Dirty cops, hidden identities and a deadly stalker…
Police handler Tate Emory is thankful that Sabrina Jones
saved his trusty K-9 companion, Sitka, but he didn't sign up for national media
exposure. That publicity unveils his true identity to the dirty Boston cops he
took down…and brings Sabrina's murderous stalker even closer to his target.
With their covers blown, Tate will risk his life -- and his guarded heart -- to
save Sabrina from a fatal end.
Terrific book. Sabrina came to Desparre six months
earlier, the latest home in her two-year-long flight from a stalker. It is the
longest she's stayed anywhere, and she began to feel comfortable there, even
making some friends. Then Sabrina found a note on her porch - the stalker found
her! Should she run again, or is it time to make a stand? I loved that Sabrina
decided that it was tie to stop running and went to the police.
Tate is a K-9 officer on the Desparre police force. He
and his dog Sitka take the lead on Sabrina's case. Tate understands Sabrina's
need to run from her stalker and his threat to her family. He did the same
thing. No one on the force knows Tate was a cop in Boston before joining them
as a rookie. He brought down several dirty cops back in Boston, though two went
free due to lack of proof. Those cops threatened revenge, so to protect his
family, he changed his name and fled as far as he could.
This story grabbed me from the first chapter and kept me
hooked to the very end. I could feel Sabrina's fear and her difficulty
believing that her nightmare could finally end. With Desparre being such a
small town, Tate and the others thought they had a good chance of figuring out
who the stalker is. Tate, who understands her fear on a personal level, is
determined to set Sabrina free. Neither of them expected the feelings that grew
between them.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Tate and
Sabrina develop. Though previously aware of each other, neither did anything
about it because of their secrets. Now that they're spending so much time
together, the attraction grows stronger. Tate tries to resist because a) he
doesn't want to be distracted from protecting her, and b) because of his past
and what he is hiding. Meanwhile, Sabrina knows that if they catch her stalker,
she'll be able to go back to her life in New York, so getting involved wouldn't
be wise. As they pretend to be a couple to draw out Sabrina's stalker, Tate and
Sabrina find it feels all too real. I liked seeing them get to know each other.
Sabrina opens up now that Tate knows the truth about her. Although Tate shares
a few things about himself, he keeps the truth to himself, wanting to protect
her. When the truth comes out, Sabrina understandably feels betrayed. It takes
some deep self-examination for each of them to overcome the obstacles to being
together. I loved Tate's heartfelt apology at the end. I would have liked an
epilogue at the end because I still had a few questions about their future.
The suspense of the story was outstanding. Sabrina's fear
of the stalker and his attacks on those she cared about leaped off the page. I
could feel Tate's frustration at the difficulty of finding someone they had no
information about. I loved seeing his use of social media to attempt to
identify the stalker. It was a reminder that nothing is truly private. The case
became more complicated when an attack that risked Tate's K-9, Sitka, made the local
paper and national news. Tate feared that the men who wanted revenge would be
able to find him. But he refused to run while Sabrina was still in danger. When
an attempt to draw out the stalker went horribly wrong, Tate's fears became a
reality. I was on the edge of my seat during that confrontation, wondering how
Tate would pull off Sabrina's rescue. The intensity kept me glued to the pages
until it was all over. And lest the stalker is forgotten, that also had a page-turning
resolution - though having both Tate and Sitka sleep through his arrival
strained my credulity a little.
I can't leave without mentioning Tate's K-9 partner
Sitka. I loved her backstory on how she came to be with Tate. I loved that she
went from shelter-rescue pet to trained police dog. It was also a great deal of
fun to see her personality. When off duty, she was a beloved pet and a playful
pup; while on duty, she was all business. I also loved how quickly she took to
Sabrina and Sabrina to her. I loved seeing Sitka in action taking down the bad
guys.
No comments:
Post a Comment