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Retribution: A Gripping Romantic Suspense Kindle Edition
Winner of Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award 2017.
‘Keeps you enthralled to the last page’
‘Gripping, emotional and fast-paced’
‘Phenomenal must read’
‘A non-stop bundle of twisted intrigue’
She’s a ballerina with a dark secret.
He’s a retired sniper with a tortured past.
Will they find love or fall prey to a stalker’s deadly game?
Professional ballerina Jessie Hilton wraps her battle scars in satin pointe shoes, but there’s a deeper hurt that haunts her sleep. When a handsome man steps in to save her from a mugging, something about her hero makes her heavy heart leap. Though her career can’t afford distractions, he may be her sole source of safety when she gains the unwanted attention of a relentless stalker.
Ex-sniper Brad Jordan survived his tour of duty, but a tragic accident cost him the lives of those closest to him. With his faithful border collie Whiskey by his side, Brad gets a second chance when he protects the beautiful Jessie from danger. When the ballerina’s stalker grows more brazen, Brad’s tactical training may be their only weapon against tragedy.
Will Jessie and Brad survive a deadly game or will the assailant destroy their chance at love?
Retribution is a standalone romantic suspense novel. If you like tough-as-toe-shoes heroines, second-chance romance, and page-turning plots, then you’ll love Diane Demetre’s heart-stopping saga.
Buy Retribution to uncover secrets and rescue romance today!
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJune 8, 2018
- File size5482 KB
Editorial Reviews
Review
I was captivated from the start, intending for this to be my work lunch break book for this week,however, I got so into it that I kept reading at home and now I'll need to pick another lunch break book because Retribution only lasted for one day.
The ballet dancing - loved all of this! Jessie's dedication and drive to fulfil her ultimate goal was admirable.Despite being so single focused, she still came across as someone you would want to hang out with.
The hero - there wasn't much to not love about BJ. He really was a dream personified, and such a gentleman! He was perfectly suited to Jessie and they complimented each other well.
The atmosphere - Diane's prose is a delight, her settings were infused with atmosphere, be it in the city or the country. She brought Melbourne to life so well and the Yass countryside just sang from the pages.
Whiskey the dog - I can't go pasta great dog character and Whiskey was such a beautiful, obedient, loyal dog.Plus, I used to have a Border Collie so I have a particular soft spot for that breed. I kept picturing my old dog as Whiskey, so she was always going to be a winner for me.
For those who read a lot ofromance and romantic suspense, this is a novel that will appeal to youimmensely. There's plenty of romantic tension and sizzling scenes ofanticipation. The issues explored were done so with sensitivity and obviousresearch. The suspense aspect of the story was well drawn out with a fewunexpected twists. There's plenty going on in Retribution and you'll find it tobe one of those stories that you're hard pressed to put down.
From the Author
This story is my way of paying tribute to the people who have endured more than most. Those who have lived hellish childhoods, those who have fought for our freedom, those who have experienced unimaginable trauma and those who may never recover from their suffering. With the overarching theme of forgiveness and redemption, Retribution pays homage to the human condition in all its glory and misery.
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Following her onstage career, she spent many years as a stress & life skills therapist, keynote speaker and presenter, appearing on national radio and television.
Launching into a writing career, Diane's debut erotic romance series, the Dance of Love was voted Luminosity Publishing Reader's Choice Best Book and Best Cover for 2015 and 2016. Her romantic suspense, Retribution, won the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award 2017 for Best Unpublished Manuscript. Diane loves to write genre-busting stories with a twist. Her works are packed with emotional punch and feature empowered heroines who live life to the fullest, much like the author herself.
Product details
- ASIN : B07DB49G2T
- Publisher : New Age Productions; 1st edition (June 8, 2018)
- Publication date : June 8, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 5482 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 322 pages
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![Diane Demetre](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/k39ggjb80qs71cmp7mu3sfejpr._SY600_.jpg)
Diane Demetre is a passionate thought leader, energetic speaker, life coach, award-winning author and Master Mindset Mentor who believes everyone deserves to manifest their dreams, and she’s on a mission to show them how! With over forty years’ experience performing, teaching, speaking, coaching, and leading teams of people, she’s entertained and empowered countless people through her work.
As an award-winning author of contemporary, genre-busting romance, suspense, and mystery novels, she weaves her intuitive insights into her casts of characters, heightening the intrigue in her storytelling. Set in exotic locations, her stories are packed with emotional punch and feature empowered heroines who live life to the fullest, much like the author herself. Having visited her stories’ locations, Diane writes with an authentic sense of place, dramatic flair and an evocative style that captivates her readers.
Diane was awarded the 2019 Leadership in Entertainment, Creative Arts and Media Industry award; recognition for her leadership across a diverse range of roles in the industry and notably her instrumental role in shaping national industrial relations laws in the late 1980's. It was Diane's high-profile sexual harassment and wrongful dismissal cases which shaped industrial relations laws Australia-wide and marked the first public #metoo event in Australia.
Acclaimed author of one of 2020’s outstanding personal development books, Master Mindset, 21 transformative ways to master your life in this uncertain time.
Winner of Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award Best Unpublished Manuscript 2017, Retribution is a masterful creation of insightful suspense.
Winner of Luminosity Publishing Readers’ Choice Awards Best Books and Best Covers 2015 and 2016, the re-released Steamy Secrets series are stand-alone titles filled with erotic adventures set in exotic locations.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2018Entertaining reading!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2018I received an ARC in exchange for my honest and objective review.
