Guest Reviewer Tonya reviews The Fatal Series by Marie Force

The “Fatal Series” is by far one of the best legal romance thriller type book series I have ever read. There are a total of 6 books in the series so far with the 7th book coming out in June. Marie Force has done an absolutely amazing job describing her characters and bringing them to life in her books. You truly feel like you are friends with the main characters Sam and Nick. And as their lives and the lives of their families and friends unfold within the pages of each of the Fatal books you are drawn in deeper with each turn of the page, leaving you breathless, excited, anxious and racing to get to the next book. And if you finish before book 7 comes out don’t be surprised if you are either picking them up to read them again or are going through serious withdrawals waiting for that next book to open and see the lives of Sam and Nick unfold before you again.

Contained within this write up are the reviews for each of the 6 books currently in this series. I have to say again what an amazing writer Marie Force is. This is just one of several series she has written not to count multiple stand alone books. You wont go wrong reading any of her books but by far to me the “Fatal Series” books are 5 star top notch books.

 Book 1 – FATAL AFFAIR – High Paced – Super Intense!!!

I love books with strong female leads and I love books even more when the strong female lead is in a powerful position like in this case a detective.Samantha “Sam” Holland is a detective investigating the horrific murder of a very popular US Senator. A major witness to the case Nick a man she had a one night stand with over 6 years ago found the body of the senator. Sam has had so real trials in her life since then from a bad marriage, her father (once the chief of police) being injured on the duty and permanently paralyzed, a high profile case she was on turned bad and now the murder of a US Senator. She doesn’t need this man to come back into her life but he does and at full force.

The plot of the book, the lay out all of it is excellent. I love when I can start a book and immediately be drawn into the story, into the lives of the characters and feel like I am right there, like one of them. You can’t wait for the next page, the next clue to try and find out who murdered the Senator and let me just say I was completely shocked in the outcome – who really murdered the senator.
—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —–

Book 2 – FATAL JUSTICE – Highly Intense-Superb!!!

If you liked book 1 in the Fatal Series you will LOVE book 2 “Fatal Justice” OMG I could not put this book down. I fell in love with the main characters Sam “Samantha” Holland and Nick Cappuano in book 1 but this book sealed it.Sam and Nick go through some very real life issues in this book, learning more about each other, a lot of Sam’s past is revealed in this book and what she went through. How her and Nick handle each incident is very well laid out and feels so very true to life. You laugh, you cry, and you can’t wait for the next page to see what happens.

This one starts out with a man who commits a horrific crime on his family and during the investigation information about her father is found. Sam’s on high alert how is this man connected to what happened to her father all those years ago.

A high profile murder and Nick is back in the spotlight as he and Graham and Lainie are close to this person. Then a young man almost murdered related to the person who was murdered and this investigation becomes very twisted, Sam struggles to put the pieces together.

Sam goes through a lot of trials in this book, from being held hostage, shot at, horrible car accident, yes even almost losing Nick. All test her strength and resolve and her relationship with Nick. They hit some bumps in this one, but its really great to read how they get through each one.

I really love the epilogue on this – oh now don’t go and rush to get to it but it is by far the best, and I mean the best way for this to be done that I have seen in a book EVER……..

Hurry up and get this book now if you haven’t read book one “Fatal Affair” you have to start there first but then rush to get this one. I am off to get book Three “Fatal Consequences”

 Book 3 – FATAL CONSEQUENCES – Buckle Up This One Is Explosive!!!

Sam and Nick are back again for book 3, with Nick preparing for reelection and Sam back on the job as they celebrate their engagement yet another mystery to solve. Several women are murdered, one of Sam’s own is horrible attacked and the clock is ticking for Sam to figure out just who is killing women in her city. As always it hits close to home with Sam and Nick and the political world is turned upside down again from yet another scandal. This one by far the best scandal so far.I love how Marie writes her story lines, they are so fast paced and entrenched in details. Not only do you feel like you are right there while Sam and her team are chasing down the bad guys, but you are right there while Nick is dealing with reelection, they deal with her family and a possible new member to their family and you begin to learn a lot more about Cruz, Gonzo and McBride.

Even though the main characters are Nick and Sam, I love how Marie adds in the story lines for Gonzo and Christina, Cruz and Elin as well as her father and his new bride Celia. This book starts off with the wedding of her father and Celia and what a wedding it is. And just builds from there.

Like the other books I couldn’t put this one down and before I knew it I was done and rushing to download the next one. Great job Marie as always.

 Novella – FATAL DESTINY – A Wedding To Remember!!!

