Well that was intense! There's definitely some tension. Between Hero/heroine as well as them and the antagonist. The secondary characters are even strong and supportive.
This is a thought provoking read that will kick your heart rate up and keep you interested.

Did I read the same book that everyone else did?

WARNING! This review contains spoilers!

I have never given a review quite like I'm about to give, but then again, I have never read a book quite as bad as this one. Let's start with the most painful aspect of this book, the editing, or shall I say the lack there of. I have to wonder if the book was even edited. There were so many grammatical errors it was distracting.

Chapter 5 - "Alexa had told her brother she needed to this, but that didn't mean she'd convinced herself."

Chapter 6 - "When we realized what we was, I didn't bother and ask him why. I was a challenge for him, someone who didn't fall under whatever spell he tried to weave on his victims. In the end, I think I just got in his way."

Chapter 6 - "He hadn't judged her, neither did he intimate he expected anything from her."

Chapter 15 - "Here it is," he said as the entered a small clearing.

Chapter 16 - "Two agents in suits stood outside on the rooms with the blinds drawn." (This doesn't make sense for two reasons, one, because it should read "outside of" and two, most importantly, it should read "room" and not "rooms". Alexa is not in more than one hospital room).

Chapter 17 - "What can you tell about the people who are after Noah?"

Chapter 17 - "The color didn't match the rest of face, or what I saw of it."

Chapter 20 - "He shook his head and turned his computer screen so she could look at."

Chapter 21 - "Alexa , what's going in that fascinating brain of yours?"

Chapter 21 - "She watched as his body relaxed and hated what she was about to do him."

Chapter 27 - "She couldn't see much from her where she lay flat against a soft bed."

Chapter 27 - "The energy vibrates from the audience and all eyes are you."

The other aspect of this book that really got to me was the poor continuity and inconsistencies. I can't tell you how many times I had to go back a chapter or a few pages and re-read a section to make sure I wasn't crazy; to make sure that I was really understanding what was happening.

Chapter 9,10, and 12 - Alexa arrives home from Craig's house to discover someone has been in her home. Upon reaching her bedroom she sees an envelope propped against her mother's old jewelry box on the dresser. "Everything was as she left it, except for the envelope propped against her mother's old jewelry box on the dresser." In chapter 10, that same envelope is now mysteriously lying on her bed? "She pulled out a set of latex gloves and snapped them on as she lifted the envelope off her bed." In Chapter 11, after Craig rushes over, we discover that the envelope was found on the dresser again. Craig asks "The letter was in here, wasn't it?" Alexa stood beside him outside of the doorway. "On the dresser."

Chapter 15, 16 - Alexa's phone is damaged by Craig in a fit of rage, so he replaces her phone with a spare that he happens to have. The only call that the reader is made aware she makes is to her brother Donny to get an update on the fingerprint. In Chapter 16 when Alexa is in the hospital Craig uses the phone he recently gave Alexa to retrieve the last number she called. "He punched through the history and saw that she spoke with someone on a blocked number. Craig pulled out his own phone and dialed a friend with Homeland Security. A minute later he had Jordan's satellite phone number." If she had called Donny to get the update, then how is it that Craig had Jordan's number?

Chapter 19 - Alexa, Craig and Jordan are having dinner at Craig's house. At one point it reads "Alexa rose to clear their plates as a scarlet blush spread over her cheeks." Later in the chapter Alexa is then described as scooping pasta onto her fork. "Alexa laughed and scooped pasta onto her fork." If she cleared the plates, how could she be scooping up pasta?

Chapter 21, 24, 28 - After Alexa and Craig are being followed by some unknown vehicle and arrive at the police station, Alexa calls Jordan and asks him to come to the station. She then tells Jordan that she needs to borrow his car for the safety of Noah in case they are being followed. Jordan agrees to drive Craig's Rover to ensure the safety of his sister and Noah. In Chapter 24, Seemingly the next day, Alexa drives into the parking lot of the police station and pulls in besides Jordan's truck. Now, one could assume that maybe this is a different vehicle, but, this is unclear. Why would he not be driving Craig's Rover? In Chapter 28, after Alexa disappears from the hospital and Craig calls Jordan to inform him, Jordan is now driving Craig's Rover. This is questionable, because at the time Jordan is called he is on his way to the airport to return to Alaska. Did he take Craig's Rover and not his truck to the airport?

