This one was hard for me to write a review. Novellas are not something I traditionally read, but I enjoy the writings of Kat Martin so wanted to try this one out and read some new authours. All stories had lovable characters with attraction and moments of suspense. I struggled with the length of the stories, which I know is the point of a novella. I would definitely recommend all authours and their individual novels, but I was not a fan of a suspense/romance novella. The stories were too fast paced and not enough depth to the suspense. If you are a fan of novellas then you will love this, but if not pass on this book and try out their individual novels as you will not be disappointed by their writing. This is set to be published Mar 31, 2020. Special thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Note - I only read Shaken by Rebecca Zanetti

This mini-anthology is three standalone novellas that link to each other, but that also link to the author’s other works. As an obsessive fangirl of Rebecca Zanetti, I only read Shaken, which is #2.5 in the Deep Ops series – a second-chance-romance that, even in such a short read, managed to capture my heart, I loved this one!

Michelle and Evan met as teenagers in a foster home. It was a turning point for both of them as they experienced stability for the first time, and they fell in mad love. But Evan, always desperate for action and adventure, joined the Marines, and his deployments proved too much for them and they separated.

Years later, Michelle has run into serious trouble, not of her own making. With her life in danger, she calls her foster brother, Raider (of the Deep Ops series, and hero of Fallen) for help, and it’s Evan – ex-Marine and now small-town sheriff - that shows up to save the day.

It’s a fantastic setup, and I was feeling the chemistry from the first moment that Michelle and Evan are reunited. They have both been through a lot since they separated, but it’s clear that they are still very much in love with the other, and the banter and flirting was awesome!

“I started dating somebody else. Well, sort of.”
“That doesn’t’ sound serious.”
She crossed her arms. “It’s personal.”
“He turned fully her way then, his eyes darkening. “I took your virginity, baby. We are personal.”
…
“I believe I took yours, too,” she sputtered.
His grin transformed his rugged face from deadly to charming in less than a heartbeat. “That you did. Nicely done, too.”

I love these characters! Michelle is strong, stubborn and determined to protect her heart, and Evan is the strong and tough alpha who is willing to do anything to get his girl back. Even in such a short read, there is so much emotion between these two. They can’t hold back from each other for too long, and I loved seeing them find their way back to each other. But their issues from the past were valid ones, and they still have to sort through them so that they can figure out if they have a future.

“It’s always been you and that’s not ever gonna change.”

Along the way they are searching for Michelle’s wayward mother and trying to figure out just who is after her. There are fights, car chases, shoot-outs and a whole lot of excitement, and Wolfe from the Deep Ops series is called in to help out. He is all kinds of awesome, and seeing him is a great lead in to his full-length novel coming up next in the series.

This is a fantastic read that is fun, exciting, dramatic and romantic. A great opportunity to introduce you to Zanetti’s work, and a must-read for fans.

I loved it. 4 stars.

3.5 stars

*Overall rating is the average of the following ratings.*

Against the Heart by Kat Martin: 4 stars

Mariweather Jones and her daughter, Lily, are trying to get as far away from Lily’s father as they can. He won’t stop harassing them and has taken all her money. When she reaches Spokane, she is out of money, gas, and in need of a job. Luckily, Ian Brodie sees her and hires her to help clean his father’s farmhouse. Ex-cop, Ian knows Meri plans to leave but the more he spends time with her the more he wants her, and her daughter to stay.

I really enjoyed this couple. Meri is a hardworking, dedicated single mother who will do anything for her daughter. Ian is protective, kind, and sweet. He knows Meri is in trouble and does everything he can to help her. I really liked his dad as well. He was grumpy at first but quickly came out of his depression. He learned to live again.

The romance between these two was tense but once they gave in it went from 10-100% in no time. It almost was too quick but I still enjoyed it.

Shaken by Rebecca Zanetti: 4 stars

Michelle Pamela Peach has been content in Portland until two men broke into her home, threatened her, and sent her drug addict mother on a blackmail spree. The last person she expects to help is her ex, Evan Bolden, a former marine turned sheriff. Together they work to find her mother, stop some drug dealers, and deal with their feelings.

Michelle is the friend Meri was supposed to go to when she ran from her daughters father. She is also a fellow foster kid of Miss A’s, just like Evan. I enjoyed this second chance romance and seeing these two come back together after years. Michelle was a smart, determined woman and I loved that she was a comic book creator.

I really enjoyed that Wolfe shows up in this story. Wolfe, Roscoe, and Kat are my favorite and I love when they pop up in side stories like these. I also love that we got a small scene with some characters from the Dark Protector series. It was a very nice surprise.

