I have known Jeanne Adams online for sometime now, and I finally got to meet her in person in Washington, DC in July. She blogs with the Romance Bandits and writes gripping romantic suspense novels. Her first book, DARK AND DANGEROUS, came out in June of 2008. As soon as I read it, I knew she would be a good author to feature here. This tells a little about DARK AND DANGEROUS -- I'm quoting from her website (http://www.jeannepadams.com/ ):
Sizzling seduction and hair-raising suspense combine in Jeanne Adams’s gripping new novel about a woman whose past returns—with a vengeance…
NOWHERE TO HIDE
Dana Markham is up against a cold-blooded killer who knows her all too well: Donovan Walker. Wanted for drug trafficking, armed and dangerous—he’s also her ex-husband. What she knows about him could land him behind bars forever…or put her and her young son in an early grave if Donovan finds them first. Dana’s one chance lies with a man she barely knows at all. Tall and darkly sensual, Caine Bradley is an undercover FBI agent who’s been posing as Walker’s henchman. Compelled to work with Caine to lure her ex out of hiding, Dana must fight against her own raw, urgent needs. But is he who he says he is? Her passionate desire for him could be her salvation—or her greatest mistake…
DARK AND DANGEROUS has been nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. "From its first powerpacked pages to its highly satisfying conclusion, this tale of action, romance and jeopardy is a perfect blend. Adams excels at spine-tingling plots. You are certain to be seeing much more from this talented debut author."
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Jeanne's second book, DARK AND DEADLY, is our August feature.
Fiction DB says about it:
In Jeanne Adams' pulse-pounding thriller, a woman who's lost everything must turn to the man she considers her worst enemy. But he isn't the one who wants her dead...
No Escape
Cursed. Bad things happen to men who get close to Victoria Hagan. Now one of them has paid the ultimate price. Her ex-fiance, Todd, has been found murdered in the very church where he left her at the altar--and Torie is the prime suspect. Her only hope is the last person she wants to see...
Ever since he advised his best friend not to marry her and the bride-to-be walked in on the conversation, Paul Jameson has stayed far away from Torie--and resisted their dangerously hot mutual attraction. Still, Paul promised Todd he would take care of Torie. She certainly needs him now...almost as much as he wants her. And that's exactly what a killer is counting on...
Here's Jeanne's bio, also from her website:
It’s wonderful for a writer to live near Washington, DC as I do. The research resources are fabulous, the scenery is great – complete with monuments, gorgeous public buildings, and the most amazing, weird, convoluted, political people – and I get to be here with the most awesome family, friends and neighbors in the world. I live here with my wonderful husband (he’s my personal hero), my two delightful, growing-too-fast sons, and my silly Dalmatian.
As former marketing executive, I worked for research parks, governmental concerns and not-for-profits, (which is also great fodder for the writer’s mind!) but now I’m happily employed as a consultant and full-time writer. I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction Writers of America and Thriller Writers. I’m also a proud member of theWashington Romance Writers, an RWA chapter, as well as several online RWA chapters.
One of the most enjoyable things I get to do as a consultant and writer, is to teach. I enjoy connecting with my clients, readers and other writers. In addition to my marketing work, I’ve gotten degrees in interior design and landscape design, which I use to teach a class on Creating the Write Environment. Having also worked in the funeral and cemetery business for nearly thirteen years, I teach a class on Body Disposal. I’m also very proud to work with bestselling author Madeline Hunter to teach a class on Surviving Almost There. You can check those out on the Classes button.
Being part of the Ad(d)ams Family, as you can imagine, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love to work in the garden, run my Dalmatians, hang out with my family, and write. Other than that, as another, more famous author says, the rest is subject to change without notice.
Grins,
Jeanne
Welcome to the Mystery Book Club, Jeanne! I'm looking forward to chatting with you this month. We tend to have more people viewing the conversation than joining in, but I'm hoping we will generate enough buzz this month to get everyone talking!
