This was not for me I’m afraid. I really wanted to like it but it just didn’t do it for me. I kept reading in the hope it would grab my attention but nothing. The story line is ok, has potential but it didn’t flow very smoothly and lacked passion.

Should you choose to accept this literary mission, London Calling awaits you, my fellow romance book loving friends. This author brings out the big guns here in terms of non-stop MI-6 British intelligence vs Russian agents action, as they square off trying to get their hands on a man who knows too much.

Unfortunately, for Emma Ross, a small town American SWAT police officer, that man is her dearly beloved, but frequently absent father. Yeah, the story line may be centered around him, but she stole the show, at least in my opinion. I absolutely loved her character. Strong, sassy, smart, resilient, and a warrior type heroine that doesn’t back down from a fight are just a few ways to describe her. She’s sucked into this vortex of murder and mayhem on foreign soil with only one goal in mind, rescuing her father. Unfortunately, since she is her father’s only weakness, she becomes a target herself. Good thing she can take a punch just as well as she can give one, folks. Put a gun in her hand and she’s even more of a lethal weapon.

Liam Macknight, the hero, is the leader of a pack of MI-6 agents told to handle this situation. Despite being a trained assassin, who always keeps a laser like focus on the mission, he finds himself conflicted when betrayal leads to bloodshed and loyalty lines get blurred. Ate up with a devastating loss, he’s slow to come around to what’s really going on. Once he does though, it’s still quite a bumpy road. Somehow the conflict between this main couple only added to their chemistry and relationship connection. This despite the fact this book doesn’t have any overly graphic smexy scenes. Passionate kisses give the promise of what they wish they could have together. I think second base is as far as intimate encounters progress. This actually seemed more realistic considering the perilous circumstances they were in and the fact they barely knew or trusted one another. It would have seemed Liam was taking advantage of Emma if it had been otherwise.

The writing flowed like a movie script, and I stayed fully engaged until the very end. There were several twists and turns that had me anxious to see how it would all work out. Normally, I’m tuned out when the plot isn’t mostly about the romantic relationship. Somehow this scenario just seemed to fit.

P.S. The only thing that really bothered me was the set up of Lucy, Liam's friend and co-worker. Her role on the team was basically a prostitute.

Title: London Calling, Author: Veronica Forand, Pages: NL, stand-alone, Russian/British spy backdrop, perilous situations, some graphic violence, resilient/tough as nails/sassy/warrior type police heroine, MI-6 Assassin British agent hero, only one second base steamy scene, romance safe, mostly passionate kisses, innocent people die, heroine is kidnapped/beaten.

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

When reading the description of the novel I was very excited to read it, but I have to say that it was very difficult to get through & at times hard to follow. I went into this thinking that this would be a good read but the story line was a bit far fetched, it wasn’t super exciting. It was difficult to read at times because the writer’s style was odd. It seemed like the author was trying to use different wording & because of it I would end up rereading certain sentences because it sounded off.
Also the story jumped around. First the people disliking each other & then oh, all the sudden sone one has feelings for another person. It was just difficult to get through. Usually I can read a novel fairly quickly but this took me over a week to read because I had a hard time getting through it.

London Calling is an action, adventure, spy, romance stories that is a can't miss story.

The story and characters are straight out of a Mission Impossible theme movie. The author is able to write action scenes that will have readers, running, shooting, driving next to the characters as than race from one moment to the next. Emma is likable and readers will be able to connect with her though the confusing, heart ache and wonder she will endure.

The sexual tension will keep reader wondering if their relationship will blossom of fiz out. Readers will wonder from the second you meet Emma she be able head head back to the states for a normal life after seeing the dark spy world.

Veronica Forand is able to create a wonderful blend of action, story building, characters that grow and change though the time line the author created.

This is a can't miss action adventure story that readers will love. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Entangled Publishing LLC (Amara) for the advance copy of Veronica Forand London Calling.

I struggled with this. Hard. Put it down, walked away, then found a burst of inspiration and went a few chapters at a time, before the whole cycle began again.

And I had an even harder time writing this review of ‘London Calling’, because in every way, this should be the kind of read I dig my claws into but instead turned out to be a book that threw me into the deep end of the pool.

The setup in the beginning—confusing, straight into action, with names and a context that was neck-deep into some honey-trap—left me flailing. And that ominously, set the tone for ‘London Calling’.

Honestly, the plot was one that I could see gaining traction—a woman caught in the middle of spies and their super-secretive ways, the inevitable romance and attraction that comes out of it, the conflict of interest, a couple at odds—but I think it was the execution of it that didn’t work well for me.

Isolated and thrust into a nightmare that she has no part in, Emma Ross kind of made up for this by miraculously transforming from small-town cop to superwoman who beat people at chess and outshot trained snipers…essentially, things that made me incredulous.

