Dangerous Games audiobook

After walking off of the job when a kidnapping victim died, the FBI wants Maggie Kincaid to return to her old job as a hostage negotiator. U.S. Senator Thebes' fourteen-year-old daughter Kayla has been kidnapped. Maggie reluctantly takes the job, but soon realizes that the Senator is lying about some of the facts. Jake O'Connor is a security specialist who has been hired by the Senator to help rescue his daughter. Jake knows time is of the essence. Kayla is a diabetic and must take insulin several times a day. Maggie and Jake work together to sort out the lies and find Kayla before it's too late.I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel. The story is fast paced with lots of twists and turns. I appreciate that the author didn't follow the usual kidnapping plot where the protagonists discover the identity of the kidnapper at the eleventh hour and hurry to rescue the victim. This plot if a little different with Maggie and Jake having to overcome some major road blocks. The only time the story slowed down was when Maggie would flash back to her childhood when she and her sister were the kidnapping victims.There were a couple of characters in this story that drove me (and Maggie) absolutely crazy. You know I am invested in the story when I am ready to start popping blood pressure medicine because of some characters. The story ends with everything neatly tied up except for one loose end. I'm hoping we learn more in the other books in the series. My rating: 4.5 Stars.

I read the three novellas:DANGEROUS GAMES(O’Connor & Kincaid: #1)Written by Tess Diamond2015; Tess Diamond Books (113 Pages)Genre: series, fiction, mystery, suspense, romantic suspense, novella RATING: 4 STARSWhen Tess Diamond asked me to review the first book in her trilogy I went straight to the synopsis and was relieved that it was a novella-length romantic suspense. I said yes and picked it up a few weeks later and was pleasantly surprised at what I read.Maggie Kincaid was once FBI’s best hostage negotiator until a case went wrong and Maggie slid into self-doubt. With the disappearance of a Senator’s young daughter Maggie has been pulled in by her mentor to bring the girl home safely. Maggie was once kidnapped, along with her older sister, and knows what it feels like to be a victim but also has insight to how evil thinks and acts. The Senator’s has hired his own investigator, Jake O’Connor, an ex-forces security expert who has his own way of doing things. As time starts to run out the two must join forces if they want to save a young girl and bring her home alive.Please note that this novella does end with a cliffhanger but book two (Game of Lies) has already been released and the third novella (End Game) will be released on December 3, 2015. All three books must be read in order and cannot be read as standalone stories (think serials). Each is a little over a hundred pages and are quick suspenseful reads. I enjoyed the character of Maggie Kincaid as she is realistic and also flawed. You get hints of when she was kidnapped as a child and later when a case goes south and tears her to pieces. It is this characterization that keeps you reading. I liked the banter between her and mysterious Jake O’Connor and that we find out about Jake as Maggie does. In an 113 pages, Diamond gives us so much without bogging the reader down. The cliffhanger gives us the kidnapper’s identity so you think what does book two have in store for us…I will let you know tomorrow as I am currently in the middle of GAME OF LIES.GAME OF LIES(O’Connor & Kincaid: #2)Written by Tess Diamond2015; Tess Diamond Books (106 Pages)Genre: series, fiction, mystery, suspense, romantic suspense, novella RATING: 4 STARSGame of Lies continues where the first book left off and but knowing the identity of the kidnapper hasn’t made Maggie or Jake’s jobs any easier. They may know the who but now they have to discover the why to get to the Senator’s daughter alive.In the second part of the three-part series we get to know more about Maggie’s past – what happened with her own kidnapping as a child and why she left the FBI two years ago. We get a few glimpses of Jake but not enough to make him a more standout hero. If you are looking for more heat in the romance department, Diamond does deliver but I was more intrigued with the consequences. I will definitely be reading the third book as soon as I can because I am curious to see how it all gets tied up. Stay tuned to tomorrow’s post as I will reveal if it is all worth the hype I have psyched myself with, lol. END GAME(O’Connor & Kincaid: #3)Written by Tess Diamond2015; Tess Diamond Books (99 Pages)Genre: series, fiction, mystery, suspense, romantic suspense, novella RATING: 4 STARSEnd Game is the third and last book in the O’Connnor & Kincaid series, but from how it ended I don’t think this will be the last time we see Jake and Maggie. As the hostage negotiation continues we see exactly why the senator’s daughter was kidnapped. I won’t say too much about the plot for spoiler reasons, but will say that Diamond ties up the book very well with still leaving her series open to continue in the future. I don’t see Maggie and Jake having an easy time with happily ever after or Maggie not making waves at the FBI again. I also see Maggie digging into her past until she has it all figured up…or at least, I hope that is where Diamond is going! ***I received all eARCs from the AUTHOR*****In 2017, Avon Books bought the rights and edited these three novellas into one novel, Dangerous Games (FBI: #1). There are two other novels in the FBI series by Diamond

