Jazz House (Impact – Book 2)

On the run from an abusive husband, Jordan Vasilakis leaves Greece and returns to the states with a new name, Madeline Cielo. What she can’t run from is her love of jazz music, and her beautiful singing voice. When she accepts a job singing at the Jazz House, it’s with the stipulation that her identity be protected. She’s quickly befriended by her new employer and the staff at Jazz House. The family-run operation has seen its share of problems, and will soon see even more when Kyrios Vasilakis comes looking for his wife. Can police officer, Michael Machau, keep everyone safe?

‘Jazz House’ by author D.V. Stone is the second book in the Impact series. The story begins with a very quick look at Jordan/Madeline’s horrific life with her emotionally and physically abusive husband. When there’s a fire at Kyrios’ nightclub, Jordan is able to escape undetected. We get the short recap of her escape at the beginning of the story, with more details thrown in later. This book, while technically a standalone, relies a lot on the backstory from the first book in the series, with a good portion of the story’s suspense linked to the first book. Officer Machau is very invested in characters from both books, but especially Madeline. There isn’t a lot of chemistry between the two, but that’s not unusual for a sweet romance. There were a few awkward sentences that may have to be re-read to be understood, as well as a couple of point-of-view shifts mid paragraph. Neither issue detracted from the interesting storyline. A good suspense to curl up with!

N.E. Kelley