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mirable's review
5.0
Library Journal starred review:
Harris, Edie. Blamed. Carina: Harlequin. (Blood Money, Bk. 1). 2014. ebk. ISBN 9781426899263. $3.99. ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
The Faradays have long been the people the U.S. government depends on to get nasty jobs done. Beth joined the family business at 16. Now in her twenties, she is a retired assassin living as an art curator. Raleigh Vick is the man sent to kill her. Neither is who or what they seem, but that hardly matters. They have met numerous times, in many guises. They have a connection; they understand each other. Or do they? Harris’s debut is cinematic and compelling, reading like a James Bond movie, complete with betrayals, double-crosses, torture, and madness, as well as a heavy dose of romantic and sexual tension. Flashbacks unveil background in a way that avoids info-dump exposition.
Verdict: Beth and Vick are flawed, layered individuals about whom readers will care. The secondary characters are fairly well developed, too, and the action ranges all over the globe. Fans of romantic suspense and thrillers will love this tautly written page-turner that leaves the door wide open for future books in the series.—Charli Osborne, Oak Park P.L., MI
Harris, Edie. Blamed. Carina: Harlequin. (Blood Money, Bk. 1). 2014. ebk. ISBN 9781426899263. $3.99. ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
The Faradays have long been the people the U.S. government depends on to get nasty jobs done. Beth joined the family business at 16. Now in her twenties, she is a retired assassin living as an art curator. Raleigh Vick is the man sent to kill her. Neither is who or what they seem, but that hardly matters. They have met numerous times, in many guises. They have a connection; they understand each other. Or do they? Harris’s debut is cinematic and compelling, reading like a James Bond movie, complete with betrayals, double-crosses, torture, and madness, as well as a heavy dose of romantic and sexual tension. Flashbacks unveil background in a way that avoids info-dump exposition.
Verdict: Beth and Vick are flawed, layered individuals about whom readers will care. The secondary characters are fairly well developed, too, and the action ranges all over the globe. Fans of romantic suspense and thrillers will love this tautly written page-turner that leaves the door wide open for future books in the series.—Charli Osborne, Oak Park P.L., MI
timitra's review
4.0
I love a good villain/bad guy and to me John was superb in this respect he was creepy and sadistic as fuck. He had me shuddering in the prologue and when he stepped back onto the pages later on he had me cringing and wanting to block my eyes to escape his level of creepy while still wanting to read cause I couldn't help wanting to know what happened next. I loved the atmosphere the author created in this story and the way in which she chose to tell the story. I think she did an amazing job with the characters they were well drawn, had depth and substance to them.Blamed is a solid start to a great new series and I for one cannot wait for the next book in this series and all the others that follow.
ARC was won in a contest sponsored by the author
ARC was won in a contest sponsored by the author
anabelsbrother's review
4.0
wowowowow
I didn't expect it to be this intense. Racquel pitched this book to me as "suspense, and very romantic" and it truly is! There is so much yearning in this book it hurts; the couple has been circling each other for ten years, ffs.
I love the relationship between all the Faraday siblings, I'm happy to see all of them getting books of their own.
I didn't expect it to be this intense. Racquel pitched this book to me as "suspense, and very romantic" and it truly is! There is so much yearning in this book it hurts; the couple has been circling each other for ten years, ffs.
I love the relationship between all the Faraday siblings, I'm happy to see all of them getting books of their own.
leelah's review
2.0
2,5 stars
A little too predicable and writing is definitely more simple, more silly and less challenging then it was in [b:The Corrupt Comte|17913508|The Corrupt Comte (The Bourbon Boys Quartet, #1)|Edie Harris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368463281s/17913508.jpg|25104381] or [b:Wild Burn|16103311|Wild Burn (Wild State, #1)|Edie Harris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350956418s/16103311.jpg|21914512].
I know she wrote NA (I haven't read them, though), so maybe this is closer to that style.
The story is...well, like a mash between Nikita and Mr.&Ms. Smith...
I just wasn't surprised with plot, not once...
Sex was hot though.
codexmendoza's review
4.0
This is a pretty improbable spy romance novel, but then, love is a lie so I guess I'm not really gonna think too hard about the assassin bits. Adding this though because the heroine and her siblings are half Moroccan and the entire world of this novel is really diverse.
prgchrqltma's review
4.0
Characters: Former spy, spy
World Building: weapons, spy mechanisms
Plot: Unraveling the past, kidnap/torture/rescue
Sex: Medium
Read another: Yes.
World Building: weapons, spy mechanisms
Plot: Unraveling the past, kidnap/torture/rescue
Sex: Medium
Read another: Yes.
beckymmoe's review
5.0
Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books on 12/1/14.
