Four great authors, 4 amazing stories, and four adventures worth reading. Traci is one of my favorite authors and kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. Stephanie Black write spine tingling and mind bending suspense then keeps me guess ok my until the end. Clair and Gregg are new to me authors that have captured my attention and now I can't wait to read more of their stories.

I finally came back to this title after almost 3 years and, honestly, I could have gone without. Predictable, derivative, uninteresting. Perhaps it's because I requested the title back when I read a lot more thrillers and mysteries... Well, at least it's over.

This set of novellas offers something for everyone. They vary wildly in topic and craft.

“Bridge of Trust”, by Abramson, is the first selection and features a woman who recently divorced her criminal husband. He has kidnapped one of their children, and the FBI—including one of Abramson’s recurring characters, Charlie Whitmore—are on the case. Naturally, there’s an element of romance here, as well as edge-of-your seat situations. This is Abramson’s usual quality work.

“Corrupted”, by Poulson, is next. It’s a huge contrast from Abramson’s work. I have a handful of his books that a friend gave me that I have not yet read. If they are of the same quality as this, they will end up in the donation pile. I peeked in one, and it was not encouraging. The story is…fine. Someone is kidnapping young girls off the street and trafficking them. Widowed police Lieutenant Jay Tanstall becomes personally involved when his girlfriend’s daughter disappears…and the cop who took a witness statement from the neighbor lady records incorrect details.

My first objection to this story is the basic plot premise. It appears Poulson has bought into the incorrect assumptions about human trafficking. A quick Google search reveals that most trafficking victims are adult women, and that victims (and particularly teen/preteen girls) are rarely randomly abducted off the street and trafficked.

But even worse than the plot is the writing style. Like, so difficult to read. Long strings of one-syllable words. Very few contractions when the characters speak. Conversation is stilted, and the characters use each others’ names far too much in the conversation. For instance, Jay’s partner, Vallie, starts with his name about every other time she speaks during an intense conversation.

“Insidious”, by Luke, is not your typical thriller. This one is a race-against-time attempt by Taryn Miner, a pharmacist, and her husband’s doctor to figure out why her Olympic-caliber pole vaulter husband is suddenly in a severe health crisis. Luke’s own pharmacology experience comes to the front a little too much, as the science-speak can become a bit too much. I’ll be honest, I had the diagnosis a lot sooner than the characters did—Luke telegraphed it very clearly if you know what you’re looking for.

The final story is “Something Beautiful for Something Evil” by Black. This one uses the trope of the naïve woman falling for a man’s (in this case, her husband’s) claim to be secretly working for the government in order to use her in furthering his own evil ends. This was, to me, the second best of the stories in the book. It had enough intricate plotting to keep it interesting, although I was still shaking my head at how gullible Kate was.

Possible objectionable material:
Various types of violence and peril. No swearing, no sex.

Who might like this book:
Those who enjoy a collection of shorter stories rather than a full-length book, and like their mysteries varied.

Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the eARC, which was provided in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-dozen-by-traci-hunter-abramson.html
This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-dozen-by-traci-hunter-abramson.html

I’m always on the lookout for a new suspense novel to read. This one is amazing because it has novellas by 4 of my very favorite suspense authors. I’m excited to get to tell you about it. I’ll talk a bit about each of the novellas.

First up is Bridge of Trust by Traci Hunter Abramson. Ethan in this one happens upon a grisly scene as an FBI agent trying to find his mark. There’s a young mother with her baby and a dead body across the room.

This novella moves fast! I loved the way the reader could never tell what was coming next. Neither could the characters and that made it all the more great. I loved this one!

Next is Corrupted by Clair M Poulson. This one features Jay as a local policeman. He’s a good policeman, asked to help look into others in their department. Things get a little crazy when girls start being kidnapped. It’s up to Jay to find them.

I loved this one too! I loved the way the author shows several different perspectives as things happen. The reader is able to know what’s happened, but not why. I loved the way this kept the bad guy veiled from the reader, as well as from the characters. That kept me from guessing just who the bad guy was.

Then there’s Gregg Luke’s Insidious. This one scared me the most out of all of them. Gregg Luke writes books about illnesses that are real. And that to me is probably the most scary thing, knowing that what he describes could really happen to someone that I know and love.

Insidious features Andrew and his wife Taryn. I loved the way the reader is able to see things about Andrew through both of their eyes. The mystery in this one kept me guessing. Just what was wrong with Andrew and why? I loved the way Taryn worked tirelessly to figure it out. And she didn’t get discouraged when the doctor tried to brush her off.

Last up is Stephanie Black’s Something Beautiful for Something Evil. I loved Kate in this one. She’s newly married to Colby and they’ve just moved to the Boston area, where Kate has a new job at The Treasure Chest, a local shop.

This is one of those books where I wanted to shout at the main character to watch out. I had guessed from the beginning who the bad guy was. I just didn’t know how things were going to play out. It’s always kind of fun when you’re right about things like that. I kind of enjoy being safe at home and reading a book where you know there’s danger around every corner.

This is one book I didn’t want to put down. Make sure to grab your own copy!

