Series:
San Antonio Security (Book 1)
She’s seen too much
And he’s running out of time to save her…
The last person security expert Luke Patterson ever
expected to see again is in desperate trouble. Claire Wallace witnessed her
boss’s murder…and the killer is tearing her quiet life apart to find her. Luke
will do anything to protect the childhood friend he never forgot. But as their
secrets become an inescapable trap, will they survive to have any future?
Fantastic start to the new series. The San Antonio
Security series is about four men, adopted as youths from the foster care system,
who form their own security company. The adoptive parents who raised them are a
fantastic couple, and I enjoyed meeting them all. This book focuses on Luke and
the girl he never forgot. After Claire was sent to another home and Luke was
adopted, they lost track of each other. Luke leans on the introverted side of
the spectrum and is least likely to be asked to deal with their customers. He's
gruff and grumpy (especially when it's his turn to deal with the paperwork) but
has a talent for reading people that has served the company well. He has a
great relationship with his brothers and his parents.
Claire has been an introvert all of her life, preferring
to live her life and do her job with as little attention as possible. A
computer genius, she has a job writing software and apps for a big company.
When she and her boss, Julia, figure out that the CEO plans to use the app Claire
has been working on to steal personal and financial information from its users,
they know what they must do. As Julia gets the proof they need to stop him and
sends it to Claire, she is murdered, and Claire witnesses it all on the video
link. She knows she is in danger and goes to the only person she can trust for
help - Luke.
I liked the first meeting between Luke and Claire. Luke
never forgot the sweet girl he nicknamed "Kitten" and protected from
the bullies at their foster home. He is determined to protect her and clear her
name when she comes to him. He doesn't expect the burst of attraction he feels
for her or the stirring up of emotions he's buried for years. Claire discovers
that even after years apart, Luke is still her hero. I liked seeing them get to
know each other as they worked together. I loved seeing Claire soften Luke's
rough edges and laughed out loud at his brothers' teasing. At the same time,
Luke's belief in Claire, her intelligence, and her strength gave her confidence
and helped bring her out of her shell. I loved the scenes with Luke's parents,
their unquestioning love and acceptance of Claire, and its effect on her. I loved the ending and seeing them come
together.
The suspense of the story was outstanding. The intensity
never let up from the minute Claire connected with her friend and boss. When
Claire finds out her boss plans to do something illegal with the program she
wrote, she is more than willing to help get the information to the authorities.
She was not expecting to witness her friend's murder and find herself the next
person in the crosshairs. She knows she's in danger, which is driven home when
she goes home to get her cat, Khan, before going on the run and barely escapes
the thugs sent after her. She runs to Luke for help.
I was on the edge of my
seat as she and Luke barely stayed a step ahead of the men after them. The bad
guy's influence and resources enable him to do anything he wants to stop Claire
from exposing him. But Luke and Claire aren't in it alone. I loved seeing how
his brothers had his back and worked with him. The final confrontation was a
nail-biter as it looked like the bad guy might succeed in his quest. But not
only is Claire smarter than he is, she also has a secret weapon that saves
her life. I loved seeing it all go down, and the resolution was excellent.
One of my favorite secondary characters was Claire's
Maine coon cat, Khan. He is a large cat and acts more like a dog than a cat. It
was fun to see other characters interact with him. I loved the moral support
that Khan provided Claire, as someone she could confide her fears and dreams and
who kept her company in her lonely life. I liked seeing his antics as a guard
cat-dog, plus he was an excellent judge of character.
I liked Luke's brothers. From what has been revealed so
far, it sounds like all four men had rough lives in the foster care system.
Luke's story was heartbreaking. The book's prologue was an emotional look at
what it meant for him to be adopted by the Pattersons. I can't wait to read the
stories of the other brothers.
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