"Scarecrow" from TV's Scarecrow and Mrs. King was my first love. All that top secret, for your eyes only, I'd-tell-you-but-then-I'd-have-to-kill-you stuff has been total catnip for me ever since, as have sexy, oh-so-capable alpha spies.
I. Freaking. Love. Them.
So it was pretty much a forgone conclusion I was going to request a review copy of this book. First in a five-book series about a family of spies? Bring it on!
Then when the author thanked her dad for making her watch The Fugitive (Harrison Ford's movie version) and the Christmas classic Die Hard? I knew I'd made the right choice.
And oh, did I! I loved this book.
It grabbed me from the prologue and didn't let go until the author's note at the end. Beth and Vick are currently my new favorite spies--at least until Ms. Harris writes the next book in the series. It's going to be Beth's oldest brother Tobias's, and oh my goodness, he has such a presence in this book. I can't wait to find out his story...
But I digress. :)
Beth has been killing people for a living since the tender age of sixteen, and she's darn good at it. Though joining the family business (which goes all the way back to an ancestor who was a driving force in the Sons of Liberty; how totally cool is that?) of serving their country as a card-carrying member of "America's first warmongering family" is expected of any and all Faradays, it's not what Beth truly longs to do. Then a mess of an assassination in Kabul prompts her to quit cold turkey. She's always longed for a so-called "normal" life, and as an art curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, she thinks she might have found it.
But "normal" people don't have a routine they go through every time they leave and return to their apartment that involves baby powder dusted on window sills and sideboards, clear fishing line strung between the handles of their French doors, and disguising their exact location in the apartment with stocking feet and loud music as they go about setting and checking their myriad of safety precautions. So...maybe saying she has a "normal" life is a bit of a stretch after all.
And then finding out that a hit's been ordered on her anyway? It's the icing on a pretty crappy cake, thank you.
But what Beth really isn't expecting is to find out that the neighbor across the street who keeps bumping into her at odd times is the guy ordered to carry out the hit. Oh, and he's also the man she's thought of as "her spy" for the past ten years--though a near-death episode (in Kabul--yep, during that disastrous assassination) has made him unrecognizable, at least on the surface. He's MI-6, and he's just quit his job rather than carry out the hit.
Or...has he?
Vick's been in love with Beth since she was sixteen. He's almost a decade her senior, though, and he knew at the time it was more than a little pervy of him. So he waited for her to grow up, and kept an eye on her.
But he can't...or can he?
There's so much angst in this book--the good kind (for the reader, not for the characters, obvs)--with the two spies who desperately want to trust each other but know that they shouldn't--or can't. There's edge-of-your-seat international spy drama, and some really delicious sexual tension. There's broken ribs, GSWs, and some oh-my-goodness long-anticipated hot, hot sexy times. And then, to balance it out, there's some really funny banter from our hero and heroine, like this conversation that had me laughing out loud:
Count me in for books two through five--can't wait!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
"Scarecrow" from TV's Scarecrow and Mrs. King was my first love. All that top secret, for your eyes only, I'd-tell-you-but-then-I'd-have-to-kill-you stuff has been total catnip for me ever since, as have sexy, oh-so-capable alpha spies.
I. Freaking. Love. Them.
So it was pretty much a forgone conclusion I was going to request a review copy of this book. First in a five-book series about a family of spies? Bring it on!
Then when the author thanked her dad for making her watch The Fugitive (Harrison Ford's movie version) and the Christmas classic Die Hard? I knew I'd made the right choice.
And oh, did I! I loved this book.
It grabbed me from the prologue and didn't let go until the author's note at the end. Beth and Vick are currently my new favorite spies--at least until Ms. Harris writes the next book in the series. It's going to be Beth's oldest brother Tobias's, and oh my goodness, he has such a presence in this book. I can't wait to find out his story...
But I digress. :)
Beth has been killing people for a living since the tender age of sixteen, and she's darn good at it. Though joining the family business (which goes all the way back to an ancestor who was a driving force in the Sons of Liberty; how totally cool is that?) of serving their country as a card-carrying member of "America's first warmongering family" is expected of any and all Faradays, it's not what Beth truly longs to do. Then a mess of an assassination in Kabul prompts her to quit cold turkey. She's always longed for a so-called "normal" life, and as an art curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, she thinks she might have found it.
But "normal" people don't have a routine they go through every time they leave and return to their apartment that involves baby powder dusted on window sills and sideboards, clear fishing line strung between the handles of their French doors, and disguising their exact location in the apartment with stocking feet and loud music as they go about setting and checking their myriad of safety precautions. So...maybe saying she has a "normal" life is a bit of a stretch after all.