I have read books by all four of these authors so I was THRILLED to get this book! It was amazing-I absolutely loved it!

Each novella (short story) is about 16 chapters long and just long enough to get me hooked with the story line and characters and to feel satisfied with the plot. Each novella is completely different with the characters and plot, and they all had lots of suspense and drama.

Clean fiction-no bad language or graphic violence. Lots of twists and turns, on the edge of my seat suspense. Each story was unique and I truly liked them equally in their own way. Kidnapping, police corruption, medical suspense, a killer on the loose…you won’t want to stop reading!

I highly recommend this book, especially if you have read other books by any of these authors!

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

Reading Entangled was a fantastic and thrilling read. Each novella was different and unique but full of action and suspense that kept me reading. I loved that each story was long enough to be a full story but short enough to read when I didn't have a lot of time. Bridge of Trust by Abramson pulled me into the fast and furious world of the FBI and drug bosses. It is a must read. Corrupted by Poulson made me rethink everything I thought about safety and kept me on my toes about who would live and who would die. Insidious by Luke was one big mystery and since I don't want to spoil it, just go read it! Something Beautiful for Something Evil was a complete whodunnit, it kept me trying to sleuth until the end. If you love action/suspense, thrills and mystery, then you will love this collection of novellas, Entangled! I received a copy of this book for free, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bridge of Trust
What happens when you have to save the wife of a crime boss? A lot of suspense, excitement, and even a chance of romance. This novella has everything, shoot outs, a mama bear, intrigue, and even a department leak in the FBI.
When Ethan is charged with keeping a mob boss’s ex-wife safe after her son is kidnapped and retrieve her son, it becomes the case of his life. A mole forces him to work outside the usual channels and safe houses.
Summer, the mob boss’s ex-wife just wants to be left a lone to raise her sons, but someone isn’t letting that happen.
I was glue to this story with its mystery and intrigue. The characters were good and the story compelling. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down until the end. The twists to the end kept the suspense up with a beautiful payoff.

Corrupted
The thing you learn from police stories, the thin blue line doesn’t like internal affairs investigations, but when girls are being kidnapped and one of them is the internal affairs investigator’s girlfriend’s daughter, that is bound to happen. Corruption is evident early but it is difficult to find the source or how deep it goes.
The stakes get higher as the investigation hits closer to home and bodies start to appear. Is it a trafficking situation and how is the police force involved.
This suspenseful race against time was a page turner. It is well written and twisty until the end.

Insidious
Of the novellas in this book, this one hit me the hardest. I have lived the world of unknown illness and the feeling of not knowing is unparalleled. I was right there with the main character as she fought to figure out what was happening to her husband. Of the subjects of these stories, illness is probably the most insidious enemy as the title suggests. It is unpredictable and doesn’t discriminate. The hope offered at the end of the story brings the truth that life keeps moving. I cautiously move forward to other books by this author, given the subject matter, but it was well developed and the characters were relatable.

Something Beautiful for Something Evil
Wow. I have no other words at this moment. All I can say is I should have seen that coming. Kate thought she had it all, a good job, a good husband, and a good life in a new town. Little did she know it was the beginning of things she would never forget. She just thought she was helping her husband investigate her boss and supposed ties to anti-government groups. Little did she know she was stumbling into the path of a serial killer. Trying to decipher this was what made this story work. It was full of false trails and missed clues.

Overall this collection of stories was everything that it promised. Each story and each author brought a different style and type of story, but they fit together beautifully. They were long enough to enjoy and short enough for a quick escape.

Four fabulous authors came together to create this magnificent novella collection of exciting and intense romantic-suspense stories. Each author has a unique voice in their story, adding some depth to the collection. One story at a time independently comes to life from the pages. The cover for this story collection is one that will definitely capture the attention of readers and cause them to pick up the book to see what it’s all about. This is a splendid collection of spine tingling novellas that will leave readers on the edge of their seats and cause them to stay up late into the night reading.

Genre: contemporary, suspense, romance, novella
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Publication date: September 1, 2019
Number of pages: 384

It's like a wonderful mix of everything I wanted and more. I love a good short story because of the suspense and action involved with being sucked into a story like the ones found in this book. I admit I hadn't heard of these authors in the part but I've certainly looked them in after reading these.

It's a great way to get different writers and different perspectives on how suspense and story come together. A great read!

Suspense; Contemporary; Clean
Clean suspense novella collection. These were varied, unique and fun to read. Different cases in each one, one is a medical thriller, one a mob boss, one human trafficking, etc. Each author takes a different take on the title and it was a perfect suspense read for me. Strong settings, characters and crimes varied with each one. Sometimes it is law enforcement, sometimes ordinary citizens solving the crimes. Perfect suspense read if you enjoy that genre. I have read two of the authors prior, and was glad to be introduced to the other two. Strong characters and diverse settings, and plot lines made this even more fun to read.

A fun collection of mystery and suspense novellas. Perfect to read when I only have a short amount of time. I love the variety of the four writers. They kept me on the edge of my seat. I also love that I can share them with my teen without worrying about content.

I enjoyed these short stories. They were all interesting and suspenseful in their own ways. My favorite was Stephanie Blacks story. While I figured out who was really behind everything early on it was fun to see how it all played out.

