Overkill by Sandra Brown. A thriller with a touch of possible romance. It did drag at a spot or two but for the most part a book that kept me intrigued and was enjoyable. I've read past books by author both romance and thriller and you can never go wrong with any of her books.

Welp…I was so so excited to receive an advanced readers copy of this book! Sandra Brown is the author that reignited my adult reading passion. I remember sitting in the hallway in the middle of the night so I didn’t wake my family because I needed to know what happened. I’ve read and loved quite a few of her books and it was way before GoodReads or even apps were around to rate🤪.

Unfortunately this one just fell a little flat for me. Maybe my expectations were too high or maybe it’s because I was in a little reading slump, but I would definitely still recommend this author and her backlist!

Zach Bridger is a former NFL star quarterback whose ex-wife Rebecca is now on life support after a night of partying gone wrong. Their very public breakup ended four years ago, but Zach learns he is still power of attorney and has a very big decision to make after finding out the person who made Rebecca like this has been let out of prison on good behavior. While the topic of moral decisions surrounding life support are heavy the book lacked a bit of depth for me. Sensitive subject for sure and I felt for Rebecca’s dad in holding on to what life if you can call it that she had left.

Thank you to @grandcentralpub, @novelsuspects, and @netgalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Enjoyed this new domestic thriller by Sandra Brown. A great cast of characters that kept me totally invested in the story. Lots of tension and emotion. Toss in some romance to round out a great read.

Zach is an ex football star, who has been divorced from Rebecca for about five years. Some time after the divorce Rebecca became severely injured at a drug and alcohol orgie. Zach has been putting off pulling the plug for her parents sake. But now the person guilty of her injuries has be released from jail early and the only way to make him pay for what he has done is if Rebecca is to die. What will Zach do now that d.a. Kate has come to ask him to take her off life support. Thanks netgalley.

I have read only a few of Sandra’s books but those that I have I enjoyed. I do have to say this is my first read of hers that was so steamy! There is a lot of romance/sex in this book and I do love those so it was enjoyable for me! I do think I would classify this as a romantic suspense then just a mystery thriller. This book had me addicted from page one, with her ability for great prose and the way she weaves a story it’s nothing short of incredibly. Read it you won’t regret it! I think this and thick as thieves are now my favorite two by Sandra!

I was interested in the premise of this novel. A young woman is on life support in the hospital. Her ex-husband has medical power of attorney but the pressure to decide whether she stays on life support or is removed from it, is too much for him so he walks away, allowing her parents to have the final say. Fast forward 4 years and Rebecca’s attacker, Eban, is released from prison early. He’s unrepentant and takes no accountability for what happened to Rebecca. State prosecutor, Kate Lennon, is determined to put him back in prison where he belongs. She enlists the help of Rebecca’s ex-husband, former Superbowl MVP, Zach Bridger. For Eban to be put back into prison, Zach must remove Rebecca from life support. It’s a decision that hangs heavily on Zach. Zach and Kate have lots of chemistry and the storyline revolves around both their relationship and their attempts to out thwart Eban. This was a fast-paced, easy read. Perhaps more romantic suspense than a thriller? Thanks to Sandra Brown, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was really excited for this thriller because I thought the plot was really unique. It's been 4 years since Zach Bridger's ex-wife was left in a vegetative state by another man. Zach is left as the point of contact for her medical decisions & with the man who left her in that state getting early release from prison --- it's time again for Zach to make decision to pull the plug or not. This would help bring Eban (the attacker) to be brought up on new charges (murder) and put back into prison.

I really felt like the romantic subplot of this story took over the thrilling part of it. The thriller aspect of the book was repeated over and over again & I wasn't really racing to the end of the book to found out Zach's decision. The book had a decent amount of spice that I wasn't expecting, but it REALLY felt like the romance in this one was forced.

FINAL THOUGHTS: A mostly predictable thriller that had a romance subplot that seemed to dominate the entire story. I was captivated enough to finish the book to see how it all wrapped but, overall I was let down by the character development throughout.

I haven't really read any books by Sandra Brown I always thought of her as older generation romantic suspense. I couldn't have been more wrong Sandra Brown creates an entire world that reader will be sucked into and unable to walk away until the very last page. The characters are likeable and very normal almost as if you could meet them walking down the street. The author classic mystery style writing with romance that has the readers falling in love with Zach Bridger and his past that he wish could be kept hidden. The balance of Romance and suspense is 100% perfect.