Some of you may recognize Jeanne from the Romance Bandits, where she blogs regularly. This is the link: http://romancebandits.blogspot.com/
You can also friend Jeanne on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/JeanneAdams8?ref=mf
RomanceNovelTV recently reviewed our featured book (Lisa Gardner said about it: "Dark and Dangerous" will leave you rapt and breathless.") I'm going to paste in the interview, but you can also find it here: http://www.romancenovel.tv/2009/06/24/dark-and-dea
- Author: PJ
- Published: Jun 24th, 2009
Reviewed by PJ Ausdenmore
Publisher: Kensington
4.5 Stars
For the past five years, since the day Todd won the lottery and dumped her at the altar, Torie Hagan’s life has been cursed. At least, that’s what she believes. While she and Todd have found their way back to a platonic friendship, every other man who has had the misfortune of dating her has been the victim of some type of injury, almost as if they had been targeted. Now, with the fifth anniversary of that aborted wedding just around the corner, Todd has come home for a visit but someone isn’t at all happy about his return. Filled with hatred and more than a little unbalanced, the unknown villain murders Todd, leaving evidence at the scene that will implicate Torie. The person then fire bombs Torie’s house in a carefully calculated plan to kill her as well. Torie survives the attack only to discover that Todd has been murdered and she’s the prime suspect, leaving her nowhere to turn but to Paul Jameson, Todd’s lawyer, best friend and the man she has always blamed for Todd’s decision to call off the wedding.
Paul has always been attracted to Torie but buried his feelings when his best friend fell for her even though he knew in his heart that Todd wasn’t the right man for her. Unfortunately, Torie overheard Paul encouraging Todd to not marry her, putting a strain on his friendship with Todd and ending any chance he and Torie might have had to be friends. Now, his best friend is dead and Paul is the only person standing between Torie and a cold-blooded killer. The two will have to work together to unravel the mystery of the killer’s identity before one of them becomes the next victim. Will they be able to set aside their mutual animosity? More importantly, will they be able to ignore the intense, unacknowledged attraction between them that has always simmered just below the surface or will passion explode and, if so, will it unite them in their quest for victory over the killer or leave them vulnerable to a sinister and deadly plot?
Jeanne Adams is a rising star in romantic suspense who, with her second release, has secured a solid spot on my auto-buy list. Dark and Deadly is a fast-paced, tense thriller that hooked me in the first few pages and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. It’s clear that Adams knows her subject well. The book is well-balanced, with enough technical detail to give the crimes validity without pulling me out of the story and an emotionally satisfying romance to offset the suspense. The characters of Paul and Torie are fully drawn with the attention necessary to understand their actions and emotions but it is the especially well-written journey into the thoughts of the killer, one very sick puppy, that had me checking the door locks more than once as I read late into the night. Adams has hit home runs with her first two books. I can hardly wait to see what she has in store for us next.
Hi PJ! So glad to see you here and so glad you like Dark and Deadly. Your review was so gracious and I'm thrilled to see so many people enjoying the book on your recommendation.
I just turned in my next book and have another due to Kensington in October. Hopefully that will mean a book out in both June and October 2010, but they've not given me dates yet. 
I'll keep you posted.
Grins,
Jeanne
Hi again, Anna!
I think your percentage take on things is a good way to look at it. I also think that when the action is the primary goal - or the focus of the story - that can often make it more of a suspense/mystery. For instance, when a book comes across to me as more plot driven (the action, finding the stolen painting, unlocking the clues, etc) it's resonates as more of a suspense or mystery even if the romance is a big part of it. I think Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code is considered a suspense/mystery because it's so plot driven, but without the romantic thread - without Sophie - you have NO story, so it COULD technically be a romance. After all, Sophie's 50% of the equation.
Becke, the black widow aspect of Dark and Deadly came to me from a newspaper article about a woman who's ex stalked her new boyfriends. He never hurt her, unlike a lot of abusive ex boyfriends, but he did some serious damage to the new men in her life. News of the weird is often a source for me for all sorts of things.
For instance, the way the boy in Dark and Dangerous uses his cellphone was from a news article about a boy who was nearly abducted from the street, but he used his cellphone to take a picture not only of the guy who tried to grab him, but of his car and license plate. Now THAT's fast thinking, eh?
Grins,
Jeanne
