Review: "Traces" by Denise Weimer

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Traces by Denise Weimer, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I've been reading a ton of historical fiction lately—mainly Regency and Victorian romance—so it was nice to have a change of pace with this suspense novel.

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When a failed romance and a $500,000 prize lure Kate Carson into participating in the reality TV show, Traces, the least she expects is to pick her partner. After all, she’s the PR spokeswoman of the company that derived a thirteen-lens, rotating camera from military use and installed it atop Atlanta’s tallest skyscraper. But she never would have chosen to evade techno hunters for twenty days with “G.I. Joe.”

Stoic, ex-military Alex Mitchell is the sort of man she always vowed to avoid, while the shadows of Alex’s past cause him to spurn emotional involvement. When Kate’s insider knowledge makes her a target of someone more threatening than game show hunters, Alex offers her only hope to reveal the dark plans of proponents of The Eye.

Title: Traces
Author: Denise Weimer
Publisher: BLING! Romance
Release Date: March 5, 2020
Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense

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Reality TV gone rogue. That's Traces in a nutshell! The suspense in this book is spot on—while I never doubted that Alex and Kate would survive their time on the reality TV show Traces, I did question who was trustworthy, and the tension was palpable! Sometimes, romantic suspense falters on the suspense part, but that's certainly not the case here!

I also felt that the romance was believable, and I appreciated that both Alex and Kate doubted the validity of their feelings, thanks to the circumstances. While I would've liked more chemistry between them, I did buy that they were falling for each other.

My one hangup, the thing that kept me from absolutely loving this book, was Kate. As I read, I can't even tell you the number of times that "she's so stupid" ran through my mind! It wasn't actual stupidity, but what I like to call "horror movie stupidity," where someone who is seemingly smart makes the dumbest decisions in the face of danger. It was hard to root for her when she kept doing things to jeopardize her safety. (Alex isn't free of this, either, but Kate's errors seemed more egregious.) I just found her difficult to relate to.

Overall, this is a thrilling novel, and it's even scarier when you know that something like this really could happen—the technology is there! I could absolutely see this as a movie, and it would be so enjoyable. This book is perfect for fans of Lynette Eason, Irene Hannon, and Dani Pettrey. 3 stars.

Follow the tour.
Buy the book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookDepository (affiliate links)

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Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance and romantic suspense set in her home state of Georgia. She’s authored eleven published novels and a number of novellas. As a managing editor at Smitten Historical Romance and Heritage Beacon Fiction, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, she also helps others reach their publishing dreams. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

CONNECT WITH DENISE: Website | Facebook | Twitter  

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Traces and Fall Flip by Denise Weimer plus a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight March 9, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on March 16, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US mailing addresses only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book from the author through JustRead Tours. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."