1-Strangers In Crime (Prequel Novella)

2 reviews for 1-Strangers In Crime (Prequel Novella)

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Feathered Quill – 08/04/2025

   What drives someone to take justice into their own hands when the system fails those who need protection? This is the central question in Shana Frost’s gripping romantic thriller, Strangers in Crime.

   The story follows Cheryl Spiers, a police detective in Glasgow, chasing down a suspect late at night. Later at a local pub, she encounters the charismatic owner Anthony intervening in a domestic dispute, and their instant attraction leads to a passionate night together. But the next morning, Cheryl discovers Anthony’s connection to the notorious Ricci crime family and his vigilante operation helping abuse victims escape. This puts Cheryl’s career and principles in conflict with her growing feelings for him. Despite her initial anger at Anthony’s deception, Cheryl finds herself drawn into the plight of Faith who is trying to escape her abusive husband, a close associate of the Ricci family. Cheryl witnesses firsthand how Anthony’s underground network of resourceful women work to provide new identities and safe passage for abused women like Faith. As Cheryl and Anthony devise a plan to help Faith escape, with the network giving her a new identity while Anthony creates a distraction, they soon realize they’ve underestimated the ruthlessness of both Darryl and the Ricci family. Cheryl must make a choice between her duty as a police officer and her growing conviction that Anthony’s methods, while illegal, might be necessary.

   Strangers in Crime is a romantic, thrilling novella that weaves together themes of justice, morality, and the grey areas between right and wrong. The chemistry between Cheryl and Anthony sizzles from their first meeting, but it’s their intellectual and moral sparring that truly drives their relationship as they navigate their conflicting approaches to justice. The author’s handling of the Glasgow setting is equally impressive, bringing the city to life through vivid descriptions and authentic dialogue that ground the story in its Scottish context. However, the intimate scenes between Cheryl and Anthony, while fitting for their immediate attraction, would benefit from more sensual details and emotional depth to make them truly engaging and immersive.

   Where the novella particularly shines though is in its nuanced exploration of domestic violence and the challenges victims face in seeking help through official channels. Through Faith’s story and Anthony’s tragic backstory about his female friend, Frost illuminates why some turn to underground networks for protection when the system fails them.

   Quill says: Strangers in Crime is a romantic thriller that explores justice, morality and redemption while delivering heart-pounding action and steamy romance.

   Reviewed by: Trix Lee-Rainwater

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Bestsellers World – 08/04/2025

   Reviewed by Michaela Gordoni

   Strangers in Crime is a brief, fiery romance and crime novel that focuses on Cheryl, a hardcore Scottish police officer with a soft spot for men who put themselves in harm’s way for a good cause. One night when she tries to grab a bite at a local bar, she encounters a strange man harassing a woman. He’s putting up a fight, and Cheryl’s ready for it, but when the drop-dead stunner, Anthony Ricci, steps in—she accepts the help. She can hardly help the passion that ensues, thinking there wouldn’t be much consequence. But as luck would have it, Anthony Ricci isn’t who she thought he is. Purchase Here.

   This novel has a great opening filled with action. It demonstrates Cheryl’s toughness and serves as a great introduction to Cheryl’s character, giving the reader a good idea of what she’s like. Author Shana Frost gives her star character a lot of unique appeal, as she’s nearly 6 feet tall, beautiful, and wouldn’t hesitate to kick a bad guy in the face if the moment called for it. The same goes for her leading man, Anthony Ricci. He just wants to protect women against people who use them. Though he hasn’t always been on the right side of the law, it is obvious that he was raised right and cares deeply about helping innocent victims—like Cheryl does.

   Readers will find that Shana Frost displays many examples of excellent worldbuilding to create very real-feeling and well-imagined settings. For example, she writes, “She stepped into the smell of musk and malt mixed with sticky wooden floor and too many bodies clustered together. Music pounded in her ears, and the people crowded her in.” These few imaginative words are all that’s needed for the reader to get a good picture of a bar that Cheryl steps into. Frost’s story pacing is also very clever—every time there is a slow moment, a moment filled with action follows. She frequently flicks between Cheryl and Anthony’s perspectives, which makes the story feel all the more immersive to its readers—they’ll never be bored.

   Though there are many positive elements at play in this novel, there are occasional pieces of dialogue that tempt to shake the reader out of the story’s imagined reality, as they simply sound like things that would be highly unusual to hear in real life. And though the first 16 pages start off strong—they’re great, in fact—they quickly become overshadowed by a hasty, thick, and syrupy sex scene that seems to take away from the serious issue at hand, which readers could previously sense coming.

   The novel is very brief and leaves its readers at a cliffhanger, but this is the entire design. It’s not meant to satisfy. It’s meant to create a taste for more, and I think that Shana Frost has accomplished that. It’s not all a tease, though, as Frost includes a QR code that sends readers to a version of the book with extended chapters. Another consolation is a bonus chapter for another novel, which introduces a new compelling character.

   Overall, this is an exciting crime and romance novel with a plot twist that some readers may find entertaining. The pacing, structure, and characters were created with care.