Illicit Intent

This high-octane mystery is electrified by a fiery romance between journalist Calliope and a Navy Seal named Tox. Calliope is threatened after her boss is killed, leaving her with valuable financials, priceless art, and a growing list of enemies. She calls Tox for help, because she knows he’ll battle any foe for her, even as he copes with intense PTSD. As the action explodes, we wonder, “Will their love survive if they do?” A fine read for fans of R-rated romantic suspense.

4 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 01 Jan 2021
#IllicitIntent #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Gatekeeper Press, and to NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

I decided to try this book as the summary sounded interesting. Although it was the second book in the series and I hadn’t read the first one, I decided to try it. It was a little confusing in the beginning as characters were introduced, but by the third chapter I was all in! I really enjoyed the characters of Calliope (so very unique) and Miller aka “Tox” who is dealing with PTSD. Calliope stumbles into information that she shouldn’t have and when she is threatened, she calls Tox. There is non-stop action as men keep coming after, threatening her for the information that she no longer has. Their attraction is off the charts, but he feels that his past makes him someone she should avoid. The dialog between the characters is fresh and witty. Even though this was the second book, the author included enough about the previous characters that I never felt lost (I do want to read the first book). Will Calliope and Tox figure out all the players before one of them ends up injured or dead? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Debbie Baldwin bring back the day of Linda Howard type of romantic suspense. A little cheese and a little over the top but readers will love the classic style of writing.
Readers will connect with the characters as they try and figure out the different mysteries that are driving Calliope and Miller together as they fight the passion they are feeling.

Illicit Intent is the compete romantic suspense novels will be able to enjoy. The story is a stand alone novel and each story ends with what readers expect as they read the story.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Illicit Intent by Debbie Baldwin

3.5 stars

While I admire the author’s ambition for an elaborate plot, with so much going on, the connection to the two main characters were suffocated by the space it took up in this book. Because of this, I never made an emotional connection to Tox or Calliope and it didn’t feel like they did with each other either. It almost had me wondering if the book would have been better without their relationship. Instead of weaving its way through the story, the romance felt tacked on and not properly thought-out.

Calliope’s boss is murdered just seconds after she leaves him and when she finds out she and Tox go climb a tree. We never know if she is fearful for her own safety or shocked or gives a crap that there was such extreme violence so close to her. Neither one of them have much of a character ARC outside of the fact that they start single and end up together. Most of their attraction was told instead of shown and once they do get together all they really do is have sex. When Tox’s “bear” is finally unleashed, it’s just kinda ‘mheh’ and I found myself skimming the sex scenes. For all the hype of him letting his badass out of a cage, I expected a little more imagination.

It felt like this book wanted to be a thriller in the style in which it was written but it jumps around too much and at times I found myself thinking I’d just read several pages that didn’t have anything to do with actually moving the plot forward. I get that this was book two of a series, but there were entire chapters that were unnecessary which made reading it tedious in stead of page-turning. With all the POVs we are asked to be kept track of, plus all the characters and their double names my head was spinning. For example, I didn’t really need to know about Emily and Nathan, that could have been in an epilogue of their book.

I was happy to see that the book was edited, but I wonder just how much it was. Obviously the author has a firm grip on the English language—it’s really that and my respect for keeping track of all her loose threads that are keeping this rating at a solid 3.5 stars—but there were a lot of word echos and the constantly changing POV felt more like a head hops than an effective way to narrate.

Overall, if the two main characters would have been more front and center and had deeper POVs without head-hopping in the same scene, this would have passed for a stronger Romantic Suspense. But as is, it’s more of a surface Romance on one side of the plate and busy Suspense on the other.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Very well developed characters and an extremely engaging story. Well thought out and very suspenseful story line that keeps the reader guessing until the final twist! This is the book to read this year! Highly recommended!

Great book! This one was filled with action, suspense, angst, drama and intrigue! In the beginning of the book I felt a little lost at times I wasn't sure who was who or what was going on?! But after a bit I got into it so keep reading if that happens to you lol this book was really good! I definitely recommend reading it! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Calliope was investigating her boss at Gentrify Capital Partners. While downloading suspicious files from his computer late one night, he walked in and passed out on his couch. As she left in the elevator, she heard shots and her boss was found dead. Tox, an ex-Navy Seal, worked security and became her contact as they tried to discover what the files she downloaded meant and who killed her boss. At first sight, there was a strong attraction between Calliope and Tox. Tox had abandonment issues and needed to avoid close relationships. Calliope was used to exciting investigative jobs and had no plans to settle down. Neither could ignore feelings for the other. I really liked this book. So many characters revealed throughout the book make for interesting communities bound by greed, or love and respect, or the need to protect whether it blood family or families through shared experiences. Close encounters, dangerous assignments, and intriguing characters make for a great read. The steamy relationship between Calliope and Tox exhibits the trust and respect true love should contain. Complex story line kept the reader engaged.

What happens when a simple investigation goes haywire? Calliope is asking herself this very question. When she is investigating her CEO she gets more then she bargains for, information, a mysterious tube. While trying to escape she runs into Tox. I mean literally runs into. Her thoughts, what’s he doing here, his thoughts what’s she doing here.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is the second of the series. Some people stated that they did not like how the book jumped, but it's just like any suspense. You get the information you need when you need it. It all comes together in the end. I cannot wait for the third book.