Official Review: Ultimate Betrayal by Catrina Courtenay

SharisseEM · Post by **SharisseEM** » 16 Mar 2016, 09:56

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ultimate Betrayal" by Catrina Courtenay.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Stardom has its ups and downs and pretty much every actor dreams of getting their big break and being on the big screen. Erik Sinclair is one of the lucky ones, landing the lead role in the film adaptation of the popular BDSM book trilogy, Holding On: Breathless. As expected, not everyone is happy with his appointment and Erik receives threats both virtual and physical. However, a freaky package on the set of Erik’s current acting project Lords of the Street is the last straw and extra security is requested which is where our heroine comes in.

Having spent fifteen years in the army as well as having had a short stint in the FBI before joining Cole Security Services as a bodyguard, Veronica Harper aka Ronnie, isn’t your average heroine. Schooled by the very best at the FBI and an expert at hand-to-hand combat, Ronnie was one of the most highly sought after bodyguards, gender be damned. However, that was five years ago...before Kincaid held her captive, stripping her of the person she used to be and leaving her scarred mentally, emotionally and physically. Having left Los Angeles to escape her demons and start anew, Ronnie returns to take on the job of protecting Erik and ends up having her past come back to haunt. Ronnie’s world once again spins out of control as truths begin to surface and she begins to doubt everything she used to believe in.

Ultimate Betrayal: Revelations is the first in the series by Catrina Courtenay with the set up of the story reminding me of the very real-life Fifty Shades of Grey casting disagreements. The chemistry between Erik and Ronnie was amazing. Catrina did a great job by building on their relationship first which made it much more believable seeing as Ronnie was broken by Kincaid. A problem I did have with their relationship is how easily Ronnie fell into Erik’s arms. After what happened with Kincaid, I didn’t think she would take to him so easily without the paranormal soul mate aspect. I would have thought that she would need more time to get used to him but nope. Erik also seems oddly reckless, putting his life at risk for Ronnie even though she’s his bodyguard, which was frustrating to say the least.

Admittedly, I was also a little apprehensive in the beginning of the book since I don’t think there’s really a need to detail a character’s daily activities step by step but once the story got moving, I couldn’t stop reading even if I wanted to. And that car chasing scene? Awesome! This book is chock full of twists and turns which is something I absolutely love. Catrina did a great job is setting everything up and then pulling shocking twists out of nowhere like a magic trick. When I think I know where things are going, I’m thrown for another big loop and many questions are raised. Who are the threats from? Is the target Erik or Ronnie? Is Kincaid back? Who can be trusted?

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It was draggy in the beginning and I considered stopping but I’m so glad I pushed through. Great plot, great back stories, well-written action scenes and most of all, wonderful twists and turns. Anyone looking for a romantic thriller should definitely add this book to their reading list. A slight disclaimer, this is the first book of the series so it does end on a very abrupt cliffhanger.

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Ultimate Betrayal
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catrinacourtenay · Post by **catrinacourtenay** » 17 Mar 2016, 16:15

Wow, SharisseEM - your review is awesome! Thank you so much for writing such a detailed, thorough analysis! Have you ever considered writing writing book blurbs?
The second book is out now, Exposed so you'll get a few more answers, but just as many questions.

Thank you again ~ Catrina

Swiftmover07 · Post by **Swiftmover07** » 18 Mar 2016, 22:31

Nice thorough review! Definitely sounds like a good read

SharisseEM · Post by **SharisseEM** » 19 Mar 2016, 00:45

catrinacourtenay wrote:Wow, SharisseEM - your review is awesome! Thank you so much for writing such a detailed, thorough analysis! Have you ever considered writing writing book blurbs?
The second book is out now, Exposed so you'll get a few more answers, but just as many questions.

Thank you again ~ Catrina

You're welcome! It's a really great read. Looking forward to reading Exposed as well. Writing book blurbs? I've never thought about it but it does sound like something I would like to try. How do I go about doing so?

catrinacourtenay · Post by **catrinacourtenay** » 19 Mar 2016, 13:10

You know, that's a good question. But a good place to start is one of the beta reader groups on Facebook. You could always post that you'd do a blurb for $25 to $50, depending on the length of the book, etc, or maybe hook up with a blog that does reviews. Some of them offer services such as editing also. I'll have to look through my lists of groups and let you know a few good places.

SharisseEM · Post by **SharisseEM** » 29 Mar 2016, 05:31

That's great! Looking forward to it. Thanks so much!

catrinacourtenay · Post by **catrinacourtenay** » 29 Mar 2016, 20:47

Well, I can't reply to you with the information I mentioned. I've tried and my message was disapparoved because it's links of facebook groups. It's a big ridiculous if you ask me. Look me up on FB and sendme a friend request.