And then finding out that a hit's been ordered on her anyway? It's the icing on a pretty crappy cake, thank you.
But what Beth really isn't expecting is to find out that the neighbor across the street who keeps bumping into her at odd times is the guy ordered to carry out the hit. Oh, and he's also the man she's thought of as "her spy" for the past ten years--though a near-death episode (in Kabul--yep, during that disastrous assassination) has made him unrecognizable, at least on the surface. He's MI-6, and he's just quit his job rather than carry out the hit.
Or...has he?
Vick's been in love with Beth since she was sixteen. He's almost a decade her senior, though, and he knew at the time it was more than a little pervy of him. So he waited for her to grow up, and kept an eye on her.
Whenever the bad guys lurked, young Elizabeth Faraday had a tendency to shine her light--though, usually, her light was the little red dot attached to the scope of her sniper rifle. A trifling detail, if you asked him.In his job, he lies to absolutely everyone he knows--and all he wants is to be the real him, if only just to Beth.
But he can't...or can he?
There's so much angst in this book--the good kind (for the reader, not for the characters, obvs)--with the two spies who desperately want to trust each other but know that they shouldn't--or can't. There's edge-of-your-seat international spy drama, and some really delicious sexual tension. There's broken ribs, GSWs, and some oh-my-goodness long-anticipated hot, hot sexy times. And then, to balance it out, there's some really funny banter from our hero and heroine, like this conversation that had me laughing out loud:
"How long have you had these?"(Am I the only one who flashed to that scene in Lethal Weapon 3 when Mel Gibson and Rene Russo are comparing their scars and how they got them when reading that?)
He squirmed a bit in his seat before taking the next exit into downtown. "A while."
Her lips curled upward, almost unwillingly. "A while, huh? Your attention to detail here is so sexy."
"If you're talking about the documentation, yes, the quality of work is pretty damn sexy." His mouth twitched with subdued humor. "If you're referring to my vague answer, your sarcasm is noted."
"Noted, but not appreciated." She tapped the passports against her leg, aiming for a casual tone. "You should answer, anyway."
"No."
"Come on, man. I was shot today."
"I was shot yesterday. Worse than you."
"It's not a contest," she huffed.
"It is when you're trying to use it as leverage."
Count me in for books two through five--can't wait!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
poisonivy70's review
4.0
This was the author’s tweet-pitch for her book: She was an assassin; now she’s retired, but a sexy MI6 agent from her past missed the memo. The price on her head doesn’t help, either.
Best. Synopsis. Ever.
The Good, The Meh and Everything In Between
-(Brutally) Good prologue: The prologue got my attention and the story never let me go. It established the heroine, Beth, as a survivor, made you root for her and want to find out how she ended up in that situation. It really gave me a snapshot of Beth’s personality - she’s someone who has been through a hell we are only getting a glimpse of, and yet she is standing. You may even think you know what she’s gone through because of that prologue, but you have no idea. I loved that.
-Non-linear storytelling: Beth and Vick’s relationship is revealed layer by complicated layer through flashbacks and it gave me great insight to their history, and how they came to be in this situation. This is something that may or may not work, but I think it would have been a difficult story to tell in a straightforward fashion.
-Kickass former assassin heroine: the family business for Beth Faraday is established early on. The Faradays are in the business of secrets and weapons and the best way I could describe it is, take Tony Stark and give him brothers and sisters, all with special abilities in spying, assassinations, etc. She was trained early on, but she's retained her soul and she's given up the spy games business for a very good reason. Beth's conflict at being dragged back in, the blood on her hands, even knowing the things she's done, I still loved her and wanted her to win, no matter what.
-Protective alpha spy hero: Raleigh Vick’s obsession and love for Beth really helped anchor this tale. He has been intrigued, and half in love with Beth from the moment he saw her (which is ten years before the events of the book) and I believed in his all-consuming love for her. When I say the storytelling isn’t linear, you see glimpses of their relationship over the course of ten years through flashbacks, and it established their connection from the very first moment. That build was solid, and I thoroughly believed in their HEA because of it.
-Enjoyable world-building: Getting to know Beth and her family’s unusual circumstances was done slowly throughout the story and never felt like an info dump. Meeting each of her siblings made me want to know more about them.
-Suspenseful, yet focus is on romance: Spy games give an excitement to the story, but I never doubted that I was reading a romance. Beth and Vick’s story is front and center through it all. Their chemistry is combustible from jump and their love scenes were never lacking in heat.
-Standalone HEA with potential for more: No cliffy (though a thread is left for future stories), I felt that Beth and Vick’s story was told and I was thoroughly satisfied.
