"It was six and a half weeks, and I don't want off the hook!"

Zale's Vizzini's declaration after seeing Vienna again and explaining to her why he left without a goodbye. Vienna Mortenson is in Las Vegas for a Gaming Tournament to win and raise money for the Knightly Hospital, and the Search and Rescue she runs in her County. While heading to her Suite at the Northern Lights Hotel, and Casino she runs into Zale Vizzini, and realizes he's undercover, and doesn't want her to acknowledge that they know each other. Later Zale explains that several of his fellow agents have gone missing after being assigned to protect the Casino owner Daniel J. Wallin, and he's been sent to investigate.

What happens next is that for some reason Vienna is being targeted for execution. Zale and his partner Rainier combine their investigation with protecting Vienna. Plot within plots, regarding Vienna, her childhood, her lineage, and why someone wants her dead are explored. With everything going on Zale tries to talk Vienna into giving him another chance regarding their relationship. Vienna resists because of trust issue. As the danger increases and Vienna, and her girlfriends come together in Nevada to celebrate Stella's bridal shower with hiking, bouldering, and river rafting they're unaware that they're being hunted. Truths are revealed by Raine on the return trip to Knightly, and with these revelations, Vienna the hunted becomes the huntress. But, will Vienna, and Zale be able to navigate the danger, and hurt in both of their lives and find lasting happiness together or will the sins of the father, and vendettas destroy them both.

I'm a big fan of Christine Feehan's multiple paranormal series, and I've really been enjoying her venture into this new series that is more murder-mystery-thriller-romance based (is that a genre?). This book is the second in her Sunrise Lake series and is a stand alone that gives us Vienna's story. I love the continued glimpses that we get into the strong female friend group that is the undercurrent connecting this series together. Feehan does a great job of keeping this one moving fast, and the dialogue amongst the group of friends is fun and witty. I'm a fan of the second-chance romance, and that's what we see w/Vienna & Zale. I'm invested in hearing what comes next for this set of friends in future!

The second book of the series and just as good. But it can be read as standalone snce it gives you background information from the first book.
This story is about Vienna Mortenson and her gift. Vienna Mortenson isn't your typical gambler. She prefers to stay under the radar, using her poker winnings to support her family and her community, including the local search and rescue team, which she heads up.
She's not the sort to make a fool of herself over a guy, especially one who left her high and dry without a backward glance..
Zale Vizzini's job constantly puts him in harm's way. Working undercover and disappearing for months at a time isn't exactly a recipe for a stable relationship.
As their friends' wedding approaches, Zale takes advantage of the festivities to make a play for Vienna's heart.
Vienna can see the other player's cards when she plays poker with them. Like having xray vision. Her life becomes in jeopardy and Zale shows up just at the right time but she is not happy to see him as he had already broken her heart and isn't going to let that happen again.
Loved Zale and Vienna.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC to review.

Red on the River by Christine Feehan is a contemporary, adult, slightly paranormal, romantic thriller. This is a wickedly brilliant and devastatingly touching journey of living life in the rawest and most honest way.

Christine Feehan's latest romantic suspense "Red on the River" is a solid if predictable book. I think to the detriment of both Feehan, and this book, is that is a follow-up to "Murder at Sunrise Lake" and yet none of the summaries indicate that. Having not read the latter, I felt immediately disconnected from the characters - especially the main couple who are coming back together in a reunion style romance. Having no previous knowledge of these characters, I found their relationship immediately lacked depth and interest. Vienna and Zale on their own are somewhat intriguing characters, but I am lacking their connection which is trying to be a huge driver of the story. Feehan follows particular formulas and styles in her writing which I typically enjoy, but I was not able to connect with this story as much as I expected. I think those expectations skewed my final feelings and thoughts of the book because I expected more. My advice would definitely be to go and read "Murder at Sunrise Lake", and then read this. I like series that also function as standalones, but unfortunately, "Red on the River" doesn't quite find its standalone success.

