Sometimes all a family needs
Is a chance to come together.
The last thing Sheriff Marcus King needs is his past
sneaking back into his present. Years ago, Violet Cortez-Hill disappeared from
his life, leaving him with unanswered questions—and a lot of hurt. Now the
widowed father of twin boys finds himself forced to interact with the pretty
public defender daily. Their heartache is mutual—but so is their attraction. Is
there still a chance to saddle up and ride off into their future?
Another fun chapter in the drama-filled lives of the King
family. As in the previous two books, this one started the day of Roper King's
funeral, this time from the perspective of Marcus King. Marcus is the oldest of
the siblings, serves as the sheriff of their town, and is the single father of
twin boys. Two very descriptive words for Marcus are responsible and honorable.
During his father's funeral, Marcus's attention is everywhere, from the
behavior of his sons to his sister Tessa's sudden exit until caught by a face
he hasn't seen in fourteen years.
Violet attended the funeral with her mother, a senator,
because she and the King siblings have known each other most of their lives. But
she knew Marcus better. In love as teenagers, they planned to marry when Marcus
finished boot camp, especially after discovering she was pregnant. However, a
miscarriage, missed communications, and outside interference tore the two
apart. Each went their separate ways believing the worst of each other until
their encounter at Roper's funeral.
I ached for Marcus and Violet as the truth came out
during their first few minutes of conversation. Marcus was devastated by what
he learned, while Violet realizes that Marcus wasn't the villain she thought he
was. Violet misses her flight back to Texas through an unexpected set of circumstances
and remains on the King ranch to spend time with her old friends. This puts her
on the scene when the youngest King, MJ, is arrested by one of Marcus's
deputies in typically King drama. Their mother, Sherilee (queen of drama!),
enlists Violet as MJ's attorney, putting Violet and Marcus on opposite sides.
I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between
Violet and Marcus. With unresolved issues from their past, Marcus and Violet don't
seem to be able to spend five minutes together without arguing. But under all
of that antagonism is an attraction that burns even hotter than it did in the
past. I liked when they finally talked about the past and cleared up
misconceptions, though they still had the whole MJ issue to deal with. I
enjoyed seeing the lengths they took to avoid each other, knowing their
attraction complicates their professional relationship. It was also evident
that both enjoyed their arguments as a rather unusual method of flirting.
I also enjoyed how quickly Marcus's sons, Jordan and Jake,
took to Violet and she to them. From the moment they met, the boys treated her
like their best friend. This both pleased and scared Violet, who wasn't sure
how to deal with the feelings they stirred in her. I laughed out loud at
Jordan's encyclopedic medical knowledge, especially when he used it on Violet. Jake
was such a live wire that Marcus's hair should have been either gray or pulled
out, but it was clear that he adored his boys. I empathized with Marcus when he
described Jake and his trips to the hospital, as I had a similar relationship
with the local clinic when my son was small. The more time that they all spent
together, the more it felt like they belonged that way. This was blazingly obvious
during the hospital scene when Violet did everything a mother would do.
I loved the ending, as Marcus and Violet finally admitted
their feelings for each other. I loved their frank discussion of expectations
and Marcus's somewhat amusing rejoinder to her insistence that she wouldn't
change. I also liked the resolution of MJ's problem. The epilogue was terrific,
with an unexpected twist involving Marcus's brother Duke and a possible lead-in
to the next book.
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