-Vick could have been more active: I would have liked to see Vick do more through the story, and I think Beth would have liked it too. I loved her resilience, but I like my heroes a bit more swashbuckle-y. Not to say that he doesn’t do anything, but without going into spoilers, the big climactic end would have had even more punch for me if he had been more active participant. This is a minor quibble on my part, since I still loved it.
-Villain wasn’t a surprise: There aren’t alot of twists and turns when it comes to the suspense part, and I would have liked to see more tension and action prior to the climax - however, the romance more than satisfied me. If the spy games had been delved into more (and to be fair, Beth is retired, so I understand why it wasn’t a big part of this), I think it would have been even more suspenseful. The setup for the next book leads me to believe that it can be even more exciting in this respect and I look forward to it.
The Bottom Line
I loved it and I recommend it. I really loved Beth and I am very eager to read more of this series, because there are several Faradays I'd like to get to know better.
**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
For more reviews, visit
Best. Synopsis. Ever.
The Good, The Meh and Everything In Between
-(Brutally) Good prologue: The prologue got my attention and the story never let me go. It established the heroine, Beth, as a survivor, made you root for her and want to find out how she ended up in that situation. It really gave me a snapshot of Beth’s personality - she’s someone who has been through a hell we are only getting a glimpse of, and yet she is standing. You may even think you know what she’s gone through because of that prologue, but you have no idea. I loved that.
-Non-linear storytelling: Beth and Vick’s relationship is revealed layer by complicated layer through flashbacks and it gave me great insight to their history, and how they came to be in this situation. This is something that may or may not work, but I think it would have been a difficult story to tell in a straightforward fashion.
-Kickass former assassin heroine: the family business for Beth Faraday is established early on. The Faradays are in the business of secrets and weapons and the best way I could describe it is, take Tony Stark and give him brothers and sisters, all with special abilities in spying, assassinations, etc. She was trained early on, but she's retained her soul and she's given up the spy games business for a very good reason. Beth's conflict at being dragged back in, the blood on her hands, even knowing the things she's done, I still loved her and wanted her to win, no matter what.
-Protective alpha spy hero: Raleigh Vick’s obsession and love for Beth really helped anchor this tale. He has been intrigued, and half in love with Beth from the moment he saw her (which is ten years before the events of the book) and I believed in his all-consuming love for her. When I say the storytelling isn’t linear, you see glimpses of their relationship over the course of ten years through flashbacks, and it established their connection from the very first moment. That build was solid, and I thoroughly believed in their HEA because of it.
-Enjoyable world-building: Getting to know Beth and her family’s unusual circumstances was done slowly throughout the story and never felt like an info dump. Meeting each of her siblings made me want to know more about them.
-Suspenseful, yet focus is on romance: Spy games give an excitement to the story, but I never doubted that I was reading a romance. Beth and Vick’s story is front and center through it all. Their chemistry is combustible from jump and their love scenes were never lacking in heat.
-Standalone HEA with potential for more: No cliffy (though a thread is left for future stories), I felt that Beth and Vick’s story was told and I was thoroughly satisfied.
-Vick could have been more active: I would have liked to see Vick do more through the story, and I think Beth would have liked it too. I loved her resilience, but I like my heroes a bit more swashbuckle-y. Not to say that he doesn’t do anything, but without going into spoilers, the big climactic end would have had even more punch for me if he had been more active participant. This is a minor quibble on my part, since I still loved it.
-Villain wasn’t a surprise: There aren’t alot of twists and turns when it comes to the suspense part, and I would have liked to see more tension and action prior to the climax - however, the romance more than satisfied me. If the spy games had been delved into more (and to be fair, Beth is retired, so I understand why it wasn’t a big part of this), I think it would have been even more suspenseful. The setup for the next book leads me to believe that it can be even more exciting in this respect and I look forward to it.
The Bottom Line
I loved it and I recommend it. I really loved Beth and I am very eager to read more of this series, because there are several Faradays I'd like to get to know better.
**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
For more reviews, visit
darlenemarshall's review
4.0
This has been sitting in my ereader forever, but as soon as I started it I knew I'd want the next one right now! Fascinating tale of a family of professional assassins and their daughter, a sniper who'd just like to have a normal life, maybe with a dog she'd name "Waffles". Instead she gets spies, mayhem, bullets and an overbearing family with a very specific skill set. I glommed the entire novel on a flight home and it was fantastic.
Did I mention the hero? Definitely swoonworthy, and a perfect match for the heroine. Many hot times ensue after they're finally together.
Did I mention the hero? Definitely swoonworthy, and a perfect match for the heroine. Many hot times ensue after they're finally together.
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