Series:
Conard County (Book 69)
Back to Conard County
Back under fire.
In town for a wedding, Sergeant Jax Stone is “asked” to
stick around Conard County to investigate a suspicious fire. He never expects
boarding with widow Lynn Macy to give him the taste of family he'd craved. And
while helping Lynn renovate her house has the Marine falling for her, Jax's
past brings peril to her doorstep. To keep her safe, his only choice may be to
give her up…
Very good book that captured my attention and kept me
hooked. It opened with a prologue detailing a war crimes trial for a Marine who
went too far in carrying out his duties. It's hard to face when one of your
brothers-in-arms does something so heinous, and it's even harder when the
person in question doesn't believe he did anything wrong.
Jax returned to his hometown for his best friend Adam's
wedding
(Mistaken Identity). The night of the wedding, the motel he's staying
in catches fire and burns to the ground. The person in the room next to him
doesn't survive. After interviewing Jax, Sheriff Dalton requests that Jax
remain in town and sets him up in Lynn's boarding house. Jax knows that the
"request" is merely a formality - leaving town is not an option until
the investigation is complete.
Lynn has been a widow since the death of her soldier husband
two years earlier. She has buried her grief in renovating the house he left
her, turning it into a boarding house. She has three college student boarders
she calls "her boys." She's happy to take in Jax, who she remembers
from their school days. Neither of them expects the sparks of attraction that
flare between them, and both try to ignore them. Jax will be taking up a new
post in a short time, and Lynn isn't interested in a relationship, especially
with another military man.
Things start to go a little south when Jax receives a
phone call from the prosecutor at the war crimes trial. Two of the five jurors
have died mysteriously, and he warns Jax to be alert. Complicating matters,
Lynn's brother-in-law is making a pest of himself after losing his lawsuit to
claim half of Lynn's house. Luke's attitude arouses Jax's protective instincts.
He also must fight off the advances of Madge, a woman he has no interest in.
Life in Lynn's boarding house becomes even more
interesting when her mother, Nancy, shows up for a visit. She and Lynn are like
oil and water and frequently butt heads. Nancy frustrates Lynn with her
heavy-handed attempts at matchmaking between Lynn and Jax, though Jax finds her
endlessly amusing.
I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Lynn
and Jax. He is used to being busy, so he volunteers to help Lynn with the
renovations. An easy friendship develops as they work together, but those
sparks are never far from the surface. Lynn experiences some guilt over those
sparks, feeling as though she is being unfaithful to Matt. Jax's experience
with his parents' marriage has left him wary of relationships. When the fire
investigation clears him, he's free to go, but he can't bring himself to leave
with everything going on. There are some sweet scenes of them together, from
working on the house to sharing their pasts. But when danger comes to Jax, Lynn
panics and pushes him away. It takes some honest self-reflection to see that
she's ready to love again.
The suspense of the story kept me turning the pages. We
have the possible threat to Jax's life, Luke's determination to get Lynn's house
for himself, and Madge's determination to get Jax for herself. Neither Madge nor
Luke are the brightest, and when they team up, the results are less than
spectacular. One of Lynn's boys plays a big part in stopping one attempt (I loved
seeing him with Miss Emma!). Meanwhile, Luke becomes the unwitting dupe of
Jax's stalker.
The threat against Jax is very real. We get frequent looks
from the stalker's point of view, keeping the reader on edge as we see the dangers
that Jax doesn't. The tension ramps up as they become increasingly desperate to
complete their "mission." There was one point where I was sure Jax
would figure it out, but the clue was just out of his reach (it's the walk, Jax,
the walk!). The final confrontation was terrific, as the stalker was no match
for Jax's strength and reflexes.
The secondary characters were plentiful and well done.
Lynn's mother, Nancy, was a trip. Many of her actions and comments were cringeworthy,
but she has a good heart. I liked her joy of cooking for others and could see that
was one of her ways of showing she cared. I loved the three college guys, who
were good kids and thoughtful of Lynn. It was fun to see the dynamics change throughout
the book. Maude of Maude's diner was her usual grumpy self but still shows as
one of the hearts of Conard. Characters from other books make appearances, and
I am always happy to see where they are in their lives.
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