A Thin Disguise

Richter, Book 2

By: Catherine Bybee

Narrated by: Lori Prince, Joe Arden

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

A former gun for hire and a federal agent find themselves on the right side of love but the wrong end of a bullet in this Richter installment from New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee.

On a fateful night in Las Vegas, FBI agent Leo Grant is working on a critical detail in a high-profile child prostitution trial when a beautiful woman jumps into the path of a bullet meant for him. Little does Leo know that the woman is Olivia, an ex-assassin who is seeking redemption one good deed at a time. 

One minute, Olivia is lunging in front of Leo on the Vegas Strip. The next, she’s waking up in the hospital in a haze of pain with no memory of her past, her enemies, or even her own name. 

With Olivia suffering from memory loss and completely unaware of the danger she is in, it’s up to Leo and Neil MacBain’s team of operatives to keep her safe. With Olivia and Leo both unaware of her past crimes, the two have little reason to avoid their growing attraction. Slowly her past seeps in through the cracks as she struggles to find the answers of who she is. When the veil is lifted and her dark past is staring her down, Olivia must turn her back on Leo and the love she can never allow herself to have, and race to find her would-be killer.

©2021 by Catherine Kimmer. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Disappointed

I love most of CB’s books. This one was hard to stomach. The main character (Olivia) has memory loss but the hero (Leo) engages in an intimate relationship with her. That is unethical and dubious on many fronts.

Olivia isn’t that great. Feels like an off brand Black Widow. 😒

The narrator doesn’t handle different accents well. Sounded like Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Great story - horrible female narration

I loved the story ...I just could hardly get thru listening to female narrator. So sharp, piercing, flat and annoying!!!!

The assassin and the FBI agent

My title says it all. Yep people who shouldn’t love each other can’t help but fall. Very satisfying exciting listers. I was halfway finished before I even realized it. I intentionally found things to work on that let me keep listening I was so consumed by the story.

Story was great but female narrator was terrible

Thankfully Joe Arden helped to even the performance since he was excellent but Lori Prince’s performance was flat and boring. The story centers around former Richter trained assassin Olivia and an FBI agent, but the remaining crew were also part of the story. By the time of this story, Neil and Gwen’s daughter Emma is dating. Lots of action and a good pace but best understood if the reader/listener had read or heard Sasha’s story, which introduces the Richter story and Olivia.

Good read and Listen

This was an interesting story about the guilt and struggles of this young woman. She was raised in a military school that trained her, but they later exploited her and used her skills to become an assassin. This is a story of hope, how someone’s love for us can help heal our wounds and overcome our guilt. Excellent narration also!

Disappointed

It started interesting and as the story progressed, it was less interesting, and reading it on the 3rd person made it boring

A great story

A great story about creating the future you want but think you do not deserve, with the help of the family you choose. Leo never gave up on Olivia, and neither did her self-proclaimed family. A story with action, suspense , mystery, and of course a love story with an HEA. The story grabbed me from the beginning.

The narrators were good, although I did prefer Joe Arden overall. Lori Prince wasn't a bad narrator, but some of her voices just seemed a little off, but nothing horrible (just a note for those extremely sensitive to narrators).

loved it

I really enjoyed reading this author.  I look forward to reading more books by this author in the near future.

Ummm! Wow!

4.75 Stars for me!

My rating range of this story... 4 - 5 Stars
If significant, why?

Main Character Ratings...
H = 9/10
h = 9/10

Narrator Rating(s)
M = 10/10
F = 10/10
If below 5/10,why?

Was cheating involved? No
Any major triggers to be aware of? Abusive private school upbringing and child sex trafficking

If Comedy... Type? n/a
Genuinely Funny
Cringe Inducing
Just No!

Angst Level? Moderate
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop


Scenes with heat... Yes
What point does it start? 60%
How much of the story? 5%
Anything beyond M/F?
If yes, explained

Heat Rating... 7/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above

Was there so much sex or unrealistic sex that you rolled your eyes and/or skipped forward? No

The back story... We start towards the end of a mafia leader's trial for sex trafficking and abuse of a 16 year old. The h is protecting the young woman from a distance and has an unexpected interaction with the H. The H is intrigued by the h and is trying to get to know her when the story truly begins.

The Romance... Slow build based on instalust. I cannot give away more without spoilers.

The drama explosion... Minor - They get closer to solving who initiated the initial hit attempt.

Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? Real
Was it OTT? No
Separation involved? No
Was it resolved properly or rushed? Properly!

Final Notes... This was an excellent story with some interesting twists and turns. Keep reading, even if you get frustrated with some decisions by the h and you won't regret it!


HEA or HFN? HFN

Great Series!

I've so enjoyed listening to this entire series! It has a little bit of everything and keeps you intrigued all the way through! Already looking forward to what comes next!

Second in series

After having met Leo in the first of these Richter books it was good to see him get such an appropriate story. Love, loved, loved Olivia

A fabulous story

A FBI agent and assassin, what a combination. This is a very exciting story, filled with suspense, intrigue action, steamy love scenes and an amazing well written plot. I couldn't wait to turn the next page. I strongly recommend.

Great story

Really enjoyed this story now I am on tenterhooks waiting for the next one. this series is proving to be one of the best I have bought lately.