Cozen

By: Bethany-Kris

Narrated by: Conner Goff

coz-en (kuz-uhn): verb. Trick or deceive. Obtain by deception.

She was named most appropriately.

Cozen Taylor has more than earned her place as one of North America’s most successful thieves. Her name is whispered among criminal elite as the go-to thief when someone needs a heist. She has never failed.

A call from the Miami-based Astor family could change all that with a job that seems almost impossible to complete. The mark should be simple - a stolen family heirloom, the man who has kept it hidden for more than 20 years, and six months to return the piece to its rightful owners.

Nothing is ever that easy.

Three-hundred million for a successful heist. No smart thief would turn the offer down. Cozen didn’t expect a complication like him to put a kink in her plans, though. Sargon Makri - tall, dark, gorgeous, and entirely dangerous. For her life, her heart, and for the success of the heist.

The last thing Cozen needs to be thinking about is Sargon and how she can get him into her bed...especially when he just happens to be her mark’s bodyguard. The thrill of the job has never been more addicting to Cozen, and she will risk everything to make the heist a success.

But at what cost?

From author Bethany-Kris comes a whole new world. A North American network full of criminals battling to stay on top and painting the streets red in war as they dabble in the game of betrayal. Malicious, cunning, forbidden, and violent - welcome to the empires and badlands.

©2018 Kristen (Bethany-Kris) Fournier (P)2018 Kristen (Bethany-Kris) Fournier

Cozen and Sarge

Man oh Man where to start with this review...... I loved every minute of this story because Cozen and Sargon were off the chain when they came together. That very first time they came together they were like a moth to a flame and ignited and could not hold back anymore. You will need a tall glass of ice for this book when these two get together because lord have mercy Cozen knows what she wants and Sargon knows what he wants and together they become one in body, mind, and soul.

Cozen is hired to steal back a family jewel that was taken from the Astor family. She is known as the most successful thieve in North America. So the Astor family hires her to steal back the ring that was taken from them by their own daughter. Now her daughters husband Jett has the ring and Mrs Astor wants it back.

Jett is filthy rich and spoiled. He loves his women a certain way and he runs his business ruthlessly. Cozen is supposed to get close to him and then get the ring and go home like nothing has happened only Cozen finds herself craving Jett's bodyguard Sargon and she wants him everytime she is near him. This could be a big problem because she is supposed to get close to Jett in order to get the ring.

Man this story is dark and suspenseful and oh my God there is a twist no one will see coming and when it does it will rock the core of some of the characters. This is a must must read for all who love suspense and a little forbidden love!

Love This Version Just A Smidge More Than Print

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Cozen Taylor doesn't like to stick out. Loved how the author set up the plot first before meeting the other main character. It was a pleasant surprise and a great way to build anticipation. Sargon Makri seems to have a hard time staying in one place for too long. There's a scene where you might find it ironic but he says something that could very well pertain to this author and I stand in awe. These two seem to have one thing in common. They seem to be very self-assured.

Some people have certain expectations when it comes to the narrator of the book they’re listening to. I found Mr. Goff to be very enjoyable. I may not have thought of Cozen while listening to him but he did help with Sargon. He made me glad that I now have both an e-book and an audio version of this story. I can now read it when I want to or I can have Mr. Goff read to me when I'm out and about. It's also the reason I gave this a higher mark than the rating I first gave when I read the book.

I still find this book to be a great mystery and page-turner. I hated having to turn it off when I was at work but the first chance I got I was right back to listening once again. When reading the story I loved the fact that the author didn't reveal anything until the characters were ready and it's the same here. Just like the print copy, this left me surprised by the ending. The author left me wanting more of our couple. I wanted another adventure with these two. I can't wait to listen to more by both the author and the narrator.

I voluntarily reviewed an Audiobook copy of this book.

Very interesting. Until the very end.

You know how the Twilight Zone presents a story and in the end, there is always a pivot? This story has the same type of ending but it was not nearly as pleasant as when Rod Serling does it. With TZ, you know you are only seeing part of the picture. The surprise when the camera pulls back and reveals the entire story is the appeal of the genre.

The last chapter in this story was a great big 'ole slap in the face because none of the dialogue, or the situation, or any manner of story syntax prior to the last chapter, made that ending make sense! I even went back to several chapters to see if I missed something that would have alerted me to the, ahem, big reveal. With a very (and I mean very) small comment early on in this story, nothing else even hinted at how this story ended. I feel duped by the author (and not in a good way.) The ending was not a twist. It was a "forget everything our characters said and move along."

Cozen was paid $300 million (yup, $300 million) to retrieve a family heirloom for a crime family, from a crime family. She ingratiates herself into the second crime family and fun ensues.

Story aside, this book is well-narrated by Goff. In fact, for such a wonderful masculine voice, he can narrate the heck out of females too!!

Shocked by that ending!

This book is so different from her normal organized crime suspense/romance type books yet it’s still very similar. Cozen still kept up with Bethany-Kris’s normal suspense and romance genre. This book was heavy in both! I loved Cozen… she’s fierce and very dedicated to her work. She’s all about the adrenaline rush. I love the female coming off the “bad guy” it just makes this even more fun for me! Of course, Sargon is no push over. He’s very alpha male. They were an explosive bomb together!

I loved this new world that Bethany-Kris is creating. I can’t get over the sexual tension in this book; it was palpable and just so hot! I couldn’t get enough! My goodness, the ending… I nearly jumped right out of my seat shocked and surprised! I feel like I was teased piece by piece but didn’t really realize it till the end.

Conner Goff gave us an amazing performance with Cozen. He was able to switch between characters perfectly. He did really well giving each character their own voice and distinctive tones so that I was never confused as to who was talking. Goff did a fantastic job, I definitely recommend his narrations.

