State of the Union by Marie Force

There are SO MANY PEOPLE in this series which can be good but I think Force tried to catch up with every single one of them in this book and it got overwhelming and repetitive (even some of the dialogue, while true to life, was repeated.) The mystery suffered a bit because of it as well.

A young woman has been raped and murdered in a DC park. Sam is not at full speed after falling on some ice and fracturing her hip. All she had wanted to do was enjoy a vacation with her family at Camp David and she still got called back to work where the storm of the season took her out. 

Nick is dealing with his own problems trying to get the Vice President into office and write his first State of the Union address. I really hope we find out soon why Sam's radar went off around Gretchen as it has been discussed so many times.

Three stars

This book came out September 20, 2022

Follows State of Grace

Followed by State of Shock

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

State of Grace by Marie Force

Like other books in this series, there is a LOT going on. Not only do we read about one of Sam's cases, we hear about her adapting to the role of First Lady of the United States and all the side stories of the people in her orbit (and there are a lot of them.) Still, a fast and enjoyable read.

Sam is shocked when a typical suburban mom is found tied up and left for dead in the back of the woman's minivan. She and her team are going to have to do a lot of work to uncover exactly why this woman was murdered. This is, of course, taking place while Sam is trying to navigate the world of politics while still maintaining her own identity. 

This is all set against the backdrop of Christmas which Sam is looking forward to with her family. The family that is also under threat because the twins' grandparents have filed for custody and are trying to blackmail Eli into turning them over.

Four stars

This book came out December 21, 2021

Follows State of Affairs

Followed by State of the Union

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

State of Affairs by Marie Force

At the end of the last book (even though this kicks off a new series, I guess), Lt. Sam Holland and her husband Nick Cappuano, Vice President of the United States, have gotten a call that the President has died. This throws their world into chaos. Nick had just the week before announced that he didn't want to run for president and now he's being sworn into office. 

For Sam, this is a nightmare. She has her dream job in the police force. Yes, there are always rumors about how she got there (either sleeping with people, riding her father's coattails, or both) but it's not like she wants to climb the ranks. She just wants to be able to work in the streets. But how will that work when no other First Lady has ever held a job before? 

This book was a little less emotionally fraught than others in the series because there was so much going into the world re-building. And I actually enjoyed the book all the more for it. These things happen in people's lives, seismic shifts change how we view the world, and we have to start from where we are. I can't wait to read the next book.

Four stars

This book came out April 20th, 2021

Follows Fatal Accusation

Followed by State of Grace

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Fatal Accusation by Marie Force

Sam and Nick are in the soup again. When the president lands himself in another scandal, this time of an affair he had while the First Lady was undergoing chemo. It just gets worse when the woman in question ends up dead. Once again, Sam and Nick will have to deal with the threat that he may have to step into the role of Commander in Chief if the president resigns  while Sam is having to hunt down a murderer.
I really liked how much Sam grew in this story. Nick is still as perfect as ever but we got to see more about how and why their marriage works.

Four stars

This book came out December 17th

Follows Fatal Reckoning

Followed by State of Affairs
ARC kindly provided by Harlequin and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Fatal Affair by Marie Force

I got a copy of this book from NetGalley as a re-release in anticipation of the 10th book in this series being released. I have been reading her Green Mountain series and (mostly) enjoying it so I thought I'd request this book and see what's what. For me, it was three and a half stars. I honestly forgot I had read her other series so it was nice to have that change of voice. It was a little long at just over 400 pages and there was definitely some fat that could have been trimmed and the ending was a bit rushed, but I overall came away from this book with some good feelings.
Nick Cappuano is annoyed that his boss, Senator John O'Connor, is running late on the morning of an important bill. It's possible he overslept. Maybe he was up late with one of the many women that he's juggling. It's nothing new. But what Nick doesn't expect is to find is his long-time friend dead, murdered in a truly horrific manner.
Detective Samantha "Sam" Holland remembers Nick well. They went on one memorable date six years ago and she never heard from him again. But that's not the big issue in her life right now. It's the fact that she's been handed her first high-profile case after a shooting that went very, very wrong. Now she's juggling an incredibly difficult case, an old love who is a new suspect, and her own set of personal issues.

Three and a half stars