Cover Image: London Calling

London Calling

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Member Reviews

Ms Forand has never disappointed in the novels that she writes. Her character's are attention grabbing from the start. London Calling is a not to be missed and a must addition to your reading list.
Review copy received from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley

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As a romantic suspense fan, I had high hopes for this based on the description, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. Frankly, I would really have to classify this as "suspense" with a little romance thrown in for good measure. There was really no focus on "the relationship", which is the hallmark of what defines a "romance". I felt as if the author tried too hard to build the sexual tension with an "enemies-to-lovers" based attraction right out of the gate that just seemed forced too early on. Additionally, their relationship didn't seem to grow organically. Emma and Macknight are hot and cold – almost distractedly so. One minute they're describing some minor physical attraction and the next, they're hugging each other tenderly? Throughout the story, they talk about caring for each other, but I didn't see any evidence of an opportunity for those feelings to have developed.

As a reader, I never felt connected or engaged with Emma or Macknight. Emma turns out to be a bit of a "Mary Sue" - she's a sniper-level marksman, a world-class poker player, she's fluent in Russian – which is kind of annoying. And Macknight just never came across as the kind of guy I'd want to fall for/have fall for me.

As for the mechanics of the storytelling, there were some vague comments as to time passing, but for the most part, I had no sense as to whether this took place over the course of days, weeks or months. Because the book was almost all "tell" and no "show", I'm guessing that in conjunction with the vague timeline helped contribute towards my feeling disconnected from the characters.

The "suspense" part of the story was not bad, and had the rest of the story been executed better I think it could have been a decent spy thriller.

*Advance copy provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

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Billed as a romantic suspense, this one is heavy on the suspense and light on the romance. The heroine, Emma, is an American police SWAT officer whose tidy world is upended when she’s called to the UK because her father has gone missing while working for his Big Oil boss. Only it turns out he’s been an MI6 agent all along and now the Russians have him. MI6 must hide Emma to prevent her being used against her father, and that’s where Liam Macknight comes in. Macknight was right there when the bomb went off, his teammate died, and Edward Ross vanished. His suspicious nature leads to him trusting literally nobody, and he always jumps to the worst possible conclusion with information at hand - possibly a useful survival trait for an active operative, but hardly conducive to good romance fodder.

In some ways Emma was fantastic, in that she flatly refused to take things lying down, but her transformation from regular cop to a superwoman who beats trained snipers at shooting, espionage agents at chess and solo escapes from MI6 custody. There were parts where it felt very much like the author was taking a dig at other authors in the genre, where Emma thinks to herself “Only in a fantasy would a woman crave sex with her captor while imprisoned in a basement. Nothing was romantic about a relationship with a screwed-up power dynamic.”

There’s a great deal of truth to that, at least in real life, but knocking other people’s fantasies is tacky at best - and hypocritical besides, because Emma absolutely does start falling for Macknight in this screwed-up power dynamic. Or at least, claims she does, because I couldn’t remotely see why, or sense any chemistry between the two of them.

British spies talking with American accents and terminology is just one of the many, many things that annoyed me about this book. For a story which claims to be a romantic suspense, there’s precious little romance and far too many pointed digs at the genre - a huge mistake when there are bound to be lots of fans OF that genre reading this book. This had loads of potential with an intriguing premise, but the author fell into a lot of pitfalls along the way and I finished the book feeling thoroughly dissatisfied. One star.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.

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Having read one other book by this author and liking her writing when I seen this it called to me. The plot of this one is the sort I eat up especially when really good. Emma and Liam take you on this adventure with you wanting to buckle up for the ride. The chemistry and stubbornness is just part of the deliciousness of this one. The questions that come along with your going along to get the answers fast. The most fabulous thing of this that is sometimes becoming rare is that is full of the story without alot of erotica when it comes to the interaction between the two characters. Romance is wonderful it is why I read many I do but sex is between and no two alike so getting not a blow by blow of it refreshing in this action romance. She knows how to keep us dangling but also race our blood but give us a excellent run.

