Review: "Retribution" by Katie Reus
Note: This ARC was provided by CrushStar Media LLC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When security business owner and expert Declan Gallagher gets called in to help out with a case involving two sisters who appear to be involved in the deaths of several known big-named criminals, the former CIA black ops agent knows he can’t say “no” to the very person who once saved his life. He isn’t given too much information on the sisters except that they may be trying to get close to yet another well-known criminal through his son for whom Declan has provided security in the past. He sees that the sisters are gorgeous but he’s immediately drawn to the younger sister whose dreams he decides to infiltrate, thanks to his special abilities as a dream walker, something known only to his family and very few select and trust individuals.
Nika Brennan has an extraordinary gift, one that she’s still trying to come to grips with, but it doesn’t help her understand why a mysterious man has suddenly invaded her dreams each and every night. There’s no denying that he’s strikingly good looking and the things they do in her dreamscape have become increasingly more sensual. As distracting as her nightly visitor may be, she’s still concerned about things going on in real life, specifically her sister Alena’s plan of seeking vengeance from those who took away the most precious people from both of them—their parents. When they’re invited to the home of Andre Makarov, Nika comes face to face with, literally, the man of her dreams and the man who may mess up Alena’s plans.
Katie Reus is one of those authors whose titles have my to-be-read (TBR) list becoming the kilometric mission impossible it is, and I’m glad that I was finally able to read AND review her latest standalone title, Retribution. This being my first ever Katie Reus book, I must say that I was quite impressed with her ability to create a suspenseful story that still had all the romantic elements that I look for in books belonging to this genre. I think it’s also good that this is a standalone since reading a book that already part of an ongoing or long established series can be daunting, especially since I’m the kind of reader that needs to read all the previous novels before going into the latest one. So, hooray for standalones that make you crave for more.
I loved the creativity and originality that went into this story and that it was executed as well as it was. The idea of two people with special abilities crossing paths the way Declan Gallagher and Nika Brennan caught my interest but it was how the rest of the story unraveled that truly kept me flipping the pages until the very end. Declan was a character who exuded courage and strength but being with Nika made him also have this vulnerability that made him all the more appealing. Nika’s own evolution from a young woman who went along with her sister’s plans for revenge to someone who was able to take a stand and speak up whenever the situation warranted it showed that these two engaging lead characters were quite multi-dimensional.
There were a few twists in the story and I was going back and forth on one of them and the other one I only figured out close to the reveal in the book. I was more than satisfied with the ending, though I do wonder if Andre Makarov and Alena Brennan will get their story told so that they can have some sense of closure in the future. Yes, I know they’re fictional characters, but hey, when I really like a story, I become invested in the characters. ^.^ And now I’m going to have to go through Katie Reus’s booklist and see how the heck I’m going to tackle each and every one of the titles there. I can clearly see why she’s considered one of the leading female authors when it comes to the romantic suspense genre. Retribution gets a solid five-star rating. ♥
Release Date: 12 May 2015
Date Read: 10 May 2015
Learn more about Katie Reus here.
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