Barbara Freethy

This is book 7 in Ms. Freethy's long running "Off the Grid: FBI" series. The early books were OK, but nothing terribly special. With this one, she has really hit her stride. Savannah, an FBI agent, has returned to her hometown to support her childhood friend, whose husband Paul, has just died in an accident/possible suicide. Ryker has also come to the funeral, as he was the leader of the Army Ranger squad the deceased, Paul had belonged to. They are surprised to meet, as they had had a brief show more and very memorable one night stand while both were in the military serving in Afghanistan, and had never expected to meet again. The ranger unit had later been ambushed, losing two of their members and injuring others, and all had left the service with various forms of PTSD. Ryker had drifted apart from his teammates, feeling they did not need to deal with his issues. Guilt abounds, particularly when another teammate at the funeral, Todd, accuses Ryker of abandoning them. Savannah has her own guilt for losing touch with her friend in order to avoid strained family issues at home. So there's the set up. Then while leaving the funeral, Todd is involved in an accident sending his car into the river. Savannah and Ryker begin to suspect that maybe it was not accident. And maybe Paul's wasn't either. Savannah and Ryker join forces to find out what it going on, and find themselves rekindling the old attraction.

It's well-written, suspenseful and doesn't gloss over the issues both need to deal with before worrying about a relationship. (Though being the type of story it is, things move VERY fast.) The plot they need to uncover, while not perhaps terribly plausible, is complex and intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. show less

Pretty nifty romantic suspense thriller by Barbara Freethy. A con man marries and deserts a woman on their wedding night. An engineer returns from an extended business trip to find his identity was stolen by the same con man. The abandoned bride shows up at his door, thinking her husband lives there, only to find how badly she was deceived. But she has a picture of the con man, and the engineer realizes he knows him . . . and has a score to settle. They team up to bring him down, and off we show more go. Our heroine, Kayla, soon learns that she wasn't a random mark, but that old secrets hidden in her family since the 1950s have made her a target.

It's a complicated plot, maybe a bit too convoluted. And the smoking attraction between our two avengers flares up rather too quickly for believability. But still, it's a fast-paced absorbing thriller that can be forgiven for few unlikely moments. show less

Hat's off to Barbara Freethy. I am not a romance suspense fan, but she is one author who manages to get me to rethink my point of view. Even as her characters stop your heart (figuratively, of course), she continues to keep you thinking. Dangerous Choice is a clever blend of mind games and breathtaking emotion. I felt the story come alive and twist my stomach into knots, but never did I even think about walking away.

Eagle's Ridge has welcomed home two of its own in very different circumstances. Bailey Tucker has come home to hide & lick her wounds. She was a chef in New York City until someone she trusted betrayed her. Her dream is to run her own restaurant. Eagle's Ridge has a perfect spot but it's owned by the Westbrook's. Will she stay in Eagle's Ridge or will she head back to a big city?

Ryder Westbrook has come home after serving in the Navy as a helicopter pilot for 10 years. After an accident, he show more has reassessed his priorities & wants a better relationship with his family. He's taken over the town airport but wants to lengthen a runway to get more traffic. The land he needs is owned by the Tucker's. Can he convince them to sell it? Both Bailey & Ryder want something from each other's family. Can they make their grandfathers see common sense & end this 65 year feud?

Barbara Freethy has started this series off with a bang. The characters are well developed & likable. The interactions between Ryder, Bailey & their grandfathers add dimension to the family dynamics & added emotion to the feud. Her descriptions of the scenes & people allow the reader to create pictures in their mind as they are reading. The emotion evident in her writing has always allowed me to sink into the story & absorb all that is going on. I can't wait to see what the other writers come up with! show less