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Cold Cruel Kiss: A Romantic Thriller (Cold Justice® - The Negotiators Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Toni Anderson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,563
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“Heart-pounding action, pulsing attraction, spooks, conspiracies, betrayal, political wrangling; Cold Cruel Kiss has it all.” ~ All About Romance *Desert Isle Keeper*

When the daughter of the US Ambassador to Argentina is kidnapped in broad daylight on Christmas Eve, the FBI sends one of its best negotiators to investigate—in this Romantic Thriller by NYT bestselling author Toni Anderson.


Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne arrives at an embassy thrown into chaos as US and local law enforcement hustle to track the young woman. Is this a simple kidnap for ransom, or part of a political agenda? Could it be something more sinister?

Lucy Aston has something to hide. Preferring to stay in the shadows, the lowly, fashion-challenged office assistant resents being assigned to help Max. But Max can’t resist a puzzle…he’s starting to suspect Lucy Aston is not what she seems.

When rumors emerge of a suspected Russian spy operating out of the embassy, Lucy’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble. As she and Max race to rescue the ambassador’s daughter, Lucy has to do whatever it takes to keep her cover from being blown—even if that means betraying the man she’s falling for.

All the Cold Justice® can be read as standalone titles. Hot romantic stories with thrilling plots and guaranteed happily ever afters—they do contain strong language.

Winner of the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award for Romantic Suspense.

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  1. Book 4 of 5
    Cold Justice® - The Negotiators
  2. Print length
    452 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    28 January 2021
  6. File size
    4260 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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From the Publisher

Romantic Thriller
Undercover CIA
Cold Justice FBI Negotiators

Romantic Suspense winner

Product description

About the Author

Toni Anderson writes gritty FBI Romantic Thrillers, and is a New York Times and a USA Today bestselling author. Her books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, Readers' Choice, Aspen Gold, Book Buyers' Best, Golden Quill, National Excellence in Story Telling (NEST) Contest, and National Excellence in Romance Fiction awards. She's been a finalist in both the Vivian Contest and the RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America. More than two million copies of her books have been downloaded.Best known for her "COLD" books perhaps it's not surprising to discover Toni lives in one of the most extreme climates on earth--Manitoba, Canada. Formerly a Marine Biologist, she still misses the ocean, but is lucky enough to travel for research purposes. In January 2016, she visited FBI Headquarters in Washington DC, including a tour of the Strategic Information and Operations Center. She hopes not to get arrested for her Google searches.Website: http://www.toniandersonauthor.com/

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B085DTYBRM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Toni Anderson Inc. (28 January 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4260 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 452 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 1,563

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Toni Anderson

Toni Anderson

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Toni Anderson writes gritty, sexy, FBI Romantic Thrillers, and is a New York Times and a USA Today bestselling author. Her books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, Readers' Choice, Aspen Gold, Book Buyers' Best, Golden Quill, National Excellence in Story Telling (NEST) Contest, and National Excellence in Romance Fiction awards. She's been a finalist in both the Vivian Contest and the RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America.

Best known for her COLD JUSTICE® books perhaps it's not surprising to discover Toni lives in one of the most extreme climates on earth--Manitoba, Canada. Formerly a Marine Biologist, she still misses the ocean, but is lucky enough to travel for research purposes. In January 2016, she visited FBI Headquarters in Washington DC, including a tour of the Strategic Information and Operations Center. She hopes not to get arrested for her Google searches.

All books can be read as standalone stories.

Download the first award-winning book in the Cold Justice® series, A COLD DARK PLACE: https://amzn.to/2su7sZm

For New Release information "Follow" her on Amazon.

For more about Toni or to sign up for her newsletter check out her website: https://www.toniandersonauthor.com

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,563 global ratings

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Top reviews from Australia

hibbertia
5.0 out of 5 stars Another cracking read
Reviewed in Australia on 20 March 2021
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I love all of Toni's Anderson's Cold Justice and Cold Justice Crossfire books, she's absolutely my favourite writer from the romantic suspense genre. Cold Cruel Kiss is a worthy addition to the Crossfire series. A tight and tense romantic suspense novel with strong but realistically flawed and damaged characters, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. The build up is fairly gradual and lulls you in, then all of a sudden you are neck deep in kidnap, espionage, treason and intrigue and you can't put the book down.

