She's become his whole world…and she's under fire
Ever since forensics analyst Shaye Mallory survived a
police-station shootout, Detective Cole Walker has felt personally responsible
for her well-being. Then another shooter takes
aim at Shaye. Cole decides the only thing he can do is stay right by her
side until he finds the man who wants her dead.
Cole knows that he must set aside his attraction to Shaye
if he's going to do his job. But as the days -- and nights -- go on, it becomes
harder and harder to resist his feelings. And, as danger moves ever closer
to them both, Shaye realizes that her safety might cost her the life of the man
she loves.
This book started with a bang (literally) and kept me
hooked all the way through. A year earlier Shaye had gotten caught in the
crossfire of a shootout at the police station. Afraid of it happening again,
she quit her job in the digital forensics lab. Now she is back, determined to
overcome the fears that kept her away from the job she loved. After a week on
the job, she has just started to relax when she is shot at again. Cole is first
on the scene to save her. Cole has a bad feeling about this shooting. It
appears random, but his gut tells him otherwise. He will do everything in his
power to keep Shaye safe until the shooter is
caught.
I really enjoyed
the mix of romance and suspense. Cole had fallen hard for Shaye as soon as he
met her, and the attraction was mutual. It was sweet to read their backstory,
as they built a solid friendship over "chance" encounters before and
after work. Cole missed her over the months
she was gone and was thrilled when she
came back to her old job. His protectiveness takes over when Shaye is shot at.
I liked Cole. He is protective of those he cares about,
such as Shaye and his brothers and partner. He is determined and doesn't give up even when the investigation hits
dead ends. He also frustrated me at times because he has a bit of an
inferiority complex. He knows he is good at his job, but his lack of a college
education makes him feel that he isn't good enough for Shaye.
I also liked Shaye. She allowed her fears to hold her
back for a little while, but then took steps to get her life back. I loved that
she went back to her forensics job determined to make a difference. She starts
out the book still a bit tentative and
understandably freaks when she's shot at again. But she doesn't allow the fear
to linger. I loved seeing her determination to be part of the investigation and
her refusal to be held back.
I liked the development of their relationship. They were already friends, and that friendship had developed into more. It was
obvious to those around them, and I enjoyed seeing his brothers and friends
give Cole a hard time about not pursuing it. Shaye is well aware of her feelings but is a bit hesitant about pushing
herself toward Cole. With Cole providing constant protection for Shaye, their
increased time together provides ample opportunity for their attraction to
grow. Cole fears that his feelings could be a distraction that could put Shaye
in more danger, but resisting just isn't possible. Shaye has some fears of her
own. She isn't sure if she can handle being with someone whose life is always
in danger. She also feels that Cole doesn't deserve someone who is such a
scaredy-cat as she thinks she is. It takes nearly losing each other to make
them realize that being apart is much worse than learning to deal with their worries
about being together. The epilogue was fantastic and showed the romantic side
of Cole's nature.
The suspense was really good. I could feel Shaye's fear
when the gunman was shooting at her and her relief when Cole arrived. The
frustration that Cole and the others experienced over the lack of clues was
obvious, as there were several possible suspects. I enjoyed following the leads
with them and trying to decide who was the most likely to be the shooter. The
final confrontation was intense, and I
was on the edge of my seat wondering how they were going to get out of it. I
was really impressed with Shaye's
presence of mind as she tried to delay the killer.
I liked the secondary characters of Cole's partner, Luke,
and his brothers, Andre and Marcos. I loved the way that they all provided any
backup that Cole needed, from watching over Shaye to confronting gang leaders
and witnesses. I also loved the closeness of the three "brothers of the
heart." There was a little more about the fire that played a part in their
youth, but not enough to answer all the questions. I expect that the next book
will do so.
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