Friday, October 28, 2022

Wyoming Winter Rescue - Juno Rushdan (HI #2108 - Nov 2022)

Series: Cowboy State Lawmen (Book 1)
 
What was more treacherous—
Confronting a killer or her ex-boyfriend?
 
Having to do the unthinkable to stop a murderous patient has consumed psychotherapist Lynn Delgado with fear and guilt. And because of his dangerous job, she’s ended her relationship with lawman Nash Garner. But when a serial killer targets Lynn, she must overcome her resistance to protection. As she flees the killer in a raging blizzard, Nash follows, risking everything to save the woman he's falling for.
 
This was an intense, action-packed story from start to finish. Lynn is a psychotherapist in a relationship with Nash, an FBI agent. In the ten months they've been together, Lynn has been waiting for Nash to lose his closed-off attitude and talk to her. His inability to open up to her convinces her they have no future together, and she breaks off their relationship.
 
Nash knows what she wants, but between his childhood and his time in the military and FBI, he has learned to shut down and compartmentalize his feelings. He believes he can learn, but it is a difficult step for him to take. So he heeds her wishes to stay away from her but can't stop watching over her.
 
The book opens as Lynn is confronted by a patient who blames her for all his problems. He is determined to kill her. After hearing the gunshots, Nash arrives just in time to see Lynn shoot and kill the man. I ached for Lynn, who blamed herself for failing her patient and then killing him. I also hurt for Nash, who wanted to help Lynn deal with the aftermath but was pushed away.
 
This goes on for several weeks until, once again, Lynn is in danger. Not only is she receiving threatening letters, but she is also kidnapped at gunpoint as she leaves work. I felt her fear as she looked into the eyes of a cold-blooded killer and knew she would die. I loved watching her draw on her inner strength and the things she's learned from Nash and others to find a way out of the situation. Though she was safe, it looks like she is now the target of a notorious serial killer.
 
I was glued to the pages as I watched Nash and other law enforcement officers do their best to identify and find the killer. I could feel their frustration as they ran into dead-end after dead-end. Meanwhile, Lynn and her best friend leave town for a weekend getaway, believing they'll be safe. She never expected to be followed and have to escape into a blizzard. I was awed by her strength and determination as she struggled to get away. Only Nash's timely arrival brought the bad guy down.
 
But just when you think everything is sorted out, they discover that not everything is as it seems. The complexity of the plot against Lynn and the motivation behind it blew me away. Some intense scenes involved negotiations and surprise revelations before the true culprit was uncovered. The ending was a nail-biter with yet another life-threatening twist.
 
Their differing communication styles complicated the relationship between Nash and Lynn. Nash has difficulty talking about his feelings, but showing her has never been a problem. As the danger around Lynn grows, Nash realizes the depth of his devastation if he loses her and vows to make an effort to be what she needs. While I understood Lynn's need for Nash to talk to her, I got a little frustrated with her refusal to see his unspoken language and how she kept pushing him away. I loved when the dam broke, and Nash started talking. His confession of his reasons for not opening up before broke my heart. Lynn made me happy with her reaction and understanding. I hope to see more of them in the following books in the series.


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