Joanna WayneCritiques
Auteur de Bayou Blood Brothers (Tyler / Nick / Jules)
Critiques
Riley is one of Pierce's brothers and has arrived in town for Pierce's wedding. Riley is a wandering ranch hand who is best known for not staying in one place for very long. Riley is good-looking, charming, and chivalrous.
The story begins with Dani being threatened by her sister's ex, who claims to be Constance's father. He's threatening to sue for custody if Dani doesn't turn over half the insurance settlement from Amber's death. The money is tied up in a trust, so Dani couldn't do it even if she wanted to. But James's threats are frightening anyway, and Dani will do what she must to protect her niece.
Riley arrives in town and stops by Dani's bakery for coffee. He steps in to help when she's overwhelmed by customers. He's quite taken by her and looks forward to seeing more of her at the wedding. I loved seeing their quick connection and the attraction that flares between them. When Dani's bakery is vandalized, Riley insists on helping with the cleanup and staying to give her peace of mind. He senses that she isn't being completely honest about what is going on and is determined to be there for her.
I liked seeing the relationship develop between them. Dani knows Riley's reputation, but is determined to enjoy his company while she can. It isn't long before his care for her and for Constance works its way into her heart. Riley finds himself less and less interested in moving on, and more interested in spending time with Dani. I really enjoyed seeing him bring some fun into their lives and how they brought a feeling of home into his. The ending was really sweet and romantic with the surprise that Riley had for Dani.
The suspense of the story was good, The main theme was the threat against Dani. James was definitely a nasty piece of work who obviously cared more for getting some easy money than what was best for Constance. What he did to Dani's bakery increased the tension she was under, as she wondered what would happen next. I liked that she was also proactive in taking steps to find out if he was truly the father. There's also a twist where others get involved in his scheme, increasing the danger Dani is in. The final confrontation was intense with some surprising information coming out of it regarding an event from the previous book.
I really liked the relationship between the three Lawrence brothers. Each had coped with their childhood trauma a different way, but their ties have never been broken. I also loved the way that they all had a part in helping Dani.
For the most part the story was strong. I felt the reveal of the who and why of the murder(s) was weak but otherwise it was a good romantic suspense.
Jake is the widower father of a teenage girl. He has a successful ranch and a good life. However, he is tired of Carolina's nagging attempts to get him to reconcile with his father. He has his reasons for his attitude, and she isn't going to change his mind. He figures that a rich socialite like she is has her own motivations and he isn't interested in helping her with them. He's surprised to discover that she's in charge of the at-risk program and isn't too sure about having her on his ranch. But he figures he can stay out of her way for the short time she'll be there.
Things change when he witnesses Carolina and her friend Mildred being threatened by Mildred's ex-husband. He steps in to protect them. When he later learns of further threats against Carolina, he discovers an unexpected determination to keep her safe. There is also an attraction that he hasn't felt for another woman since the death of his wife.
I really enjoyed the development of the relationship between Jake and Carolina. Both of them had had definite opinions about each other, based on the few meetings they'd had. It didn't take long for them to discover that the truth was vastly different. I liked seeing Jake get surprised by each new thing he learned about her and start to see her in a new light. Carolina has not been involved with anyone since her husband's death, certain that he had been the only one she would ever love. Jake was never on her radar that way until she spent time with him. I liked seeing him demolish her opinions of him with the way that he cared for his daughter and his relationships with others. Both of them were strong individuals with their own way of doing things. I loved seeing them cooperate and compromise during their efforts to track down Thad. That also extended to the feelings that were growing between them, as they both dealt with the strength of them. Both were a bit tentative about trusting what was happening, but willing to see where it would go. In the end, both realize that life can be too uncertain and embrace what they have found.
The suspense of the story was good, with the looming danger of the man who had a grudge against Carolina. The danger is obvious from the beginning as his actions and thoughts are revealed. Jake and Carolina are determined to find him and put an end to his threats. I liked that they didn't go it completely alone, that they involved the sheriff and others all along the way. Everything that they found out just added to the sense of impending danger. Even when it looked like he was far away, there was still enough uncertainty to keep me turning the pages. The final confrontation was intense and fast paced with a very satisfying resolution.
