Risky Redemption by Melissa Garner: Review

Posted November 7, 2017 in review Tags: 3 stars, Giveaway

Risky Redemption by Marissa Garner
Pages: 416

Series: Rogue Security #1
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: ARC, NetGalley

Four years ago, Angela Reardon was brutally attacked, and she still bears the physical scars and traumatic memories. While she's worked hard to overcome her fears and build a successful business, she's still haunted by her inability to identify her assailant. Now Angela only wants to be left alone-until a shadowy stranger reignites her desire to be loved. But their time together may be brief...because someone wants her dead.

CIA assassin Jake Stone's targets deserved to die. Until now. Until he falls in love with the innocent woman he's been hired to kill. Jake can't fight his attraction to Angela, and he knows that someone else will be sent to finish the job. So can he save Angela and redeem himself by uncovering who wants her killed? When the trail leads him into the carnal underbelly of L.A., the truth is more shocking than even he could ever imagine.

Risky Redemption is a bit of a unique take on a murder for hire plot. The story is told in alternating present/past time. I’m still not sure how I feel about this approach. Inventive? Sure. Confusing? Little bit.

Jake Stone is the ‘hero’. Notice I use that term in an idealistic sense because he is really a whiny man-child jerk who happens to have a gun and take center stage in the plot. He is quite possibly one of my more hated heroes. He feels that his job of assassin for the CIA is so morally righteous. However, he never questions the info given to him. He just is told “X is bad. Kill X”. And he gets up on his high, high horse and kills X. Are you freaking kidding me? So, even though the story isn’t told in 1st pov, any time the focus is on Jake, I view him as a biased narrator and therefore a bit unreliable. Also, a douchebag.

Angela is his current target. According to Jake’s contact, she is selling state secrets. So, he has to eliminate her. But…Angela isn’t what he expected. She had something happen recently and her memory has been lost. However, when she is in a bedroom with a man, she blacks out in a pure panic. Now, I wanted Jake to start to put the pieces together…but he is so set in blinding believing his contact.

Now, let me say that the plot is good. Garner weaves a very intriguing, detailed plot. While I am not exactly sure how the past/present alternations will be received overall, it provides a unique way of telling the story. You are never quite sure what actually happened and that keeps you wondering. If romantic suspense is something you enjoy and you are looking for something different and fresh, Risky Redemption is a good pick!