Echoes of the Past by Alexandra Ivy: 3 stars

When Melanie Cassidy spots two men trying to kidnap a young boy she tutors she responds by ramming them with her car and running. What she doesn’t expect is for the man she once loved, Detective Gray Hawkins, to come to her rescue. Now they have to work together to stop some dirty cops and deal with their past.

I liked Melanie. She was kind, caring, and a great teacher. She is the kind of teacher you would want to teach your kids. Gray is protective, determined, and an idiot. He left Melanie two years before and has regretted it ever since but never made a move to fix it. It was nice seeing him admit his stupidity and fix it finally.


Overall, I really enjoyed these three stories. I loved seeing how they all intertwined and seeing the connections to the Deep Ops unit. I actually wish there were more short stories in this because it was great seeing more of the characters and world.

*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*

Pivot by Kat Martin, Rebecca Zanetti and Alexandra Ivy

Three interwoven stories
Three women
Three men
Trouble and chaos
Problems to solve
Romance to enjoy
HEA’s to see happen
Loved this collection


AGAINST THE HEART by Kat Martin
Meriweather “Meri” Jones has not had an easy life. She is running from a bad guy when she realizes she has to stop and earn some money before she can move on to a safe place where she can’t be found. Ian Brodie, owner of a security firm, needs help tidying his father’s home and serendipitously he meets Meri at just the right point in both their lives to lend her a hand through giving her a job. They work hard, pussyfoot around one another and almost miss their chance. Loved Ian’s father and that side story just about as much as Meri & Ian’s. Lily was a sweetie, too.

SHAKEN by Rebecca Zanetti
Michelle Pamela Peach found a safe haven and the man she thought she would love forever when she landed in her last foster home. The job that Evan Boldon did in the military kept them apart while he was away then kept them apart when she couldn’t handle the stress of his job. They come together again when she is in need and he is there to provide protection. Watching the embers rekindle was fun and their HEA a joy to see.

ECHOES OF THE PAST by Alexandra Ivy
Detective Gray Hawkins is in the nick of time to assist Melanie Cassidy save a young boy from kidnappers. The two had dated before but Melanie was leery and not eager to get back together with Gray though he was more than eager to win her back. The corrupt cops were the mystery to be solved and eventually that did happen...as did the HEA they so richly deserved.

This was a fun collection of linked stories by three different authors. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more books by all three authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Romantic suspense at its best!!! This trilogy of stories was absolutely fantastic!

Against the Heart by Kat Martin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I can honestly say I haven’t read a Kat Martin book before, but after reading Against the Heart, I will definitely be checking her out. I love a good romantic suspense story and this one sure fit the bill. It had an awesome good guy, a strong heroine, a super sweet grandpa, a loving little girl, and bad guys I truly hated! The only issue that I had with the book is the little girl, who is 4 years old, seemed much older than that in the book. Her behavior seemed older and it kind of through me. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book and want to know more about the Brodie clan.

Shaken by Rebecca Zanetti ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All the damn stars for this story!!! I am a HUGE Rebecca Zanetti fan! Doesn’t matter what series or genre, she is absolutely phenomenal!! Once again, she demonstrated why she iis one of my one-click unicorn authors! This book had all the elements I come to expect from Rebecca Zanetti. It was clever, characters you can’t help but love, a story you won’t be able to put down, and surprises that will just make you squeal with glee! Yep I squealed! Evan and Michelle was a perfect second chance love story mixed with intrigue and suspense! I am not sharing any more than that because I want you to squeal too! Definitely recommend reading this book if you enjoy romantic suspense. If you are a Rebecca Zanetti fan you HAVE to read this book!! It’s all about chapter 10! Eeekkk!!! All the stars for this story!!!

Echoes of the Past by Alexandra Ivy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story was a wonderful introduction to Alexandra Ivy for me, a new to me author. I enjoyed this second chance romance between Gray and Melinda. Two years Gray ran from his life and Melinda, but now he’s back and realizes the mistake he made. But, they have bad guys chasing them and they need to figure out who they are if there is any hope of rekindling this romance. This story had good guys, strong heroine, edge of your seat tale, and romance! A definite winner in my book!

Against the Heart
Sweet story about a single mom on the run. Ian is former law enforcement with fabulous instincts. He hires Meri to help cleanup his dad’s home, but there is plenty of mending happening. Loved the interaction between his dad and her little girl.

