He'd been hired to protect her…
not fall back in love!
Acting as his ex's bodyguard pushes Stanton Colton beyond
his limits. Thanks to Dominique de la Vega's determined investigative
reporting, he's vowed to keep her safe…and guard his own heart. As Dominique
delves deep to get her story, Stanton works to find out who's put a bullseye on
her back. But can their rekindled attraction survive a threat on her life?
Emotional second chance romance combined with intense
suspense kept me glued to the pages from beginning to end. Dominique and
Stanton had a hot and heavy affair going two years earlier. Their attraction
was off the charts, but so were their conflicts. Both put in long hours with
their work, he with his security company and her as an investigative reporter. Stanton
wanted more, and when he proposed marriage, he didn't listen when she said she
wasn't ready. Instead, it was marriage or nothing, so she walked away, leaving
both of them with broken hearts.
Two years later, Dominique pursues the story of a
lifetime. Charlie Hamm, a prisoner she worked with, convinced her that he was
innocent and was set up but was murdered in prison before she could help. The
evidence against him was processed by the same rogue forensic scientist who
manipulated other cases and has since disappeared. Dominique's investigation
led her to the witness against Charlie, but before she could interview him,
someone attempted to strangle her. The timely arrival of Stanton saved her. She
didn't know yet that her father had hired Stanton to be her bodyguard while
working on this story.
Though she doesn't like it, Dominique quickly comes to
understand that she needs Stanton's protection. She stirred up a hornet's nest as
her investigation gets closer to the head of a local drug cartel. Stanton takes
his task seriously, but being this close to Dominique plays havoc with his
emotions. Getting involved with her again just begs for another broken heart, Dominique
wants to believe she's over him, but being together 24/7 shows how wrong she
is. Neither expected the difference two years apart made. Stanton still wants
to protect her but understands what drives her and supports her. Dominique becomes
a little more open to taking reasonable precautions without giving up her
independence. As they spend more time together, old feelings rekindle, but
neither one says anything, too wary of another broken heart. I liked that each
of them looked honestly at their own behavior and saw where they made mistakes.
The question was, would they learn from those mistakes? I loved the ending, as
roles reversed and Dominique tried to get through to Stanton. His big moment at
the end was terrific.
The suspense stayed intense from beginning to end. Dominique's
determination to get the truth about Charlie's case put her at odds with both
the local drug cartel leader and the Grave Gulch PD. Dominique has not been shy
about her opinion of the GGPD's refusal to work with her, nor has she backed
off from linking the cartel to her investigation. At the beginning of the book,
the attack opened her eyes to the target she placed on herself, which made it a
little easier to accept Stanton's help. However, it doesn't stop her from
pursuing her story, which keeps her in danger.
Further attacks make it plain that the cartel won't stop
until she's dead. I liked seeing Dominique and Chief Colton agree that they're
on the same side and exhibit some cooperation. The intensity ramps up when Dominique
finally hears from her witness and sets up a meeting. Everyone agrees it's probably
a trap but go for it anyway. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as Dominique
found herself at the mercy of the cartel leader. The resolution was fantastic -
I loved how Dominique used what she learned from Stanton.
Some progress was made in the series plot of the rogue
forensic scientist Randall Bowe. A little more comes out about what he did and
those that were suspicious of his actions. There are also suspicions that there
may be a corrupt cop or two on the force. I can't wait to see how this all
plays out.
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