Great story by Monica McCabe. Really thrilling read, great characters and an enjoyable story. Highly recommend to others!!

This having been the first book by this author I’ve read, I quickly fell in love with writing and wished I'd discovered her books before now. Even though I came into the series late, I didn't feel lost in any aspects...this actually could be read as a stand alone which made it that much more enjoyable.

What I found the most intriguing was that I started reading the story expecting one type of a story, but got so much more. There was the perfect mixture of romance...with the intimacy handled quite tastefully... suspense, and unexpected locals. Overall I truly enjoyed the writing and the story premise itself.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

3.5 stars. I liked it. I want to read more in the series, though it looks as if the other books have different characters. This was twisty, fun, sexy, and full of adventure.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Phantom Pearl", as romantic suspense is my favorite genre. Special Agent Dallas Landry and treasure hunter Riki Maddox are on opposite sides of the law while they both search for the pearl. There are tensions in the hunt and awareness of each other on both sides. Dallas has a job to do in retrieving the pearl, but Riki seems to keep getting in his way. Riki is a firecracker and has her reasons for wanting to find the pearl. With Dallas having a soft spot for Riki, trying to save her from a prison sentence just might be more than he can achieve. Add in a few others to the hunt for the pearl, and you have a well constructed fast paced story of intrigue, suspense, drama and love. The author doesn't just put words on a page, but draws the reader into the story to travel along with the H and h. The tension going on with Dallas and Riki, as their awareness of each other grows, comes to a satisfying conclusion as they reach their HEA. For romantic suspense readers, this is one for your library. I would like to thank NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Lyrical Press for gifting me "Phantom Pearl". My opinion is my own. This is mine. 4.25 Stars!

A Monica McCabe Jewel Intrigue novel book three it can, however, be read as a stand-alone. I love action adventure romance books, when I read the blurb for this one I said I had to read it. It is a really nice read I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of a mix of Lara Croft and the Pink Panther, except in this case Inspector Clouseau is a really sexy Homeland Security Special Agent.

Riki Maddox has treasure hunting in her blood, her father did it before her and when he was murdered by the Yakuza her father's friend who was there when he died took her in and trained her to be the best treasure hunter out there; Riki's only goal is to seek vengeance against the Yakuza. Her new guardian is also her fence he sends her off to get certain things and she brings them back to him. The latest artifact for her retrieval is the Phantom Pearl which disappeared during WWII an item that once belonged to the Yakuza and one they would do anything to obtain again. Riki has an idea of where it is and she must get there before they do.

Special Agent Dallas Landry works Homeland Security and part of his job is the acquiring and returning of artifacts to their native lands to ensure good relations with other countries. He's normally really good at his job except for the times he's crossed paths with Riki she has always managed to slip between his fingers at every turn. Dallas has a heads up this time and able to meet Riki there before she makes off with the Phantom Pearl. With the presence of the Yakuza Dallas convinces Riki it's best if they work together especially since the Yakuza was able to snatch the Phantom Pearl away from Riki and Dallas. Working together now Dallas and Riki must figure out a way to steal back the Phantom Pearl before they take it back to Japan. Riki's past and her deceased father activities when he was murdered come up and Riki learns the truth about her father, her guardian, and the Yakuza.

Overall, I loved this book. You can really tell the amount of research Monic McCabe put into this book the active setting is remarkable. The romance between Riki and Dallas is great, the sexual chemistry is palpable and when they finally get together, wow.

Dallas works for Homeland Security and Riki works for her own interests. They've played cat and mouse for a couple of years and now are both after the Phantom Pearl believed lost during WWII.

Packed with suspense, I enjoyed this book. Dallas and Riki have good chemistry, but the steam factor in this book is less than I expected. From Australia to Singapore, this adventure takes place in several locales and the secondary characters provide entertainment.

Good book I would recommend.

