Melinda Leigh, Author of "Cross Her Heart" has written a captivating, compelling, riveting, enthralling, intriguing and intense novel. The Genres for this novel are Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, and Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the author's present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The author describes her characters as complex, and complicated. There are betrayals, vengeful, dysfunctional and angry characters that are suspect. There are threats, danger, and murder. The author stages this intense novel so that one is sitting at the edge. I appreciate the author's writing style which vividly describes the characters and setting.

Do you believe that history can repeat itself in certain situations? Bree Taggert was witness to a horrific, and tragic crime twenty five years earlier with the murder-suicide of her parents. Bree helped hide her baby brother and sister. Now, Bree is a homicide detective in Philadelphia, when she gets a call for help from her sister. Bree immediately takes a leave from her job and heads to her sister's home. Her sister has been killed and the husband is gone. Bree now tries to settle in with her nephew and niece.

Teaming up with local Matt Flynn,  a former detective and K-9 trainer, they start to investigate the crumbs and clues that come their way. Little are they aware of the danger that lies ahead in getting the answers to this heartbreaking crime. Bree is determined, and brave and doesn't easily get intimidated. I would highly recommend this addicting, suspenseful thriller for those readers who appreciate a great intense mystery.

Certain elements of the book I enjoyed like the different POV’s which really worked well and I felt the characters developed well throughout the story. However overall I was left a bi flat as apart from the disturbing opening chapter I didn’t feel the tension much. Could be a series that gets better the more books in you get.

I am a huge fan of Melinda Leigh and was excited to hear that she was releasing a new series. The book follows Bree Tagert, a detective from Philly who is brought back to her hometown of Scarlett Falls after her sister is murdered. Bree teams up with a friend of her sister's, who is also a retired K9 cop to try and solve the crime on their own. The story was filled with suspense, while still telling Bree's story. I'm looking forward to more books in this series.

For me, it is rare to give 5 stars to a police/murder/whodunit book. I usually enjoy reading this type of book but it is seldom that I totally enjoy the book and feel very satisfied with the ending.
This does certainly does it for me. It is very well written and never loses pace nor gets wrapped up in flashbacks or over-detailed descriptions. The book just got better and better for me. I loved the characters and the 'baddies' were far from obvious to me.
If you love police murder stories then don't miss this one. I am sure you will not be disappointed with it.

Really enjoyed this book. Very readable and its the first one by Melinda Keith that I've read and its encouraged me to want to read more of her books.

I did anticipate what was going to happen in some parts of the story but it kept me interested and I didn't guess 'whodunit until near the very end of the book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Melinda Leigh "fills the table with several wonderful courses." She will keep you glued to the pages as you begin this new series. I felt the book was very well written but needed a little more info at the beginning regarding family relations. Characters are well developed and believable. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy! 📚

With the very first book that I read of Melinda Leigh’s, I became an instant fan. When I discovered a new series was coming out, I just had to jump on that! Cross Her Heart was everything I hoped for and more. With a fascinating plot and powerful characters, this story kept the pages turning.

First in a new series about Homicide Detective Bree Taggert. Have not read this author Before, am looking forward to future installments. Enjoyable! I liked her writing style, everything flows well. Well developed characters. I could imagine binge reading this series on a future vacation trip. As I was waiting for the big finish, for some reason I didn’t see it happening where it did or played out how it did. Would not list this book as a romance though, but could see it being developed in future books.

Book follow Bree, a Philly Detective who has had a horrendous childhood. She receives an alarming call from her sister, but after trying to call her back, Bree can not get ahold of her. Bree then is forced to go back to her hometown and change direction. This puts into motion the storyline and characters for the next installments. Will be interesting to see how well Ms. Leigh does with carrying this out.

3.5/5 stars for this fast-paced thriller. Thanks to Ms. Leigh, Montlake Romance and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

I’ve never read a book by Melinda Leigh before this one, now I want to read every book in her backlist. The description of the book is what intrigued me from the start, plus I like that it is the first in a new series. I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a page-turner that I couldn’t put down. It was fantastic from the beginning until the end. I fell in love with all the leading characters and can not wait to follow them into their next case. A review copy was provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the author, the book, or the content of my review. Thank you for the opportunity to be introduced to a new to me author. I’m ready for the next book in the series.

