A former boxer must KO the threat to one woman's life
When he meets skittish Felicia Wagner, ex-boxer Aaron
Colton immediately senses she's hiding something. He makes it his mission to
figure out what she's hiding…and soon discovers Felicia is keeping a dangerous
secret. A threat from her past looms large over her present, and Aaron offers
to keep her safe. Even if that means resisting their mutual attraction. Even if
that means risking it all…
Sweet romance with a bit of heat and hovering suspense
just waiting for the shoe to drop. When ex-boxer and gym owner Aaron Colton
gets a phone call from his mom, he knows something is seriously wrong. A broken
hip and an unwilling stint in rehab have Nicole Colton ready to go home while
Aaron and his brothers lobby for a live-in nurse. I thoroughly enjoyed the
negotiations between Nicole and her sons as her independence ran up against
their protectiveness. I loved when they agreed for Nicole to hire one of the physical
therapists from rehab.
Felicia works part-time as a PT while trying to keep a
low profile. Making ends meet is always a challenge, and she's thrilled when
Nicole offers her the position. Excellent pay, including a place to stay, gives
her the security she hasn't had in several years. I loved the rapport between
Felicia and Nicole, both as therapist and patient and as friends. Nicole's
nurturing personality fills a hole in Felicia's life that she's had for as long
as she can remember.
I laughed out loud when super-protective Aaron showed up
to check up on the therapist his mom hired. Instead of the middle-aged
Brunhilde type he expected, Aaron faced a young woman whose beauty left him
speechless. Immediately suspicious, he gets a bit intense in his questions for
her. Felicia handles him well but is wary, thanks to her past. Aaron suspects
she's hiding something and is determined to figure it out. To do that, he makes
frequent visits to his mother's house, more and more fascinated by what he
sees.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Aaron
and Felicia. As Aaron begins to suspect that she's on the run from an abuser,
his protectiveness is aroused. Felicia's wariness fades as she learns more
about Aaron and realizes that he's one of the good guys. There are some sweet
scenes of them together, from teaching her self-defense to taking Felicia on
her very first picnic. I especially enjoyed seeing Aaron take her out to dinner
at his cousin Tatum's restaurant, True (
Undercover Heat).
But as Felicia and Aaron grow closer, she also feels as
though she's being watched. I ached for Felicia and her feeling of impending
doom. When it becomes evident that her ex has found her, Felicia fears for
Nicole's safety and runs rather than bringing danger to her friend. I was glued
to the pages as Felicia's past caught up with her, and Aaron desperately tried
to find her. I loved watching Felicia use what she learned from Aaron and even
more when Aaron delivered the final blow. Though the suspense was low-key until
the end, it sure made up for it with an intense confrontation. I loved seeing
Aaron and Felicia come together at the end, ready to face the future without
her past hanging over her head.
The storyline pays a little bit of attention to the lawsuit
running through the second half of the series. In a previous book, we learned
that Aaron's father is suing the other Colton family for part of the company
after the murders of their fathers. Some of the family dynamics behind it come
out during Aaron's visit to his father and conversation with his grandmother. The
grandmother is not a nice person and is good at manipulating her selfish and
weak-minded son. I look forward to seeing how this works out.
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