Donna Del Oro
Donna Del Oro Books
Big News!
If you leave a review on Amazon of any of my books, and send me a copy of the review to: donna@donnadeloro.com, I will send you a FREE ebook of your choice from my current list of titles...and my thanks!
La Familia Series
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Saving the Fool; Book 2
If it’s too good to be true, there’s probably a catch...
Summertime and Dina Salazar, a Latina school teacher with an inquisitive mind, finds herself with a mystery involving her brother-in-law, Jesus, lovingly referred to as “el tonto”, or the fool, by the family, and yet somehow this fool has latched on to a lucrative and easy job. Every Friday night, he drives a van filled with Silicon Valley gamblers to a faraway casino. While they gamble, he sits in a hotel room, eating and drinking, then drives them back in the morning. All for a cool two thousand dollars in cash! What’s wrong with this picture? As Dina investigates, she suspects there’s a ruthless criminal enterprise involved, especially when she crosses paths with one of their enforcers. Has Jesus unwittingly put himself and his family in great danger?
As if this isn’t bad enough, Dina’s on-again, off-again relationship with fiancé Rick Ramos is stalled. Enter handsome P. I. Gil Luna, and all bets are off! Can he save Jesus and Dina... and, if so, at what cost?
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Reviews for Saving the Fool
5 Star Reviews
"In SAVING THE FOOL, award-winning author Donna Del Oro re-introduces us to Dina Salazar, a Latina schoolteacher on summer recess, in book two of this romantic suspense series. Dina is embroiled in a family mystery involving her brother-in-law, Jesus, also known as “El Tonto” by those who know him. After Jesus takes a sketchy job, Dina questions its validity and gets caught up in sleuthing again. With twists and turns, Dina finds her summer filled with unexpected revelations and answers to her burning questions. Not only does she have to do some detective work, but Dina must also come to terms with her on-again, off-again relationship with her ex-fiancé, Rick Ramos. This becomes more complicated when P.I. Gil Luna enters the picture.
Donna Del Oro’s characters are well-rounded and interesting, and she writes with a writer’s style I love. Her humor, use of Spanish phrases, and great dialogue kept me turning the pages until the end. Plot twists carried me through the chapters, continuing to spark my interest in what would happen next. Tension and action filled the pages, creating an adventurous read.
The book is well crafted and flows effortlessly through the story. I give this book 5 stars as I was unable to put it down and read it in two sittings. It is a must-read for those who enjoy mystery, suspense, and romance."
- Author Harriet Fox
La Familia Series
Saving La Famila; Book 1
A romantic suspense comedy set in Silicon Valley, a young Latina teacher, Dina Salazar, is asked by her Mexican-born grandmother to rescue her cousins from a dangerous Mexican drug cartel. After all, her stern grandmother tells her, she is the “smart one” in the family. To do so, she has to recruit help from her hated ex-fiance. What’s a girl to do when “la familia” calls?
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Saving La Familia is the winner for 2022 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award in the Comedy-Suspense Category!
Saving La Familia has won the 2022 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award in the Comedy-Suspense Category!
Reviews for Saving La Familia
Saving La Familia by Donna Del Oro has a lot of action throughout. There were twists and turns to the story filled with Mexican-Americans and their culture, lots of secrets, past hurts, family and friends, jobs and businesses, successes and failures, drugs, cartels, family connections, loving, and love. It’s also a chance at a second-chance romance for the main character, Dina. I love the sweetness of the cover, although there was some darkness throughout.
Saving La Familia is fast-paced and has several storylines woven together even when they don’t seem to be. At the start of each chapter, there are quotes by different characters that shed some light on what’s to come.
The cultural details rounded out the story nicely. This is Dina’s story through and through, and much of it deals with her relationships and interactions with her family, extended family, past boyfriend Rick, best friend Lisa, and others. Dina seems to be in over her head to help save a cousin and her son who lives in Mexico that she and the rest of the family didn’t even know existed. But she wants to make her grandmother proud since the cousin Dina’s grandmother’s newfound granddaughter who needs help, and they’re all caught up in a dangerous situation.
