Nancy S. Thompson won me over when I read her debut novel The Mistaken. She is now on her third novel it and it is a winner.  Stirred is the kind of story that will keep you on your toes.  It’s a story of murder, temptation, greed, deceit and indiscretions.  It was so much more than a romance novel. There was suspense, drama, mystery, and thrills infused in the pages of this book.  From the moment I began reading, I knew I would be in for an engaging, interesting and thrilling read. Although it was easy to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, it did not take anything from the story.

In this novel, readers are introduced to Eden MacLaird, Declan, and Sean Bennett.   Eden is a wife, mother, author and principal. Based on the blurb we see that she had lost a lot at an early age.  Twenty years later we see where her life has improved financially. However, she was unhappy where it mattered the most.  She is in a loveless marriage with a controlling and manipulative bastard. To make matters worse, she walked in on said husband with her best friend doing the dirty deed.  At this low point in her life, she meets Sean Bennett, who will either be her salvation or her destruction. Sean is forbidden fruit, but that did not stop Eden from desiring what she believed was bad for her.

My feelings about Eden are mixed. She is a successful author and principal of her own school. However, she was too weak to seek out her own happiness.  She preferred to endure a loveless marriage, rather than give up the life of privilege that she had grown accustomed to.  There were times  she would act brave, but then her insecurities would sneak up on her causing her to doubt her strength.

Declan, Eden’s husband, is a controlling, manipulative and deceitful bastard. He married Eden twenty years ago so he could get his hands on the money from his trust fund. There are other things about him that would make readers hate him, but I can’t mention them as it may mean giving away too much information. I do not wish to spoil the story for prospective readers.

Sean is sixteen years Eden’s junior.  He is strong and smart and handsome. When Sean first laid eyes on Eden he was intrigued with her. He was determined to learn more about her. At first, his pursuit of her was a game, but as he got to know her he realised that he wanted more. Sean had his share of pain and loss. This forced him to grow up rather quickly.  I loved his fighting spirit.  He was the type of person who went after what he wanted. It was evident he wanted Eden.

I enjoyed seeing Sean and Eden together. She came alive whenever they were together. He made her feel special. The time they spent together was intense, and one can’t help but wish that they would get their happily ever after.

The story was well paced. It was well written and, I enjoyed the plot twists. The story was intense, sexy and thrilling. Be prepared to have your mind blown by the events that took place. The author brought everything together and, most of the mysteries were solved.  The sex scenes were explicit,  making suitable only for mature readers.

I enjoyed this story. It had me reading straight through the night.  I highly recommend Stirred to readers who like romance, mystery and suspense stories. I can’t wait to see what else Ms. Thompson has in store for her fans.