When her life is upended, a detective goes undercover to
save it…
After tragedy strikes, chef Tatum Colton buries herself
in her job. Detective Cruz Medina soon rocks her world once again, claiming
criminals are using her restaurant as a front for nefarious activities. Cruz
needs Tatum's help to go undercover as her sous-chef, putting them both in the
line of fire. But when things get hot in and out of the kitchen, can Cruz
protect Tatum and their growing bond?
Fantastic book that grabbed me from the start and kept me
hooked to the last page. Tatum Colton, chef and owner of Chicago's trendy
restaurant, True, lives and breathes her job. Ever since the murders of her
father and uncle, True is where she can forget for a little while each day. That
relief takes a hit the day Detective Cruz Medina shows up to tell her that he
believes her restaurant is being used for drug running. Cruz is determined to
stop the cartel responsible for putting his partner into a coma. Convinced that
the restaurant is at its center, he wants to go undercover as one of her
employees to investigate.
The sparks flew between Tatum and Cruz from the moment
they met. She is adamant that her people are innocent, and he is just as sure
that someone is not. Though her first instinct was to tell him no, eventually,
she knew she had to do the right thing. I laughed at her "training
session" with him and her surprise at how easily they worked together. It
didn't take long for them to acknowledge the attraction they felt and realize
that doing anything with it would be a bad idea. I loved watching their
interactions both in and out of the kitchen. As the investigation heats up, so
does Cruz's protectiveness, which creates a few awkward situations. There's a
great scene with Tatum's mother and aunt and others that involved her staff.
But as the investigation hurtles toward its conclusion, Cruz's duty clashes with
his feelings for Tatum. I ached for them both as Tatum's worst nightmare came
to pass and drove a wedge between them. It takes an unexpected twist that puts
Tatum in life-threatening danger to bring them back together. I loved the
ending.
The suspense of the story was terrific. Cruz won't let
anything get in the way of bringing down the drug cartel, and that includes his
growing feelings for Tatum. I loved watching him make a place for himself in
the restaurant. There are plenty of possible suspects, and Cruz trusts his
instincts in the investigation. The intensity ramps up when Tatum becomes the
victim of several attacks, and she becomes as determined as he is to get at the
truth. I had my suspicions about who it was and followed eagerly along as Cruz
pursued his leads. I was glued to the pages as it all came together, and Cruz
got his man. Unfortunately, Tatum was in the wrong place at the wrong time as
an unexpected twist put her in extreme danger. I loved seeing her take control
of her fear and do the unexpected to save the day.
I thoroughly enjoyed the diverse secondary characters. Tatum's
staff at the restaurant were fantastic. I loved the sense of family they exuded
and how they watched out for her. Sam and Ty were my favorites. Tatum's mom and
aunt were great. Their continuing grief was evident, as was their love for
their family. I also liked Cruz's family and had to laugh at how he helped his
younger sister.
Though the murders of Tatum's dad and uncle were
mentioned a couple of times, there was little mention of its investigation.
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