Series: Standalone
Tropes & Traits: Suspense; Protective Hero; Veteran Hero
Genre/Setting: Contemporary; Texas, USA
Publication Date: 08.25.20
Heat Level: 3/5
Rating: 4/5
With her life in shambles, Arden Maxwell decides to move back into her childhood home and try to finally put her father’s abandonment of herself and her elder sister behind her. Even after twenty years the scandal of her father’s disappearance immediately following the theft of half a million dollars, and a murder that presumably went along with it, is still being felt. Arden is looking for answers but has no idea that her movements are being monitored by two of her father’s former accomplices, one a decorated veteran and the other the county’s corrupt District Attorney.
Ledge Burnet was a rather troubled teen when he found himself strong-armed into participating in the theft, only to find himself set up for jailtime immediately after on a drug charge, which he avoided with military service. He’s returned to his hometown to care for his ailing uncle and has taken to keeping an eye on the D.A., who he suspects is responsible for the twenty-year-old murder. Neither can make open accusations against the other without implicating themselves in the process, but each waits for the other to make a mistake. When Arden arrives, tension spikes as both men believe she may know more about the missing money than she’s letting on. She makes Ledge even more determined to take down the D.A., and keep her safe, no matter how much he’d like to deny the desire he feels for her.
This was my first read from this author and part of my recent branching back into reading more romantic suspense. I enjoyed this overall as it was different from anything I’ve read before. I liked the sparks between Ledge and Arden and his determination to keep her safe, but for her part I found Arden to be rather insufferable with her constant sniping at Ledge. I do wish Ledge had been more honest and forthcoming, but it’s also not like Arden gave him many opportunities and, in a way,, this tension between them made their relationship more satisfying in the end. This book was rather unique in terms of suspense as the identity of the villain is never in question, only when he will strike and just how far he’ll go to protect himself. I liked this aspect a lot, but I still felt like this was a little bit slow toward the middle and it took a while for the suspense to really build. I definitely didn’t expect the twist at the end and that had me wanting to go back and reread parts of the book, which I take as the mark of a gifted storyteller. I enjoyed this read and will check out more works from this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/356464202
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3535476397
Comments
Post a Comment