Vienna Mortenson is killing two birds with one stone. She's in Sin City to participate in a gambling tournament to which she got a personal invitation and then she's going to be doing some extreme sports with her women friends as a part of a bachelorette party for one of their own. The first curved ball that disrupts her plans is an ex-lover who shows up undercover, staying in the adjoining suite with an agenda that might possibly include her. Secondly and perhaps more importantly is that someone is trying to kill her. Can she and her friends stay ahead of trouble long enough to enjoy their plans?
The one jarring note for me is the extreme detail that the author goes into with regard to Poker tournaments and Vienna's strategy and gift that helps her win poker tournaments. There is also a lot of detail of the extreme activities the women enjoy that made me a bit itchy.  I have to admit that I almost abandoned the book midway but managed to persevere to enjoy the meat of the spine-tingling suspense that I was looking forward to. 
Zale is a special operator who is undercover at the casino hotel where Vienna is playing her tournament. They had been lovers for a while but then he had disappeared suddenly on her. Now he's back and looking to pick up where he left off but still manages to not quite be there for her when she needs him most.
It's clear pretty early on that someone's not happy with Vienna as she starts to eliminate her competition in the tournament progressively moving closer to the final round. It appears that Zale's mission might actually overlap with whomever has Vienna in their trigger hairs, but Zale is juggling a lot of balls: he's on a mission, wants to reestablish his romance with Vienna and run interference on whomever is targeting Vienna to keep her safe. A pretty tall order that he's not going to win the fair lady since his efforts clearly fall short.
I did enjoy the women and their various personalities especially as we get to start to see a little bit of the baggage that each woman is carrying. None of these women are strangers to danger and deal with the death that is stalking them with courage and determination.  As the story runs its course secrets and hidden truths come out into the daylight and the book actually becomes very interesting rushing towards an excellent finish. 
While nowhere in the marketing does it state that this book is a part of a series beginning with Murder at Sunrise Lake it becomes clear that we've met some of the characters before. I for one wished I had refreshed myself on Book1 because there are some references that are relevant.

3.5 STARS

Outdoorswoman, ER and surgical nurse, and consummate online poker player, Vienna Mortenson has come to Sin City to play in a tournament for extremely high stakes. She uses much of her winnings to fund the local search and rescue in her Sierras town as well as heading it up. Vienna is surprised to find that the man who loved her for a brief time and left her is staying in the same luxury hotel while working undercover. Vienna has no time for a man who scraped her off without a looking back. Vienna has a preternatural skill at playing poker that puts her in the cross-hairs of some very nasty people who take exception to her winnings.

Zale Vizzini works undercover ops in a job that constantly puts his life on the line. Although he left Vienna without a word since, Zale has been trying to figure out a way for them to be together; however, first he must convince Vienna of his sincerity. Zale knows some important things about Vienna that he cannot reveal because of the cone of secrecy under which he works. Those secrets, his job, and past behavior make it difficult for Vienna to trust Zale especially since she has been indoctrinated against trusting men from an early age.

Clearly someone wishes Vienna harm and as she goes up higher in the contest winning round after round, more unexplained and dangerous things begin happening to her. Zale is determined to keep Vienna safe yet his very job puts her at risk. After the tournament, Vienna plans to do a lot of hiking, bouldering, camping and kayaking with her equally outdoorsy friends before one of them gets married later in the week. It is no surprise that trouble continues to dog her steps in a very deadly way.

While Ms. Feehan is a skilled storyteller this book bogs down in the overly detailed information about professional poker games as well as all the outdoor activities the women engage in back to back. Surprisingly for this author, all the intimacy in the story takes place behind closed doors. One small annoyance is that two characters have name almost the same: Raine and Rainier which gets a little confusing when they are both talking. This book is considered to be a standalone; however, the main characters are first introduced in Murder at Sunrise Lake which is the bride to be, Stella’s story.


Reading Progress

Red on the River by Christine Feehan is another one of her of suspense novels. We got to see some of the characters from her Sunrise Lake series. We meet Vienna Mortenson, our heroine, who is in Vegas, participating in a live high stakes Poker tournament; she usually only plays online and rarely loses, but having received an invitation to this tournament, Vienna plans to win. She is one of the best in playing poker, but she also is a nurse, as well as helping in Search and Rescue. Vienna is helping prepare her best friend, Stella’s upcoming wedding, and this trip is also a bachelorette gathering with a wonderful group of ladies, who love hiking and bouldering. Vienna also wants to repair her relationship with her mother, while in Vegas.