Bu up to half way through, I found that Liam Macknight and Emma were not fully in each other’s orbits, and with a superficial relationship built on uncertainty and distrust, there wasn’t enough for me to ‘ship them as a pairing at all. Furthermore, given the periods of separation, I found their connection cursory at best, non-existent at worst. That Macknight thought of Emma as his anchor felt instead more like a crutch based on the sheer number of losses he’d endured, rather than any bond that they’re supposed to share. Essentially, their lack of chemistry and the reluctant romance (if this could even be called a romance) made me skim through the scenes and what I simply felt by the time I started blowing through the pages was just regret for what could have been.

London Calling was a suspenseful and riveting story reminiscent of a Mission Impossible type movie. It was fast-paced, intense and full of action sequences. Macknight and Emma had great banter and a great storyline but I just could not feel their connection to one another as their physical chemistry was somewhat lacking.

I am absolutely in love with slow-burn romances and tons of build up but this romance fell flat for me as it was a fantastic suspense novel (an emphasis more on suspense than anything) with very little romance, sexual tension or chemistry. I have nothing against clean romances because those have more of an emphasis on slow-build/fade to black scenes. But this story seemed like a suspense story with a lackluster romance thrown in with lukewarm kisses and a random half-hearted declaration of love to tie the story together. 

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. 3.5 stars! ~Ratula

I haven’t read much romantic suspense lately, but I’ve been meaning to change that, and the plot of London Calling sounded pretty interesting. Espionage? Kremlin shenanigans? London? Great.

Veronica Forand has a knack for writing suspense stories, and – honestly – it’s a hard genre to get right. Getting those action scenes you have in your head onto the page so they read the way you’ve imagined them is SO much harder than it seems, but Forand can do it.

The author has also done some good research. Some authors in the genre don’t bother with all the little details, and write about their settings and the government agencies their characters deal with in very bland terms, but that’s not the case with this book. The details are there, and a look at the author’s blog tells me she takes her research seriously.

However, I feel the need to do a bit of nitpicking: WHY do all the British characters speak in perfect American English? It’s the basic stuff that’s wrong: vacation instead of holiday, asshole instead of arsehole, windshield instead of windscreen, cookies instead of biscuits, pants instead of trousers. And “buddy” is a term of endearment I’ve only ever heard in North America.

This is just British English #101, and I feel like an editor should have noticed if the author did not.

However, I’ll forgive her the mix-up with Eastern European naming customs (different gender; different surname), as it wasn’t a major thing in the book.

That aside, I’m always happy to dip back into the romantic suspense genre to find someone who knows how to write their action and adventure, and this was an original plotline borrowing from present-day events – exactly the sort of suspense I want to read.

Loved this book! Emma, a small town cop in the states, rushes to England to tend to her dad after a call luring her there. Once she arrives, against her will, she is placed in the custody of MI6. Macknight is the team leader and he doesn't trust her and isn't answering her questions. Each time she tries to get away, something else even more dangerous occurs. Macknight isn't above using a bit of romance to keep Emma contained and cooperative, but what happens when he falls a bit for his own act?

I thoroughly enjoyed the fast paced action in this novel and loved the push/pull between Emma and Macknight. I felt invested in the characters, especially Emma's, as the small town girl suddenly pulled into something she didn't understand. When paired with Macknight, an engaging "alphahole", the sparks fly.

If you enjoy the genre, you will love this book. I couldn't put this one down and it should be at the top of your TBR list. The author is on my must read authors' list.

When small town cop Emma Ross is flown in from New Hampshire to London when her father is reported missing from the M16, she is held hostage against her will until they can confirm his whereabouts. Under the protection by the overbearing Scotsman Liam Macknight, a whirlwind action-packed adventure ensues. The question is would they be able to trust each long enough to rescue her father? Or would they fall apart before they ever start?

Needless to say, holy mackerel! This was not what I was expecting when I picked up this series. Page after page is a real action-packed edge-of-the-seat suspense romance novel I seriously couldn’t put it down until I found out what happened to Emma and Liam relationship, the whereabouts of Emma’s father and their partner in crime Owen. It’s hard to come across strong, independent female characters in suspense romances. Either they tend to be winey and childish or a little too badass for me that it becomes too unrealistic. The brunette beauty was a perfect blend of everything in between and like a puzzle piece, fit perfectly alongside Liam. The characters are well drawn and there wasn't one I disliked (for once), the writing style was perfection, and the premise captivating.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love spy romances, the thrill and the adventure hightens the anticipation of possible passionate love. Although Emma is an incredibly talented and strong heroine, I felt the author didn't allow us to truly see her potential as Liams equal. I felt she softened too much when he was around and he was too busy protecting her and keeping his distance to really appreciate her skills.
Despite this the story was entertaining.