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Despite having issues with men and guns on the covers of my romance novels, this spy/intrigue romantic suspense with an enemies to lovers/forced proximity element and a cover model with an undercut prompted me to give it a try. However, I would liken my reading experience to watching a pulpy action movie. Sure, it’s fun, but one look at the details and it all falls apart.

If you’re a reader who prefers their romantic suspense on the lighter side, this book will not be for you. It is graphic in its descriptions of violence, and there is a body count that includes more than just the bad guys.

London Calling opens with Liam Macknight and his two MI6 partners, Owen and Lucy gearing up for a mission that goes horribly wrong. They’re meeting operative Edward Ross, who is supposed to put them in contact with a potential spy. Liam’s best friend and close partner, Lucy, ends up assassinated when a bomb goes off at the meeting place. Ross has disappeared and Macknight isn’t sure if Ross has double crossed them or if he’s been captured.

Emma Ross (Edward’s daughter) is a small town cop in New Hampshire. When British authorities contact her about her father’s disappearance, she flies across the pond to figure out what’s going on. But MI6 doesn’t want her help. Instead, they want to use her to figure out where her father potentially could have gone. She’s kidnapped by MI6 and sent to a safehouse to keep her away from any potential dangers, while Liam susses out how much she knows.

Emma knows nothing. Seriously. She thought her father worked for BP, but it was just a cover for what he was doing for MI6. He’d travel under the guise of “oil business,” but he was really networking to find spies for MI6, with an emphasis on finding people willing to give up Russian government secrets.

Liam automatically dislikes Emma because she’s related to the man he thinks murdered his partner. Throughout the book, several of Liam’s colleagues speculated that he loved Lucy, but never acted on his feelings, and I definitely had that impression too. Sure, Lucy and Liam had been working together for years and a high stress job can breed close relationships. But the severity in which he mourned Lucy throughout the book seemed more than platonic and was, for me, an insurmountable obstacle for a romance fresh after Lucy’s murder.

At times, Liam daydreams about Lucy and the memories they shared, which I think is perfectly normal when it comes to grief. Owen is the one who makes me question the romantic versus platonic relationship of Lucy and Liam. Owen was injured in the blast that killed Lucy. The three of them worked closely together for years. But we don’t get to see Owen’s processing and grief because he isn’t the hero. And when I compare what I know of Owen/Liam’s relationship to Lucy/Liam and Owen/Lucy, there was a lot more detail I needed to know before buying the “we were just friends” explanation from Liam. I felt this, even more so, when Lucy becomes the standard to which Liam compares Emma.

When it comes to the details of the plot and ensuing action scenes, a lot of important things are just accepted as fact. Emma doesn’t question who the hell the people who called her to England are. She just walks in, wanting to know what’s going on with her dad. There’s no “wait a second” moment, after traveling to another country to meet three strangers who her father has literally never mentioned.

There are explosions and car chases and gun fights. All of which seem to happen in a bubble. It reminds me a lot of superhero movies, where a city is destroyed by the hero’s fight against a big bad. It’s all very exciting, but there’s this small part of me wondering, who is going to pay to fix all this damage. Surely the media would be curious about gun fight and car chase happening on a busy motorway. Right? RIGHT?!

As I mentioned in one of our recent discussions, one of my favorite tropes is “enemies to lovers.” I love the snarling antagonism that gives way to angry pants feelings. There was none of that here. It was more of a fizzle to lovers, if that makes any sense. Less than twenty-four hours after being kidnapped to a safehouse, Liam and Emma are trying not to ogle one another in darkened hallways. It almost becomes slapstick-ish in a way, with Emma frequently slipping or tripping on something and Liam reaching out at the perfect second to pull her into his arms.

The repetition of scenes like that was at “oh boy” levels, and it wasn’t good repetition.