Zale Vizzini, our hero, works undercover on assignment to protect his boss; and is constantly in the middle of danger. He met Vienna months ago, with both falling hard for each other, as they spend weeks together; but one morning he just quietly walked out of her life. Now Zale is Vegas on assignment, and determined to win her back. When Zale tries to explain that he left to keep her safe, as his job was dangerous, but he now wants to her back permanently. Vienna feels her attraction to Zale awaken, but can she trust him?

The tournament was a huge success for Vienna, but threats are made on her life, and Zale knows he needs to protect her from an enemy. At this point of the story, the focus is on Vienna, Stella, and the other magnificent ladies who are part of the bachelorette trip, which takes place in rugged territory in Nevada and the Sierras, as they hike and climb. We get to meet all the ladies, and enjoy their friendship, and bantering. I loved how each of the ladies excel at many things, making them a wonderful group. Not long after they continue on their trek, their lives are put in intense danger, with threats against them; Zale and his partner Rainer push to help the ladies.

What follows an exciting suspenseful mystery romance, with both Vienna, Zale and her wonderful smart ladies working together to try to find who is truly behind the attempt to kill Vienna and why. As I had already noted, what made this a fantastic story was the amazing fabulous group of friends who were all smart, strong and savvy, as their friendship was bonded together (Vienna, Stella, Raine, Zahra, Shabina, Harlow). I did like Vienna and Zale and rooted for them to stay together, as they made a great couple. I do see a possible relationship with Rainer and Shabina in future books.

Red on the River was an excellent, fun and exciting romance suspense thriller, that was filled with action, suspense, as well as the fun bantering with the ladies. Overall, this was a great story, with a terrific couple, fantastic friends and other secondary characters. I look forward to the next book in this series, which is so very well written by Christine Feehan.

First, let me say that I am a huge Christine Feehan fan (the Dark series is one of my all-time favorites) and I always recommend giving her a try. She tells great stories.

Second, Red on the River has the same characters as Murder at Sunrise Lake. It is a standalone novel, but there is some character overlap, so you might want to read the other book first.

Feehan does a great job setting a scene. She manages to give enough details to draw you into the scene without overwhelming you. She builds her secondary characters the same way. She makes sure there are little drops of extra information to help them feel more real and to help flesh them out. Sometimes she does get a bit caught up though. There are a couple of places where there are so many details, that it actually works against the plot. I understand including information so that people who aren't familiar with something, like bouldering, can picture what is happening, but these places go beyond that. And in my opinion, it pushes this book out of the thriller genre because it slows the plot down and keeps the tension from building.

I also struggled with the dialog in Red on the River. There was just so much talking. The characters talked everything to death. I know in real life, people have a lot of conversations, but having the characters verbalize everything, even things that were not relevant in any way, made me put the book down more than once. For example, toward the end, there is a kind of climactic scene. But in the middle of this dangerous, tense, possibly deadly situation, there are pages and pages of dialog, some of which is in no way relevant or needed for the scene. I found it very frustrating.

I will say overall I enjoyed the book. I just wish it had either been a romance or a thriller instead of the odd, too-long hybrid that it ended up being.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions in my review are given voluntarily.

Christine Feehan is one of my favorite authors. Seeing she had a new book out, I knew I had to read it. When I started reading I realized it was a series so I went back and read that. It explained so much more about this group of women who have such a great friendship. Vienna and Zale are the couple for this storyline. She is an online poker playing surgical nurse with trust issues and he is a black ops ghost. Makes it hard to have a relationship, but it’s heartwarming to see Zale’s effort. There is intrigue, action and suspense that surrounds Vienna and has the girls running for their lives. Great cast of characters. Lots of poker and climbing information. Hoping Raine & Rush, and Rainier & Shabina have a story to be told.

