{"id":11238,"date":"2019-02-11T00:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-02-10T22:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/?p=11238"},"modified":"2023-06-14T16:04:39","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T14:04:39","slug":"answering-the-call-ali-vali","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/answering-the-call-ali-vali\/","title":{"rendered":"Answering The Call by Ali Vali: Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Answering<\/a>Answering The Call by Ali Vali<\/b><\/span> is a riveting thriller\/mystery coupled with a few romantic moments on the side. It is the second book in the Sept Savoie and Keegan Blanchard series. <\/span><\/p>\n

Bit by bit, New Orleans is slowly but surely recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Just like the city she lives in, Sept Savoie is healing and regaining her strength as well. She is recovering from a gunshot wound and her loving partner, Keegan Blanchard is nurturing and supporting her every step of the way. The criminal masterminds have started to creep out of their hiding spots as soon as they\u2019ve realized things are settling down and more people are returning to the city to rebuild their homes and their lives. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sept is overjoyed to return to work but her first case is a bizarre, ceremonial killing, which becomes a part of an intricate web of serial murders. While Sept is busy with chasing down every lead or potential witness she can find\u2014Sept also has to contend with a best-selling crime writer, Nicole Voles, who is anxious to get the classified details of her case so that she could create more realistic murder scenes for her fans. Nicole Voles is not only interested in getting more information for her book but she wants to have Keegan as well. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sept is torn between protecting her loved ones and trying to catch the serial killer. Will Sept catch the murderer before more law-abiding citizens are tortured and killed? Will the hectic pace of her investigation cause her to lose the only woman she has ever loved? <\/span><\/p>\n

The Characters <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

April:<\/strong> Sept Savoie is a homicide detective with the New Orleans Police Department. Her job may not be everyone\u2019s cup of tea but she has an astounding ability to see the larger picture in any case she undertakes. Sept is a woman after my own heart because she doesn\u2019t do anything half-way\u2014she gives her all to her job and to the woman who owns her heart. I love everything about Sept because she can be a ruthless force to be reckoned with when anyone threatens the people she loves and she is also a die-hard romantic who will go all out to please her partner. <\/span><\/p>\n

Keegan Blanchard is a chef and she also runs her family\u2019s restaurant. She treats her employees like family and her feisty, fun-loving and nurturing personality is so endearing and I\u2019m not ashamed to say that she owns a huge chunk of my heart. Keegan won me over with her love of cooking and she\u2019s a foodie just like me! I really wished she was a real woman because we would be best friends for life and our friendship would be forged with scrumptious meals and many laugh out loud moments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheena:<\/strong>\u00a0We met most of the cast in the previous book so it was a delight to see them again and to join them further along in their relationships.<\/p>\n

Vali did a marvelous job of endearing me to them in the first book and growing that relationship in this book.<\/p>\n

The Writing Style <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

April:<\/strong> Ali Vali has never let me down because she always blows my mind with her one of a kind literary tapestries. She definitely made me fall in love with New Orleans and the quirky characters who made this vibrant city their home. The witty banter between Sept, her coworkers and Keegan was epic because I spent a lot of time chuckling and shaking my head at my kindle while I received a few side-eye glances from coworkers and anyone else who was lucky enough to be seated next to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheena:<\/strong> Well said, April. Vali’s writing style so perfectly lends itself to this kind of book and I hope to see many more from her yet.<\/p>\n

The Narration<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sheena:<\/strong> Paige McKinney is the perfect choice for this series, her ability to tell a story and keep you on the edge of your seat is magical. Vali and McKinney make a fantastic pair for thrillers.<\/p>\n

The Pros <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

April:<\/strong> Is there anything better than a smoking hot, butch woman in uniform? I\u2019m not ashamed to admit that I was drooling over Sept while she investigated every lead that could help her get one step closer toward catching the killer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheena:<\/strong>\u00a0To answer your question, April – There is not!<\/p>\n

The Cons <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

April:<\/strong> There were graphic descriptions of murder and physical assault.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheena:<\/strong>\u00a0Vali managed to make this one even more gruesome than the first. But I liked that there were men and women being killed, not just women. Yay for an equal opportunity killer.<\/p>\n

\"aprils<\/a>\"sheena's<\/a>The Conclusion <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

April:<\/strong> I still can\u2019t get over the fact that Ali Vali created this awesome story because I feel as though she found my little black book of fictional crushes and she decided to create a book with gorgeous characters that would knock my fluffy bedroom socks off! There\u2019s a new love interest in my world and that person is definitely Sept Savoie! If you enjoy stories with stakeouts, gun-slinging butch cops, meddling family members coupled with murder and mayhem around every corner, then this story is certainly for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheena:\u00a0<\/strong>If you enjoyed Calling The Dead then you will adore this one. Vali managed to write a book even more captivating than the first with a lot more on the line for the heroine.<\/p>\n

Absolutely get this book.<\/p>\n

Excerpt from <\/b><\/span>Answering The Call by Ali Vali <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cThat slash from our first case means something different than this. Perlis wanted me gone right away, but I don\u2019t get that sense here.\u201d She glanced at the officers\u2019 bodies to make sure nothing was out of place. \u201cHave the coroner go over every inch before releasing them to their families.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s different about the messages?\u201d John asked as more of George\u2019s crime-scene guys came in. \u201cI didn\u2019t work the first cases, but you won\u2019t be able to keep me out this time. These were my guys, and I\u2019m going to help you catch this fucker and take him down.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo one\u2019s keeping you from anything, John. Perlis put the line through the number on that guy as a warning to me to get off the case, since my name means seven, but this strikes me more as an invitation. It\u2019s the second one I\u2019ve gotten this week.\u201d A button at the top of the shirt on the victim farthest away from her was slightly out of the hole. \u201cI need some gloves,\u201d she said, and one of the techs handed them over. She unbuttoned only three before she saw the rest of the message.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d John asked, leaning over her. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfra.\u201d She spelled it out. \u201cJulio?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the road the killer\u2019s taking,\u201d Julio said, blowing out a long breath. \u201cIt\u2019s the road who gathers the bodies of the dead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d <\/i>she asked. \u201cIs it a road or a person?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes to both. It\u2019s a living entity,\u201d Julio said as he fingered the beads around his neck.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the message says it\u2019ll be our job to clean up after this guy, since he\u2019ll keep killing until he tires of it?\u201d she asked, buttoning the officer\u2019s shirt back up. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just fucking great,\u201d John said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExactly.\u201d She resigned herself to the weeks ahead. \u201cExactly.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Get This Book On Amazon<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

(this link works for Amazon UK, US, Germany, Italy and Canada)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Series <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Sept Savoie & Keegan Blanchard Series <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Calling The Dead<\/span><\/p>\n

Answering The Call<\/span><\/p>\n

Bits and Bobs<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n