I loved how Dina and Rick’s romance was portrayed and how Rick always seemed to be there for Dina’s family. But is Rick worth a second shot after the way he treated Dina in the past?
The family dynamics were realistically depicted. There was a lot of Spanish sprinkled throughout, which was translated for the reader. The villains were truly evil and added another layer to the story.
There was nice closure as well as a hint of how their lives turned out. There were several happily ever afters. Ms. Del Oro is a new-to-me author. I hope to read some of her other romances and have added a few to my TBR pile.
With genuinely seat-of-my-pants suspenseful action, tender moments, and realistic characters, Ms. Del Oro has struck an outstanding balance with her La Familia series, and I look forward to reading the next books in the series.
-Review by JoAnne Weiss; March 2022
5 Star Reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has a mixture of genres from suspense to romance and gives an insight into Mexican culture, which is always an interesting read!
AMAZING!!!!! That's all I really have to say about this book! A must read! Loved it!
Jake Bernstein FBI Series
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Undercover in Silicon Valley; Book 2
For love of country or love of a woman? These are two of the choices FBI analyst/undercover specialist Jake Bernstein faces when he goes undercover for the Joint Counter Terrorism Center. His mission: Go to Silicon Valley and identify the masterminds behind what the JCTC chief believes is a coordinated terrorist plot that may involve five American cities. As a disaffected, biotech scientist, Jake is recruited and tested in a harsh, brutal way. But slowly, the pieces of a possible terrorist plot begin to emerge.
In his desire to see his lover, Meg, he breaks cover and flies to rendezvous with her in San Diego, unintentionally involving her in his case. To stop the deaths of thousands of lives, he must gain access to the terrorist cell's inner circle and learn the details of their plot. Because the terrorist cell knows about Meg, Jake must now prove his loyalty to radical Islam and do the unthinkable. Or the undercover operation will fail. The terrorist cell’s objective appears to be a highly popular venue in Silicon Valley where thousands gather. The outcome could be disastrous!
As the cell lies in wait for the final, deadly call to action, Jake is desperate. Do his duty, expose the plot and save thousands of lives? Or save Meg? Is he clever enough to do both?
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Reviews for Jake Bernstein FBI Series
5 Star Reviews
UNDERCOVER IN SILICON VALLEY by award-winning author Donna Del Oro is a page turner that'll raise the hairs on your neck. A damn fine read.”
-Dee Brice, author of IT TAKES A THIEF.
NYTimes bestselling author Brenda Novak says of UNDERCOVER LIES, Book One in the Jake Bernstein FBI mystery thriller series, “The past and the present collide in this intriguing romantic thriller that captures the angst and pain a lifetime of lies can cause… combines politics, romance and history. This story positively captivates!”
CelticLady’sReviews has this to say about Book One, UNDERCOVER LIES: “Exploring the intricacies of human emotion and passion for a cause, UNDERCOVER LIES is a must read…that tells the horrifying story of how much devastation and loss there is in a war and how love perseveres even in the face of fanatical atrocities. There is just the right amount of steamy sex that does not overtake the story... I highly recommend this book...and the entire series starring a great hero, Jake Bernstein.”
Colleen Driscoll's review of Book Two, UNDERCOVER IN SILICON VALLEY: “UNDERCOVER IN SILICON VALLEY by Donna Del Oro is an intriguing novel that had me hooked from the first page to the end. The captivating plot is so realistic—Middle-East terrorists plotting massive destruction throughout the U.S. around the Thanksgiving holiday. I loved the writer’s writing style and the natural dialogue, and I’m impressed by the amount of research it took to make this book a sound story. FBI-Agent Jake Bernstein is a likeable, intelligent, street-smart tough guy with a soft spot for Meg, an acquaintance he met in a previous book (which I’m going to have to read). Though the romantic relationship is between Jake and Meg, the story is told more from Jake’s POV, which works well, since Jake is the character infiltrating the terrorist group with his Muslim “background.” The story opened my eyes to the dangers law enforcement face daily as they protect U.S. citizens. Amad and Ali are credible bad guys, using schemes to manipulate teenage jihadis. With a government translator, helpful neighbor, supervisor at the biomedical facility An-Vax, and your average-looking college students, it’s difficult to know who to trust. Even Meg has to trust Jake as he drowns her in the ocean! Hang on for a wild ride with this book and prepare for an explosive ending. This book deserves to be on the best seller list!”