(4.5) Oh how I missed my friends Stella, Vienna, Raine, Shabina and Zahra! It was like we were never apart. The friendship and strength of this group is awe inspiring and I want to crawl between the pages and sit at the table with them. Don't get me wrong, I would line up for one of the hot guys. This book has so much to offer with the relationship, or should we say struggling to build and maintain a relationship between Vienna and Zale. What he does within his black ops is mostly secrets that cannot be spilled. Vienna already has trust issues, phew talk about mountains to climb. Watching the two of them try and be honest and deal, was heartwarming. Speaking of deal, we are in Vegas at a casino and as always Christine Feehan did her diligence researching. I could have used it dumbed down and if I am honest, less of it :) Absolutely frigging loved the bits we found out about the rest of the girls and I am already clamoring (in my head and heart). Does anyone else think Rush and Raine, Shabina and Rainer. (Talk about having to pay attention, Raine and Rainer, thank goodness they aren't, or don't appear to be an item) And what about what happened to one of the girls (no spoilers) and Vienna being the big hearted person that she is taking it on. I missed the dobermans, but they are talked about and we see a little bit more of princess the cat. I love this series, I highly recommend and I give my heartfelt thanks to Christine Feehan, Berkley and Netgalley for the arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions.

While not listed as part of a series, RED ON THE RIVER stars many of the same characters as the author's recent MURDER AT SUNRISE LAKE. This time the band of fast friends are getting ready to celebrate Stella's wedding by taking part in lots of outdoor adventures that are on her wishlist. But first, Vienna Mortenson is scheduled to play in a big poker tournament in Las Vegas.

Vienna Mortenson is a surgical nurse, head of her county's search and rescue, beautiful and brilliant and has a psychic gift that lets her see what cards her opponents have which makes it easy for her to win big bucks at poker. She usually plays online using the money to support her hospital and the local search and rescue efforts along with building her own retirement nest egg.

Zale Vizzini met Vienna during the first case and then they had a six-week romance while spending time camping. Then he disappeared back to his secret life as an undercover operative breaking Vienna's heart. Now he's back investigating in the same hotel where Vienna is and wants to get back together. But he's keeping secrets which doesn't incline Vienna to want to take a second chance on him.

However, as Vienna becomes the target of someone who wants her dead, she needs to depend on Zale and her girl pack to survive.

It isn't often that one reads a romantic suspense title with a glossary, but this story had two. First of all, there were rather complete depictions of the Texas Hold Em tournament games with its required vocabulary. Second, the specific vocabulary of rock climbing was used when the girls began their outdoor adventures for stella's pre-wedding adventures.

Fans of Feehan's work with likely enjoy this story despite the fact that the girl pack is all filled with larger-than-life characters - beautiful, brilliant, talented in many ways but with secrets that give them a hint of vulnerability. I also had a little problem with Vienna's psychic gift. While I could accept her gift in face-to-face poker games, I had more trouble believing that her talent as described would work in an online environment. Suspend disbelief and read this one for the adventure and for the romance.

Intersting combination of climbing facts, gambling details, love story, crime. Some duplication of facts used to remind reader. I haven't read Christine Feehan before so will read the predecessor to this.

This book was fabulous! I've not read Feehan's supernatural series, but this has just enough "magic" to keep me interested. I loved the tie-in to the other novel, but it didn't reread it with paragraphs devoted to back-story. Yay for Feehan! This could easily have been a stand-alone and no matter, I can't wait for the next one!

I liked the departure in style for Feehan. I can recommend this book without a bunch of warnings about violent sex scenes. The 2 main characters were interesting and had chemistry as well.

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of the book. This review is based on my personal opinion and enjoyment of the book.

To be continued.

Christine Feehan is a word wizard, and no matter what genre or trope she tackles, she leaves me spellbound. Red on the River is in the same world as Murder at Sunrise Lake. Both are standalones, and it took me a minute but I finally started recognizing characters I'd read before.

As the author's female characters tend to be, Vienna is a badass. Not only is she a gambler that rarely loses, but she's also a trauma nurse and heads up a search and rescue team. You can't get much more badass than that, right?

She and Zale crossed paths in the past and their connection was instant and unforgettable. Much to Vienna's dismay because he walked away from her and she can't forget the time they spent together. Imagine her surprise when he shows up at the hotel where she's competing in a high-profile poker competition.

In case you were wondering, the sparks are still flying between them. But the trust is missing. If he can walk away once, what's to keep him from leaving again. Is she willing to give him another chance? Can she resist? Especially when he calls her Snowflake? Um...I know I couldn't.