Riki Maddox and Dallas Landry are after an ancient artifact called the Phantom Pearl.  They are both in the artifact recovery business but for different sides so they consider each other a rival. Riki had scored and the more recent finds and enjoys rubbing that in Dallas' face. Being bested is not what Dallas wants as he is widely the butt of many jokes back at Homeland Security. He jumps at a chance to best Riki by going after the Pearl as well.  This scavenger hunt takes them to mountains of Australia. Many adversaries join the chase and we have a race to the finish!

I loved the Phantom Pearl!!  What a tumultuous ride!!  Such an exciting ride that has you reading at breakneck speed just to find out what happens!!  I was immediately hooked on the setting and the background story of Riki and Dallas. There is a lot of WWII history given which drags you in. I loved the story of the pearl itself and it was totally plausible given the rollout within the book and history presented! You always think of treasure hunting in the ocean, but I loved the backdrop of the mountains of Australia. This book dove right in and I took off running with it!  Yes, it's a romance, but the story around it is very intriguing.  Lots of action, suspense, even some humor along the way!

I loved Riki and Dallas!  Riki is a tough girl! Trained by the best to be able to handle any situation by herself with ease! She's true to her word and if she says you're going down, I'd believe her!  Dallas- what a sweetheart! He's a charmer for sure and such a romantic at heart!  I could easily see them together so the couple clicked with me. My only complaint- their quiet sexy times were left to my imagination! Boo!!  I generally don't mind a clean read, but I seriously wanted to read what sexy Dallas was getting down to with Riki!!

The Jewel Intrigue series are all stand alone books as each treasure hunting adventure is different. Monica McCabe has put herself in my sights! Phantom Pearl is a winner and I can't wait to read what adventure she pens next!!

reviewed by Deb

Riki Maddox and Dallas Landry are after an ancient artifact called the Phantom Pearl.  They are both in the artifact recovery business but for different sides so they consider each other a rival. Riki had scored and the more recent finds and enjoys rubbing that in Dallas' face. Being bested is not what Dallas wants as he is widely the butt of many jokes back at Homeland Security. He jumps at a chance to best Riki by going after the Pearl as well.  This scavenger hunt takes them to mountains of Australia. Many adversaries join the chase and we have a race to the finish!
 
I loved the Phantom Pearl!!  What a tumultuous ride!!  Such an exciting ride that has you reading at breakneck speed just to find out what happens!!  I was immediately hooked on the setting and the background story of Riki and Dallas. There is a lot of WWII history given which drags you in. I loved the story of the pearl itself and it was totally plausible given the rollout within the book and history presented! You always think of treasure hunting in the ocean, but I loved the backdrop of the mountains of Australia. This book dove right in and I took off running with it!  Yes, it's a romance, but the story around it is very intriguing.  Lots of action, suspense, even some humor along the way! 

I loved Riki and Dallas!  Riki is a tough girl! Trained by the best to be able to handle any situation by herself with ease! She's true to her word and if she says you're going down, I'd believe her!  Dallas- what a sweetheart! He's a charmer for sure and such a romantic at heart!  I could easily see them together so the couple clicked with me. My only complaint- their quiet sexy times were left to my imagination! Boo!!  I generally don't mind a clean read, but I seriously wanted to read what sexy Dallas was getting down to with Riki!!

The Jewel Intrigue series are all stand alone books as each treasure hunting adventure is different. Monica McCabe has put herself in my sights! Phantom Pearl is a winner and I can't wait to read what adventure she pens next!!

4 Stars/3 Flames

This book was gifted to me for an honest review. The ratings and review are solely my opinion.

I really liked the story but I failed miserably to form a connection with the characters themselves. While this book wouldn't be one I personally would put on my keep shelf, I'd still recommend it to other readers because of the great story concept.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

This book was not what I expected. I am not a history buff nor do I want a history review while reading. This book gives a lot of background history of the Phantom Pearl at the very beginning and intermittently throughout the book. I have to admit, I skimmed most of it, just picking out the highlights.

