Reviewed by Peggy Jo Wipf for Readers' Favorite
J.S. Marlo excels in writing romantic suspense, but Cold Sweat adds a twist when Richmond Morgan and Amelia Matheson had their chance at love once but broke it off. When trouble arose, neither one of them stepped forward and fought for the other. Now eighteen years later they meet again and must work together to find Amelia’s deaf daughter, Hope Craig. Believing they kidnapped her in a case of mistaken identity, this young woman lives up to the training her mother and grandfather had instilled in her. The kidnapper, thinking Hope’s father is a senator, tries to extort money from a man who couldn't care less about a deaf teenager, making her expendable when he realizes the truth. Amelia and Richmond realize time is running out and several mysteries turn into one, making this a powerful read.
Cold Sweat: Heart and Endurance Book 1 skillfully presents different points of the whole plot, then draws each character and event together. J.S. Marlo intricately weaves characters from a political scandal to old lovers. The kidnapping brought out many secrets, solved murder cases, and created a home that many thought impossible. I found Hope Craig an inspiring teenager who was not only training for a biathlon but was also deaf. Her dedication to detail and calculated thinking gave her an advantage when others looked at her hearing loss as a handicap. J.S. Marlo gives each character a unique skill and voice, making them come alive. I was spellbound by how the pieces of each mystery came together with an intensity that was rewarding.