Fatal Affair: An Anthology (The Fatal Series) Mass Market Paperback – June 28, 2016

This book had so many twist that it kept me guessing, which no book before could do. Thank you Marie Force for making it hard to figure out who did it!!!

Good solid book. Well written hood plot Lon fairly predictable but still held my attention enough to read. I was more into the love story I’m a glutton for love. Lol

I’ve been a big fan of Marie Force for a number of years even though I haven’t read her recently. And I don’t normally select a murder mystery for reading, but the combination of the author, romance, and intriguing characters made my decision. And it was really good! Didn’t want to put it down. I highly recommend.

Fatal Affair by Marie Force is the first book in the Fatal series. Washington D.C. Metro Police Detective Sergeant Samantha “Sam” Holland needs to salvage her career as well as her confidence after a disastrous investigation that left her shaken. She needs a big case, a big win. Soon she will be assigned to the biggest case of her career. Senator John O’Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed. Things get complicated when she discovers that O’Connor’s Chief of Staff and best friend is none other than Nick Cappuano, the man she had one memorable night together years ago and never heard from again. Nick always thought about Sam and their night together and wondered why she never returned his calls. They discover their chemistry is still hot but they need to stay focused. There’s a murderer to find. As the danger builds, can they deny their connection any longer?Fatal Affair is a suspenseful whodunit with the unexpected twists and turns as they get closer to the identity of the killer. From page one, the murder mystery grabs your attention and the steamy, sexy tension between Sam and Nick adds to the danger. From the political intrigue, suspects everywhere and the personal secrets that are threatened to be revealed, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the relationship between Sam and Nick as well as her relationship with supporting characters. I loved that Sam had the bravado of a seasoned cop but also hides a fear of inadequacy and self-doubt. I enjoyed that I couldn’t figure out who the killer was and the reveal of his or her identity was a great suspenseful moment. I look forward to reading the rest of the Fatal series. If you enjoy a murder mystery with a sexy, steamy romance, I highly recommend Fatal Affair.Fatal Affair is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

~* 3.5 Stars *~Six years ago an evening of intense emotional and physical connection got mistaken as a one night stand when a jealous roommate-née-ex-husband failed to tell Sam Holland that Nick Cappuano had tried to call her several times after they spent an unforgettable night together. Now the Metro DC police sergeant is on shaky professional ground, just back from a month-long administrative leave after a shooting incident ended in the death of a child. When she gets the word that a young U.S. Senator has been brutally murdered and she's been named as lead detective on the investigation, Sam suddenly comes face to face with her past in the form of the senator's chief of staff and the one man she's never forgotten, Nick.Her job depends on a speedy arrest, but it's hard to concentrate on the trail of a killer when Nick is near, especially when she finds out what her ex-husband did, what he stole from her by keeping Nick's calls a secret all those years ago. Catching a killer and putting her personal life to rights may be a lot to hope for, but Sam's a good cop, and once Nick finds out that Sam hadn't blown him off after the greatest night of his life, he's just as intent on making sure she thinks about what they could be to each other. Forever.Kicking off an exciting romantic suspense series with a nifty political backdrop,  Fatal Affair  has some great moments. Marie Force keeps the pace of the narrative quick and moves along the aspects of police procedural, which is sometimes a problem in suspense novels. Instead of getting bogged down by minutia or seeming too dry with legalities, Force found a nice balance between character relationship plot threads and investigation plot threads. She also displayed a canny ability to sequence the investigative reveals as the story progressed, doling out clues and tidbits of juicy information judiciously, keeping the investigation fresh and relevant for the reader.Sam and Nick are solid romantic leads, their romance interesting and their connection obvious. They were a comfort to each other when that comfort was needed, and incendiary when the heat stirred. I liked them as a couple quite a lot, actually. I also enjoyed the secondary characters. There weren't any surprises there, really, pretty standard for the genre: the former cop father, the partner with quirks, the close family friend who's Sam's boss. What was nice was the rapport between Sam and her partner Cruz; there was a lot of fun, snarky dialogue between them. Also nice was the setup for future conflict and story development concerning the unsolved crime that ended her father's police career and put him in a wheelchair, and I appreciated the layers the issue of his disability added to the relationship between father and daughter.The book wasn't without it's rough spots, however. The beginning felt very awkward to me. The dialogue between Nick and the senator's aide concerning Sean's death didn't work for me. It felt stilted and wrong and Christina's reaction in particular didn't feel natural in the face of the sudden death of a loved one. I was also troubled by the too-fast and inappropriate initial introduction of Nick and Sam's relationship. Sam's lack of professionalism in mentioning personal issues while fresh on the scene and new to the investigation was disturbing, as was the rather fickle emotional reaction of Nick. In fact, his focus and intent interest in Sam seemed misplaced considering what he witnessed and the nature of Sean's death. For something so devastating, he never quite seemed affected by it beyond the first day.I had a couple of other issues, as well. There were too many unexplored avenues in the investigation and several in which the follow up and focus came way later than common sense should have dictated. Compounding those issues were the occasions when both Sam and her partner's professionalism grew lax, something that was hard to believe considering the scope of the crime, the identity of the victim, and the ramifications of the case on Sam's career in particular. Also, a bizarre and sudden emotional conflict that cropped up between Sam and Nick in the epilogue of all places came out of nowhere and hadn't been given enough of a foundation to be completely plausible.Regardless, there was still a lot to enjoy about  Fatal Affair , and the book works well as a series opening salvo. It entertained me. It bobbled a bit here and there, and there were parts that didn't work, but the book introduced readers to characters who they can root for and care about, characters to follow after and read about throughout the life of the series. If this book is indicative of what's to come in the series, readers are going to enjoy mysteries/thrillers complex enough and well executed enough to entertain, even if they're not entirely perfect. I'm interested in seeing what comes next for Sam and Nick. I think others will be, too.~*~*~*~Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