Rikki Maddox is a treasure hunter following in her father’s footsteps. He was killed by a Japanese treasure hunter when she was a teenager. She has been hell bent on revenging his death since. Her father’s partner took her in, trained her and gave her a job. She is very good at what she does and is quite able to take care of herself.

Dallas Landry is a Special Agent for Homeland Security. He is a recovery specialist (read treasure hunter). He and Rikki have had run ins before. She has stolen items away from him and made him look bad to his Superiors.

Rikki’s boss gets a lead on the Phantom Pearl and off she goes. Of course, Landry and the Japanese are right behind her.

The story flows well. However, the first 40% or so of the story moves slowly, lots of talk and excessive set up detail (imo) and minimal action. Plus I found a few things in the book a little far fetched.

This is my first book in the series and by this author. I easily read it as a standalone.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Riki Maddox is not your average tomb-raiding treasure hunter. Her targets are carefully chosen to wound her father's killers, the Japanese Yakuza. To thwart their quest to recapture World War II loot initially stolen by Japanese forces, she puts herself in constant danger--and in the sights of a man as driven and as daring as she is.

Homeland Security Special Agent Dallas Landry is a rare breed: an academic with an unmatched lust for adventure. He had a perfect success rate recovering stolen art and antiquities--until he came up against an intriguing menace known as Riki Maddox. She's placed his reputation on the line, and stopping her becomes his number one priority.

Now the two will cross paths once again in Australia--on a quest for the legendary Phantom Pearl, a priceless mammoth tusk carved by 15th century monks. Barely one step ahead of the Yakuza, it's a three-way race to recover the long lost treasure. One Riki is hell-bent to win. But playing games against a federal agent like Dallas will cost more than her freedom. The chase will demand she risk her life and her thirst for revenge--but it just might offer something more to live for...

Review:

What an excellent romantic adventure!

This story was fun and thrilling to read. Packed full of action, adventure, treasure seeking and bad guys. I loved the premise of the story that multiple factions going after long lost World War II treasure. The story is fast-paced and never really slows down or drags. Another thing I really liked is Riki. She is wicked smart, tough, driven everything you want in an action romance heroine. I loved the interaction between Riki and Dallas. Though they have always been working against each other, there is a mutual respect and a little lusting going on between the two. That tension of being on separate sides and still wanting each other lead to some great scenes. The suspense parts of the story were very well done, I kept guessing who had what ulterior motives and what was going to happen next.

This is a new to me Author and she wrote a great story that kept me interested from the beginning until the end of the story. Now, this is book three in the series, but I looked at the blurbs and I could not find any connection other than the theme of the series. Even if there is to me it could be a stand alone, that was wrapped up nicely at the end.

4Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

I looked through all my books for any written by Monica McCabe but Phantom Pearl seems to be the first one I have read by her. This is quite surprising considering this romantic suspense is right up my alley. It has everything I enjoy in a book; tight structured plot with some obvious researched done, two well-developed characters not perfect but likeable, and non-stop action that is as well- constructed as the romance. The fact blends in so well with the fiction it was a pleasure to read. Now if only I had the nerve to go on a treasure hunt of this magnitude with my very own Dallas Landry.

This is a new to be read author for me. However, I will be reading more by this author, starting with the first two books in the series; not because it is needed to enjoy this story. Phantom Pearl is a stand-alone, no cliffhanger but a satisfying HEA book. I can recommend to all suspense romantic reader who love a thrilling story.

An action packed read wrapped in history. This was an okay read for me, it was a bit slow at the beginning. I did like the characters and the story definitely picks up the pace as you get further along. Plenty of drama and suspense and great chemistry between Riki and Dallas.

Third volume in the Jewel Intrigue series of which I reviewed the first volume Diamond Legacy, Phantom Pearl can be read alone without any trouble. We follow here Rikki Maddox, treasure huntress, and Dallas Landry, special agent from Homeland Security charged with recovering lost or stolen arts to give them back to their origin country, when they must team up to try and retrieve the legendary Phantom Pearl lost since the Second World War.