Great Audio

This was a great story. The Performance of the Audio was well spoken. Bethany -Kris did a great job on this story, the book had a great plot. The story was filled with different emotions. It was packed with suspense, action and twists. Cozen and Sargon were strong characters. Cozen was fierce, she was tough, she was great at what she she did for a living, she was like a ghost, that's how she good she was. She met her match though, when it came to Sargon. These two were not only good for each other but they were great together, well matched. Their connection and chemistry was strong. They were great together. I enjoyed this story.
This was a great Audio. I enjoyed it. I suggest giving it a try.
Thank you, Bethany-Kris. Great work :)

A Great Romantic Suspense Read With A Twist !

We have to say that this is our first book by this author, and we thoroughly enjoyed the story from beginning to end. The story engaged us from the very first pages. We loved the characters that the story had and the magnetic pull that went on between Sargon Marki and Cozen Taylor. I loved the complication that this posed for Cozen because this pull between her and Sargon is making her job only ten times harder to do the job and the fact that they can't keep their hands off one another isn't helping matters, especially when she is supposed to be seducing her mark yet, doing the dirty with the witching bodyguard who is never far from her thoughts. What complicates matter's even worse is Sargon is having trouble keeping his jealousy at bay, endangering both their lives even more.

Cozen's and Sargon's entanglement up the suspense level on a daily basis and keeps you on edge the entire time throughout the story. The chemistry between the couple was super hot and their sexual encounters even hotter.

Jett aka the mark was the typical arrogant businessman and with his obsession and jealousy he feels for Cozen makes him dangerous and unpredictable, and it doesn't help the man by nature is not a patient man but, used to getting what he wants. Cozen for him poses the perfect challenge. Jett on the surface seemed like a nice man but, I found him to be anything but.

I loved the banter, the intensity that went on between Sargon and Cozen their love scenes super hot, explosive, exciting and very intense. The chemistry this couple had was Hot! Hot! Hot! I loved the cat a mouse game they had going on between them as it makes things exciting, you never knew what was going to happen next. I loved that it should have been a forbidden romance between the two but, the pull was indelible between them. Not only that, but I liked the fact Cozen was doing something that was out of her character for once in her life and that just spiced things up, making the game even more intense and even more dangerous.

Overall we loved the story from beginning to end as it had the perfect mix of all the things we love to read about we loved the drama, romance, it had a great cast of characters that were engaging and fun, but, most of all we love that the story engaged us on an emotional level which we loved the most. The story made us laugh as well as cry. And last but not least we loved that ending as we never saw that ending coming which made me love the story even more.

I am so looking forward to our next read from this author.

Recommended read to all!

loved it again on audio

The narrator made me fall in love with this story all over again! I loved Cozen when it first released. Bethany-Kris' suspenseful storytelling is off the chart. This time around I got to hear the story play out on audio. The suspense in Cozen will grab you from chapter one. Bethany-Kris has captured all the best things about a jewelry heist caper, and added a steamy romantic twist. The ending still astounded me, even the second time around. 

My Thoughts on Cozen

Holy plot twist! I absolutely didn't see the ending to this book coming. And it was made even better by the attention grabbing story that came before it. I loved both main characters. They were each this mix of smooth sophistication and lethal grace. The chemistry between them was explosive and seductive. Everything was just so well written from the characterization to the flow to the epic yet perfect ending. I was blown away by this new to me author.

The narrator was also a new one for me, and I think he was really well suited for this story. I didn't find myself at all concerned with his male vs. female narration voice. He had an even but nice tone that just worked well.

I look forward to reading and listening to more from these two in future.

You like it rough, beautiful girl?

Cozen is an action-packed suspense romance centered around a dangerous heist. Cozen Taylor has been hired by the wealthy Astor family to steal back a family heirloom. Cozen has been a thief for years and has never had a problem infiltrating a situation and getting what she wants in order to get the job done. While she tries to seduce a dangerous man in order to get the Astor’s property back she is overcome with a need for her victim’s bodyguard Sargon Makri. Sargon is instantly drawn to Cozen and as the time is ticking by the stakes are high for Cozen to get what she needs and find the courage to stay away from Sargon. Despite her best efforts, Cozen and Sargon can’t keep their hands off of each other. Does Cozen have what it takes to fulfill her job for the Astors and be able to keep the man of her dreams?

Overall, Cozen is a passionately charged story with complex characters and a very twisted plot. There were many twists and turns and with a huge surprise at the end, this read certainly kept me on the edge of my seat the entire read. Bethany-Kris has quickly become one of my go-to authors when I am in the mood for some great action and suspense (and of course smoking hot steam). I highly recommend Cozen to anyone who enjoys a spunky heroine paired with one hot alpha male. The connection between the two was off the charts and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in their world!

Steamy!

Amount of sex 3 / 5
How explicit is the sex scenes 3 / 5
Story 4 / 5
Overall: 4 / 5

Cozen is a steamy standalone romance written by author Bethany-Kris. I had the pleasure of listening to the story on audio, which was narrated by Connor Goff. He did a great job voicing the characters, and he kept my attention throughout. The story did start off a little slow as we learn the specifics of Cozen’s heist, but as I continued to listen, I quickly became completely absorbed.

Cozen Taylor is one of the best thieves, and she was just hired by the Astor family to recover a missing family heirloom for 300-million-dollar. While she is trying to get close to her mark, she discovers that he has a bodyguard named Sargon. Soon he is following Cozen around, and the sparks begin to fly!

Cozen had a creative storyline that had me guessing what would happen next. There were many twists, and one big one towards the end which completely surprised me! There was a lot of sexual tension, and the sex scene was really steamy.

A definite add to your TBR list.

Voluntarily Reviewed a Gifted Copy