Spent Identity

Annalisse Series, Book 2

By: Marlene M. Bell

Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso

To find her missing aunt, she has to unearth the secrets of the past. But lies and deceit run though the very heart of their town...

What started out as a promising relationship with adventurer and tycoon Alec Zavos has fizzled into an uncertain future for antiquities expert Annalisse Drury. Returning to Walker Farm in Upstate New York to see her Aunt Kate should have been a welcome homecoming and distraction. Instead, she finds the childhood home she expected to inherit is for sale, without her permission. What’s worse, Kate’s ranch manager makes a gruesome discovery in the barn: the body of an unidentified man, dead by foul play.

Annalisse turns in Alec’s direction for help. She and her aunt shelter on his estate in the Catskills while the authorities canvass the scene. But when Kate herself disappears without a trace, Annalisse fears the worst: That one of the many secrets of her hometown has ensnared her family - a secret someone is willing to kill to keep hidden.

©2019 Marlene M. Bell (P)2020 Marlene M. Bell

Mostly still a romance

Note: This is book 2 in the series and really does work best read after reading book 1 (Stolen Obsession).

Book 1 was a bit of a challenge for me because it was mostly Romance and not Mystery/Thriller. This book is a little better. There’s still a lot of romance but there’s more thriller too. The pacing was better for me, moving along with plenty of action.

Annalisse is a little better too. She is an antiques expert (though very little time is spent showing us her expertise so this feels like a veneer of independence). She has a few shining moments where she fights back and does so intelligently. Yet the mystery solving is left to others. She’s also still pretty dependent on Alec in several ways.

Meanwhile, Alec is having an early mid-life crisis. Should he continue on with the family corporation or not? Should he pursue being a country farm veterinarian or not? And what is up with his ex-girlfriend (Tina, I think)? Plus all the stress of someone trying to kill his current girlfriend.

The mystery was OK, but the action was better. I did like how the pacing flew along. It it easier for me to set aside all the romance (which just isn’t my cup of tea). 3.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Patricia Santomasso did a decent job with this story. It’s always a bit difficult to build upon what a previous narrator did in a series. While I always prefer a series to keep the same narrator, Santomasso gave it a solid effort. I liked her voices, having unique ones for each character. Her male voices sounded masculine too. The pacing was perfect and I liked how she captured the excitement of the action scenes. There were no technical issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Marlene M. Bell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

A puzzle with a surprise missing piece

Having listened to the first book (Stolen Obsession) in the series only recently, I was well and truly caught up in Annalisse's world. Book number two (Spent Identity) moved on effortlessly and paid homage to past events from the first book without regurgitating everything.

As before, this is jam-packed with details, subplots blend in well, and the story moves along at a great pace. It's one of those stories in which you have no chance of solving the puzzle yourself, as the culprit comes literally from nowhere. That said, the surprise arrival of the killer makes perfect sense once the initial gasp-inducing shock dissipates. With relevant backstory and connections to multiple characters, the killer is believable.

Annalisse seems to be one of the characters who attract bad news. she's already had her fair share of drama, but this time round the impact is life-changing. Explosive stuff, indeed.

In Spent Identity, less relevance is given to her job in the art world, yet there are sprinklings of detail that keep that thread going: the tribal masks and the suggestion of European trips all validate Annalisse's world outside of this personal, family drama.

The narrator is extraordinary. Clear, easy to follow, enthusiastic and comes over as relevant with each and every character. What more could you ask for?

I quite fancy a trip to Rome for book three. Am I going to be lucky? I hope so ;)

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Marlene M. Bell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Captivating!

This is the second book in the Annalisse Series, an amazing Romantic Suspense. This is my favorite installment in the Series. Annalisse is a wonderful character. She is smart, capable, and strong. Alec is handsome, caring, and protective. I like his determination to make it right with Annalisse. Their investigation to find Annalisse's aunt is captivating, filled with intrigue, action, suspense, and unpredictable twists and turns. I enjoyed it! Patricia Santomasso has a beautiful voice, very pleasant to listen to. She is definitely one of my favorite narrators. Looking forward to listen to the next book in the Series. I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. #Audiobookworm