When it comes to a book with a lot of characters or moving parts, I’d be okay with reiterating the tangled web of MI6 relationships, of who reports to whom, their roles, and the like. Instead, there are consecutive mentions of superfluous details (emphasis mine):

“I [Emma] was born in Greenwich. We moved to the United States right after my mother died,” she said, her answer whispered and her gaze off somewhere, lost in memories.

“You sound American.”

“Kids are mean. I was bullied and mocked so much, I adapted. Better to blend than be beaten down.” Her focus drifted back to the contest of the bowl on the counter.

He nodded, trying to seem sympathetic. “How did your mother die?”

“A car accident. We moved after she died.” Her thumb played with the gold ring on her finger.

The death of a parent is a huge event in someone’s life and can often be a defining moment for a character, but it’s not something a reader is likely to forget. Especially after learning it a few sentences prior.

Though there was nothing egregious about either main character, both were so steadfast in their convictions. Their constant butting heads, usually about one singular issue, became tedious. Emma insists her father would never lie to her or hurt anyone, despite evidence that he was a secret British agent. Meanwhile, Liam is certain Emma’s father is responsible for his partner’s horrific death, making Emma an enemy by association.

Do I have any good things to say about this book? I know I’ve done a lot of complaining, but I don’t really know if I have a definitive answer because overall the book was just kind of...fine. Those are always the toughest to talk about. There were secondary characters that I truly enjoyed, like Grace, an older woman who runs the safehouse. I would read an anthology told from Grace’s point of view about all the people who have come and gone under her care.

[spoiler]But even my fondness for Grace is short-lived because she’s killed during the events of the book.[/spoiler]

If I could have turned my brain away from nitpicking, this would have been a better reading experience. But since my anxiety is rather high at the moment, all I could see were the missed opportunities and half-baked scenarios. I thought way too hard about all the little things. By the time the story reached peak romantic suspense climax, I didn’t have enough interest to care.

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This sounded like a great concept for a romantic suspense, but I’m sorry to say that it fell flat for me. There was a great deal of action and suspense, but there was hardly any romance at all. The two main characters, Liam Macknight and Emma Ross, seemed to have little chemistry and vacillated between lust, hate and apathy. Macknight (as he is referred to throughout the book) works for MI6 and when a member of his team is killed on assignment he is eager to catch the person he thinks is responsible. That person would be Emma Ross’s father, a man with many secrets, including his work with both the British and Russian governments. Emma is a small town police officer hoping to move up to the SWAT team, and when she is called to London she has no idea what is happening. The British government has decided that Emma could be used as a pawn against her father, whom they believe it being held in a Russian prison, so they put her in Macknight’s care and send them to a safe house in the country. Emma struggles with her detainment, and Macknight struggles with his attraction to the daughter of man he thinks could have betrayed him. The two go from grudging respect to anger, to sharing confidences to hating one another. It seemed rather odd, and I never once felt any real attraction or chemistry between the two. One minute Macknight is thinking he could have a relationship with Emma, and the next he thinks she may be a traitor herself. I was getting a bit of whip lash. And there were more than a few plot points that just felt too unbelievable. At one point Macknight and a teammate are both flown from Great Britain to Russia, and in a matter of hours we are to believe that they have been transformed by haircuts and tattoos. The tattoos, which cover various parts of their bodies, are supposedly done with a special ink that will easily dissolve with a laser. I’m not sure the author is aware of how long tattooing actually takes. It was things like that that gave me pause. It seems as though the author is setting this up to be the first in a series, and if it is I’m sorry to say that I’m not at all interested in reading more. This was a book that started out interestingly enough, but soon had me checking to see just how much longer I would have to read before I was done. The romance was flat and the action violent. It just didn’t live up to its promise.
Note: I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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London Calling by Veronica Forand

Oooohhhh...LOVED this book! I can definitely see it as the beginning of a series and do hope it will be! I was hooked from the start and could not put this book down. I loved the characters, the way they interacted, the story and...just about everything. Sure, there were a few times I wanted to pop McKnight up side of the head to wake him up but at the same time did get why he was acting the way he was. Twists and turns and action and romance and...everything a good romantic suspense should have!

