A DATE TO DIE FOR by Wendy Soliman

Title:  A DATE TO DIE FOR

Series:  Deadline #1

Author:  Wendy Soliman

Publisher:  BookBaby

Publish Date:   07.14.2014

Category /Genre:  Cozy Mystery

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Grammar/editing:  B – a few small errors

Received from:  Wendy Soliman (as a gifted copy)

Goodreads link: A Date to Die For

Date completed: 08.11.2018

Description from the publisher:

When investigative journalist, Alexi Ellis, falls victim to the Sunday Sentinel’s cutbacks, she packs up her car, grabs Marvin, her anti-social feral cat, and hot-foots it out of London, intent upon licking her wounds in private.  She heads for Lambourn, the valley of the racehorse, where an old college friend runs a hotel and Alexi is assured a shoulder to cry on.

But this idyllic country paradise is not all it appears to be.  A woman has gone missing under mysterious circumstances and no one seems to be doing anything about it.  Unemployed she might be, but Alexi still has a nose for a story.  So too does Tyler Maddox, ex-Metropolitan Police detective turned private eye, who is also trying to find out what’s happened to Natalie Parker.

Tyler, driven out of the police by a vicious press campaign that accused him of racism, hates all journalists on principle.  But Natalie had been using his sister’s online dating agency and Tyler needs to find her before his sister’s business gets dragged through the mire.

Reluctantly, Alexi, Tyler, and Marvin join forces.  As they delve deeper into Natalie’s secret past, they discover rich adoptive parents from whom Natalie absconded while still a teenager, huge, unexplained amounts of cash and connections to a London escort agency.  Is Natalie still alive and, if so, what can have made her turn her back on her comfortable life and thriving business? 

Someone doesn’t want Alexi and Tyler to find the answers to the questions their investigation throws up and will do whatever it takes to ensure they don’t…

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A DATE TO DIE FOR is the first book in the Deadline series.  Though each will stand on its own, I would recommend reading them all and in the order of release.

The first thing you need to know before you pick up this book/series is that Alexi is from London.  It is written in British English, not American English.  Still, there are very few words used that are not common to both, but it’s like a Yankee coming to visit the South.  There are some differences, ya'all.  Don’t let that worry you!

The romance is so glacially slow as to be non-existent.  Given that this is a series and they have several books to develop, I like that it will be a slow build and slow burn.  I’m sure it will be even hotter when the fire is allowed to be banked.

Most importantly, this is a mystery and it is very well done.  I loved feeling as though I were walking each step as they uncovered the secret life of Natalie and the exciting conclusion was well played out.

I’m excited that I have this as part of the box set and can continue immediately with the second book in the series.  I’ll be back soon with that review.

Note:  While I received this book as a gifted ARC, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Deadline series:

1.      A Date to Die For

2.      A Contest to Kill For

Also from Wendy Soliman:

·         Ava’s Passion

·         A Bittersweet Proposal

·         The Carstairs Conspiracy

·         Christmas at Castleray

·         A Class Apart

·         Downsizing

·         A Duke by Default

·         The Duke’s Legacy

·         Duty’s Destiny

·         For Want of a Reputation

·         Forgotten Heiress

·         Lady Hartley’s Inheritance

·         Lady Mysterious

·         The Name of the Game

·         Of Dukes and Deceptions

·         The Perfect Imposter

·         A Reason to Rebel

·         A Scandalous Proposition

·         Shalimar

·         Silver Lining

·         The Social Outcast

·         To Defy a Duke

·         Topspin

·         Unfinished Business

Ducal Encounters Series:

1.      At the Duke’s Discretion

2.      With the Duke’s Approval   

3.      Portrait of a Duke

4.      For the Duke’s Pleasure

5.      In the Duke’s Estimation

6.      Captivating the Duke

Ducal Encounters 2^nd Series:

1.      Reunited with the Duke

2.      Christmas with the Duke

3.      Representing the Duke

4.      Safeguarding the Duke

5.      Acting for the Duke

6.      Emulating the Duke

Ducal Encounters 3^rd Series:

1.      Conspiring with the Duke

2.      Dedicated to the Duke

3.      Impugning the Duke’s Honour

4.      By Order of the Duke

5.      Supporting the Duke

Forsters Series:

1.      Compromising the Marquess

2.      Beguiling the Barrister

3.      Finessing the Contessa

4.      Romancing the Runaway

Mrs. Darcy Entertains Series:

1.      Miss Bingley’s Revenge

2.      Colonel Fitzwilliam’s Dilemma

3.      Miss Darcy’s Passion

4.      Kitty Bennet’s Despair

5.      Lydia Wickham’s Journal

Pemberley:  The Next Generation Series:

1.      Emma Bingley’s Romantic Nature

2.      Naomi Sanford’s Compassionate Nature

3.      Bella Darcy’s Impetuous Nature

4.      Eleanor Bingley’s Rebellious Nature

5.      Rosie Turner’s Contrary Nature

6.      Susie Darcy’s Tenacious Nature

Perceptions Series:

1.      A Sense of Belonging

Riley Rochester Investigates Series:

1.      Death of a Debutante

2.      Death of a Courtesan

3.      Death of a Prosecutor

4.      Death of a Scoundrel

Victorian Vigilantes Series:

1.      Saving Grace

2.      Heirs and Graces

3.      With Good Grace

4.      Fall from Grace

5.      Social Graces

6.      Elegance and Grace

 

AMAZON-US

AMAZON-UK

Thank you [Authors XP] for introducing me to this author.