netflix needs to buy this series. Seriously.), and I liked the way they were effective partners while actively working, but also supported each other emotionally. This is a Harlequin series so I’m assuming there will be overt romance in later installments (I have them all, but am reviewing this one without having read the rest, because I didn’t want to color my perceptions with too much foreknowledge), so I’m going on record: I ship Lara/Nick.

Obviously there were many other characters. Victoria was a standout for me, as were Xander and James.

I liked the way the procedural parts of this story were full of brisk professionalism, and included some of that hurry-up-and-wait sense that is so prevalent when you’re waiting for information, or trying to connect dots.

Overall, I thought this was a gripping story with likeable characters, and I recommend it, and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Goes well with pastrami and swiss on rye with good mustard and a bottle of vanilla seltzer or cherry coke.

I'm enjoying this series, and am anxious to know what will happen to the main character, Casey. The storylines have kept me interested and wondering what will be next.

In this second book of the series, Casey is still running and hiding after being falsely accused of her friend's murder. Dylan, a former military investigator, has been hired as a PI by the police department to find Casey, but he has been convinced of her innocence and is secretly trying to clear her name. The police officers who actually committed the murder are searching for Casey so that they can get rid of her before she causes them more trouble. Casey inadvertently becomes involved in a situation where a vice principal of a school is accused of molesting a student. She soon clues in on what has actually happened and she is determined to make things right. Things don't go as she has hoped, and soon she is in the midst of another situation that puts her in even more danger.

I really enjoyed this book, but was a little disappointed by one aspect. [After Casey saved the kidnap victim in the last book, I really thought she would be able to rescue Cole from his bad situation. I was so sad when he was killed instead. That makes me a little afraid of how Casey's own situation will turn out. (hide spoiler)]I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen next, and I am really rooting for all to turn out well for both Casey and Dylan. I want to see the bad police offers get their due! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I missed the first Tough Justice series and was able to read this with no problems. I will however go back and read the first set:) This short read starts off with action and continues at a face clip. Suspense, a little mystery, and bam hooked. If you dont have a lot of time, but still want a book to take you away,. read Tough Justice: Countdown by Carla Cassidy. I received this from Netgalley and vo;volunteered to review with my honest opinion.

Serials are a waste of money and aggravating. It's like, you get into the story and then it stops and is done.

A great start to this 8 part series featuring Lara Grant. Loved the last series this character was in and this book didn't disappoint. Look forward to moving on to the next book.

There was nothing likable about these characters or the storyline. Sorry - I hate giving bad reviews but I didn't enjoy it at all...

This book is being released as a serial or a series of novellas. This first episode is one that reaches right out and grabs the reader. We get a chance to know Lara Grant rather well for the shortness of this episode and so far I can say that she is an interesting person. Driven by her need for justice and haunted by her last case.

I normally avoid serials because I hate to wait for the next episode to arrive. In this case however they all came out rather close together. I do recommend this novella to my readers who enjoy edge of your seat tension and kick ass heroines.

*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

In the prologue a mad bomber tries to blackmail a man into going public with his sins in order to keep the bomb from going off. We never hear about those two again, as the rest of the story has FBI agents looking for the bad guy, with little to go on except that at each bombing someone was told to leave before things go boom.
It’s difficult to give a grade to part of a story, though it helps to know going in that it wouldn’t finish here. The set-up was okay, and there’s good characterization of the lead, though I do wonder what’s causing this sudden—welcome—surge in fictional female FBI agents.

Tough Justice: Countdown is the eight-part second season in the Tough Justice series with Carla Cassidy writing the first and second episodes, Tyler Anne Snell the third and seventh, Emmy Curtis the fourth and sixth, and Janie Crouch the fifth and eighth. Going into this, I had no clue that there had been a previously released season, and the eight episodes had individual titles. After having read this second season, I’m itching to read the first one because I’m curious about FBI Special Agent Lara Grant, who is part of the Crisis Management Unit, especially since the events in the first season were alluded to more than once in this new season. I’d also like to see how the CMU was established and how her relationships with her partners and fellow agents developed.
FBI Special Agent Lara Grant and the rest of the Crisis Management Unit are called to the scene of a second bombing, this time leading to the deaths of too many police officers. In both cases, one individual was spared. This serial bomber is going after powerful individuals in the city, and with each threat he makes, he gives them an option: confess your dirty secrets to the public or remain silent and watch others die with each bomb that’s triggered. Lara and the team are on borrowed time, but what happens when Lara becomes the latest target of the serial bomber? He says he knows her deepest and darkest secret, a secret Lara would prefer to keep hidden. When she’s the one who needs to decide, will Lara’s choice set her free or will it imprison her to her fate?
I have to give credit to the first episode, which was written by Carla Cassidy, because it had me absolutely hooked from the very beginning. Cassidy established this almost palpable feeling of suspense and tension and the three other authors—Tyler Anne Snell, Emmy Curtis, Janie Crouch—did amazingly well as the proverbial baton was passed on from one to the other and back until we were left with a complete story that was still able to tease us about what Lara Grant had to look forward to in the next season. It was actually difficult to tell the four authors’ writing apart because everything just came together so seamlessly, leaving me impressed and itching for more of Lara in season three and to meet her in season one. 4.5 stars for Tough Justice: Countdown. ♥

I don't usually read a lot of romantic suspense, but this series of short novellas really attracted my attention. Its the first book in a 8 series set, and wow! This story will get you going.

The prologue will pull you in with hints of a political scandal and blackmail. The rest is just amazing, especially for a story of this length. Its only about 85 pages long

Lara is really a tough as nails woman. Not what you'd expect from a Harlequin novel. She had a bit of a thing with her partner, Nick, so you have some tension there as they work to solve the case of the bombings, but there's really no hearts and flowers romance in this story.

Carla Cassidy is an awesome writer. She gets the story moving along, as the team work to figure out who is setting off random bombs in NYC. It gives you a good introduction to all the key players, besides Lara, and Nick (Lara does have secrets that may remind you of a certain female character in the TV series Castle) James, Xander, Victoria etc.

The cliffhanger ending will leave you clamoring for more.

If you are looking for a fast paced quick read. This is definitely it.