One of the things I enjoyed most of all was that Carolina and Jake were older than the usual romance couples. It was great to see that, at fifty-five, she is still considered to be a vibrant and sexy woman. Though I don't recall Jake's age being mentioned, it seems to be close to that of Carolina's. He is also still quite attractive to the ladies.
I also enjoyed the secondary characters of Lizzie, Edna and Mary. I felt bad for Jake as he was trying so hard to be a good dad for Lizzie, but was out of his depth dealing with her actions and attitude. I thought she was portrayed quite well, and the cause of her behavior was believable. I loved Edna's running of the ranch house and how everyone hopped to her bidding. Her awe of Carolina was pretty sweet. Jake's mom Mary was fun with her stories of her travels. I also liked seeing her with R.J. at the end of the book.
The only problem I had with the book was that there were several places where the wrong man's name was used. This was jarring enough to pull me out of the story for a moment as I'd have to reread to see if I had missed something.
The book is full of plot holes and illogical thoughts and actions.
TSTL heroine, who e.g. accepts a tel. nr provided by a guy claiming to be an FBI agent to check up on him instead of an ID. When told by an FBI agent to drive away if she hears shots, she instead gets out of her car to watch the firefight between the agent and the person trying to kill her from a balcony. She also keeps on saying she wants to go to a hotel, claiming it is safer than her house because the killer will not be there.
The FBI agent isn't much smarter either, e.g. insisting the killer is a serial killer even when every bit of evidence points another way.
Becky still loves Nick, but she's tired of she and the boys taking second place to football. She's moved to the family ranch with them and is trying to move on with her life. When the boys are kidnapped she has to put her feelings aside and work with Nick to find their sons.
Forced together by circumstances, Becky and Nick have to try to get along for the sake of their search. Instinct has Becky wanting to lean on Nick for support, but experience has her reluctant to depend on him. She spends a lot of time trying to keep him at a distance, protecting her heart from having it broken again. Nick left the hospital against doctor's recommendations in order to help in the search for his sons, risking the possibility that his injuries could be permanent. He loves Becky and his sons and has trouble understanding what the problem has been with their marriage. Now, in the midst of the crisis, he finally starts to see what his focus has cost him. Becky also begins to see that her own expectations may have been unrealistic. I liked seeing them repair their relationship while dealing with the crisis. I liked the way that they worked out their future.
The whole kidnapping event put me a little in mind of the story The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry. While this kidnapper was definitely more on the nasty side than ridiculous, the two boys did not make it easy for him to pull off the kidnapping. I thoroughly enjoyed their ingenuity as they worked to escape, and also try to disable the bad guy. On the adults' side, I liked seeing how they all worked together to find the boys. The final confrontation was nerve wracking as I wondered if Nick's injuries were going to interfere with the rescue.
Booker's protective instincts are raised when Jade throws herself at him to escape the notice of those who may be looking for her. He doesn't know who she is at first, but once he hears her story he suspects that she's been set up. He's determined to keep her safe while the investigation goes on. It doesn't hurt that she's beautiful and the chemistry between them is pretty hot.
Jade is used to taking care of herself and not depending on anyone's help. Her mother is a bit of a drama queen and has been through multiple husbands. Her father, RJ, pretty much abandoned the family until recently, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She's not inclined to forgive him, but she knows she will be able to hide out on the ranch for a couple days. She doesn't expect to find several of her half brothers there along with her father, or that all of them are determined to help her. She's not quite sure what to make of the previously unheard of family support.
I loved seeing Booker and Jade together. The attraction between them is strong, but neither is interested in a relationship. As a SEAL, Booker feels that he's a bad bet until he done with deployments, as constant separations are hard on relationships. He keeps his involvements light. Jade also avoids them as she hasn't had good examples and isn't ready to risk her heart yet. As they're thrown together Booker discovers that Jade is strong and independent, and she finds that it's comforting to be able to lean on someone else for a change. When all the fuss was over I loved the way they got to know each other while staying at the ranch. The ending was really sweet.
The suspense of the story was good. The big question was what had happened to the necklace. Jade's escape from the kidnapper was pretty intense. There was also her need to clear her name about the murder and theft. There were some pretty intense moments when Booker's bodyguard/SEAL abilities came in quite handy. Just when I thought that everything was over and done, a twist in who was after the necklace became apparent. That final confrontation was nerve wracking until it was all over.