Shaken
Part of the Deep Ops series, but a standalone. Evan and Michelle grew up together, first loves and everything. She’s friends with Meri, nice how the novellas are connected. Michelle got caught up in her own trouble and Evan comes to the rescue.

Echoes of the Past
Melanie and Gray, together after two years, protect a young boy from criminals threatening his dad, Kowalski. They investigate the possible thugs and dig a bit deeper. A second chance romance with grit and heart. Ian helps a bit and Gray was the detective helping with Meri’s case.

Enjoyed how all three were a little connected to each other. Each author has their unique style which made for intriguing reads. I received an early copy through Netgalley.

Pivot is an anthology that contains a collection of three fantastic romantic suspense novels from three amazing authors. The theme of this anthology focuses on women who have grown up in the foster care system and are fighting for their lives and those they love. All books include great characters, fantastic storylines and a happily ever after.

Against the Heart is a well written short story belonging to Kat Martin’s Brodies of Alaska Series. Ian Brodie hires Meriwether Jones to help him with cleaning and repairing father’s farmhouse, but little does he know that Meri, and her young daughter are running from her ex. Ian knows there’s more to Meri’s past but despite everything he finds himself opening his heart and life to Meri and Lily. The question is-will Ian be able to save those he loves and keep them forever?

Shaken is a a great addition to Rebecca Zanetti’s Deep Ops Series. This is a second chance romance. Sheriff Evan Bolden is thrust back into the life of his first love, Michelle Peach when he is sent to protect her from an unknown danger and her mentally unstable blackmailing mother. This time Evan isn’t going to give up until stops the trouble stalking Michelle and wins her heart for good.

Echoes of the Past was written by Alexandra Ivy. This is a second chance romance which unexpectedly brings Detective Gray Hawkins and Melanie Cassidy together again as they work to investigate the truth about a failed child kidnapping and a conspiracy of dirty, drug trafficking cops. Can they stay alive long enough to work out their issues and find a happily ever after?

The authors (which are three of my all time favourite authors in this genre) did a great job incorporating characters and storylines from the other books in this anthology. Although they all belonged to different series, each story was written in such a seamless way that they appear to belong to their own series “Pivot”.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced readers copy received from Netgalley.

Against The Heart by Kat Martin

Meriwether tries hard to keep her jerk of an ex, Joey away from her and her daughter. While on the run she gets help from Ian who is an ex-cop. He knows something is going on with her but doesn't want to push her away so doesn't push her too much too fast but he's quickly becoming attached to her and her sweet daughter. Ian's father is a sweet old man who was lonely after his wife died five years earlier and he'd let the house go to hell. Ian hired Meri to cook, clean and keep the house his father lived in working. It was nice to see the way Ian's father changed once he got used to Meri and her daughter being in the house. But when Joey goes to one of her friends and smacks her around until she gives up Meri's phone number, things get dangerous.

Shaken by Rebecca Zanetti

Michelle is a friend of Meri's from the first story which I really liked having this tie-in to make these stories connect in some way. Meri's ex, who is an absolute jerk assaults Michelle to find out where Meri is. Later Michelle's mother comes to her and tells her she needs a lot of money but Michelle only had a couple of thousand she can give her drug addict mother. Joey and one of his goons took her tablet when he left and hew newest comic was on it. She needed the tablet back because there were other things on her tablet as well. Evan came to make sure she was ok after the run in with Joey. Her and Evan had been a thing until he joined the Marines, then they broke up. But now he was back and he wanted her but she wasn't sure she could trust her heart with him again. With the help of Evan's friend, Wolfe they go after her tablet, try to save her mother and keep from getting killed from the drug dealers chasing them.

Echoes of the Past by Alexandra Ivy

Gray helped take down Joey and Ski when they had tried to kidnap Meri's daughter, Lily from the first story. Ski now wanted to make a deal to testify against a couple of dirty cops who were selling drugs for the local drug cartel and Gray was there to make sure things went smoothly so when Ski starts getting threatening letters not to talk or his kid will be dead, Gray has to help him. Donny had escaped a kidnapping attempt and ended up at the youth center where Melanie was his tutor. Melanie saves him from being kidnapped again and then Gray comes upon the scene. Gray asks Ian from the first story to take Donny until the danger blows over. Melanie stayed with him to identify the guys who tried to take the boy.

All three stories tie in with each other since so many of the characters are friends. I liked how each story was it's own but it also included bits of the others. I really liked these stories and how the entire thing concluded. There was enough action, danger and romance to keep me reading.

Disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book via NetGalley but all opinions and thoughts are my own.