While the story is told in 3rd person, Toni is a master of changing POV so that you really get to see what's going on in each characters mind. The focus is, of course, on the two main characters Max and Lucy. However, she does give time and space to the two kidnapped girls. You really get an insight to how terrified they must have been, and yet how strong and courageous they were and its beautifully done.

But of course this is a romantic suspense novel and the romance side is not neglected either. Her love scenes are smoking hot and she writes fantastic dialogue.

Overall another fantastic book from a very talented author. Enjoy!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic suspense at its best.
Reviewed in Australia on 7 January 2022
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Love every Toni Anderson romantic suspense novel. Max Hawthorne is a hostage negotiator and Lucy Aston is working under cover at the embassy trying to flush out a Russian agent. Two girls are kidnapped, one being the commission's daughter. A photo of Lucy and a Russian , spy in a
comprising position is sent to Max's phone and he now thinks Lucy is a traitor. Things heat up as the kidnappers are demanding their ransom money!Page turning suspense, highly recommend.
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Chantelle
5.0 out of 5 stars What a story!
Reviewed in Australia on 3 September 2022
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Toni Anderson never disappoints. She's such an intelligent writer. Her stories have weight. I will definitely read the rest of the Cold Justice series.
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Janey M
5.0 out of 5 stars Sooooo good!
Reviewed in Australia on 29 January 2021
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This author is always an automatic pre-order for me and this story is one of her best. Like all her books, there is just the right balance between romance and intrigue with unexpected twists. Her characters are smart, kick-ass and likeable. Am going back to read all the previous books in this loosely interwoven series now. Soooo good!
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lisa
5.0 out of 5 stars Tension, tension and more thrilling tension
Reviewed in Australia on 27 January 2021
This is one of the best of Toni Anderson’s ‘Cold’ series (so far) with a thrilling mystery and a ticking clock plot.

The lead characters hook you right into the story. Lucy is someone to empathise with- her career was wrecked when she was humiliated by sexual blackmail. An ex CIA agent, she is now licking her wounds while she does menial work at the US embassy in Buenos Aires.

Max is an FBI agent dragged away from his holiday to negotiate with the kidnappers of the US ambassador’s daughter. Max is an unusually decent man ...a real contrast to the other men in Lucy’s work life.

The story moves along from the perspectives of Lucy, Max and the captured teenagers. The story is quite terrifying as very likeable teenagers try to survive callous predators.

I really like the insights into Lucy’s experience...the author recognises the huge impact of sexual blackmail on victims, the pervasive shame and loss of confidence.

Anderson keeps the tension going to the end. There is a slowish chapter around the 40% complete mark, but the tension ratchets back quickly and you can just forget your bedtime.

I reviewed an advanced copy of this book, but all opinions are my own.
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WB
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating story 5 out of 5 🌟
Reviewed in Australia on 30 January 2021
Cold Cruel Kiss by Toni Anderson is book that I didn’t want to put down. A fast paced storyline that doesn’t miss anything whilst also has enough twists to keep you not only reading but also thinking. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this ebook. I received an advanced readers copy & voluntarily leave my review. Can’t wait for the next book in this series.
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Narelle Meyer
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars of intrigue!
Reviewed in Australia on 31 January 2021
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An awesome read!! I loved the intrigue. I was rooting for Lucy and Max and for quite a while I didn't think they'd pull off their happy ending. And I never guessed who the kidnappers were. Amazing author. Definitely 1 click this!
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Susu
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in Australia on 31 January 2021
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Starts out a little slow, but once the action begins and the twists appear, you won't want to put it down.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Allan Farley
5.0 out of 5 stars Great suspense! A MUST read!!
Reviewed in Canada on 11 April 2022
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Anderson does an excellent job of creating suspense when a US Ambassador in Buenos Aires daughter is kidnapped. The FBI negotiator, Max Hawthorne is in charge of talking to the kidnappers and he has his sights on the mysterious Lucy Aston. The plot is well developed and Anderson creates characters that you cheer for in this novel. The suspense keeps the reader engaged until the very end. A real treat!
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Kimberly Perry
5.0 out of 5 stars COLD CRUEL KISS -- Fantastic!
Reviewed in the United States on 28 January 2021
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COLD CRUEL KISS -- Fantastic!

I would rate this book 6 starts if I could. – This book was another WOW from author Toni Anderson! Incredibly well written and fast paced, each page will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more.

Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne is a crisis negotiator called in when a US Ambassador’s daughter is kidnapped. Lucy Aston is an assistant to the Ambassador and is assigned to assist Max with language translation. The chemistry between these two jumps off the page, but it doesn’t take long for Max to begin to wonder what Lucy is hiding, and WHO she really works for.

Like all of Toni’s books, this story is incredibly well written and the deeper into the story you get the faster you will be turning pages. Each time you think you have it figured out Toni throws in another plot twist, bringing more questions as the story unfolds.

Toni Anderson is a romantic thriller author who creates stories with believable characters and storylines that could have been ripped from today’s headline new. She tackles complex issues with intelligence and depth while adding so many twists and turns in the story until you are drawn in to both the emotion and suspense and cannot put the book down!

While there are many plot twists and turns, this author always wraps up the story by the end of the book and does not leave you with a cliffhanger -- you always know the outcome. I love that!

COLD CRUEL KISS was incredibly well written and I highly recommend reading it. Turn on the lights, lock the door and settle in for a great read.
7 people found this helpful
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hertslionessbooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Storyline
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2021
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🌟🌟🌟🌟💫⁣⁣
⁣⁣
This book kept me up wayyyy past my bedtime!! 😂⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Cold Cruel Kiss is book 4 of Toni Anderson’s Cold Justice Crossfire series, I feel it can be read as a stand-alone.⁣⁣
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The pace of the first half of the book was steady, but Wow, just over halfway and the story took off! The intensity grabbed hold and didn’t let go.⁣⁣
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I really enjoyed this story, I warmed up to our heroine Lucy, she was hiding secrets throughout the book and at first I struggled to connect with her as well as I did with Max, but my word did she make up for it, fantastic character by the end of the book. ⁣⁣
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I really loved the spirit and just the pure resilience of the girls that were kidnapped too, I could easily see Irene getting her own story in the future, loved their determination. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
As always with this author, the book was a thrilling and highly suspenseful read with the romance was just right 🔥 ⁣⁣
⁣
3 people found this helpful
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Tina
5.0 out of 5 stars Spannung, Intrigen, Wettlauf mit der Zeit und auch noch Romantik
Reviewed in Germany on 29 January 2021
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Dieses Buch ist ein wunderbarer, sehr spannender romantischer Thriller und eine tolle Ergänzung der Bücherreihe um die FBI-Unterhändler. Allerdings steht das Buch sehr gut für sich allein, die Referenzen zu den früheren drei Bändern sind sehr gering. Die Betonung in diesem romantischen Thriller liegt auf dem Spannungsteil, auch wenn die Anziehungskraft zwischen den beiden Hauptprotagonisten kontinuierlich zu spüren und auch unterschwelliges Thema ist. Der Leser folgt den beiden sympathischen und auch sehr nachvollziehbar agierenden Protagonisten SSA May Hawthorne und Lucy Aston, die in Buenos Aires als Assistentin der Pa der US Botschafterin arbeitet und als Übersetzerin und Ortskundige fungiert, auf ihrer Suche nach der entführten Tochter der Botschafterin und deren Freundin. Die komplexen Ermittlungen, Zeitdruck, die Problematik verschiedener Zuständigkeiten und die mehrschichtigen Anliegen der verschiedenen Personen ergeben einen sehr spannende Geschichte. Sehr lange rätselt man auch als Leser, welche Rolle genau Lucy spielt und wie sich das auf ihre Beziehung zu Max und auf die Ermittlungen auswirken wird. Auf jeden Fall ein sehr unterhaltsame Geschichte. Ich jedenfalls habe das Buch verschlungen und würde es als eines der besten dieser sowieso großartigen Autorin einstufen.
3 people found this helpful
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meghan varner
4.0 out of 5 stars So good
Reviewed in the United States on 21 October 2022
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Lucy and Max are so good together. Their relationship has mystery to it due to Lucy’s mission and then they are working to solve the kidnappings as well! The story is fast and full of emotion. I was not surprised by the kidnappers, but I was not sure I was correct either until the ending. The other negotiators and characters from previous books were not as present in this story, but did still have a slight role. We saw more of the SAS friends that have made important life saving appearances in some other books and I love their skillset and behavior! The TacOps guys were present as well and I am intrigued by them. The ending was perfect and this was a good addition to the series and cold justice world!
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