This is a first book by this author for me BUT it won’t be the last. She has created characters I could see, hear, understand, empathize with and care about. I can definitely see some of the rest of the team finding partners in future books...hint hint...future books would be a wonderful thing!

I could tell you what the story is about BUT the blurb pretty much tells what will happen...just not in depth or detail and you DO want to read to find those things out!

What I liked:
* Everything but...more specifically…
* Emma Ross was a powerhouse, strong, dedicated, capable and smart...wished I could be her!
* Liam McKnight is a great leader and though he might seem to have lost his soul...he really has not...I would love to be with him.
* Edward Ross – Emma’s father was intriguing and what a great part he played in this book
* Owen...really want to know more about him!
* The potential for more books in this series and getting to know the players of the MI6 team a whole lot better.

What I didn’t like”
* The bad guys...but we are not supposed to like them are we?
* That the story ended and I have to wait to see if there will be more and if this will be a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

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I dived into London Calling with much anticipation after discovering this author when I read her True Lies Trilogy. So, after finishing this novel, I can happily confirm it's more than exceeded my expectations. 

After the assassination of Lucy, his partner and member of his team, Liam Macknight isn't impressed when he's assigned to babysit Edward Ross' daughter, Emma. Since the explosion which killed his close friend, Ross has been missing and a potential security threat if he is still alive. Struggling to come to terms with his loss, Emma is proving to be a difficult woman to watch, much to his chagrin. She doesn't believe her father's involvement in espionage and more importantly doesn't need MI6 or him to keep her safe, or does she?

Summonsed to London because of her father's disappearance, justifiably, Emma Ross' frustration is palpable...her father is missing and nobody will give her any information. Additionally, she's at a safe house...something she considers unnecessary until it becomes clear she is a target too.

There's an instant click of attraction between Emma and Macknight as banter flows between them. It's hostile, but still, it can't hide the electrifying chemistry between them. Despite both displaying a tough fascade, they equally have a vulnerable side too. As the pair manoeuvre through the dangers, mutual respect and empathy take over as suppressed feelings begin to surface. The sizzle of expectation hangs between them constantly, leaving the reader wondering what happens next?

Fast paced, I had no problem keeping up and enjoyed the trill of this dramatic and suspenseful narrative. Ms Forand in unquestionably one of my favourite romantic suspense authors and although the focus in London Calling leans more towards suspense than romance, there's a hint of what to expect in way of romance in the future? The ending implies this is only the beginning for Macknight and Emma so I hope to follow them in more suspenseful adventures. If not, I'm more than satisfied with their 'happy for now' status.

***arc generously received courtesy of Entangled Publishing(Amara) via NetGalley***

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Wow. I just finished really this book and have to just take a few minutes to come down from the intensity of this one! I will say that if I could give it 10 STARS on Amazon, I would.
The main characters, the supporting cast of people, the action, the dangers, the emotions was off the charts good. Do you want to know about the world building? I'd say yes that the author did an awesome job of building and operating a clandestine world.

Emma Ross just THINKS she has a simple life. There is so much underground information that she has no clue about. And yes, it will bite her in the butt for a while. But you can't keep this gal down for long. I like how MacKnight at one point talked about her. That the one plan that they went with was all her and that it was "insane" but brilliant.
MacKnight was quite the complex man who trusted very few people. And with some very good reasons. This book started out by showing a pretty violent act that cuts to the hearts of the team. MacKnight first and foremost as team leader had to go on but it was shown the difficulties that he had about everything.
If you think that bureaucrats will figure in this story. Yes, you've got that right. If you think that there will only be one betrayal or one villain. No, think again.
If I had to put my opinion in a few words I would say it was a "High Octane Adventure." I like a good romance in my suspense books and this one had it too. There will be a good H.E.A. but it will be a hard fought for one.
I will be looking for more books by this author.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