This was a fantastic debut by the author. Can't wait for her next one. Maggie Kincaid and her older sister Erica were kidnapped when they were kids. Maggie escaped, Erica has never been found. Maggie blames herself even though Erica was the one who told Maggie to run and get help. Maggie grew up and became a negotiator with the FBI. Considered the best of the best, she had a high rate of success until two years ago when a case went sour and someone died. She quit her job and never looked back. Then her old boss and mentor, Frank, pleads for her help. A senator's daughter has been kidnapped, it's a high profile case, and Frank believes Maggie is the only one who can bring the teenager back alive. Very reluctantly she agrees to look at the case, give her opinion and advice, but she refuses to be pulled back into the past and the nightmare she's done her best to leave behind.Jake O'Connor leads Senator Thebes security team so it's only natural he's involved in Kayla's rescue. He's quite taken with Maggie from the start, the way she takes command, her skills on the job, and her determination to succeed. When he does some digging and learns more about her background, he admires her even more. She's overcome great tragedy and made a name for herself as a negotiator. From the moment she agrees to take the lead on the case it's obvious she's the one in charge and he has no problem following her orders. But there are sinister forces working behind the scenes to keep the real reason behind the kidnapping a secret. There are powerful forces at work that neither Maggie nor Jake are aware of until the Senator seems more concerned about his reputation than he does Kayla's life. There's also the fact Kayla is a diabetic and needs her insulin injections on a daily basis so time becomes a huge factor in their case. This was a roller coaster ride of twists and turns as the suspense builds and time ticks off the clock. I didn't want to put it down. While this case is solved by the end of the book and there is no big cliffhanger or anything, Maggie does get a lead on what happened to her sister and vows to find out the truth no matter what happens. So that will carry over into the next book but has no effect on the resolution of this particular story. This is one book I definitely recommend.

3.5 starsSummary: The hero and heroine are both outsiders of a sort. Maggie Kincaid survived a childhood kidnapping and went on to become one of the FBI’s top hostage negotiators, but left law enforcement after a hostage situation ended tragically. Jake O’Connor was a soldier who now works private security. When a Senator’s daughter is kidnapped, the two are brought into the investigation by their respective mentors and now they must work against time to rescue a child whose medical condition dictates that she be found quickly. Not surprisingly, they have to deal with their own personal demons as well as everything the kidnapper throws at them.What drew you to the book? It popped up as a “You May Also Like” when I was ordering things on Amazon and I decided that yes, indeed I just might like it.How much did you read? I read all of it, and I’m glad I did. The first half of the book gets a little bogged down in the hero and heroine being irritated with one another but then (particularly on Jake’s part) constantly noticing how cute, sexy, etc.. the other one is.This is a partial review. My complete review (part of a Book Blind Taste Test) is at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-blin...

4 stars - Romantic Suspense

A real thrillerNot just another run of the mill FBI thriller. The story grabs you from the very beginning. Maggie, an ex-FBI negotiator is haunted by tragic events from her childhood which resulted in the death of her sister. She leaves the agency after her last case resulted in the death of the teenaged hostage. When her old mentor calls in a favor she returns to the agency in a case that threatens to end with the death of another young girl. While trying to save the hostage she must face other agents that believe she’s washed up as an agent as well as other government officials whose agenda has a different outcome for the hostage.

I'm a new fan of Tess Diamond and I love this FBI Thriller Series. I read this out of order so I already knew some of what happened from the next book in the series. Still, I loved this novel. I'm not sure why people gave it less stars than the next one because I thought this one was better. Great characters that I'm happy will continue in the series, gripping suspenseful storylines and smart writing. I'm also very appreciative of the good proofreading and almost no typos!!

Worth the 5 star 🌟I enjoyed reading this book a lot. I'm a big fan of this type of story. The charters were strong and the romance adds just the right touch because it has a great deal to do with the story not just thrown in just for the sake of it. I like a book that makes you wonder. You know there is corruption in people with power .Even though this is a book of fiction it strikes on realidy.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author. Maggie Kincaid is an ex-FBI officer with a tragic past. She and Jake O'Connor work together to solve the kidnapping of a young girl. There's an undeniable attraction between them, leaving plenty of room for more books in the series. Although this book reaches a satisfying conclusion, there is the underlying mystery of Maggie's missing sister that I'm sure will haunt her through future books as she searches for answers.

Maggie has a personal motivation for her FBI career. But that last mission was too much, she left to work with her family's charity. But then her old mentor calls in a favor, another child has been kidnapped, and she needs to save Kayla. Can Maggie figure out what's going on? Who is the kidnapper and what do they really want? Can she find her in time? Will be looking for the next book in the series.

This is one of the more interesting books I've read in a while. The characters are interesting and keep the story going at a decent pace. I can't wait to read the next book in this series! Will be watching this author for more excellent books and intriguing characters!

Complicated but worth it.Ms. Diamond seems like a good bet if you are looking for something along the lines of Kay Hooper or Elizabeth Llowel. This book is dark and gritty but has lighter moments and you really root for the good guys. I'll read her next book.

Loved it. Tess diamond has a talent for romantic suspense! I loved the romance between jake and Maggie. My only “complaint” is that this author doesn’t write epilogues. I feel like those should be required in this genre.