What to Read

April Romantic Suspense Must-Reads

I live in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina, on a couple acres surrounded by pastures filled with cows and horses and donkeys. We have six chickens, and my husband keeps bees – he’s got four hives right now, which means about 120,000 fuzzy honeybees. I put in my Victory Garden last weekend. But the highlight of it all was buying our first pint of fresh strawberries from the farm just through the woods. Now that the pollen’s abated and the abundance of fruits and veggies are amongst us, outdoor life is good. Here’s what I’ve been sitting in the meadow reading to my chickens; they love romantic suspense almost as much as they like listening to Johnny Cash.

Katie Reus is back with another installment of the MacArthur Family series in sexy, opposites-attract contemporary with enough suspense to make you turn the pages faster. Saving Sienna brings us back around to Detective Carson Irish (his sister Kathryn was in Falling for Irish), who is determined to keep Private Investigator Sienna MacArthur from turning up as another dead body at one of her cases. These characters are fun, equitable, and sexy. The story is fast-paced and so engaging. It’s just a really great weekend read!

Mary Burton writes with the practiced expertise of a seasoned storyteller. Her thrillers are emotional and often shocking, and always nail-biters. In the second book of her Montanna series, Burton carts out an obsessive stalker with a penchant for arson and a shared dark secret with Forensic Psychologist and single mother Ann Bailey. Near You is a cautionary tale that reminds you to never let your guard down if you’ve ever survived an attack by a serial killer. That, and to sidle up to the sexy, capable highway police officer helping work a string of brutal homicides that have enough similarities to your past situation that you sit up and pay attention. The way Burton builds the tension by mingling the notes from a crime reporter with the dialogue and narrative is mesmerizing.

Cynthia Eden is a juggernaut of romantic fiction, and one you can count on for sexy, timely stories to hit any of your trope buttons. Save Me from the Dark is the second book in her Death and Moonlight series, and it’s every bit as sexy and intriguing as Step Into My Web. The protection roles are reversed, in a way, in this installment because it’s Chloe Hastings who is the protector for Dr. Joel Landry. It’s his past that’s come calling, and Chloe who’s willing to kill to save him. Eden writes a believable villain that instills palpable fear in the hearts and minds of his targets, and when combined with two robust, captivating characters who would do anything—risk anything—for the one they love, the stakes couldn’t be higher. I read this book so fast my Kindle smoldered. I love Joel and Chloe … this unexpected, dynamic crimefighting duo is literary crack, y’all.

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Dolly Sickles

Dolly R. Sickles is a lifelong Southerner with a penchant for storytelling. She writes romances as Becky Moore and children’s books as Dolly Dozier. While she loves to read just about anything, romantic suspense is her kryptonite. When she’s not adventuring around the world with her husband and son, she teaches writing classes at two local community colleges and works on her own books. Follow her on Twitter (@drsickles) and Goodreads (dolly_sickles). Read more from Dolly: https://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/author/dolly-r-sickles/