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It is a very thrilling reading and I enjoyed reading a lot. The story is great and all the characters are very well-developed. There are undertones of romance but mostly it is a spy thriller.
The story begins with a tragedy when Liam Macknight loses his team mate and he is now willing to do anything to find and kill the people responsible. His life is complicated and his missions are never easy. He is the leader whose job is to keep his team alive. But sometimes things go wrong. He is a brooding man who doesn't really know how to have fun. And now, situation demands that he keeps his mind focused on the job. In this situation Emma Ross is a complication he doesn't need. Unfortunately, he has no choice. Emma's father is missing. He is either a traitor or he has been kidnapped for some other reason. In either case, Emma is now in danger and MI6 decided to force their protection whether she wants it or not.
Emma's life is turned upside down when her father goes missing. She learns that he wasn't who he said he was. She had no idea that he was lying to her about his job. Now she knows but there is not much she could do as long as MI6 decides to keep her away from the action. She can't believe that she must stay in hiding while her father might be dead. It's not like she is a completely helpless woman. But no worries, she does not plan to be a bystander in her own life. She is one bad ass heroine who can very well take care of herself.
All is all, a very well-written story that all readers can enjoy. I loved both Emma and Macknight. They are such a perfect couple and even though it is not exactly a romance novel but still I enjoyed that side of the story quite a lot.

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A big thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Emma is On a SWAT team in the US and gets kidnapped by MI6 to protect her. Crazy espionage stuff...is her dad a double agent??? Lots of action, a little confusing. Emma is a super strong character!! I really liked her. Convoluted but still romance. 4 stars

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I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this story but I wasn't disappointed. I was hooked from the beginning till the end. It was fantastic. It had plenty to keep you wanting more the whole way through. There was action, friendship, love and so much more. The storyline was very enjoyable. I hope there will be another one I can read.

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3.75⭐
London Calling was a good and engaging story. However, I did find it hard to get into and slow going. But whenever there was action the pace did pick up and those moments of which there were many certainly offered plenty of drama. Yet, with the amount of chapters and with the lulls between the action I did feel the story dragged a little. Especially as the connection and romance between lead characters Emma and Macknight was. missing. But the suspense was definitely there and it was enjoyable to read, and I'm sure fans of the author will enjoy it too.

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Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

This is a Thriller from beginning to end. No romantic interludes, i.e. sex scenes. All action with a building romance. Emma is a kickass Heroine and very much her father's daughter, even if she doesn't know it. Macknight is just shy of being an Alphahole Hero, but it works for him. I loved the book, it was fascinating and fast moving although I did miss the mushy stuff. It looks like this may be the first book in a series, I certainly hope so.

Emma Ross lives in small town in NH and has just been promoted to the SWAT Team. She is smart and skilled. Her father, a BP executive, has gone missing and Emma flies to London only to end up kidnapped and sequestered in a safe house by MI6, British Intelligence. All Emma wants is to find her father and that isn't happening while under guard in an idyllic English cottage, if you ignore the guard tower. Her keeper, a hot off the charts, Scotsman, thinks she has secrets, but her only secret is how deeply he affects her.

Liam Macknight is the MI6 team leader and feels responsible for the operation in Belarus that got one of his team members killed. That Emma's father, also MI6, set the whole meet up and then disappeared is highly suspect. He is determined to find out Emma's secrets, but above all he needs to keep her safe so the Russians can't use her against the father. His attraction for Emma and the fragile trust they are building are likely to be destroyed when they find her father and Macknight's orders are to kill him to protect the identities of MI6's spies in the Kremlin.

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This story is top notch. From the very first line you are hooked. It is an intense spy, thriller, espionage combination that will rock your world. There is intense nail biting action at every flip of the page. The tension between Emma and McKnight adds even greater depth and layers to the events playing out. You will be caught by surprise by who the bad guys are and also the good ones. The author employs a very vivid descriptive method to bring the action in the story to life. The twists and turns happen without losing any threads in the plot or character development. A simply impressive and thrilling ride!