Marie did a great job sharing Nick and Sam’s wedding. From wedding planner Shelby aka Tinkerbelle to the dress by Vera Wang it is the perfect wedding, but getting there isn’t so perfect.As always there is something going on in Sam’s world of homicide that always seems to keep Nick and the reader slapping your hand to your palm saying OMG not again Sam. LOL

The book starts out with Nick worrying about Sam’s whereabouts as he is home with a house full of guest for their wedding shower. There is something going on between them and he is worried as they seem to have drifted apart. He thinks its from his extreme amount of time with work. He doesn’t know she is trying to fight through an inner turmoil after the loss of their unborn child.

This novella is perfect it is mostly about the wedding of course but there is some work for Sam thrown in there which of course just has to be with Nick and Sam. LOL Sam learns her team mates have been working on the lead they found at the Reece house in regards to the shooting of her father. She is also dealing with the fact her ex husband who is in jail for the attempted murder of her and her soon to be husband Nick may get out of jail on a technicality. Sam turns to an old informant for some help in searching through the clues into her fathers shooting. And in the process she learns of a horrible man who committed a horrifying crime and walked away without a slap on his hand. In digging into this she learns of something the AUSA did and why.

This story digs more into that and what the fall out is just before the wedding (of course) and then its the big day the wedding and OH WHAT A WEDDING IT IS……..

You wont be sorry for reading Fatal Destiny.

 Book 4 – FATAL FLAW – Flawless Edition To The Fatal Series!!!

Marie has done it again with the next book in the Fatal Series…. I just can not get enough of Nick and Sam and the rest of the gang. As soon as I finish one book I am downloading and delving right into the next book.Nick and Sam return from their honeymoon and dive right back into their life and work. This book has a bit of a twist in that the crime Sam is investigating does not have a political connection this time which was really nice to see as we all no even though they are in DC not all crimes are political in nature. The victims all seem to be well liked, no enemies and there seems to be no evidence left behind to give Sam the thread she loves to pull to unravel a crime. But there is a connection that she later finds in each one – one big connection that leads to a very unexpected and surprising end to the crime spree.

Nick and Scotty go on their trip to Fenway Park in Boston and Nick plans to talk to Scotty about something big that him and Sam have hopes for. But the outcome isn’t what they expect and Nick is worried about what might happen with the young boy they have come to love.

Sam’s father has a really bad turn in this book and Sam is worried that her father may not make it through this one. So as she tries desperately to solve a crime she is also desperately hoping her father is able to make it through this next battle of his. She also has two of her detectives searching into a cold case that her father was never able to close in hopes that she can close it for him in case something happens to her father.

There is a lot going on in this book and Marie does a great job telling each story, and brings more of Cruz and Elin and Gonzo and Christina as well as Lindsay and Terry.

I just can’t state it enough how much I love this series

—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —–

Book 5 – FATAL DECEPTION – Deceptively Awesome!!!

Nick and Sam are finally married and enjoying newlywed bliss and each day they learn even more about each other while continuing to build their lives together.

The story line is as always awesome with the death of a very high ranking officials wife and a missing baby the plot is thick and Sam and her homicide team are knee deep in it, of course with the help of an FBI agent she would rather not have to deal with and who Nick thinks is into his wife, little does Sam know one of Sam’s team members feels the same way.While Sam is dealing with this new head scratching crime, she gets involved in another incident and as typical is hurt but the outcome is “kick ass”, and Nick’s career is beginning to really heat up as he prepares for the speech of a lifetime.

Scotty comes to a decision on living with Sam and Nick and it turns their world upside down. And Sam comes to another decision regarding having a child of their own. McBride and Arnold dig back into her fathers unsolved cold case and confront Sam with what they find which brings Sam and her father together again about this topic – I wont say how that ends but as always its good.

I have read a lot of series in the past but this is by far the best, strong female & male lead detective thriller, political crime thriller, romance combination I have ever read and is by far my all time 5 star favorite. Way to go Marie – you are a Force to be reckoned with.

—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —–

I hope that my review of these 6 books has you running to Amazon.com or Barns N Nobles or where ever you go to download your ebooks. I can’t state it enough you wont be sorry for picking up Fatal Affair and not getting any house work done until you turn the last page and put down Fatal Deception.

Also if I can throw in there – make sure to join the Fatal Series group on Facebook – so you can keep up with this series. Marie even writes little bits and pieces here that don’t go into the books. It keeps Sam and Nick going for all of us who have become serious fans. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FatalSeries/

Thank you again for allowing me the pleasure of sharing my review of Marie Force & her “Fatal Series” books.