A stalker is on her trail…
And he won't stop at getting even
In town to look after her teenage niece, Jasmine Nelson
is constantly mistaken for her twin sister, Lily. When threatening letters --
and terrifying “gifts” -- start arriving on Lily's doorstep, ex-soldier and
neighbor Adam Ryder immediately steps in to protect Jazz. But will their
fragile trust and deepest fears give the stalker a devastating advantage -- one
impossible to survive?
Good combination of suspense and romance. Jazz came to
Conard from Miami to look after her teenage niece while Jazz's twin sister,
Lily, was away on a business trip. Jazz and Iris have a good relationship, with
some lighthearted teasing from Iris about Jazz "smothering" her and
Jazz teasing right back. Because it's such a hassle, Jazz rarely corrects
anyone when they call her Lily. Jazz gets that "I'm being watched"
feeling as the book opens but chalks it up to regular people watching. She and
Iris receive a visit from Adam and Sheba, Lily's neighbors across the street.
Adam is a former soldier and tells Jazz to trust her instincts.
There are sparks of attraction between Jazz and Adam, but
both try to ignore them. Jazz will be going home once Lily returns, so she doesn't
want to get involved with anyone. Adam has PTSD and, having seen what it's done
to friends' relationships, plans to avoid them altogether. When strange and
unsettling gifts show up on the doorstep, followed by threatening letters, Adam
steps in and moves in to keep Jazz and Iris safe. I enjoyed seeing the progress
of their relationship. Adam and Jazz spend a lot of time together, giving them
a chance to get to know one another. Adam does a terrific job of making Jazz
feel secure. I liked the domestic scenes they shared, especially the cooking,
as keeping busy seemed to make it easier to talk. As the threats intensified,
their connection deepened as they worked together to protect Iris and find the
stalker before Lily returned home.
As she gets to know him better, Jazz senses that Adam is
troubled though he doesn't talk about it. He's haunted by what he's seen and
done but only shares with his fellow vets. I loved seeing him begin to trust
Jazz enough to share a little of that with her. Adam's biggest fear is Jazz's
reaction if she were to witness one of his episodes. When the trouble with the
stalker forces Adam to resurrect his old skills, he later withdraws into
himself, thinking she would be disgusted. Jazz won my heart when she wouldn't
let him hide for long. The scene at his house at the end was terrific. I ached
for Adam and his vulnerability and loved how Jazz broke got through to him.
The suspense of the story was good. It was a slow build
as the stalker played with Jazz (who he thought was Lily). With a good number
of pages devoted to the stalker's viewpoint, we have an inside track of his
motivations and intentions. Once Jazz thought about it, she had a good idea of
who the stalker was. The tension built as they waited for his next move. The
final confrontation was a nail-biter as Jazz headed off alone (she thought) to
face him. I loved watching Adam do his thing to protect her, leading to a very
satisfying conclusion to the stalker problem.
A few words about Iris: she was a great character. There
is just enough temperamental teen to feel natural and a good foil for her aunt's
care. I laughed out loud at her attempts to get a puppy and her remarks about
Jazz's cooking. I ached for her with the drama with her boyfriend and loved how
Adam and Jazz helped her through it.
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