Exceptional stories❣️

Pivot is the newest release by Kat Martin, Rebecca Zanetti and Alexandra Ivy. Now the last two authors are known to me but Kat Martin was the wildcard as I’ve never read any of her work....but that’s going to change😁

This compilation of stories was masterfully done. We have three woman who find themselves in trouble getting a helping hand from men that they’ve either just met or men from their past. Meri is on the run with her young daughter when she meets Ian at a store and he hires her to work for his dad. Michelle suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of some thugs and as Meri’s best friend - she tries to protect her while trying to figure out what her mother is doing in her next criminal scheme. Evan her ex, comes to help and we get some more insight into Clarence from Deep Ops and get a cameo by some of our favourite Dark Protectors😍 The final story is that of Melanie, who stops a kidnapping in progress and is then saved by her ex Gray. They work together to bring down corruption within the police😍

Fantastic stories that should not be missed and a thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and authors for my advanced copy for which I voluntarily leave my honest review❤️

With all these characters they all learned just they come from a not so good childhood, that there can always be a forever after. What brought you down and non-trusting just means when you find someone that you do trust and love it's the real deal and never let go

What a great anthology by three amazing authors, Kat Martin, Rebecca Zanette and Alexandra Ivy. They wove the three stories together seamlessly using building on characters from one story to the next. I have been a fan of each of these authors and it was interesting to see how they came together as one. Many anthologies have individual stories that have nothing to do with each other. These stories are a continuation of one to the other. Great choices by the authors to give a wonderful look into the loves, trials and triumphs of each character. I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest opinion.

Pivot's trifecta of talented authors unites for an amazing entity of 3 stories that come together in interesting ways. I'm a fan! I didn't see it coming, but Kat Martins, "Against the Heart", Rebecca Zanettie's, "Shaken", and Alexandra Ivy's, "Echoes of the Past" combine and stand strong with each author's unique style. I truly enjoyed meeting and connecting with Meri, Melanie, and Michelle as this group traveled through to the conclusion. It was wonderful!

Three wonderful stories about three different women and the strong alpha males that they fall in love with. The stories are written by three strong female authors who always give us gripping tales with great characters. Each woman, Finds themself in a stick situation that needs law enforcement intervention. The guys who rescue and protect them are known to each other through their military or law enforcement experience. They manage to bring down the bad guys and win the love of the females. This is definitely a page turner that will make you want to read about the other characters that come from other stories these wonderful writers have out there.

Intense, suspense, novellas, connected with each other.
Three quick reads by 3 good authors.
Check it out

PIVOT by Kat Martin, Alexandra Ivy, Rebecca Zanetti. I enjoyed reading this anthology. Having read all three authors previously, it was a joy to read them all in one place. The stories are all connected, but lightly. I liked all the main characters in each story and I enjoyed the danger set forth in each as well. Each story is well written and flowed nicely. The connections between the characters were heartfelt and believable. I truly enjoyed this collection of tales. (received NetGalley ARC for honest review)

I have read books by all three authors and have loved everything I had read before. Having a book with these amazing women all in once place was fantastic.

I loved how each story was so well constructed and connected to each other that I actually forgot it was 3 different women writing. It was obviously 3 when I think about it because they all have a great way of writing, dialogue, and telling their stories.

This series is about 3 best friends. Kat Martin wrote Meri the first story to introduce these ladies. This book was a great introduction. Meri's character had secrets that brought her more trouble than she could handle. She hid out with Ian who had no idea what her secrets were and how dangerous. Their romance and the suspense was riveting.

Alexandra Ivy wrote Melanie's story and it flowed perfectly with Meri's. Melanie and Gray's story was full of intrigue and continues the story. I loved Melanie's realistic attitude. I fell into this story big time. It is like being sucked into a tornado, you know its going to be a rough ride but you can't help but be curious about it. I loved it.

The last and final story was written by Rebecca Zanetti and It was my favorite. (Nothing against the other authors because it was set up spectacularly for Ms. Zanetti, but the way she writes always hits me hard.)

So the last story is a second chance romance between Meri and Melanie's friend Michelle and her ex, the one she walked away from, Evan. This one was electric. The emotions and passion between these 2 was amazing. The story continues and Evan refuses to let her walk away a second time and refuse his help. The sparks that flew was definitely hot.

This set is one to definitely read. I loved the characters, the story's and how smoothly they flowed into each other. I loved that 3 of my favorite authors created this book. If you love romance, suspense, and intrigue this is definitely the book for you.

