Justine Davis

I'm always excited when a new Cutter book comes out, and this one was no exception. In this book, Foxworth comes to help two estranged parents find their runaway son. Blaine is a Marine helicopter pilot who was badly injured in Afghanistan. His wife, Erin, cared for him throughout his recovery, but then asked for a divorce. Their son didn't take it well and ran away from his home with Erin. Erin reluctantly called Blaine for help.

Blaine called Rafe. The two men have a history together, and show more I loved learning more about Rafe's past. I loved how Rafe dropped everything to help, and how his friends at Foxworth were ready to back him up. Naturally, Rafe took Cutter along. I always smile when I see how people react to Cutter.

The search for Ethan kept me hooked, as Erin, Blaine, and Rafe worked together to find him. I could feel their worry over the possibility of gang involvement. I understood Erin's frustration with the police's perceived lack of interest and her initial wariness of Rafe. The tension ramped up as they searched, bringing in familiar faces from previous Cutter books. The conclusion of the search was a Cutter nail-biter, perfectly timed and executed.

I enjoyed the reconciliation between Blaine and Erin. The sparks are still there, as are the feelings. Though I wanted to shake Erin at times, I understood what made her run from Blaine in the first place. Blaine's arrival forced her to face the past and her reaction. Blaine also looked at his past and the future he wanted. I especially enjoyed how Rafe's changes influenced Blaine's decision-making. Forced together to find Ethan, the proximity contributed to the realization that they still belong together. A nice twist at the end helps make the decision easier.

It's always fun to see Cutter in action, whether it's soothing anxiety, stating his opinions on his people's actions, or working his matchmaking magic. Those who start skeptical are believers by the end. show less

Good second chance romance. The story opens as Gideon, a social worker, gets a call about an abused child in the hospital. How much he cares about the children he helps is immediately apparent as he rushes to the hospital. He didn't expect to find the woman who broke his heart sitting by Charlie's side. Sophia knew it was possible that Gideon would be the one called. He's the best at dealing with scared kids. How much would it hurt to come face-to-face with the biggest regret of her life?
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Both Gideon and Sophia focus on Charlie while trying to suppress their reactions to each other. I liked that they didn't allow their personal history to affect their interactions with Charlie. Their efforts to calm the boy go well until his abusive father shows up. I loved seeing the soft-spoken Gideon turn into a superhero, getting between Rick and Charlie. His actions were swift and effective and a joy to watch. Unfortunately, Rick escapes from the security guard after vowing vengeance on Sophia. Despite their past, Gideon's protectiveness kicks in, and he escorts her home. A good thing he did, as they spotted the man lurking in the shadows around her house. Gideon insists that she can't stay there, so he takes her to his mother's home. There the stress of the night comes out in an unexpected and passionate encounter, leaving both wondering what's next.

I enjoyed watching the rekindling of the relationship between Gideon and Sophia. Both of them are wary of getting involved again. Gideon remembers the heartache he felt and is hesitant to take that risk again. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny those feelings. Sophia never stopped loving Gideon and regretted the breakup as soon as it happened. Growing up with a perfectionist father and a detached mother, Sophia has spent her life trying to live up to expectations and constantly feeling that she comes up short. Those feelings bled over into her relationship with Gideon, and she broke up with him because she thought he could do better than her.

Sophia and Gideon spent a good share of the book inside their heads, constantly second-guessing their own and each other's actions and words. Many times, I wanted to shake them and tell them to talk to each other. With two years apart, I liked how Gideon realized how hard Sophia is on herself. The more he hears of her father's treatment, the more he tries to make her recognize the emotional abuse she experienced. Sophia thinks a lot about how much she regrets her actions but keeps that to herself for too long. She dreams of starting the relationship again but tells herself it is too late without saying anything to Gideon about it. I loved when she finally worked up the courage to talk to him and ached for her when he didn't react. Gideon's wariness was understandable, and it took him a few days and a conversation with his mom to let go of his fears. I loved their big moment at the end. I also loved their visit with Sophia's father and its well-deserved outcome.

The suspense was good. We get a good look at the abusive father and the results of his abuse early on. His appearance at the hospital and his attempt to get to Charlie show how dangerous he is. Gideon's protectiveness kicks in when he escapes custody and later turns up at Sophia's home. The tension builds as there are a couple of sightings, but Rick eludes capture. There is a terrific scene as Gideon, Sophia, and a local police detective confront someone who has been helping him. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I loved seeing how it worked out. show less

Love it. A perfect Justine Davis - solid characters, with actions (both now and in the past) completely consistent with themselves, strong motives, and very real reasons for everything they do and think. There is wild attraction - and even, a bit, Cinderella syndrome - but it's another layer to the story, not a reason to shortcut everything else and switch her from distrust to accepting him fully. Nicki does hold firmly on to her old picture of Travis, determinedly ignoring everything that show more doesn't support it - but that may well be because of fifteen years of practice doing so. I love it - I only wish this was a series. It would have been as much fun as Redstone - even if the boss partnered up first, instead of last. I'd love to see Kevin flower. This one will get reread. show less

I _love_ it. This is the Justine Davis I fell in love with with the Trinity Street West and Redstone series. OK, I'm a sucker for the "abused person learning to trust again" trope, which comes up in spades here (heroine of this book, hero of previous book (which I now own, thank you very much - read soon), several other characters in a sideways fashion). But from the first pages, we have solid characters doing things for their own reasons, not by author fiat, and interacting richly with show more other characters. Hope's choices make a lot of sense (remember, she was 16...), and the way she gets shaken out of her rut/obsession/tunnel vision by interacting with True, and Zee and Kelsey and Deck and everyone in Whiskey River, is perfect. There is lust at first sight - and it gets suppressed, put aside, left out of the equation until they've got lots better reasons for wanting to be together. And the end is fantastic - not a magical happy ending, but one they both worked for and worked through to get. Wish we'd gotten a glimpse of the bad guy in court, though...I was expecting it. Great story, now I want to read the previous one and I'm eagerly awaiting the next (Jamie and Zee! Yippee!). show less