This was another great book by Irene Hannon. I'm always thankful that when you read her you know what you're getting. I love the characters and the plot that had me guessing. I enjoy her mysteries much more than her others and I'm thankful she continues to provides good, quality stories to engage in.

I've loved the previous books in this series, and was quite excited for this newest release! (And while these are a series, and you meet some of the same people, each book also stands well on it's own).

I'm already a bit late in posting my review, and honestly, I haven't had time to finish formulating all my thoughts, but I thought I'd go ahead and post this, and then come back in the very near future and update it.

The story--the suspense caught my attention from the very first page. The prologue begins the book from the bad guy's viewpoint. It sounds like he's some kind of high-ranking guy, maybe politically up there, out to get rid of someone that could shed him in a bad light. I always have a love-hate relationship with seeing the villain's viewpoint. I like it, and yet, I don't. Because now I'm knowing information that the hero doesn't know, and I have no way of conveying it to him! :)

But....I do like trying to figure out mysteries as I go along. And I will have to say, the longer I read this book, the more unsure I became of my thoughts and theories about who the villain might be! :) Irene Hannon does a fine job at weaving in many details, leaving you chasing down one trail after another, only to be left with more questions than answers!

The story. In the first chapter, you get to know Rick, (who is already somewhat familiar if you've read the earlier books) I loved hearing his story! He is a former Army man, and is a promising hero, right from the get-go. He suspects that his friend is in trouble, because he saw blood drops on the ground, but he can't find him anywhere. And he's not answering any phone calls.

This brings us to Heather, a private investigator. I could tell right away I was going to like her. Smart, strong, direct. Perfect as a PI. Rick hires her to help him find his missing friend. I loved seeing them get to know each other (This is a romantic suspense novel, and the attraction between Rick and Heather is obvious immediately.)

The mystery is right on, and kept me turning pages quickly to see what would happen next. Twists, turns, unexpected happenings, kept me glued to the very end!

If you like reading a good mystery, I suggest you find your own copy and read it, as soon as possible!

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Irene Hannon gives another terrific installment in the Code of Honor series. This book will leave you with all the feels long after you turn the last page!

Rick Jordan has tried hard to leave his army days behind him and is now running a camp to help foster children. During the winter, he has the place to himself and that’s the way he likes it until one night when he finds a trail of blood and clues which lead him to suspect a blast from his army past has come back into his life. Rick hires a detective agency to help him track down his friend and figure out what has happened. Heather Shields has worked as a PI since leaving the police force and is one of the best in her field despite the hardships placed in front of her being a female in a male driven career. When she finds Rick’s friend dead, she wants to continue looking into what might have happened even when Rick asks her to leave the case alone feeling it is getting too dangerous. The questions start to add up along with their feelings for each other.

Anyone that has ever read anything by Irene Hannon exactly what they will be getting when they open one of her books: action, undeniable romance, suspense and a great story. Hannah and Rick made an absolutely wonderful pair and I loved watching their story develop and grow as the story progressed. The story paced easily with plenty of tension and lots of page turning suspense. Over the years, I have grown to love Irene Hannon books. It doesn’t matter if she is writing contemporary romance or romantic suspense, the story is going to be top notch and fully enjoyable. While the story had many changing points of view, which might confuse some readers, I found it an easy way to keep up with all the different aspects of the story. Dark Ambitions is a great romantic suspense with characters that have more than enough chemistry to keep the reader attracted to their romance and pull for them to succeed. Even though this is the third book in the series, it could be read as a standalone. Some of the secondary characters are from previous books but don’t play a big enough role to keep new readers from enjoying the story. I recommend this book to fans of Hannon’s and new readers alike.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

This is a wonderful story in a wonderful series. This had a great amount of romance and even more suspense. I love the recurring characters and hope there are more books in this series. I love the twists and turns that made you wonder who the murderer really was. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

This is the third book in Irene Hannon’s Code of Honor series and features Rick, the last remaining single member of the treehouse gang. Rick discovers blood on his property along with piece of evidence that makes him think someone came to him for help and got into trouble before connecting him. He reaches out to the Phoenix team to locate his friend after a recommendation from another friend. Heather is assigned to his case and even though there is an instant attraction between them, they get off to a rocky start. However, over the course of the investigation they learn to work together and are able to successfully solve the mystery and build a lasting relationship.

There were quite a few characters and layers to this story that I really had to pay attention to try to figure out how everything fit together. When a few characters were first introduced I was so confused on how they tied into the story. While I knew that it would eventually become obvious how these characters fit, it was still quite before I understood. Overall the story was suspenseful and filled with a touch of romance.

Once again Irene Hannon has provided me with a few hours of suspenseful reading that kept me on my toes as I tried to guess the person behind the various criminal deeds in her story. Each time I thought I had a good idea – and I suspect that was exactly what the author wanted me to think – another character turned up with equally good motives. I loved how the various aspects of the plot were so deftly interwoven. I also liked that even the guilty characters were portrayed with a somewhat sympathetic insight into their background that may well have influenced the direction their lives took.