I also enjoyed the continuing story of the reconciliation between RJ and his kids. I liked seeing RJ finding ways to help Jade through her trouble. She was pretty wary of all the family togetherness, but it was great to see the way her brothers stepped up to help. I'm looking forward to the next book.
Cannon Dalton is a rodeo bull rider who doesn't believe Brit when she tracks him down. She informs Cannon that she left the little girl with his father at the Dry Gulch Ranch while she looked for him. He accompanies her back to Houston to take a paternity test, all the time certain that there's no way he could be a father. When Brit is attacked while he's in Houston, his protective instincts kick in and he's determined to protect her, even if that means taking her to his father's ranch.
Cannon's father, RJ, was a terrible father when his kids were young. When he found out he was dying of a brain tumor, he was determined to try to reconnect with them. He's made peace with three of his sons, and now he's hoping to do the same with Cannon. Cannon isn't interested, having too much resentment over his dad's abandonment to want anything to do with him. But in order to keep Brit and Kimmie safe, he'll put up with RJ for a little while. Being on the ranch and around his brothers gives him a different perspective and things begin to change a little for him. I also liked seeing how Cannon went from denying he could be a father, to falling for little Kimmie and wanting to be a better father than his own had been.
Brit's been told to stay away from the investigation until she has recovered from her injuries, but she can't and won't do that. Cannon won't step back and let her investigate without him there to keep her safe. There's more than just protectiveness going on, as Cannon feels a powerful attraction to Brit, even though their lives are very different. I liked seeing the trust that developed between them first and how that trust turned to love.
The mystery is very good. Brit starts out by trying to figure out what the connection is between her sister's murder and the attack on her. There also may be a connection with her father, who was murdered three years earlier, and whose killer hasn't yet been caught. Brit's instincts tell her that her attack is related to a murderer she helped catch and convict right after she became a detective, but she can't figure out what the connection would be to her sister and father. In trying to find out more about her sister, she also learns something disturbing about her father. Just when Brit thinks everything is safe, a twist in the investigation puts her life in danger, and Cannon is the only one who can save her.
Twenty years ago, an extremely talented and rising poet disappeared without a trace in the woods of Maine. Over the years rumors about his mysterious disappearance abounded, from the mundane to the fantastic; but nothing was ever proven. Now English professor Molly Ferrell has come to Hidden Harbor, Maine to write his story, and to find out what really happened to Michael O'Flannery.
She opened her eyes and stared at him. "Nathan?" His name came out in a husky whisper.
"I'm here."
She touched her hand to his. "Help me. Please help me."
"Do we know each other, Jill?"
She didn't answer, just closed her eyes and seemed to fade into a semiconscious state.
Dr. Nathan Duncan is curious about the mysterious young woman who just came into his emergency room as a patient. He's inexplicably drawn to her and is sure that he's met her somewhere before, but isn't sure where. Running from her jealous husband, Jill Jacobs is determined to hide her true identity. But can she keep the man she once loved in the dark forever?
The woman began to run, dropping the bucket of shells she'd been collecting. As she drew closer to the body, she slowed. Her hand went to her mouth to stifle the scream as she saw the terrible damage that had been done by sharp, vicious teeth. For a long moment she stared at the body, and then she turned away and ran, retracing her steps to the beach cottage she owned on Pirate Harbor and the telephone that would bring the sheriff.
A badly mutilated body washes up on the Florida shore. Was this a victim of another shark attack...or something else entirely? Marine biologist Libby Phillips isn't quite sure. What she does know for certain is that modern-day pirate - and suspect - Chad Watson is distracting her from her work in more ways than one.
I must say that I enjoyed this book very much. In my opinion, all the stories contained in this anthology were very well-written, and as examples of the romantic suspense genre, each story was really quite good. The first story - The Road to Hidden Harbor by Anne Stuart - was the story that interested me right away, and was why I asked Mareena if I could read this book first.
It took me one day to read the first two stories in the anthology - The Road to Hidden Harbor by Anne Stuart and Remember Me by Joanna Wayne. Both stories were great - although in my personal opinion, perhaps more focused on the romantic subplots, rather than the mysteries. Primal Fear by Caroline Burnes was also quite enjoyable. It was a quick read for me, and I appreciated that the romantic subplot was less pronounced in this final story.
Overall, I would say that What Lies Beneath by Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes deserves an A! This was certainly a great anthology to showcase the work of three of the top romantic suspense authors within the genre: Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes.
