Karen Whiddon

Good book. Ellie receives two surprises in one morning. First, she spots her long-lost childhood best friend on a subway platform - a friend that has been missing for sixteen years. After chasing after Aliana but not catching her, Ellie proceeds on her way to work. Seeing Aliana reminded Ellie of her high school boyfriend, who she hadn't seen in years. She impulsively calls him, thinking he's the only one who'd believe her about Aliana. On her way to meet him for coffee, someone takes a shot show more at her. Liam is there to pull her out of any further danger.

Ellie is surprised by her reaction to Liam. They had been close during high school until Liam started getting into trouble and ended up in prison. She hasn't seen him since then but feels immediately attracted to him. Liam is also attracted, but it is his protective instinct that takes center stage. That protectiveness kicks up when she receives an anonymous cup of poisoned coffee. Thus begins a roller coaster ride of trying to find Aliana before she succeeds in killing Ellie.

The suspense of the story was good. I could feel Ellie and Liam's frustration at being unable to lock down where Aliana was and feeling one step behind as they dealt with the attacks against Ellie. I understood when Ellie proposed setting a trap for Aliana using herself as bait and when Liam feared for her safety if she did. The tension ramped up as Aliana's attacks escalated in intensity. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I was impressed by Ellie's ability to fight back. The only downside was that I never got a real sense of why Aliana was so determined to kill Ellie when it would have been easier (and safer) just to disappear again.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Liam and Ellie develop. The chemistry between them was intense, and neither had any hesitation in giving in to it. However, neither was prepared for the feelings that also developed. Liam believes that a permanent relationship isn't in the cards for him, thanks to the reasons for his failed marriage, so he tries to keep things casual. It was entertaining to see Liam get teased by his siblings. The intensity scared Ellie, who then tried to put some distance between them before realizing that she loved him. I liked seeing them finally overcome their fears and insecurities and admit their feelings for each other.

I liked both Liam and Ellie. Liam's reaction to his parents' deaths sent him down a wrong path that ended with him being sent to prison at age eighteen. Fortunately, he had the intelligence to see what would happen if he continued down that road and turned himself around. I loved that he then turned to speaking at schools, hoping to keep other kids from making the same mistakes. Ellie is an intelligent and valued member of the CSI lab. She has a reputation for successfully providing the evidence needed to convict criminals. She is also headstrong and stubborn, which sometimes puts her at odds with Liam's protectiveness. With both of them, I liked their closeness with their families.

There is also some progress in the overarching series mystery of what happened to the Coltons' friend/guardian Humphrey, who disappeared without a trace in the first book. New evidence makes them believe he disappeared on purpose, but they don't know why. I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing their progress. show less

Excellent combination of romance and suspense. Rayna is the sheriff of the small town of Getaway, Texas. She, her daughter, and her mother moved to Getaway for a fresh start after Rayna fell for the wrong man. Encouraged by her mentor Sam, the current sheriff, she ran for sheriff when he retired and won. When Sam's nephew, Parker, arrives in town asking Rayna to revisit a missing persons case, she reluctantly agrees. They investigated once and found nothing, but they'll give it another go.
show more
Parker came to Getaway looking for his best friend's younger sister, hoping to find her before John succumbs to cancer. Since leaving the service, Parker has drifted from place to place doing various jobs but dropped everything to help his friend.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Parker and Rayna. Between the motorcycle and the bad-boy vibes he exudes, Parker hits all the points that stir Rayna's attraction. But she's been burned before and wants nothing to do with him. Parker feels the same sparks, but his focus needs to be on finding Nicole. However, the sparks fly fast and hot between them and quickly become too much to resist. As the search for Nicole turns into the hunt for a serial killer, Parker and Rayna spend a lot of time together.

I loved how Parker respected Rayna's position as sheriff at the same time he wanted to get closer to her as a woman. Rayna spends some time fighting her growing feelings for Parker, worried that history is repeating itself. I liked seeing her slowly let go of her fears and accept those feelings. But when her trust is tested, Rayna allows those fears to surface again. I ached for Parker and his feelings of hurt and betrayal. I was glad to see that Rayna quickly realized her mistake and apologized, but there were consequences to her actions. I liked seeing them work to repair their relationship and strengthen their bond. When everything was all over, both had decisions to make. I loved Parker's big moment at the end, and the advice he received that made it possible.