Chapter 24 - Alexa and Jordan are at the police station after Michaels has called Alexa to the station to discuss details regarding an old murder investigation that could be linked to the case. While there, they are described as sitting. "They sat down in the empty chairs across the desk from the one Michaels had confiscated from the sheriff." As their conversation progresses Jordan is described as stepping forward... "Jordan stepped forward with enough intimidation for Michaels to back down." How can he be stepping forward if they're all sitting? Then all the sudden, Jordan and Alexa are heading for the door, and Michaels stops them. He then gestures for them to sit. "He gestured to the chairs, and after they both defiantly refused to do as he asked he spoke." This tells me that neither Alexa nor Jordan agree to sit, yet when Michaels presents Alexa with new evidence, a letter that was mailed to the Atlanta office addressed to her, she is suddenly sitting back in her chair reading through the letter. "Alexa leaned back into the chair and read through the two paragraphs." At what point does she sit?

Chapter 26 - Alexa arrives at the hospital to meet up with Craig and Noah after Maureen's surgery. When Alexa arrives at Maureen's room she discovers Craig and Noah reading. "Alexa arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later and beelined for Maureen's room to find Craig and Noah at a small table in the corner reading." Craig is then described as possessing a crayon. Why is he holding a crayon if he's reading? "Craig's strong hand wielded a crayon with the same skill he wielded a gun."

The next problem I had with this book was the lack of descriptive writing. I had a hard time understanding certain settings because it lacked detail. This book was fast paced, and one might even call it a page turner, I believe this to be because it lacked serious detail. When I read a book, I want to be able to place myself at the scene, or visualize what the characters are seeing, or perhaps feeling. I just did not get that from this book. In the beginning of the book we are introduced to the main characters through only two chapters, and then we jump to the present with no clear understanding how we got there. Here are some examples where I felt the descriptive writing lacked, and this is only a few...

Chapter 10 - After Alexa discovers the envelope left on her dresser... or bed, she calls up Craig and asks him to come over. In the next Chapter, Craig suddenly arrives to Alexa's home within fifteen minutes. Here's the problem I have with this. Alexa does not provide Craig the address, and as far as the reader is aware, Craig has never been to the home. How did he know where to go?

Chapter 12 - In this chapter Alexa and Craig share their first passionate kiss. During this Craig is described as smoothing back "the hair" after their passionate kiss. "He smoothed back the hair after he untangled it from his fingers." What hair? Whose hair? Is this a typo? Should this read, "her hair", and not "the hair"?

Chapter 16 - Alexa is in the hospital after her mysterious encounter with the woman at the latest crime scene. It's here we discover that she was exposed to curare. Here's the problem I have with this. The doctor asks Craig "Have you heard of curare?" his reply "I have. Was she revived in enough time at the scene?" The doctor then goes on to say that she was lucky that CPR was administered until the paramedics arrived. It's never explained what curare is, and what it does. It's only assumed that it's some kind of poison causing paralysis. I actually had to look it up.

Chapter 24 - Alexa is called to the police station by Agent Michaels and she learns of new evidence in the investigation that may mean that Julian Frederick is alive. A letter was mailed to the Atlanta office to Alexa's attention. Agent Michael's allows Alexa to read the letter. "Alexa leaned back into the chair and read through the two paragraphs." The reader never learns what's in this letter. It would have been more impactful to the storyline to have learned what was in this letter and how it directly tied the past to the present. We also learn that a lock of hair was included with the letter. We learn that the night of the fire that Julian cut a lock of Alexa's hair before she killed him. Alexa is convinced at this point it's a copycat and not Julian because her lock of hair burned the night of the fire. Alexa tells Jordan later that no one else knew about the hair that Frederick cut from her the night of the fire. So, if that's the case, why was this included with the letter, the letter in which we have no details to what it said? It's never explained through the course of the book how the "copycat" knew about the lock of hair. As the story progressed and the copycat killer is revealed, I expected to learn that this person was there... the night of the fire, but no such luck.