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The world of espionage is exciting and terrifying. It's difficult to know who to trust and who is a traitor. Emma is a strong American policewoman trying to find her missing father. Macknight leads the MI6 team tasked with her safety as they search for him, he has something the Russians desire. A fast paced action filled story with an inkling of love will keep you turning pages late into the night. There is definitely potential for a series but I was satisfied with the ending. The only thing I would have liked to have read was some Russian, considering they were supposed to be speaking it frequently it would be fun to see the actual words. My copy was given through Netgalley, the review written voluntarily.

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When I requested this read, I was eagerly anticipating the ride. I mean romantic suspense...heck yea...right up my alley! Did I get that? No, nope, not a chance; what I got instead was confusion and disappointment...and that is very sad considering all the potential of this particular story.

This was a fast-paced read that had lots of action; it totally rocked in the action arena. The execution of London Calling though utterly failed. Confusing, all over-the-place right from the very beginning, and then of course comes the over-the-top actions of Emma...uhhhh yea, no are you kidding me? This was such an outlandish and soooooo out-of-touch read due to the disparity between Emma’s character, her personality, her actions...yada yada yada. Add all of this together as you read and you are left with “WTF just happened?” Then comes the American English being spoken by the Brit characters...I won’t say anymore on this topic as another reviewer already perfectly summed up the issues on that matter. ‘Nuff said.

Book labeling...this book was labeled as a romantic suspense. Uhmmm, this is not, in my opinion, a romantic suspense. This was a 99% suspense read with mere mentions of attraction/chemistry/instalove between Liam and Emma. Was time spent developing this “connection” between them? No. Did I get the feels? No. If you are going to call a book a romantic suspense then for all that is holy please put a good helping of it in there...season it up...own it and make me feel it.

Please note that an ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.

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Emma’s life is in turmoil. Her father, Edward Ross, has disappeared. Next she’s placed in protective custody by MI6. Emma can’t believe what she’s being told. Her father turned assets for the British government. Now her life is in jeopardy. The Russians want to use her to make her father reveal classified information. Macknight is the team leader assigned to protect her. He feels responsible for the death of one of his team. He needs to know if Ross was to blame. Did he betray them? Emma is a brave woman with a fierce determination to find her father. She hates being isolated and kept under guard. She’s a Police Officer who’s used to facing danger. I was impressed how aware she was of her surroundings. Her interaction with Macknight had its ups and downs. There was attraction and at times distrust. I wished that they would learn to rely on each other. The story kept me reading. I was pulled in by the non-stop action. I couldn’t believe the double dealing and the traitorous actions. I thought the setting added to the suspense as did the dialogue. As the story progressed I felt that I understood the characters and their motives. Nevertheless I was shocked by what happened. I’m looking forward to reading more of Veronica Forand’s stories.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

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Liam MacKnight is an operative and team leader for MI6, the British intelligence agency. A job in Russia goes badly wrong and he must go back and clean up.

Emma Ross is an American cop, and has just been accepted into S. W. A. T. Being kidnapped and flown across the Atlantic because of something her father has done could ruin that forever.

This is a very exciting, all action story that makes James Bond movies seem tame. All our characters are chameleons, taking on various roles, each incredibly dangerous. Just how many of our team can survive?.

The relationships between team members and their "guest" are complicated.

I hope this is a series because there are at least two more characters that need more story.

I loved it.

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I received a copy of from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity.

5 Stars and here’s why:

An excellent suspense plot with a side of romance is my jam and Ms. Forand delivers. LONDON CALLING captured my attention from the get-go with a Mission Impossible infused scene. The author is a master storyteller with romantic suspense scenes. The book’s plot twists and turns made my brain blow a fuse trying to figure out how this story would end. If you like sexy guys, smart women, and a plot-driven story keeping you up late at night then this book is definitely for you. Highly recommend.

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