I liked Faith's determination to find her son, but it was a little frustrating that she couldn't seem to see him as an adult. She is certain that he is in trouble. There are things that the police are telling her about him that she just can't believe. While the missing persons case is still open, she feels that they are not giving it much of an effort. When Travis offers to help, she takes him up on it.
Travis had not been able to forget his meeting with Faith. He's not entirely convinced that her son didn't leave by choice, but he's willing to help. Things get more intense when he discovers that there is reason to believe that a dangerous criminal that Travis has been investigating might be involved.
The chemistry between Travis and Faith is strong, but is held in check by their circumstances. Travis is still fighting the sense of betrayal cause by his father's abandonment of him when he was a child. He spent time in an abusive foster home because of it. His father is trying to make amends because he is dying of a brain tumor. Travis normally avoids relationships, but finds himself falling for Faith. He is also aware of the fact that nothing can come of it until her son is found. Faith does not trust easily, but she has to trust that Travis is doing everything he can to find her son. She still makes a couple of stupid moves at the beginning and is lucky that Travis is there for her. Travis's support and caring add to the feelings that are growing, but she's unable to think of moving forward until she finds her son.
I really enjoyed the suspense part of the story. It felt very realistic to me. I could easily see how a teenager could end up caught in a situation like that, and feel that he has no options. I loved following the leads along with Faith and Travis, and found myself entirely caught up in their search. The intensity increased the closer they got, and the finale was excellent.
Leif harbors a great deal of resentment toward his father because of the way RJ wasn't there for him and his brother. His dad may be trying to make amends now that he's dying, but that doesn't mean Leif has to go along with it. He's certainly not going to let his daughter spend too much time with such a crummy excuse for a father. He meets his father's vet Joni soon after arriving at the ranch. When he discovers that her home has been broken into after a murder happened near her home, he can't help but jump in to protect her.
Joni doesn't know why she seems to be the target, but she's glad for Leif's presence. Having him there makes her feel physically safer, but she's not so sure about her heart. The danger is intensifying emotions for both of them. One of the things she really likes about Leif is his obvious love for his daughter. I liked the way that she encouraged him to talk to Effie openly and truthfully.
There were a lot of parallels between Leif's relationship with his daughter and the one with his father. It took Joni pointing them out for him to be able to see them. She lets him know that he's going to have to deal with his past before he'll be able to have a successful future with his daughter.
The suspense itself was pretty good. I enjoyed seeing the way that Leif and Joni worked together to figure out who it was. There were a couple of things going on that created some confusion. Some of the clues were buried enough that it took awhile for them to sort it out, but even then it almost got ignored. The final confrontation was good, but the resolution of the relationships felt a little rushed.
One negative about the book was the cover. Leif isn't a cowboy, he's a lawyer. He spent only a few years as a young child on the ranch. It shows him on a horse, and I don't think he rode once during the whole book.
Detective Remy Comeaux never got over the loss of his beloved fiancée. But when he returns to New Orleans to expose ongoing corruption and meets Nicole Worthington, something about this beauty seems all too familiar.
Good opening story. Remy is a former police officer and currently a PI. He has come back to New Orleans for the justice he still craves. He had been helping the FBI investigate corruption at the highest levels of the police force when he was arrested on bogus charges. He was in jail when the hurricane hit, and feels guilty he wasn't able to save his fiancée. Now he just needs a little more evidence to be able to take down the chief. The first night he's back he meets the chief's girlfriend, Nicole, and is immediately drawn to her. He can't stand the idea of her being caught up in what Lee is doing, so he warns her. The next day she offers to help him. He wants her to be safe, but he also wants to stay close to her.
Nicole has been dating Lee for awhile but despite his wishes she isn't ready to take the next step. When she meets Remy at a party in Lee's honor there's something about him that she can't resist. When Remy tells her of his suspicions about Lee, she feels she has to help discover the truth. She seems to have an instinctive trust of him. I loved her insistence on helping Remy. She has quite a level head and is definitely an asset to his investigation.
Though the story was very short, it was still quite intense. The tension of Remy's first confrontation with Lee just escalated as he got more evidence. The fear of their discovery kept me on the edge of my seat as they searched Lee's house. The final confrontation had quite an interesting twist to it as Remy arrives just in time to save Nicole.
Bayou Jeopardy by Rita Herron
He lost his job and the love of his life when the storm hit, but Mack Rivet never gave up searching for answers. His passionate reunion with Lily Landry forces him to confront what really happened that fateful night. And then he learns about the son he never knew existed...
When Mack hears that the police chief who set him has been arrested he heads back to New Orleans to try to clear his name. As he begins his investigation he is stunned to discover that his wife and son did not die during the hurricane as her father told him. He is more determined than ever to get the answers so that they can have a life together.
Lily was told that Mack had died when the jail flooded. She didn't want to believe the charges against him but the evidence was overwhelming. She has never stopped loving him and is reminded of him every day when she looks at their son. When Mack shows up at her house and tells her that her father lied to both of them she doesn't know what to think.
Mack is determined to find out the truth, but it's looking more and more like Lily's dad is involved in more than just lying to them. And when he starts getting too close to the truth, Lily and his son are kidnapped to use as leverage against him. There are a couple of very interesting twists in the resolution of this one and the journey to a happy ending for Mack, Lily and Winston.
Bayou Justice by Mallory Kane
In order to bring justice back to New Orleans, FBI agent Ray Storm must once again turn to Molly Hennessey for help. This time, though, convincing the gorgeous attorney to believe in him is going to take more than just one night of seduction.
Having finished a four year undercover operation, Ray has taken some time off to come back to New Orleans and finish what he'd started eight years ago. Thanks to the two police officers he'd worked with then, some of the high level corruption has been stopped. But there's one more player and Ray is determined to take him down. In order to do so, he's going to have to ask Molly for her help again and he figures that's going to be a hard sell. Eight years ago he had gotten closer to her than he should have and then disappeared when he was pulled out right before Katrina.
Just as he's about to make contact with her, Ray notices she's being followed, but the man takes off before Ray can stop him. Molly wants nothing to do with him, still feeling betrayed by what had happened before. She also feels guilty for helping Ray get evidence against her brother. Now that he's running for governor she hopes he's stopped his illegal activities, but she still has copies of the evidence from years before.
When she is attacked and the papers stolen, she and Ray realize that the danger isn't over and someone wants to make sure that the evidence disappears. Ray's protective instincts kick in and stays with Molly to keep her safe. It puts a strain on his good intentions to be that close to her, and those intentions fall by the wayside as their attraction kicks back up. A heart attack and an overzealous campaign manager create a couple interesting twists to the conclusion of the mystery. Then Ray and Molly have to decide just what kind of a future they can have and if they can have it together.
I liked Adam a lot. He's in Dallas for the reading of his father's will, only to discover that he's not dead but has used the ruse to get all his children together. While there, Adam hears about the kidnapping and rushes to Hadley's side to offer her what support he can. He is stunned when Hadley reveals that he's their father. As they work together to find the girls, Adam realizes he still loves her. I loved the way he so fully supports her while the whole thing is going on. He also finally opens up to her about what has happened to him and why he took the actions he did.
Hadley is terrified over the loss of her daughters. When Adam appeared at her door she was shocked, but she found herself leaning on him right away. His strength was about all that was keeping her together. She felt guilty about not telling him that the girls were his, so she finally let him know. Having him there helping her made her realize that she had never stopped loving him. I really liked the way that she got him to open up to her and that she didn't let his injuries bother her.
The romance took second place to the suspense itself. I was hooked from the very beginning. It was easy to relate to Hadley's fear and her frustration with the lack of progress that the police were making. There were glimpses of the kidnapper, but not enough early on to get a good sense of who it was. There were several possibilities and I was kept guessing until nearly the end. I could see how furious Adam and Hadley were over the detective's apparent focus on her as a suspect. I really didn't like his focus on Hadley as it made him look like he wasn't really looking at other possibilities. Things got really intense as it got closer to ransom time. There were a couple interesting twists at the end.
I enjoyed the character of Adam's dad RJ. He's made a lot of mistakes in his life and is now trying to make up for them. As this is the first book in the series, there is a little bit of his backstory at the beginning. I liked his attitude while Adam and Hadley are at his ranch, and how he was helping them. It goes a long way toward helping heal his relationship with Adam. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
Only issue with the book is Harlequin's continued unwillingness to properly capitalize Marine in its books.
4 STARS
Big Shot is a romance mystery. It keeps up the suspense till the end. I like how Durk Lambert even gets right in thier when he sees a need and takes care of it.