Dark Ambitions has all the elements that are necessary for a good suspense novel with its fast-moving plot, plenty of mystery, action and danger as well as a touch of romance. Plot twists abound with surprises around every corner. A fairly strong thread of faith was also included which added depth to the primary characters relationship.

In my opinion, one can never go wrong when choosing a novel by Irene Hannon. Dark Ambitions certainly lived up to my expectations!

Rick Jordan was a Night Stalker in the Army before following his passion to open a summer camp for foster children, but the in the winter time he is typically alone. But when bloody footprints on his property lead to dead body belonging to someone from his past. Rick and Investigator Heather Shields work together to uncover who is behind everything before it is too late.



An action packed suspense, filled with tension, and surprising twists along the way. I love how Ms. Hannon blends heart-pounding suspense with great character development and relationship building. Even though I kept wanting to turn the page and find out what would happen next, there were still lighter moments of humor, that in no way took away from the gravity of the situation.



There was great relationship building between Rick and Heather as they work together to solve the mystery, and keep one step ahead of the killer. I admired how they opened up to each other, and grew in their faith over the course of their journey.



There is a full cast of side characters that really bring this book to life, like Heather's co-workers and her father. The book follows a variety of characters that are each an important component to unraveling the case, sometimes switching from third person to first person narrative.



Tight with tension and great storytelling, each chapter mounting the suspense and tying off some threads, while pulling out others leading to a climactic ending. Highly recommend this read from one of the Queens of Christian Suspense, you won't want to put it down!





I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Character Development Is Missing

Irene Hannon is one of my favorite writers. I’ve loved her books that I’ve read, the characters and the Christian faith that’s been a part of the storylines. That’s why I was excited to read her newest book Dark Ambitions.

Unfortunately, I thought Dark Ambitions was not as good as her other books. I’ve read the two other books in the Code of Honor series and liked them. What was different about Dark Ambitions? I found the character development was not too deep in this novel, the characters were rather flat and one dimensional.

From the beginning of this book, the focus was on the physical attraction between Rick Jordan and Heather Shields dominated this book. So much so that it took away from the character development of the main characters. Rick, who has a heroic background as a former Army Night Stalker and runs a camp for foster children, seemed like a superficial jerk with his unkind judgmental opinion of the receptionist Nikki. If you took away one thing from this book, you knew that Rick and Heather were physically attracted to one another because of the numerous references to looks and their physical attraction.

In most of Irene’s books, I find some likable relatable characters. In Dark Ambitions, not so much. Maybe Heather’s dad. As a reader, I want to have characters I like and care about, but that was missing in this book.

A great deal of research went into getting the technical details right. The storyline of Dark Ambitions has some possibilities of making a good story. Where it fell short for me was the character development. Also, I missed having faith and God being a part of the character’s personal lives. While there was action in the story, there wasn’t a lot of suspense, nor twists and turns.

While this book seemed to be a one-off, I do look forward to reading more of Irene Hannon’s books in the future.

I would like to thank Revell Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Irene Hannon’s newest book Dark Ambitions. I was provided with a complimentary copy of the book and was under no obligation to give a favorable review.

This book was non-stop action and flew by!

A female PI meets a veteran and sparks fly. I loved both characters from the beginning and it was fun to watch their story unfold. I appreciated their extremely honest conversations with each other and the romance was wonderful and full of kisses.

I do wish we'd had a little more of a peek I to Rick's camp for foster kids, but even knowing he did that was touching.

Aside from. The romantic elements being amazing, the action was amazing too. I loved the variety this book brought. I also was impressed with how hard it was to figure out who the bad guy was. In the end I was surprised.

This book wasn't overtly Christian, in fact I think a non-Christian would still enjoy it.

As always this Gannon book was well written and well balanced. I look forward to more of her books.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

: DARK AMBITIONS is book 3 in Ms. Hannon's Code of Honor series. It has been awhile since I read the first two but after a momentary bump I was fine and DARK AMBITIONS is stand alone.

Heather and Rick are instantly attracted but she won't date clients and since he hired her to find an old Army buddy who is in trouble he is a client. That doesn't keep the sparks from flying though!

The suspense is not as scary/disturbing at some I've read recently, but it is still there and I did guess whodunit easily enough. The writing is fast paced and I didn't want to put the book down. There are some soft swear words that might offend some readers and the faith message is very weak.

Fans of romantic suspense will want to read DARK AMBITIONS.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

Dark Ambitions is the third book from Irene Hannon’s series, Code of Honor. I have enjoyed this series and I believe this installment is my favorite to date. It is full of mystery, suspense, action and danger. There are quite a bit of twists and turns I did not see coming. I could not have predicted what was going to happen next.
I am giving Dark Ambitions five stars and recommend it for readers who enjoy to read romantic suspense.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Dark Ambitions
by Irene Hannon
Revell

Christian

Pub Date 01 Oct 2019



I am reviewing a copy of Dark Ambitions through Revell and Netgalley:


Rick Jordan a former Army Night Stalker usually has the camp for Foster Children to himself during the winter months, but not this time. Someone unwelcomed has visited the camp lately leaving a trail of blood.