I can't say that I enjoyed the storyline either. In the beginning of the book we are lead to believe that the book involves vampires. This was a poorly conceived idea in my opinion as it was never fully clear that the killer(s) were in fact vampires. The romance was also lacking for me. I did not find this to be a grand love story mixed with a mystery as other novels I've read. Knowing that both authors are known for writing romance, I had honestly expected more. There were many underdeveloped characters, such as Noah and his mother Maureen. As the reader, I really wanted to connect to these characters and feel sympathetic to their situation, but I found myself feeling indifferent. I also found Agent Michaels character to be underdeveloped. We learn early on that Alexa and Michaels have a past and because of this, it creates tension in their relationship. Michaels is meant to be a character in which the reader is not supposed to like, we're supposed to feel he's arrogant and self-centered. I for one, did not feel this was represented well with his character, and once again, I also found myself feeling indifferent. I also found that the dialogue was difficult to follow at times. Especially when there were more than two characters involved. I often had to go back and re-read the dialogue to understand what was happening in the storyline.

I wish I could say there was something about this book that I enjoyed, but that would be a lie. To be fair, I just finished reading the latest from my favorite author Loreth Anne White, who knocked it out of the park, so with that, these ladies likely never stood a chance to begin with.

Former detective agent, Alexa Kyndall, has been called in to help with a murder mystery that has similarities to a case that is all too familiar to her. As events unfold, it appears that a former stalker has reemerged, putting Alexa on edge. Meanwhile, a handsome and caring man has entered her life and is trying to keep her safe.

I think fans of romantic suspense will enjoy this book. There is minimal violence if you are squeamish, yet plenty of romantic situations.

Riveting, suspense filled novel' involving ex-FBI agent Alexa. She is haunted by her last case prior to leaving the agency, and haunted when a young boy witnesses a murder with all of the trademark signatures of the killer responsible for her leaving. Teamed with ex special forces Craig and her three protective brothers, she still manages to get kidnapped, poisoned and almost murdered during the course of the investigation. Kept me guessing and loved the humor and romance.

The book was well written and easy to read. I would have thought though they she would have been cautious after getting poisoned but rushed and put herself in danger again. I don't know why they did not get backup or at least remained armed in some fashion at the hospital. I would have liked to have more interactions between the H/h so I could have seen how they liked each other. It was entertaining and enjoyable. Thanks

An easy read. Good characters which it will be good to learn more about in future books.

Dragon's staircase features ex-FBI agent Alexa Kyndall, on the mend from a near death encounter during her last official case. While she has recovered remarkably from her physical injuries, the psychological remain. This doesn't stop her from being recruited by Agent Michaels to assist in the case of what appears to be a copycat of the man she thought for certain was dead.
Craig Pierson is a seemingly fearless man who sort of, inserts himself into the investigation. A young boy's life could be on the line, after being a witness to a devastating crime. Him and Alexa team up to bring an end to this sadistic killer.
The story line was overall rather enjoyable, though a tad bit predictable. It was a quick read as well. Not a ton of character development in my opinion. I think this would make a great series however, and gives these characters a chance to grow.

I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting the next one in the series. Great characters, interesting story, romance and suspense - what more could you want?

Interesting and suspenseful book about a former FBI agent, her family and an ex military man who are trying to solve a series of brutal crimes that echo crimes done by a former suspect that Alex (the FBI agent) had killed.

I can't wait to for the next one in the series

FBI agent Alexa Kyndall will do anything to take down the killers that walk among us, now she’s part of a task force trying to bring down an especially brutal killer. A child has seen one of the murders and now Alexa must not only get information from the child, while providing protection. The last thing she expects is Craig Pierson, a man with a shady past who seems determined to protect Alexa from a vicious predator. They join force to track down the madman, and Alexa begins to develop feelings for Craig. After all this time and all her work in law enforcement, is she falling in love with a criminal?