Jake Bernstein FBI Series
An exciting romantic suspense/modern crime drama series featuring a young FBI special agent who leaves his research desk job for the field. With unique talents, he's fluent in German and Arabic and is recruited for a counterterrorism task force team headquartered in Washington, D.C. with the intention of sending him undercover to all parts of the globe where he's needed.
Undercover Lies; Book 1
FBI Special Agent Jake Bernstein is recruited by MI5 to help investigate an American grandmother wanted for WW II war crimes. Irish-born Mary McCoy is suspected of being a notorious Nazi spy. Flashbacks to Mary's life in County Kerry, Ireland and to her work in Churchill's War Department provide the reader insights that Agent Bernstein must dig deeply to discover. He wants to exonerate the old lady but the evidence appears to point in another direction and Bernstein is forced to face the truth. Falling in love with her beautiful granddaughter threatens to cloud his judgment during this investigation.
"UNDERCOVER LIES: A new spy thriller from multiple award-winning author Donna Del Oro! Can the evil of the Holocaust and London Blitz ever be forgotten or forgiven? FBI undercover agent Jake Bernstein confronts that question in his quest to expose a WW II German spy who caused the deaths of thousands! Even in 2005, is it too late to seek justice for 50 year-old crimes?"
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More sequels to follow!
Also Available: Amazon.com/books by Donna Del Oro
Delphi Bloodline
An exciting romantic suspense/modern crime drama series featuring a young clairvoyant artist.
A clairvoyant artist, Athena Butler, is torn between her quiet life as a successful painter and lending her strange mental powers as a homicide detective's consultant. Will Athena ever know a “normal” life, or is this what she was born to do?
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Athena's Secrets; Book 1
What if you could read minds
with just a touch? Would you be able to trust anyone? Athena Butler, the twenty-year-old descendant of an ancient bloodline of psychics, yearns to lead a normal life. She wants a career, a boyfriend, independence. Her clairvoyant gift, however, has taught her that people
can be false and dangerous. Although
warned to keep her powers a secret,
she's recruited by law enforcement to
help search for a serial killer and
uncover a terrorist cell.
Can Athena stay alive long enough
to fulfill her dream?
“…cuts romance with the razored-edge
suspense of a great thriller…”
--James Rollins, NYTimes bestselling
thriller author
Athena's Fears; Book 2
Athena is stalked by a strange-looking woman in Washington D.C., who is not what she appears to be and who hides a dangerous compulsion. Suspecting that the woman is actually a wanted fugitive killer. Meanwhile, her lost love, Kas Skoros, reappears in her life.
Athena's Dilemma; Book 3
Now living in the Skoros’ Stargazer Tower in San Francisco, Athena manages the Tower’s art gallery, consults with a local homicide detective, and faces two dilemmas, one personal and the other involving a cunning serial killer.
Born To Sing Series
The loves and lives of professional singers!
Born To Sing; Book 1
Two gifted, good-looking opera singers, from different cultures and opposite sides of the track in Texas, discover that falling in love is wonderful. But love may not be enough if it interferes with their dreams of success in the ruthlessly competitive world of opera. D.J. McKay’s dream of singing in European opera houses clashes with his rich daddy’s prejudices against such a “sissy” career; his obsession with beautiful Eva Villalobos doesn’t sit well with his socialite mother, either. Meanwhile, Eva strives to help her poor family financially by achieving success on the stage.
So what happens when their passion for each other thwarts their dreams? How can their relationship survive three-thousand miles of separation? Will their ambition to succeed kill the only true love they have ever known?
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Scheming and Dreaming In Los Angeles; Book 2
A young lounge singer, engaged to the wrong but powerful man, agrees to join her piano playing friend from college on a cruise ship gig. Little does she know that proximity and a shared love of music will turn a longtime friendship into something altogether different. And that a surprisingly passionate affair will jeopardize her plans to find security by marrying rich and will put her and her new love in a dangerous position.