Phantom Pearl is book three in the Jewel Intrigue series. It’s the first book I’ve read in this series and can be read as a standalone.
Riki Maddox and Dallas Landry are well-rounded characters whose banter pulled me right into the story. I particularly liked the intriguing setting and the fast-paced and action-packed storyline.
Personally, I would have enjoyed Phantom Pearl even more, if the sexy times wouldn’t have been hidden behind closed doors. Just saying… 😉
Overall it was a well-written, easy read with the right mix of romance, action, history and a nice dash of snarky humor.

* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately the book was not for me, no review was publicly posted on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads or Twitter etc, so no ratings were affected in relation to it.

Phantom Pearl by Monica McCabe is the first book that I've read by this author and was an enjoyable afternoon diversion.

The plot was steadily paced but I found that it took me a few chapters to actually get into the story. However, the history of Yamashita's gold that was hidden by the Yakuza and the Japanese forces during WWII piqued my interest so I had to keep turning the pages to find out more. Historical fact mixed with mystery fiction, action, romance, a little humor and some great snarky banter made for an easy read to fill a lazy afternoon.

How far would you go for vengeance.? Riki just wanted a break but she is onto a new mission to find a lost treasure that seems to mean a lot to her old friend and boss Kai but what makes this one so much more important. She is about to come up against the Yakuza again and she will win again as she needs to take them down for her father's murder but there is a slight problem her old nemesis Dallas is on the way to Australia as well and this time he expects to get the treasure before her. He is tired of her getting the better of him and he has the law on his side. But the easy trip becomes a nightmare and they land up working together as their lives are both in danger. Can Riki ever find out the truth about her father's death before it is too late? And what is Kai hiding and why did he travel this time to find Riki somethin is going on and she needs to find out what. Dallas will do anything to keep her safe even though she drives him mad as he has fallen for this fierce fighter. Can he keep her safe or will she get the better of him gain? A great read takes you on a adventure.

A very well written book with a great plot and characters.

What a suspense and danger filled adventure!
With vivid images, the author paints a world where I wanted to step in and be part of.
The story is riddled with history and mystery from the WW II and the current date with an intriguing point of view and a clever twist as the fiction is built upon facts, making Phantom Pearl captivating and exciting read. Add the combustible attraction simmering between Riki Maddox and Dallas Landry and you have a sure winner, a summer read for all romantic suspense fans.
It was easy to enjoy and to be entertained by the story as it has a natural flow with witty dialog. Unexpected humorous moments had me chuckling, the romantic moments swooning, and the action biting my nails.
Dallas Landry is a charming character, used to maneuver in the big, dangerous world. He has a romantic side that comes as surprise. He is generous and kind, capable and confident. Completely a swoon-worthy hero!
Riki Maddox is a complex character. She is tough as nails, she can take down the biggest thug, she is used to dealing with life on her own, being fueled by revenge and payback. She is sarcastic to the bone, a person I would not turn my back on. Yet there is brokenness inside her that makes her more human, easier to like. The spark between Riki and Dallas is palpable, yet the results manage to surprise, and all the intimate moments are just between them, left to the imagination of the readers.
There's a moment right there in the middle of the story that things are less combustible and explosive in nature, where I felt the story took a little lull, but not to worry, things pick up again, with a grand finale that leaves you breathless.
As all the books in the series are completely standalone novels, with just a theme of treasure hunting and romance in common, you don't have to read the previous books before you join the hunt for the pearl.
If you enjoy action and suspense with a dash of romance, an exotic background of Singapore and Australia to the tale, love stories that have a multitude of layers, part being fact and part being fiction, twists you never expected, and characters you want to be friends with you are going to enjoy to feast on the Phantom Pearl!
~ Four Spoons

Wasn’t what I thought it would be

I would like to thank Monica McCabe, Lyrical Press, and Kensington Books for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t finish reading this book, and I’m not proud of it. I tried for two weeks to get myself to finish it, but for some reason I just couldn’t justify taking the time. My attention and interest had been captured by the history and real mystery of missing WWII treasure, but by the 40% mark, it seemed to me that there had been a lot of tedious talk and not a lot of meaningful action. Lots of as-yet empty threats, lots of getting their butts in gear. Dallas and Riki argued in redundant circles and failed to earn my sympathy. I thought finding the Pearl would be a lot more challenging than it was. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but I guess I expected too much and didn’t have enough patience to see it through.

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A good solid read

Riki is one hard women. Hard can be interpreted in so many way, and Riki seems to embody most of them. Where Dallas is an easy man. Opposites attract they say. There were times that I wondered if Riki and Dallas would be able to trust each other enough to overcome their past.
Phantom Pearl is a treasure hunting type of suspenseful romance. The best kind if you ask me.

Riki Maddox and Dallas Landry want the Phantom Pearl but for very different reasons and that has pit them against each other. And it’s not a rivalry that is new either; Riki has rubbed Dallas’s losses in his face by winning the treasure hunt (or rather, artefact) first, leaving him a laughing stock in front of Homeland Security and Dallas has finally, finally caught up this time around in the search for the Pearl. It’s a chase that takes them half around the world and as they tangle with the Yakuza, Riki and Dallas learn that there is no end to treachery and are forced to reevaluate the meaning of allies and foes.

Coming off ‘Phantom Pearl’ is akin to stepping off the platform of a roller-coaster ride still woozy and dazed, with the sun a little too bright in my eyes. It’s that exciting a ride which makes you—quite paradoxically—want to slow down to savour every moment of it even as the pace picks up enough to break your neck.

I was immediately intrigued by the setting and the context, never having even heard of Yamashita’s gold despite having having some kind of familiarity with Asia-Pacific history. Monica McCabe blends fact and fiction seamlessly and easily made this summer blockbuster material for me, where every page is filled with wry humour, unexpected laughs and a treasure-hunting adventure in far-flung locations rich in mystery, action and swashbuckling romance. It’s so different from many romantic-suspense-adventure-type stories set in South America or even Europe that ‘Phantom Pearl’s’ sheer daring was enough to make me sit up and take notice.

While I couldn’t exactly swallow the sudden realisation of love sneaking over both Dallas and Riki just as I couldn’t quite imagine the huge climatic scene in Singapore’s largest shipyard happening without setting off international furore, I’m reminded yet again that ‘Phantom Pearl’ is fiction layered over fact and it’s all in the name of having an entertaining good time—which I did.

The Jewel Intrigue series are all standalones—all the books are entirely unrelated, linked loosely only by the theme of treasure hunting—and every story is a thrill ride that needs no prior knowledge to enjoy. McCabe is going instantly on my watch-and-read-list and needless to say, I can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleeve.