He'll sacrifice his safety…for a woman who could
completely upend his Christmas.
After Gage Graham saves her from drowning, Hope Fischer
revives, determined to learn the truth about her sister's death. All she has to
do is infiltrate a mysterious closed Virginia town and discover why the
attractive -- but secretive -- Gage feels compelled to help her. Can she trust
him? Will he risk being discovered by his former employer, the CIA, for a woman
he just met? Neither will matter if a killer succeeds.
Terrific book. I made the mistake of starting to read at
10:30 last night and closed the book at 3 am - I could not put it down. The
story opens with a rush as someone runs Hope off the road, and her car ends up
in the lake. Luckily, Gage Graham witnessed it and saved her.
Hope arrived in the rural Virginia county looking for
answers about her sister Faith's death. Though ruled a suicide, Hope knows Faith
would never take her own life and believes she was murdered. Unfortunately, she
gets no cooperation from the off-the-grid and restricted community of
Benediction where Faith lived and worked and has been refused entry entirely. Luckily,
when Gage rescues her, he talks the gate guards into letting him take her to
the town's clinic.
Gage knows that Hope is hiding something from him, but he
has secrets, too. Though publicly returned to Benediction to care for his
stepsister and nephew, he has reasons for hiding out off-the-grid. Once he
finds out why Faith is there, Gage must decide whether to help her or protect
himself.
I loved both Hope and Gage. As an international photojournalist,
Hope frequently gets herself into and out of tricky situations. Determined and
intelligent, she accepts Gage's help, though initially unsure if he can be
trusted. Hiding from his previous employers who had sent people to kill him, Gage hoped to have longer to prepare for his
next move. Helping Hope will likely put the crosshairs back on him, but he
can't deny his need to assist her in finding the truth.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Gage and Hope
develop. From the moment he pulled her out of the water, there was an
undeniable connection between them. Though wary at first, Hope quickly comes to
trust Gage and his commitment to helping her. Hope's ingenuity and resilience add
to her appeal for Gage. In the rare quiet moments, Hope and Gage take the
opportunity to exchange stories and get to know each other better. I loved
Gage's surprise at Hope's support and lack of judgment when he told her about
his past. The danger they experience adds to the intensity of the feelings that
grow between them. But when it's all over, Hope and Gage must decide if their
future lies together or apart.
The suspense of the story kept me glued to the pages from
beginning to end. The way that Hope kept getting stonewalled made it evident
that something fishy was going on. Hope's presence at the clinic created quite
a stir, adding to her certainty that they were hiding something. Gage agreed
with her and, when he witnessed her escape from the clinic, promised to help
her. The intensity built from one action to the next as Hope and Gage raced to
discover the truth before they could be caught. The twists and turns as each
discovery led closer to the truth kept me guessing until the end. Complicating
matters, a suspicious sheriff unwittingly led Gage's pursuers right to him,
leading to a nail-biting confrontation. I loved how well Hope and Gage worked
together.
Gage's escape "parachute" intrigued me, and I can't
wait for the other books in the series. The series theme of why Gage and his
team became targets looks like an intriguing storyline and I look forward to
learning more. 
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