3.5 Stars

I’m new to Melinda Leigh’s writings and I picked CROSS HER HEART as it’s first to her brand new “Bree Taggert” series and intrigued by the blurb. I think it’s a proper introduction to Leigh’s writing; engaging story, catchy murder mystery, and a riot mix of cast. There’s a bit niggling I felt on the delivery - not so slow as to be mind-numbing but it wasn’t exactly dynamic either.

Starting with disquieting scene that had impacted the Taggert siblings differently, then continued with grown-up Bree as a tough homicide detective in big city, the pace changing when her sister left a cryptic message on her phone. Going back to Grey’s Hollow she found her sister Erin dead and the husband missing, and out-of-depth law enforcement skill to handle the case. The only help she could count on was a former sheriff investigator K-9 deputy, Matt Flynn, who happened to be her sister’s missing husband’s best friend. It wasn’t an easy alliance as evidence pointed to the missing Justin and Matt adamantly felt otherwise. To complicate matters was the attraction that grow between these two unlikely allies.

The multiple POVs used in the story was on point as each voices gave insight into characters’s head and their view - good and bad guy alike. This being the pilot to a new series, CROSS HER HEART also served as introduction to potential recurring characters and the sleepy town of Grey’s Hollow. Part of those was a tad predictable, though relevant to the plot at large. And in terms of action and body count, this book had it in spade. But I wasn’t too keen on the whole overlooking the obvious for the authority here, both official and unofficial. It’s not total flop, far from it - I enjoyed reading it and guessing along who done it and what would happen next along the way. But I reserved my judgement on whether Bree’s adventure would be included in my anticipated books list after this. We’ll see.


Copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bree Taggert, a Philadelphia cop, dreads ever having to return to her hometown of Grey's Hollow, NY. That is until a urgent phone call from her sister asking for her help drags her back. When she arrives, she finds her sister dead and reminders of her own horrific childhood. When too many questions remain unanswered about her sister's death, Bree teams up with a friend of the accused killer to reveal the truth.
This was a great start to a new series. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake Publishing for providing a copy of this book for review.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/03/12/cross-her-heart-by-melinda-leigh/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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4.5 hearts

I have really loved reading Melinda Leigh's other series,  so I was excited to try the new <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/266188-bree-taggert" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Bree Taggert</strong></em></a> series. I buddy read <strong>Cross Her Heart</strong> with Sophia since we are both huge fans of this author. We both felt right away it was going to be great.

I easily settled into reading right from the start. The world and the characters were all engaging, along with the mystery.  Bree is talented and thankfully local law enforcement accepted she would be there.  It was interesting for her to work with Matt who was Justin's friend and his K9.  There's a hint of romance but I appreciate it wasn't the focus; they just got to know each other here.

Bree leaves her current life and heads back to her old home town for the first time in many years. She comes to town for her sister, to solve her murder and take care of her children.  Luckily, she has the support of her detective partner, Dana,  who can cook for me anytime.  She also has help from Matt, who wants to find Justin.

I loved watching Bree handle everything with such intelligence and compassion. She is really amazing with her daughter's children, with their best interests in mind. There are too many bad guys available, so it takes time to figure out what happened.  Bree faces these big changes in her life, along with the ghost of her parent's deaths, with such character and personal growth.

I enjoyed <strong>Cross Her Heart</strong> so much!  I highly recommend it. I'm thrilled there will be a new installment, <strong>See Her Die</strong> this fall.  I know I'll be reading!

Erin is murdered and all evidence points to her estranged husband Justin and he is missing. His friend Matt (an ex Investigator) believes him to be innocent and to find out the truth teams up with Bree, Erin’s sister and Cop.
A fantastically written book that keeps you gripped, great characters and twists in the plot. I could not stop reading.
Who did this and why? Ex husband, estranged husband or total stranger, read to find out.

Cross Her Heart is a great start to a police procedural thriller series. It is very promising.
I enjoyed the writing style and plot. The characters, especially Bree was well-developed. However, it does get a bit slow at times and draggy somewhere in the middle.
I got through it quite fast though. What's more, I was quite disappointed with the ending. It was anticlimactic. In my opinion, there was not enough suspense or build-up leading to the reveal.

