Accidental Amnesia - Tyler Anne Snell (HI #2071 - May 2022)

Series: Saving Kelby Creek (Book 4)

Someone robbed her of her memory…
To implicate her in murder.
 
Awakening in an ambulance headed to Kelby Creek, Melanie Blankenship can't remember why or how she got there. Everyone in town once turned against Mel following her ex-husband's shocking scandal -- except former love Deputy Sterling Costner. It's been years since they ended their relationship, but now, as evidence mounts in a deadly crime, he's determined to uncover the person who's targeting Mel and who won't stop until she pays the ultimate price.
 
Terrific second chance romance. The small town of Kelby Creek still suffers from the aftereffects of The Flood - the revelation of the rampant corruption in their law enforcement and local government. Five years have passed, but the memories are long. Mel and Sterling were no exception.
 
Mel still feels a lot of guilt over the discovery of her ex-husband's part in the scandal. She knew nothing of his horrific crimes until after the fact, but the town's people didn't believe it. After divorcing her husband, she tried to move on with the help of childhood friends Sam and Sterling Costner. She and Sterling became more than friends until the day she left Kelby Creek without a word of explanation.
 
Sterling has his own guilt to deal with. After the investigations were done and he was cleared of wrong-doing, he left Kelby Creek. Desperate to escape the memories and unable to find work in law enforcement, he spent a couple of years doing construction before going back to police work. After some time doing so in Georgia, he heard about the revitalization of Kelby Creek's department and went back to help. He feels guilty about abandoning his hometown and is now determined to help its rehabilitation.
 
Mel never planned to return to Kelby Creek, much less in the back of an ambulance with no memory of how she got there. Nor did she expect Sterling to be one of the first people she saw. It quickly became evident that their attraction was as strong as ever, though each tried to ignore it. But when strange things began happening to Mel, Sterling's protective instincts kicked in. As they spend time together trying to figure out what is going on, their feelings continue to grow. But they can't move on until they address the past, and Mel fears what will happen if she tells the truth. Things look increasingly bad for Mel, but Sterling never stops believing in her innocence. I loved the ending as they fought for each other and came out with their love even stronger.
 
The suspense of the story kept me hooked from beginning to end. From the car accident to the dead body in her house to kidnappings, it becomes increasingly apparent that someone has it in for Mel. The question is who and why. I ached for Mel and the suspicion she faced and the accusations she endured. By the time the final confrontation came, I was glued to the pages waiting for the explanation. The plan's twists, turns, and utter evil took my breath away when the bad guy bragged about what he'd done. I loved that his arrogance was part of what brought him down. The resolution was a nail-biter as Mel fought to save those she loved against terrible odds.

Surviving the Truth - Tyler Anne Snell (HI #2020 - Sept 2021)

Series: Saving Kelby Creek (Book 3)

An unsolved murder and a cold case are hitting too close to home…
 
When Willa Tate presents Detective Kenneth Gray with a buried box containing evidence of a thirty-five-year-old crime, he knows his newly formed task force will leave no stone unturned to find answers. But it's Willa's life on the line when Kenneth uncovers a connection between the cold case and the unsolved murder of his wife. Protecting Willa and righting past wrongs pits the dogged cop against a killer desperate to silence the truth forever.
 
This is the third book in the series but can easily be read as a standalone. The books' common denominator is the town's recovery from "The Flood," a massive corruption scandal involving the town's leaders and law enforcement. In this book, Detective Kenneth Gray has returned to the sheriff's department to help sort out cases that may have been affected by the corruption, including going over cold cases. One of those cases was the murder of his wife several years earlier.
 
Willa Tate works for a construction company. One evening she discovered a partially buried box on one of their sites. After opening it, she believed that it contained evidence of an old crime, but investigating on her own got nowhere. So she took it to the newly formed cold case task force - Kenneth.
 
The first meeting between Kenneth and Willa did not go as she'd hoped. After showing him the box and its contents and explaining her theory, Kenneth remained skeptical of her claims but promised to check into them. After a conversation with the sheriff, he had more questions for Willa. He quickly becomes less skeptical when Willa's home is ransacked, and she is attacked by someone clearly searching for something. Willa had some tense moments as she wondered if she would survive the encounter. I was glued to the pages as they investigated each item they found in the box and drew closer to the person responsible. There were also brief sections from the killer's viewpoint showing his determination to keep his secret. The final confrontation was a nail-biter with an unexpected twist that put Willa in his crosshairs. I loved how Willa kept her head and played a big part in her rescue and solving the mystery. I liked the ending and seeing how everything was intertwined.
 