Durk is rich, CEO of his family oil company. When he has time off for vacation he plans to head out to the family ranch.
Before he can leave his Aunt is taken from the ranch to hospital by ambulance. Durk heads for the emergency to see how she is. While he is waiting for news from the doctor another patient is brought in on a stretcher yelling about the car. Durk recongizes Meghan Sinclair a old girl friend that broke up with him two years ago. He went to see how she was and found out she was attacked in her condo.
Meghan was lucky that when she was attacked and yelled her big nieghbor came running and chased him off her. The nieghbor decided that getting Meghan medical help was needed more than chaseing the guy.
The nurse asks him to help feel out paperwork on Meghan since she was not making any sense. Durk did not remember her sister Lucy's last name but knew she lived out of town. Durk said he would make some phone calls to find out more.
Durk called Meghan's office and it rang busy it was not far from hospital so he decides to stop by and talk to Ben Meghan assistant. He found Ben murdered and picked up the gun to defend himself if needed. Then called the cops.
Meghan wakes up and can't remember her name or anything. She trusts Durk.
The police question Durk again but his albie about being at the hospital checks out.
It must be scary to not remember anything and know someone out thier wanted her dead. Also killed her co-worker that she does not remember. Who do you trust? I like that
Meghan does not give up and is determined to find out who killed Ben. She does not want to be a burden to Durk.
this was a fast read. I would love to go back and read about Durk's brothers story.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.
11/01/2012 Pub Harlequin Imprint Harlequin Intrigue 9780373696505 ISBN
Moving Meghan to the Bent Pine Ranch for safety purposes, Durk was overwhelmed with feelings for her and the fear that she was the one woman he could never have. As memories begin to surface, a killer moves in for the kill.
Fast-paced, action-packed, hard to put down until the last page—a great addition to the Big D Dads series.
A fast-paced, well thought out storyline that kept me guessing to the end. A great edition to the Big Dads series.
This first installment to the Big D Dads series is fast-paced and suspense filled.
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Keenan is an FBI agent on medical leave after being injured. He is the best man at the wedding where Josette is the maid of honor. He first noticed her on the flight to New Orleans, though his attempt at flirting didn't get him very far. It was when they arrived that they learned of their connection.
I loved the scenes with Josette, Addison (the bride), and the other bridesmaids. Friends during college, they are still close, and I enjoyed their light-hearted reminisces. The wedding preparation scenes in popular New Orleans locations were terrific, especially with the added excitement of Mardi Gras. I liked that the reason Josette was there was nicely balanced with the mystery.
Almost as soon as Josette arrives in New Orleans, rumors circulate that the missing Isadora will stage a triumphal return. The local detective, Max, knows nothing about it and cautions Josette not to get her hopes up. When someone has been missing that long, the outcome is rarely good.
Meanwhile, Josette tries to contact her father, Antoine, a shrimper on a nearby bayou. She's disturbed by his refusal to see her and more so by the news he shares with her. Max offers to go with her as moral support when she plans to visit him. Their trip to Alligator Cove raises more questions than answers. Mixed in among wedding activities, Josette and Keenan put their minds to finding out what Antoine is hiding, and when they do, why it doesn't make sense.
The stakes go up when a woman's body is found floating in the bayou, and Keenan and Josette run into danger while searching a deserted cabin. The final confrontation is a nail-biter but leaves one central question unanswered. Because of the length of time elapsed, the why of the explanation was no surprise when the resolution came. After all was said and done, it was a bit anti-climactic, but I still enjoyed it.
I loved seeing the relationship between Keenan and Josette develop. The sparks of attraction were there from the moment they met, but doing anything about them didn't seem like a good idea. After the wedding, Keenan would return to DC, and his job with the FBI, and Josette would return to Nashville and her successful career as a fashion designer. But Keenan's protective instincts were aroused and second only to his desire to spend as much time as possible with Josette.
After a year of dealing with various law enforcement types, Josette isn't inclined to trust Keenan initially, but it isn't long before he wins her over. I loved how Keenan was there to support her however she needed it. Over the time they spent together, their attraction continued to grow, leading to some very intense kisses and an unexpected deepening of the feelings growing between them. While the danger they experienced made them realize they didn't want to be apart, they still needed to figure out how to make it happen.