P.I. Zoe Harrington and FBI Agent Carver Banks take the spotlight in DEADLY RUMORS, the third book of this series. Zoe’s life is being threatened, and Carver takes on the task of protecting her without her knowledge. Carver makes his home in Maryland, and Zoe lives in New York, but Carver’s plan to protect our heroine takes them across the country. In her line of business, Zoe has made plenty of enemies. This time it is no rumor that she is a marked target. It’s real and deadly.
The Epilogue delivers a delightful double HEA. You’ll get that when you read the book. DEADLY RUMORS is an enjoyable and engaging story. I recommend it if you like a little suspense mixed in with romance. I also recommend the other two books of the series, RUMOR HAS IT and I HEARD A RUMOR. Although they can be read as stand-alones, the stories are linked through the characters who transition from one book to the next.

I love this book. The suspense was great the romance in the book was great. I even enjoyed the humor.

Carver Banks is determined to keep Zoe Harrington safe, but the only way he sees that happening is by deceiving her. However, Zoe is determined to help with his case while getting her way by charging the FBI double her fee. Yet, when Zoe discovers the truth about why Carver really wanted her involvement for the case, she feels betrayed. Will Carver be able to prove to Zoe that he was only doing what he thought was right, or will he lose the woman he loves because of another error in judgment that could put her in the path of danger?

Having not read the first two books of this series, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to get into the characters as much as I would have if I'd read the first two books, but I can say without a doubt that this book can be read as a stand-alone. The way this story started sets the fast-pace of the story and definitely drew me in quickly, as I wanted to know why Zoe was being targeted by a madman and whether Carver would be able to keep her safe. However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine came face-to-face for the first time in this story where things really started to get interesting, as there's plenty of tension between the two main characters that had me wondering what the hero did that makes the heroine so unfriendly towards him.

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to this couple's history that makes the heroine so hesitant to forgive and forget what the hero did to her in the past. However, the heroine is resilient, courageous and I liked how determined she was to prove to her family that she can take care of herself and that they don't have to be so overprotective. I also liked how tenacious she was when it came to her job as a PI and that she didn't give up until she had the answers. Yet, what I liked most of all about the heroine was her feistiness and that she stood up to the hero while fighting her attraction to him. While the hero, he's confident, cocky and I liked how determined he was to win the heroine over, even though it isn't easy because of what he did in the past. I also liked how determined he was to keep Zoe safe, even though he's deceiving her and knowing that when she finds out he's going to have to defend himself because Zoe will be completely livid.

Overall, Ms. Hodges has delivered a really good read in this book where the pages flew by because of the tension between this couple that creates great chemistry; and the ending had me on the edge-of-my-seat, as the heroine faces her enemies. Will she come out victorious against the people after her? Will Carver be able to protect her? However, what happened to one of the main characters took me totally by surprise and I liked how Zoe's brother helped her to deal with what happens. The way they tease each other had me smiling, because her brother can be pretty overprotective. Yet, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up nicely, as Carver is determined to prove to Zoe that they can have the love and happiness that her brother and his wife have, if she's willing to compromise and hopefully give him the answer he wants to a very important question. I would recommend Deadly Rumors by Cheris Hodges, if you enjoy romantic suspense, the enemy to lovers trope, or books by authors Candace Shaw, Rochelle Alers, Brenda Jackson and Synithia Williams.

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.

Cheris Hodges new book, Deadly Rumors revisits the Harrington family. This time, the focus in on Zoe Harrington. Zoe is a former NYC cop, now turned PI. FBI agent Carver Banks is a blast from her past. The two work on a case together, but is there more to the story. They are like oil and water. Two stubborn people working together makes an interesting story. Deadly Rumors started out slow and picked up a little bit. I usually enjoy Cheris Hodges' books. This one took me a while to enjoy. Overall, not a bad book. It was good to catch up with Zoe's twin, Zach.

I simply loved this book. I started reading and did not want to put it down, so I didn't until is was finished with it. The feisty character of Zoe was so fun and amazing, she was independent and fought Carver every step of the way. Carver was a FBI agent that met Zoe a while ago while he was acting like someone he was not, they had n attraction that was instant but made Zoe question every thing. Now she is a PI working with Carver once again, the attraction is stronger but she is still fighting it, what will happen next; them or Zoe finding out happiness was an illusion? Thank you for allowing me to read this and write a honest review.

Deadly Rumors by Cheris Hodges is nothing more than a toddler fighting with their older sibling.
Nothing about this story makes since an FBI agent lying to a PI to keep her safe. Zoe is suppose to be a strong female instead she is comes off a brat, loud, with very little redeeming qualities. Carver comes across an idiot. The fact we are present with all the facts from bad guys to good guys within the first few chapters makes readers feel as if they are not smart enough to figure it out on their own. The romance was teenage writing at best. The "sexual tension" the author was trying to create was Juvenal and childish at best.
I wanted to enjoy this story instead I struggled to figure out why it was even written.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy

I really wanted to love this book...but just didn't quite connect. I liked the character of Zoe a lot! She's fierce and awesome and any female PI who has made it her life's work to bring down bad guys is okay with me. My problem was with Carver. The romance part of this story is a 2nd chance at love--2 years ago, Zoe hooked up with Carver, not realizing he was undercover and using her to close a case. My issue is that the **ENTIRE PLOT** of this book is him lying to her again. It's to protect her from a killer who's after her, but that doesn't change the fact that he's doing to her again the same thing that so infuriated her the first time they were together.

There's quite a bit going on plot-wise, and it honestly wasn't as cleanly fashioned as I needed it to be. There's quite a bit of head-hopping, and some of the plot points/timeline just didn't make sense to me. However, I don't read tons of romantic suspense, so it wasn't that big of a deal. I definitely had some lingering questions, but maybe it's just me. I was so distracted by the set up of Carver lying to her that I may very well not have been giving the stalker plot my best attention.

I left this review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2157340924