There are two clues left behind and one of those clues that was left behind tips off the identity of his visitor, but the person he believes it is soon turns up dead. The police say it is an accident but Rick is not convinced. He enlists the help of private investigator Heather Shields, and together they work on deciphering the remaining clue. The only problem is someone does not want them to succeed and will stop at nothing to prevent them from discovering the meaning of the final clue.


If you like good clean, suspense novel, with a lot of intrigue you will love Dark Ambitions!


Five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Wow! What a thrilling conclusion to an excellent series! The Code of Honor series has been full of edge of your seat suspense and swoon worthy romance and Dark Ambitions did not disappoint. As hard as it is to pick a favorite, I do believe this is it.

Rick has always been portrayed as the rock solid, macho friend and I loved getting to know his story and what made him who is was. His path crossing with PI Heather Shields provides us with a strong feminine heroine you fall in love with. From the beginning, you root for these two strong, dynamic characters to get together as they traverse many dangers. Getting to reconnect with our favorite PI group from other series, Phoenix, is the perfect icing on the cake.

This book is full of heart pounding adventure from the opening pages to the last. Well written with mystery and suspense to keep you guessing with heartwarming character you can’t help but love and cheer for. This is a must read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is, hands down, my favorite series of Hannon’s! Rick, after years running a camp for foster children, is thrust into his past when he believes he receives a disturbing visit from an ex-army friend. He hires Heather (of the beloved Phoenix, Inc.) to help him find his friend and make sure he’s ok. It doesn’t take long to track him down, but that just leads them to more questions. Full of twists that will keep you guessing until the end, Rick and Heather uncover more and more crime the farther they go on the path to finding the killer.
Hannon is so skilled at getting you in the mind of the “bad guy”. Each new revelation will have you changing your mind on who you think is behind it all!
Hannon is a master of romance, and never lets me down (even though I much prefer the suspense). She creates powerful connection, and just the right about of sizzle, with just a few well-placed words. I always appreciate her unique balance of romance and suspense.
This is not your cookie cutter story, and you will love seeing all of your old Phoenix favorites as they tackle this new case. Another A+ from me! I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good suspense read.

I was given an early copy of this manuscript through NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was SO good! It’s easy to see from what direction the evil lies from the beginning. But Hannon does a great job of giving motives and possibilities to multiple people. It kept me guessing until the end. I like that.
I liked both Heather and Rick but I loved Heather’s dad. He made me laugh with his matchmaking ways. The relationships both Heather and Rick had with their family, friends, and coworkers were so compelling and rich even if one girl was invited into the group years before only because she had a treehouse. 😊
The only thing I’d change about this story is to have more information on what a Night Stalker is. It sounded fascinating and I’d have liked to learn more about that.
Hannon has long been one of my favorite suspense authors and she solidified that belief even more with this book. Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Code of Honor series:
Book 1: Dangerous Illusions
Book 2: Hidden Peril
Book 3: Dark Ambitions
#DarkAmbitions #Netgalley

Irene Hannon can spin a tale like no other that keeps you wanting to stay up to read "one more chapter"

This is a fantastic finale to Irene’s latest suspense trilogy! The characters of Rick and Heather were superb and the storyline for this one can’t be beat. I was immediately swept up in the mystery from the beginning of the book and the conclusion to the book was extremely satisfying. There were multiple twists in the story which made it even more intriguing. There are political elements as well that were a perfect addition to the story. Irene writes some of the BEST Christian suspense out there and this is another great one. Highly recommend!

I received this book from the publisher and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

Dark Ambitions by Irene Hannon, a good read. Rick's friend has gone missing, and the private investigator he hires finds only bad news and starts to get worried...

The hired gun had missed his target! He had found him, but he had not killed him - now he had until the end of the week to do so. And he promised results, even if he had to do it his own way.

On the other hand, Rick Jordan was also looking for Boomer -- not to kill him but to save him. He had not seen him, but Rick knew he had been there. He had seen the blood, he found the items that only Boomer would have left, and he had made a promise as well. And he would keep it.

Thus begins Irene Hannon’s newest thriller. Set in rural Missouri, the search for Boomer and his hunter would press Rick to his limits and would involve the team of private investigators from Phoenix, Inc. in an increasingly dark case. The book held this reader’s attention from page one - actually before page one, if one counts the prologue.

Hannon’s faith-based thriller will provide a great winter read for those who enjoy the genre. The book will easily fit into the church library collection as well as that of many public libraries. For the reader looking for the perfect book to read this winter, Dark Ambitions may fill the bill.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Lots of familiar characters in the background make this a comfortable read for those following the series, but it also works as a stand-alone. Whilst the story itself is of crime, it is softened around the edges by a human-interest line running concurrently. There are some tense moments, especially near the end, but this book does have an identity crisis : whether it is a thriller or a romance. Cleverly written & well-researched, yet it does not quite fit in either category. Deaths are treated too lightly - & certainly commissioned too casually. (And I don’t like how the lead female character always gets injured!) I remain a fan of Irene Hannon, but if this was the first of her books that I had read I am not so sure...