Rikki is passionate for treasure hunt, but also for the need of revenge against the Yakusa who killed her father when she was a teen. She’s quite individualistic, she’s got a hard time trusting people, but she’s loyal to her few friends. She’s also stubborn and very crafty.
Landry has the same job but an official one, and he admires Rikki while regretting she’s working for the bad side. He changes his mind on her little by little when learning to know her, which is a plus as at the beginning they shared mainly animosity, and I was finding their arguments tiresome.
Very quickly we see that behind their mistrust is hiding a strong attraction that will blaze when they’re forced to work together, but I had trouble really believing in the evolution of their feelings so fast (the story takes places on a few days).
The strong point of the book is the suspense side. Rikki, Landry, the Yakusa, and some colorful secondary characters begin by fighting in a race on the tropical mountain’s sides before confronting each other in Singapore, and we almost feel like we’re with them. Like in the first volume, the actions scenes are well described, visual and very gripping. The story of the Phantom Pearl (which is absolutely not a pearl but a sculpted mammoth tusk, go figure) and of the treasure stolen by the Japanese during the Second World War was very interesting, I didn’t know the Japanese stole from the neighboring countries like the Nazis in Europe.

A little drawback for the scene of the final confrontation which seemed too much, and I doubt that would have make so little stir on a harbor as big as Singapore.

I love when you are expecting one type of book and then once you get into the story, it is very different for your expectations. I was looking for a romance from this story but this book is a suspense thriller with a side of sweet, clean love.

The author excels at bringing the heat of the hunt for the mysterious Phantom Pearl right into today. Based on a true story, you easily get caught up in the action from many factions that want this priceless artifact.

With badass characters and action-packed scenes that take you across the world, there is no time to get bored or lose focus. Plus Dallas proved to be a force to be reckoned with, especially when dealing with the misguided, head-strong powerhouse of a girl named Riki. I just love his character. What a sweetie!

A captivating and exciting read.

Romance, revenge, action, and introspection all make for an engaging tale.. I enjoyed my first exposure to this series.

This is the first book I have read by Monica McCabe and I was pleasantly surprised. I was totally engaged in this story. It is a romantic suspense and I thought the plot proceeded beautifully. Riki works for a man who has her “recover” artifacts. Dallas works for Homeland Security and he also recovers artifacts. Their paths have crossed over the last 2 years, but this book gives us the story of their having to work together and finally getting their HEA. I hope this is the beginning of more stories with these characters, at least as secondary characters if not the main one. I loved the development of the plot, the storyline moved along well and I enjoyed the secondary characters. Overall, a really good read. I am happy I read this book and plan to read more of her books. Thanks as always to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

In a story that successfully weaves fact and fiction together, Phantom Pearl is sure to delight any Romantic Suspense reader. Although this is the third Jewel Intrigue novel, all can be considered as stand alone stories and the main thread to this series is the hunting for treasure and the danger, suspense and romance that surrounds that quest.

I happen to love a snarky, sarcastic character. They give me an additional bit of enjoyment in any story, so I was very pleased by the main character’s banter and cutting edge comments. Riki is a strong, stubborn woman with vengeance in mind with every artifact that she “recovers”. Her father’s murderers will pay – eventually. Dallas is a equally strong and stubborn man who has the law on his side and he’s not afraid to use it. He’s been bested by Riki often enough in just missing the artifacts they both are after. So much so that he is determined to get to this one first. What he didn’t expect was to end up working together or to fall for this woman who drives him mad in so many ways.

Without giving away the plot, I believe that any Romantic Suspense reader would enjoy Phantom Pearl and go back to the beginning if they need to catch up with this series. I admit, there are some times when the facts take over the story, and some times when belief or needing common sense must be shelved for the sake of enjoyment of the story. I have a good imagination but sometimes I can’t quite “buy” something. However, those moments were few and didn’t take away my enjoyment of Riki and Dallas’ adventure. If you’re looking for an adventure, then this is the book for you.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*