Oh wait, I almost forgot the most important part. S-U-S-P-E-N-S-E. Yeah, buckle your harness and get ready for a ride. There's a touch of paranormal because nobody can write special gifts like this author can. I'm so curious and amazed by them, can't get enough. When her characters get a "feeling," so do I. She has me looking over my shoulder as I'm reading in bed to make sure I'm alone. It's like mental movie music that lets you know something is coming like when you're watching Jaws and hear the creeping dread sound.

So, to sum it up, there's romance and suspense, and to break up the tension, there's girl time and hilarious banter to keep you laughing between sighing and gasping. And there are so many amazing characters that there's no doubt in my mind there will be more stories from Sunrise Lake. The line forms here...

Red on the River, Christine Feehan's second entry in her Sunrise Lake series, has as its main character, Vienna Mortenson who makes part of her living as a nurse. Mostly she makes money playing online poker.

If you like to the ins and outs of poker and hiking, you'll find the book a great read. For everyone else, Vienna and her friends keep the story moving at a breakneck pace, and readers will want to know what happens.

This second book in a new suspense series from Ms. Feenhan is a solid must-read for me. Whilst it isn't labeled as a series, this book contains friends from the Murder at Sunrise Lake. In this one, the majority of the book takes place in Vegas. Vienna is our main character who is awesome at winning poker games. Oddly, I just read about a real-life woman who switched over to poker games to make a living and makes a killing at it. This concept intrigues me. The current short blurb on Goodreads doesn't do the book justice. Honestly, I didn't read the blurb until after I read the book. It's Ms. Feehan who is an auto-read for me.

This suspense takes a few twists and turns that I didn't expect. I also didn't make the connection of the title until several chapters into the book. Suffice to say, the river doesn't refer to a body of water no matter the picture on the cover. This aside, I enjoy the connections throughout this story. Instead of heavy angst, sexual abuse, or twisted BDSM as her other current series, this one is almost wholesome with its material. Don't get me wrong, there are some heavy scenes, but they are what I would expect in a good action flick.

Another thing I like about this story is how Vienna is with her group of female friends. The strong friendship between this set of friends is wonderful to see. They are all so different yet they find things they bond over. I'm impressed with the amount of outer athletic adventures they share together. I love reading about their bouldering and kayaking. Inserting these kinds of experiences into the story enhances it for me. It builds layers of kinship amongst the characters and enriches the story for me. Frankly, this story could have been done without a male interest and it might have been an even better tale.

Zale is an unfinished character for me. I get where he is coming from but I'm just not sure why this is a problem for Vienna. Why does she have to deal with his drama and bullshit? Why is his job so much more important than her life and sanity? If there is one thing that bugs me about Ms. Feehan's characters is that for the most part, I find her male characters lacking. I'm not asking for a metrosexual or a mythical renaissance man. I'm asking for a man who can match the amazing woman she's created. I will say that Sam in Murder at Sunrise Lake was pretty decent and matched Stella. Both make a guest appearance in this book as secondary characters. Zale just doesn't seem to have much to give to Vienna. Other than he is great in the sack and Vienna fell for the bad boy and has her heart broken. I am . . . unamused. Zale, aside, this suspense kept me turning page after page until the wee hours of the morning. This suspense is recommended to readers who like strong female bonds and skeletons in the closets brought to light.

Red on the River, Christine Feehan's second entry in her Sunrise Lake series, has as its main character, Vienna Mortenson who makes part of her living as a nurse. Mostly she makes money playing online poker. She is invited to play at a championship game in Nevada, and though she prefers to remain under the radar, the prize size is hard to ignore especially as she donates a large part of her proceeds to her hospital and search and rescue in her town.
As her friends Stella and Sam are getting married soon, and Stella wants to have a hiking adventure bridal shower with her five friends near Vegas, Vienna decides to go all in.
Vienna soon finds out that money is not the only thing at stake at the table in Vegas. She runs into Zale Vizzini, met in book one, and a romance blooms. But there is also a killer out to get Vienna, and the reason is not clear at first.
But what happened in Vegas seems not to have stayed in Vegas, and Vienna soon finds herself and her friends in mortal danger.
If you like to the ins and outs of poker and hiking, you'll find the book a great read. For everyone else, Vienna and her friends keep the story moving at a breakneck pace, and readers will want to know what happens.