The stand-alone novel is a perfect pool read (For this momma) or the beach either way you will not be able to put the book down.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Sandra Brown comes through with a good summer thriller! Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. As a loyal Sandra Brown, I know what to expect when I open the pages of her books. The style is the same but the story changes. This one grabbed my interest from the onset with just enough suspense and steam to keep my interest through it all!

This book is one of the best books I’ve read all year! Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. Sandra wrote a few evil characters and you just didn’t know what’s going to happen next. You need to hurry and get your hands on this winner. Thanks for writing such a great book!

I have been a fan of Sandra Brown since I was a teenager. Getting the opportunity to read an ARC of her new novel made my day! Overkill has everything you would expect from her books. Suspense. Murder. Wealth. Egos. Sex. Any other summary covers the bases, so here’s what I have to say about her latest novel. Fans of Brown will fall in love with Zach and Kate. You will be disgusted by Eban Clarke and his “affluenza” lifestyle. You will feel the guilt of Theo and Cal, but also understand how Cal’s wife feels about what he did and how he is living his life now. You will adore Bing and how he is a pseudo father for Zach as his old college coach who plays a large role in his life. You will feel anger at Doug, Zach’s former father in law and the hatred Doug has towards Zach. You will wish to never find yourself in the place that Rebecca, Doug’s daughter, finds herself after a wild, reckless life after her divorce from Zach. This was a quick read because it was hard to put down. I would strongly encourage you to get this book when it is available August 16, 2022. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own.

#netgalley #arc #sandrabrown #overkill #grandcentralpublishing

Another remarkable novel from Sandra Brown!

Having read quite a few of Sandra Brown’s literary works in the past, I was excited to read her newest novel Overkill and was not disappointed! Overkill will make its debut in the steamy heat of August 2022 with just as much steam and heat between the pages. Brown has created an engaging novel of romantic suspense and mystery that keeps her readers thrilled with anticipation of a moral dilemma, realistic characters, and yes, sizzling sex scenes.

The main character Zach Bridger, former NFL Superbowl MVP, faces a true moral dilemma regarding his ex-wife, Rebecca, who after a night of debauchery that went horribly wrong, is now on life support. Unbeknownst and shocking to Zach, he discovers that he is still named as Rebecca’s medical power of attorney, even though they had been through a very public and nasty divorce. After many dreadful disagreements with her parents, ultimately Zach leaves the heartbreaking decision up to them and retreats to his mountainside home where he becomes somewhat of a recluse.

Usually there’s a “who done it” factor where the reader attempts to discover who is really responsible for the crime, but in this particular novel the three criminals responsible for the crime are actually front and center. The book then jumps ahead four years later and the three men responsible for Rebecca’s injuries that left her in a vegetative state, have been paying their debt to society in one way or another.

Two of them, Cal and Theo, have been on probation for the crime and the ring leader Eban Clarke has served time in prison for his part, however, due to a powerful and wealthy family he is getting an early release. Eban is pure evil and has absolutely no remorse for what he did to Rebecca. He thinks he is off scot free now that he is out of jail and he’s ready to pick up exactly where he left off with his depravity and immorality. However, he is quite taken aback with the appearance of Kate Lennon, a special prosecutor for the DA’s office who wants to put him in prison for good.

Kate Lennon is given the unenviable task of contacting Zach and informing him that if Rebecca did indeed pass, Eban Clarke can then be charged with murder. This situation sends everyone into a tail spin. At first, Zach is extremely adverse to Kate and what she was proposing and again, Zach finds himself in the horrible position of deciding Rebecca’s fate. Zach and Kate really clash in the beginning yet, they cannot resist the pull of attraction they develop for one another as the story progresses and danger ensues. It wouldn’t be a Sandra Brown novel without the sizzling sexual encounters. Some readers may be adverse to these scenes, however they are tastefully written.

This was an interesting read from Sandra Brown as she delves into the moral and ethical points of sustaining or ending life support. The writing is superb and with characters that are multi-layered and are well developed from the very beginning and continue to evolve even more throughout the novel..

As an extremely prolific writer and a New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown has created another fantastic read. I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and I am leaving my honest and voluntary review. I rate this novel a 5 out of 5 star rating.