The plot had potential but was very poorly compiled in the end. Main character can be artificial at times and quite interesting at other times. Overall, it read like a light made-for-TV movie. Author needs to improve plot construction and intensity in future works to warrant anything close to the high marks this book received from others. Maybe she has, but I will not take the time to find out.

I hadn't read any of Ms Force books, so wasn't sure what to expect. I read the Novella "One night with you" and was hooked, I wanted to know what happened to Sam and Nick. The usual sleaze of Politics is brought out when Senator O'connor is found murdered by his chief of staff Nick. Sgt Samantha Holland is the detective assigned to the case. Although they haven't seen each other since their one night, sparks fly immediately between them. Chemistry is off the chart but he's a witness so any kind of relationship is a bad idea... Lots of secrets and lies as you would expect around Washington no one is who or what they seem, and Sam is under the spotlight of the media after a bad result from a previous case. Nightmares and second guessing plus Nick are messing with her head. Plus someone is trying to kill her. Bombs, bullets, romance and murder this book has it all,the dialogue is sharp and witty, Sam has a wicked sense of humour you come to expect from a seasoned but not entirely cynical cop. A great read from start to finish, can't wait to see what the next book in the series is like..

The book 'Fatal Affair' dramatically starts six years after the fateful one-night stand that Detective Sergeant Sam Holland and Nick Capuano had. Except this time Sam is the investigating detective when Nick discovers the brutality murdered body of his employer a United States Senator.Not surprisingly, there is still chemistry between Sam and Nick and we the reader wants them to hook up again and fully acknowledge their feelings for each other. This does not happen easily and their angst intertwined with the building suspense of finding who actually murdered the Senator makes for an outstanding story.Sam and Nick are fast becoming my favourite characters to read about. I know that I will want to read more and more... of The Fatal Series.

Well if you like a mystery and a thriller plus a love affair in amongst it,your going to be glued to this story like I was.brilliant is my view from beginning to end.

Sam is back to work and wants to prove her worth after a leave of absence. She is also dealing with a father who is paralysed after being injured in the line of duty but his mind is as sharp as ever.Her first murder investigation since returning brings her into contact with a previous one night stand and the spark is still there.I like the author’s style of writing, it flows easily and gets rather steamy in places. Sometimes the detective didn’t seem to be behaving in a professional manner mainly due to her emotional feelings in her love life.

The crime storyline of the book is a pretty interesting but the rest is utter garbage. The characters are unrealistic, the romance plot line was guff and just totally unbelievable. The book may be free but your time will be better spent reading something else.