Series:
Coltons of Colorado (Book 10)
She has a witness to protect…
And her own heart to defend!
US marshal Alexa Colton is assigned to bring vice
detective Dane Beaulieu safely to a trial. But after an extended time in
witness protection, Dane wants to get back in action and is ready to risk
everything for justice. Meanwhile, Alexa struggles to keep her heart intact and
her head in the game. Because deadly killers are waiting to pounce, and this
Colton needs to keep her man alive…
Good book. Overall, I liked the premise. A female marshal
working for witness protection has made a good impression on her boss. She
has previously guarded woman protectees, but Vince assigns her to a high-profile
case protecting a man. She needs to safely get vice detective Dane Beaulieu from
Blue Larkspur to Phoenix, where he will testify against his former boss - the
police chief who ran a prostitution ring and murdered Dane's partner. She's
excited about the chance and ready for the challenge.
Dane is ready to get the trial over with. He's used to
being busy, and being confined to a small apartment for months has gotten on
his last nerve. Being in witness protection has been a challenge, as he is
accustomed to being the one doing the protecting. The last thing he expects is
the beautiful young woman who is his latest guard.
From the moment Alexa and Dane meet, the sparks fly
between them. Some are sparks of attraction, while others are sparks of
antagonism. Alexa makes it clear from the start that she is in charge and expects
him to cooperate. Dane says the right things but intends to listen to his own
instincts, even if they disagree with hers.
Alexa and Dane are on the lookout for trouble. They expect
that Swanson will send people to stop Dane from testifying. Their fears come
true when someone in a passing car shoots at them. They escape unharmed, but
the shooters get away. Taking evasive action slows their journey, and they must
stop for the night. Here is where things start to enter the realm of the
unlikely. Dane kisses Alexa, and she responds to him. Not only does this impact
her objectivity, but she's also unaware of her surroundings during that kiss.
Neither one can stop thinking about it.
That first attack builds up the tension, with our couple looking
for a repeat performance. Over the next couple of days, as they make their way
toward Phoenix, there are other attempts. However, these were possibly the most
inept attackers that could be found to do the job. Even when Dane makes a
blockheaded move that gets a gun in his ribs, Alexa gets the drop on the bad
guy. Alexa spent an inordinate amount of time on the phone with people who
could be compromised instead of relying on her instincts and abilities. The only
person I would have trusted was her brother Dom, the FBI agent. I expected more
action and mainly got a lot of looking over their shoulders while driving back
roads. The biggest excitement was when Vince called in helicopter support and a
rapidly ended attack in the courtroom. We never did find out how that happened.
Complicating matters was the attraction between Alexa and
Dane. The intelligent thing would be to put it on hold until after the trial,
then see where it goes. But no - they hop into bed together on their second
night in a hotel room. The bad guys could have broken into the room, and they
wouldn't have known they were there until it was too late. I also got
frustrated with Alexa, who expected that she would never see Dane again after
the trial, despite what they'd shared. "He'll go back to his job and
forget about me. Woe is me." Never mind that it was only a nine-hour drive
between their homes - doable if you want to continue the relationship. I was
more impressed with Dane, who had a better outlook and plan for the future. I
liked his arrival in Blue Larkspur and the plans he set in motion.
There is a minor incident dealing with the overarching
series theme of the wrongly released criminal Ronald Spence. The Coltons have
been trying to catch him and put him back in prison for several books. He
appears out of nowhere, intending to attack Alexa and her mother, but gets away
when Isa has a medical emergency. Not a surprise since there are still two
books to go in the series, and I expect it won't be resolved until the end.
Not my favorite of the series, but I was happy to see
Alexa find a love of her own.
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