This was an excellent book, it really drew me in! It had action, romance and a bad guy, all the right things

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive an arc in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.



Thought provoking, steamy, intense. Loved it!

Interesting storyline with the ex-husband having to decide to keep his former wife on life support. Suspenseful with twists. A great light read as Sandra Brown’s book usually are. Strong sexual overtone in parts.

Great characters, great conflict

I would like to thank Sandra Brown, Hachette Audio, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read/listen to a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers

Loved this! The hero, Zack, wasn’t a total jackass, as some Brown heroes have been, and the heroine, Kate, was likable and down-to-earth. Both had the integrity to not give in to their baser instincts, which I appreciated and immediately earned my respect. Bing was also a favorite. I think Zack needed a dog, he seemed like the type to have one, but I understand that might have complicated his ability to leave at a moment’s notice and be away for days. I could have lived without Zack being a football star: I don’t like sports; I don’t have much respect for professional athletes; his football analogies went over my head; and professional athlete romances have their own dedicated genre—but I liked him, and the story, anyway.

The dilemma of whether or not to pull the plug on a human vegetable isn’t new, but I haven’t read one in a quite a while, so it felt fresh to me. Additionally, I never realized there’s a type of vegetative state in which the patient has wake and sleep cycles. Just like in Zack’s mind, that added a whole new layer of uncomfortable to the problem for me. It’s one thing for a person to be kept alive by machines; it feels more natural for them to be dead, and it’s just a matter of flipping a switch and letting the blood stop circulating. With the type of state Rebecca was in (same as a coma? No? Not sure, and I don’t recall the book addressing) she was breathing on her own and her eyes would open, there was just no brain activity. A more or less functional vessel, but no soul. To “pull the plug” on her, at least to my understanding, meant to stop feeding and hydrating her and let her systems shut down. Took three days. Why they couldn’t have euthanized her with Zack and Doug’s legal permission, I’m not sure. I don’t remember the book addressing that, either, but it did make very plain the ethical quagmire of the whole situation. I did not envy Zack his role in it all, not one bit.

There was plenty going on to keep my attention, plenty of suspense, a great balance between exposition and dialogue. I wouldn’t call this Brown’s grittiest book, but her signature bluntness was present. She could perhaps have taken us on a hike with Zack once before the end to foreshadow/better establish how it would end; it felt almost too easy or lazy. There was plenty of fog foreshadowing, though.

Overall, I had a great time reading Overkill and look forward to next year’s book!

Sandra Brown's latest thriller, "Overkill," will not disappoint, hooking the reader in her fast paced story that has you sitting on the edge of your chair. I loved the characters, especially Zack, an e-football star secluded high up in a mountain. I loved the romantic element of the book when Kate was introduced into the story. Brown provide great sexual tension and description as she does so well with their romance.

Character development was also a plus. Eban, the murder, was so evil that he gave me tachycardia whenever he popped up in the story. Uncle Upton, Up, was another character that riled me up on how he covered up for Eban. My heart broke for Rebecca, Zack's former wife, hospitalized in a vegetative state and the complex situation between Zack and Rebecca's father over pulling the plug to end her life.

This truly is a five star book but lost a little steam near the end where I was just reading pages to get to the exciting climax at the end.

Thank you Net Galley and Sandra Brown for allowing me to review, "Overkill." It is a winner.

Once again I think Sandra Brown hit it out of the park. This one was not as suspenseful as some. But the characters she wrote about and the scenes that she set were very good. She made sure you were invested in the story. You liked the characters you were supposed to like. You didn't like the characters you weren't supposed to like. A few twists and turns were thrown in. Another solid read by her. This is why I continue to read and buy Sandra Brown as I always like them.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
I love Sandra Brown’s books and this was no exception. There was a lot of action and some romance with some sexy stuff but just the right amount. I really enjoyed the main characters and could even picture what they might look like in my mind. I think this could be a movie. I highly recommend this book. It’s out in a couple weeks so pick it up.

When Rebecca ends up in a vegetative state after a horrible accident, her ex-husband Zach has no idea how much his life is about to change. Fast forward a few years later & the man who hurt Rebecca is going free and one woman is determined to stop him: Kate Lennon. This story was a GREAT beach read, full of enough excitement to keep you interested but light enough to not weigh down your thoughts. Sandra Brown does it again!