To uphold the law…will she take down her ex?
The town wants her to arrest her former boyfriend for a
murder on his ranch -- but Sheriff Leigh Mercer refuses. The newly elected law
enforcer doesn't have evidence against bad boy Cullen Brodie. In fact, the
search for the killer draws them passionately close again…and into relentless
danger. Not only could Leigh lose her job for not collaring Brodie…but they
could both lose their lives.
Terrific blend of suspense and second-chance romance.
Leigh and Cullen were high school sweethearts pulled apart by a family feud. They
are brought together by a murder on his ranch.
Leigh was recently elected sheriff, replacing her retired
father. But Jeb has trouble letting go and constantly sticks his nose into what
is no longer his business. She also has problems with one of her deputies, who
thinks he should be sheriff. When she's called to Cullen's ranch because of a
murder, she faces her biggest challenge so far - solving the murder and
resisting her attraction to Cullen.
Despite the presence of an ex-girlfriend's body in his
home, Cullen remained outwardly cool and calm. The tension increases when Leigh
arrives. He knows it looks suspicious to have Alexa's body there. He can't deny
his attraction to Leigh, but he can't do anything about it until the murderer
is caught.
The suspense kept me hooked from the beginning. There's a
dead body and an injured ranch hand, and Cullen is the most logical suspect.
But Leigh doesn't fall for the obvious, and instinct tells her that Cullen is
innocent. The action starts immediately when they are attacked on the road back
to town, and the assailant gets away. Delving deeper into Alexa's actions
before her death leads them to some unexpected suspects. Whenever I thought I
had figured out whodunit, something would happen to make me question my decision.
I didn't figure it out until right before the final confrontation. It was a
nail-biter and kept me glued to the pages until it was over.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Leigh and
Cullen develop. They are older and less inclined to be influenced by their fathers'
feud. That feud is evident when Cullen's father, Bowen, accuses Leigh of
planning to railroad his son for the murder. Then Leigh's father harangues her
for not arresting Cullen on the spot. I liked that Leigh stood up to them and made
up her own mind. Part of that is her instinct telling her that Cullen is
innocent, though she worries slightly that her attraction to him might affect
her judgment. Instead, she recruits Cullen to help her get to the truth.
I liked seeing Leigh and Cullen work together. That time allowed
them to get to know each other as adults and build the trust they needed to survive.
The sparks of attraction are evident, as are their growing feelings. I liked
that Cullen respected Leigh's abilities as sheriff, while at the same time, his
protectiveness was unmistakable. I liked that because the book spans just a few
days, there's no rush to a marriage proposal, just a request for a first (then
second, third, and fourth) date. I laughed at the two fathers' comments and
their effect on Cullen and Leigh.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
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