All in all, I see a lot of potential in the Bree Taggert series therefore, I will be following the book instalments.
Kudos to Melinda Leigh. Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake Romance for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping tale of love, obsession, greed, revenge, and family.
Exceptionally well written. The story flowed nicely and kept my up late turning the page

Well, "Cross Her Heart" gets the new series off to a rocking good start. As I read it, I resented the need to sleep and to go to work. I didn't want to put it down.Now, there were a few things that were predictable, but others weren't. For instance, I did not figure out who the killer was until they were revealed.

One quick note. The book is published by Montlake, Amazon's romance division, but it's about 95% mystery and only 5% romance. The romance is mild, extremely slow burn, and strictly secondary to the main murder plot. It may be more central to future books in the series; that remains to be seen.

"Cross Her Heart" is a mix of mystery, suspense, and family drama. When Bree gets a call for help from her sister Erin, she returns to the town where she was miserable as a young child and where her parents were killed. Bree's too late to help her sister but not too late to help her niece and nephew. While she deals with them, and with her brother Adam, she also inserts herself into the investigation of her sister's murder. She teams up with Matt, a former police officer and best man at her sister's wedding. Together they look for Erin's killer, though their motives are different.

With compassion and insight, Leigh writes characters who are achingly real. The story was gripping though it did contain a few implausibilities. Bree, Matt, Adam, Luke, and Kayla have flaws and weaknesses. Dana was less fleshed out but perhaps in the future books. The villains of the different mysteries were also not as well fleshed out as I'd like but they too felt real, as did their motivations. There is some domestic violence in the book and it's a fairly key element so if reading it bothers you, you may prefer to skip this. I was fascinated with the investigation, the family dynamics, and the little details. I was drawn in and when the book ended, I was disappointed that I couldn't immediately start book two.

Cross Her Heart was a solid beginning to a new series featuring Bree Taggert and Matt Flynn. The book begins with a bang and immediately drew me into the story. Bree Taggert survived a horrific childhood and is now a police detective. When her sister is murdered, it brings back memories of her childhood and Bree vows to find Erin’s murderer while caring for Erin’s kids. Matt Flynn is Erin’s estranged husband’s best friend and a former police officer. He finds Erin’s body and makes it his mission to help Bree find out what happened.

This was a fast-paced book with a whodunit that will keep you guessing. There were multiple suspects and I was surprised by the ending. I usually guess the culprit fairly quickly and I hadn’t considered this character until very late in the book.

Bree was a fantastic female lead. Despite her upbringing, she was strong, smart, independent, and caring. Matt was equally great. He was no longer able to work as a policeman, but he made the best of his circumstances and displayed a strength of character that was a perfect complement to Bree. There was an underlying attraction, but it was only hinted at near the end of the story.

This promises to be another great series by Melinda Leigh. As always, she delivers romantic suspense at its best and keeps readers engaged.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great detective book that had me hooked very early on in the story. I really enjoyed it and I was so happy to find out that this is going to be a series of books! I will definitely read them all! Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this fab title!!

Bree Taggert had a rough childhood. It all came to a head one day, and she had to grow up quickly. At only 8 year old, she saved her two younger siblings from her abusive father. The town sheriff became her hero that day, and he made quite the impression. It was then she knew what she wanted to do with her life. But the memories were too much in Grey's Hollow, so she decided to do it elsewhere. She rarely came back to Grey's, even to visit her siblings. But that all changed the day she received a scary voicemail from her younger sister. She knew she had to go back to help her.
I am a big fan of Melinda Leigh, and this new series will be no exception. I love that she writes strong, intelligent female leads. Bree proves to be just that in this first book; she really has her priorities on straight. i cant wait to see where this series takes Bree.

Melinda Leigh is one of my FAVORITE authors and this book is just another reason why!!!!

There is something for everyone! Domestic abuse, murder, addiction to drugs and certain men, an obsessed crazy husband, a money hungry con of an ex, love of family, a new love, heartbreak, but, I'm sure everyone is going to be just fine!!!!

If your looking for hot sex this is not the book for you, but if you are looking for a great first book in a series by a great author, than this is the book for you!!!

I can't wait for the next book in this series!!!

#Bree #Dana #murder #loveoffamily #lovedit #cantwaitforthenextone