The suspense of the story kept me hooked from beginning to end. Though skeptical of Parker's belief that Nicole disappeared in Getaway, Rayna did the right thing by reopening the investigation. The tension ramped up when they found a body, and they had to wait to see if it was Nicole's. Rayna knew that whether it was or not, she had a killer loose in her town. When they found a second body, it went from murderer to serial killer, and the stakes increased. When the FBI provided Rayna with a profile of the killer, and someone tried to set up Parker to take the fall, I thought I figured out the killer's identity. After a local girl turned up missing, Parker stepped up to help despite the trouble that came with it. A lucky break led to the identification of the killer and a confrontation that had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over. show less

Terrific second chance story. Carly's life hasn't been an easy one lately. Two years earlier, she lost her fiancé to the war in Afghanistan. She started to move on, and then her father and uncle were brutally murdered, and the case is still unsolved. To add insult to injury, for the past month or more, she's felt as though someone is stalking her. The last thing she expects is to have her dead fiancé show up on her doorstep.

Two years earlier, Micha was captured by Afghan insurgents, held show more and tortured for six months. The rescue mission sent to free him ended in a fiery crash, killing most of the crew and putting Micha into a coma and then months of rehab. When he finally got out, Micha felt too severely scarred to go back to Carly, but he wanted to make sure she was okay and had moved on. He never intended for her to see him, but once she did, he couldn't stay away.

What a reunion! Carly's reactions were mixed. Elation at first, but also hurt and anger that he took so long to tell her he was alive. The chemistry between them burned as hot as ever, but after giving into that first burst of heat, Carly pulls back. Losing him once nearly killed her; trusting him with her heart again was a risk she didn't want to take. Micha loves Carly even more now than he did before. She means everything to him. All he needs to do is show her that they still belong together.

I loved seeing the rekindling of Micha and Carly's relationship. When Micha learns that Carly may have a stalker, his protective instincts kick in. Determined to keep her safe, Micha sticks close to Carly. With all of that togetherness, it's no surprise that Carly's fears begin to fade. There are some terrific scenes of their improving relationship, from quiet evenings together to her standing up for him to her family. I loved how Micha shared his idea for future employment with her and Carly's enthusiastic support. One of the things I liked about both of them was how each knew just how far they could push the other when it came to tough decisions. I especially liked Carly's encouragement for Micha to repair his relationship with his parents. I loved the scene near the end where Carly takes a big step toward their future and Micha's reaction to it.

The suspense of the story kept me turning the pages throughout the entire book. From Carly's fear of a stalker to the bombing of Micha's car to the other attacks, the intensity steadily grew. The running question remained who was the target - Carly or Micha? Either way, Micha would do anything to keep Carly safe. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, from the attack on Micha (loved the teenagers) to the showdown at Carly's house. The action was intense, and the resolution well done. There were a few mentions of the ongoing investigation into the senior Coltons' murders, with a possibility that it is the work of a serial killer. It looks like Carly's psychologist cousin, Simone, is determined to stick her fingers into the investigative pie. I can't wait for her story. show less

There are many reasons why I don't hesitate to grab a Karen Whiddon book. And this book was a perfect example of all of them! It had everything you want in a book and then some. There was plenty of action to keep you hooked, suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat, and romance to have you swooning! The chemistry between Jared and Marissa was off the charts and I loved the dynamic between them along with the progression of their relationship.

I love when the two main characters have a show more past from before the beginning of the book. While Jared and Marissa haven't seen each other in five years, when Jared returns to town, the chemistry between the two of them is as hot as ever. But there was also some hurt between the two of them that they needed to deal with before they could even think about anything happening between them. Plus, Marissa is in a relationship with someone else at the beginning of the novel. But she is kind of just going through the motions of her life until Jared makes a reappearance back in town,

Jared's been hurt in a rodeo accident and needs Marissa's expertise as a physical therapist to get better. But Jared blowing back into town isn't the only thing on Marissa's mind as she discovers shortly after that she has a dangerous stalker after her. Things continue to escalate and leave Marissa reeling and wondering who she can really trust. There was consistent action throughout the book along with the perfect amount of romance and spice. I also found myself continuously guessing as to who was stalking Marissa for a better part of the novel. I strongly recommend this book for romantic suspense lovers and lovers of Karen Whiddon as well.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. show less