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Willa and Kenneth. Willa's sunshiny nature made an impression on him from the start, and he had difficulty getting her off his mind. His wife's murder still haunts Kenneth and Willa lights up the dark corners of his life. Willa is equally attracted to Kenneth, who is different from the men she's been involved with before. Kenneth's protectiveness kicked in when Willa was attacked. Their forced proximity gave them a chance to get to know each other and their attraction the opportunity to grow. I liked how Kenneth opened up to Willa about his wife's death, and Willa's compassion was beautifully shown. There were some sweet scenes of them together as their feelings deepened. I liked the ending, and the peace Kenneth found so that he could move on with Willa.

Searching for Evidence - Tyler Anne Snell (HI #2016 - Aug 2021)

Series: Saving Kelby Creek (Book 2)

Looking for answers
…they uncover a deadly plan.
 
When he takes a job to prove himself, fate introduces Deputy Marco Rossi to Bella Greene -- a small-town beauty terrorized by a mysterious stalker. By nature the handsome lawman is a professional loner working 24/7 with armor around his heart. But as they discover clues leading to the truth, crucial evidence must take priority over the feelings suddenly breaking through his walls.
 
Kelby Creek is still suffering the aftereffects of "The Flood," the name given to the exposure of the corruption discovered in the town's government and law enforcement two years earlier. What's left of the sheriff's department is determined to regain the town's trust. The department's newest hire, Deputy Marco Rossi, has his reasons for choosing Kelby Creek while keeping his heart closely guarded.
 
The suspense starts quickly before Marco has officially started working when he comes across Bella broken down on the side of the road. Though taken by her beauty, the fear in her eyes as he approached got his attention. Marco won my heart immediately with his sensitivity to her anxiety and willingness to work with it. Bella's first worry when she saw the stranger was whether he was the author of the messages she'd been receiving. She relaxed a little after seeing his badge but remained wary.
 
Marco didn't see Bella again for two weeks, though he couldn't stop thinking about her. Not only was he attracted to her, something about her situation that day had been niggling at his instincts. So when he saw her at the local bar, he decided to ask her about it. Unfortunately, before he could do that, he stuck his foot in his mouth over one of her building projects. Bella was a little quick to take offense, and heated words were exchanged. They were interrupted by Marco's partner as a call came in they had to answer, leaving his question unasked. Eventually, Marco got his answer, but it left him feeling that something was off.
 
The suspense heats up when Bella gets another one of the creepy messages - this time on her bathroom mirror. Around the same time, Marco becomes the victim of a hit-and-run driver, and the reader discovers the connection between the two. The intensity ramps up as the stalker escalates his attempts to get his hands on Bella. Meanwhile, Marco is equally determined to keep Bella safe and find the stalker. I loved following his investigation as he and his partner and Bella dig into her past to see who has it in for her. I was glued to the pages to see if my suspicions were correct, though it took a couple of unexpected twists before I found out. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I was on the edge of my seat as I waited to see how it turned out. I loved Bella's strength of will and her faith that Marco would come.
 
I enjoyed the development of the romance between Marco and Bella. Because of his past, Marco keeps his heart closely guarded. He dates but ends relationships before they can get serious. Something about Bella gets past his walls from the beginning. Their relationship gets off to a slightly rocky start thanks to Bella's oversensitivity about being a woman in a male-dominated profession. Fortunately, both retain their senses of humor and can move past that awkwardness. Marco surprises himself when he shares things about his past that he's always kept to himself. Despite her initial tendency to jump to conclusions about him, it doesn't take long for Bella to realize that she can trust Marco. I liked watching the attraction build between them as they spent more time together, and Marco's protectiveness became more personal. There are a couple of fun scenes where his protectiveness runs up against Bella's independence and stubbornness, and Marco learns which battles are worth fighting. I loved the ending and seeing how well they understand and support each other and the love that made it possible.