Series: Texas Justice, #3
Traits & Tropes: danger; forced proximity; law enforcement
Genre/Setting: Contemporary; Romantic Suspense
Publication Date: 12.15.20
Heat Level: 3/5
Rating: 3.5/5
Forced to take a leave of absence, FBI Agent Brie Ryan is looking into her estranged half-sister's murder. She's posing as a waitress at the club where her sister worked before her disappearance. When her unofficial investigation brings her onto the radar of local law enforcement, Brie winds up working with a handsome detective, Connor Pierce.
Known for solving cold cases, Connor and his team set out to help Brie get to the bottom of her sister's murder and the shooting of another FBI agent. When Brie's apartment is vandalized, Connor finds himself feeling extremely protective of her. Though he tries his best to remain detached, Connor is undeniably attracted to Brie and she seems to reciprocate, but as their investigation heats up, putting them both in danger, Connor must decide if he's willing to break his own rules.
The mystery and suspense in this story was a bit slow for me and I got bogged down at times, but I did enjoy the complexity of the plot. Poor Connor could hardly say a thing without putting his foot in his mouth, but underneath his swaggery exterior, he was extremely vulnerable and hurting. I wish we'd seen more acknowledgement of that vulnerability and fear from Brie, rather than her simply refusing to listen to Connor most of the times he tried to have a serious conversation. Of course, Brie had her own issues, but Connor listened to everything she wanted to tell him and it would've been nice to see her be just a bit softer, at least with him. We only really saw Brie outwardly warming to Connor near the very end and that was just a bit too late for me to like her after how rude she was to Connor and to nearly every other male she encountered. I understand her needing to prove herself in a mostly male profession and I appreciate her competence, but in her attempts to do so, she often acted rashly and made poor decisions, refusing to entertain the notion that any of her male counterparts could have a better way of accomplishing things than her own. Her constant need to do everything herself and not ask for help smacked of martyrdom and was a bit tiring. That said, this behavior did make it all the more special when Brie started letting Connor in, even if that was a long time coming. Overall, despite wanting a slightly faster pace, I did enjoy the storyline and suspense here, as well as the characters, and I will likely go back and read the rest of the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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