There is a lot going on in the book, I would say too much, and as a result the storyline and character development felt very superficial. The characters had potential. Jessie, the heroine is a ballerina vying for the role as Principal (Prima) Ballerina of the Australian Ballet. BJ/Brad is an ex-special forces officer coming to terms with civilian life and training his dog (one of my favorite characters in this novel) for search and rescue. Any one or even two of the plot lines could have created an amazing story arc with interesting character and relationship development. Unfortunately they author did not choose one or even two story arcs but 5 by my count which meant none of them was fully developed. So many bad things happened to these two characters it was almost too hard to believe. Combine that with the instant I am your new BFF relationship that had them practically joined at the hip after just meeting, and it all felt rushed unbelievable. As a reader I am all for suspending disbelief but this lacked the development to be engaged in the relationship. The skeletons in their closet are all shared through dialogue that almost feels like they are talking about the weather. Net for a romantic suspense it lacked both romance and suspense.
I would not say the book was bad it just was not very good IMHO. 3 Stars
- Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2018Jessie is a ballerina who is competing for the title of principal with her ballet company. Brad is an ex-SAS sniper haunted by the tragic deaths of his wife and child while he was deployed. Brad saved Jessie from a mugging after a yoga class that they take together and a friendship develops. When Jessie's father has a stroke and her apartment is broken into, Brad accompanies Jessie back to her childhood home and there, their friendship begins to develop into something more. When Jessie's stalker follows her and her father dies, Brad springs into action to help catch her stalker and even after that, there is a developing storyline with Jessie's uncle as well. This book, while being labeled as romantic suspense, really had more suspense than romance but I appreciated that. It was fast paced and hard to put down and I wouldn't mind reading more of these books, especially if the author was to feature some of the other characters: Brad's friend Ricky and Jessie's friend Jasmine, Brad's friend Angel, Jessie's brother Richard, and even Tabitha--one of the dancers also competing with Jessie for the title of principal. I received this book as an arc and I've voluntarily provided this review
- Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2018I don’t know what I was expecting to read but this book was exceedingly good. BJ is Broken soul. He left his military career when his wife and son were in an accident. He has been getting by day by day. In his yoga class is Jessie. Jessie is a ballerina working towards the pinnacle position in the ballet company. Everything starts spiraling out of control. She gets a stalker, her father gets sick. BJ is her savior but who will save BJ? After reading this book I want to travel to all the places mentioned in book! Great writing descriptions. One of my favorite parts written is ... tears of redemption after they kiss, that was intense. This book is fantastic. It’s exciting and romantic. I loved the heartwarming ending.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2018This was a well-written story with complex characters and good plot development. The story seemed very well-thought out. It was mostly about developing the characters and building suspense - there was only a small amount of romance. Jessie has worked all her life to become a principal dancer with the Austrialian Ballet and she is on the cusp of that when her life starts to spiral out of control - she gets attacked in the yoga studio parking lot, she has a stalker break into her apartment, her dad has a stroke, and so on. BJ is an ex-special forces soldier whose wife and daughter were killed by a drunk driver when he was on his last deployment. He's felt guilty about being out saving the world but not being there to save them ever since. The two develop a strong connection over the course of the story and eventually it turns romantic.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this review.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2020First 70% of the book was good. But then, the “gripping suspense” was over, so the heroine spent the rest of the book getting her emotional ducks in a row. Gag. It was just so boring, I speed-read the last 30% of the book. How so many readers can give this 5 stars is the biggest mystery of all. Honestly, isn’t a suspense novel supposed to be suspenseful until the end?
- Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2018Received this book as an ARC for my honest review.
Jessie is a ballerina competing for principal spot and she has a yoga class she goes to every Sunday. One Sunday she finally talks to a stranger (Brad) that is standing in a doorway and saves her from a possible mugger. One day shortly after her apartment has been broken into and she calls Brad and he becomes the savior. There is an unwanted admirer and Brad is determined to keep Jessie safe.
I liked the book but there was just one problem of how quickly Jessie and Brad started helping each other. There was no development it was ok, you are going home I will go with you and I will protect you. Brad has skeletons in his closet but his is very quick on divulging the information even though he doesn't know Jessie at all. It was well written, I liked it, just could have used more time.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2018So, this book is labeled as a suspense romance but I would disagree and say its more of a suspenseful novel. There was a little bit of romance mixed in but more of a thriller/suspense aspect. That being said I really enjoyed the twists and turns that were thrown at me as I read. Loved the toss in of the stalker which gave it that nail biting suspense that kept me turning the pages late at night. Give a read if you're into Suspense/mystery/emtional pull/touch of romance. :)
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy
Top reviews from other countries
- saucey sueReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2018
4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive
I'm not sure what make me purchase this romance/suspense novel. Possibly the title. Loved it from start to finish. The important thing for me was the story flowed, characters introduced believable, troubled but so likeable, scenery had me daydreaming & just sometimes many short chapters work very well. It's not shock horror, it's not nail biting but it is genuine out there stuff which all adds up to being exceedingly readable.
- Jonathan and Deborah BisphamReviewed in Australia on July 17, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has a bit of everything, drama, love, suspense, thriller and a good storyline set in an Australian country town. The author writes in a very visually descriptive way, which I love. It really brings the story to life. Without giving a spoiler, there’s an interesting underlying story about how different childhood experiences can influence our lives in a positive or negative way - if we let them. Highly recommend this read.