Graded purely on the content of the stories, this set is a solid 4 stars. However, a book, for me, is a total package. The blurbs on the back are not the order in the book, are not consistent with what some plots and how it’s threaded together. Only 2/3 of the women ever know each other and it is barely mentioned. Its the Men, however, that are actually connected. I’m especially picky about inaccurate blurbs because it’s the verbal picture drawing someone in. When it’s flawed, it’s distracting.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Pivot that I read and reviewed.
The book is made up of three short stories that all tie together. Overall, all three stories were all pretty good and the book as a whole was a very good read.

The first story was Against the Heart by Kat Martin and it was the story of Meri Jones and Ian Brodie. Meri is on the run from her ex getting hired by Ian when she answers his ad as a housekeeper at his father’s farmhouse. This story was face paced and Meri was trying to keep her secrets hidden until trouble found her and Ian had to come to her rescue.

The second story in the book is Shaken by Rebecca Zanetti and that tells the story of Michelle and Evan. Michelle gets caught up in some trouble that her mother brings to her door and the man that comes to her rescue is her ex that she could not get out of her system Evan. Some of the characters from Martin’s book make an appearance in this book as well.

The dismal book that ties up all the trilogy and answers all the questions is Echoes of the Past by Alexandra Ivy. This is the story of Melanie and Gray. A woman who is forced to work with a man she used to love when it comes to protecting a boy from dirty cops who are trying to punish a man that is trying to turn state evidence against them.

Pivot gets five out of five stars from me.

Great authors and wonderful writing  Each story could stand alone but combined works even better.

Pivot is three novellas by Kat Martin, Rebecca Zanetti and Alexandra Ivy. They are all part of one of the author's own series but I never felt lost with the characters since I was only familiar with the Rebecca Zanetti series, Deep Ops.

I liked that the authors used not only heroes and heroines who were connected but the antagonists were also connected throughout the three individual stories. The women all had different backgrounds but they grew up in foster homes which brought in trust and abandonment issues and abusive parents.

In Kat Martin's tale, Meri Jones and her three-year-old daughter are on the run from Lily's father. Joey has an issue with drugs. Meri inherited money from her foster mother which Joey believes is much greater than it was. He thinks Meri is holding out on him and he wants his fair share or he'll take Lily. When Meri runs low on gas, she happens to meet Ian Brodie who is looking for someone to help clean up his father's house which is in disrepair. Ian can tell the Meri is desperate for work and is obviously running from something. He takes her in and together they bring the house back to its former glory while Meri's little girl breathes new life into Ian's father. This was my first Kat Martin story and it was very enjoyable. It was also the only insta-love story of the three but we get by this with a general reference to the many days and evening that Ian and Meri work together to accomplish their goal of fixing the house. Meri's kid is adorable and I enjoyed her playing off against the grumpy old dad and instead of being intimidated by him, she just ignores his bluster until he comes very used to this cute little kid.

Rebecca Zanetti's story, features Michelle Peach, a friend of Meri's, who was beaten up and harassed by Joey and his cohort for information on Meri's whereabouts. She calls out to her friend Raider for help and he sends Evan Bolden Michelle's ex-love and former marine to protect her. Michelle had a problem with Evan's need for excitement and danger but she would never have walked way from him so Evan pushed her away. He realized his mistake almost immediately but now he realizes that action and excitement also includes too much blood and death. All he wants now is to settle down and convince Michelle that all he needs in is life is her.

The final story involved Detective Grey Hawkins who is trying to uncover police corruption in Seattle. He has been getting his information from Joey's cohort, Bart Kowalski. Now Bart's little boy is being threatened by the same people Grey is trying to uncover. He rushes to get to Donny first but he has run to see his teacher at the Youth Center. His favorite teacher turns out to be Melanie Cassidy, Grey's old love, who he walked away from a few years ago. He also realized his mistake shortly thereafter. Grey is a friend of Ian Brodie, and call his friend Ian for some help to hide the little boy while Grey and Melanie track down the dirty cops and the men they sent after a little boy

These were really good stories and although they would be considered part of each author's individual series, I never left left out on any of them. Each story would have worked fine as a stand alone but I liked how they overlapped the characters in the different stories giving the anthology a cohesiveness.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

You can not go wrong with Rebecca Zanetti or Alexandra Ivy but to put them together makes it all the better. And Kat Martin is a great third to the anthology.

As a fan of Zanetti and Ivy there wasn’t a chance that I wouldn’t like this and I was right. Seeing familiar characters was great.

And meeting new characters (to me) from Kat Martin was great as well.

Highly recommend this anthology.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.