Oh my!!!! If you need some suspenseful novellas to read, these ones were fabulous. I couldn't stop reading/listening! My daughters were pretty enthralled with them as well. Wowsers!

They all have their own twists and turns but I really enjoyed that all four were clean and I could continue listening when my daughters were in proximity. They even told me to not turn it off when I was listening. They told me they wanted to hear it all. Unfortunately, they only heard bits and pieces of it as they were at school or being dropped off at different activities. And I was doing a combination of reading/listening with this collection. It was just so good that I wanted the stories to continue even though I was not able to sit and read.

I have been reading Claire Poulson's books since I was a young teenager. He's a great author of mystery and suspense. Keeps me on the edge of my seat and his novella in this collection was no exception to that. I've read several of Traci Hunter Abramson and Stephanie Black's books before but Gregg Luke is a new to me author. One I'm looking forward to continuing reading his books.

These four authors know this genre well and it shows throughout this whole collection! Grab it and be on the edge of your seat the whole time you're reading. Or if you're like me reading and listening! Hahahaha *shrugs* I couldn't help it. I really don't need more suspense in my life (just kidding, I have plenty of drama in my household of many children) but this book just kept pulling me in.

Content: Clean. It's mystery/suspense so there are definitely many moments of peril. Kidnapping, attacks, gun fights (show down at the O K corral), and much more. But it was all written tastefully and not overly graphic.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

Entangled is a fun collection of 4 suspense novellas. All very well done with their own unique tale that is full of twists and turns.
Thanks to Netgalley and Covenant Communications for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a suspenseful read, it had me on the edge of my seat. The combination of authors for this book was amazing. Thanks for the advanced copy NetGalley.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. 4 Novellas by talented authors = yes please! This was a total win for me. Will read more from each of these authors in the future!

This collection of four suspense novellas was quite unexpected. I loved the unique tales each author put into their story, and each was diverse enough to keep me guessing and on the edge of my seat. A couple of them really amped up the suspense and had me nervous to go to sleep in the dark afterwards.

I was surprised to find myself so emotionally involved in some of these stories- each took different twists that kept me guessing til the end what would happen. I really liked the strong female characters in each story- there was at least one in each that really stood out to me with their bravery and/or confidence.

Definitely a great collection that will keep you up far later than you ever planned, and I hope to see more like this in the future.

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

Entangled by Traci Hunter Abramson, Stephanie Black, Gregg Luke, and Clair M. Poulson, 384 pages.
Covenant Communications, 2019. $17.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Seen and unseen forces threaten lives in these four different scenarios. In four fast-paced short stories, men and women race the clock, desperate to save the lives of their loved ones before it’s too late.
I had so much fun reading those stories as I tried to -- and even sometimes succeeded in -- figure out what did or would happen. While the four authors wrote such varied stories, they all wrote them very well in that I was on the edge of my seat the entire book except for the four satisfying endings that respectively separate each story from the next. I can’t pick a favorite story of the four, and I honestly believe that I can reread these stories and still enjoy them knowing the endings.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

#Entangled #NetGalley

If you like suspense, four authors Traci Abramson, Clair Poulsen, Gregg Luke and Stephanie Black, all share separate stories in this anthology. The novels dealt with kidnapping, medical conditions and a spouse wondering if her husband is having an affair or is he really working for homeland security. My favorite stories were by Traci Abramson and Stephanie Black. Get ready to feel creeped out, when the unexpected happens.

Bridge of Trust:

This was classic Abramson; suspense, action, with a dash of romance thrown in. It was great seeing a familiar character, albeit briefly. Summer is a well developed character who deeply cares about her children. She's feisty and strong, and won't go down without a fight. Ethan is an FBI agent determined to do his job... even if that job requires him 'babysitting'. I hope to see more of them in future novels.

Corrupted:

A great story idea, along the lines of Taken. However, I felt there was too much description or unnecessary dialogue at points when it should have been purely action. For example, if you've just heard a terror-filled scream, it's unlikely that you're going to stop to analyze it or explain exactly what you've been doing in the kitchen before you rush out to discover what caused it. The bad guys were so obviously bad guys that it was almost painful to watch the main characters fumble their way through to catch them. Kinzington had the potential to be a strong character, and shone well in the few scenes where the focus was on her.

Insidious:

This one drew me in quickly. I would have liked it to be a full length novel! I wanted to get to know the characters better, to see more of their lives together before tragedy struck. Still, it was compelling reading seeing how Taryn handled her husband's sudden illness, and seeing the doctor's response to her. Dr Winters was an intriguing character. I couldn't tell at first if he was villainous, or just taking offense at being told his job by a patient's wife. I'll let you read it to discover which it is!

Something Beautiful for Something Evil:

I've learned in the past that it's not a good idea to read Black's books late at night. They're usually way too chilling to get a good night's sleep after! Either I've toughened up, or this one is tamer than her previous ones. It was still a page turner though. She writes in a way that leads the reader to initially question, then accept, then facepalm that they didn't see the twist coming until it's made obvious. Masterful!

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