Series:
Never Too Late for Love: Ellington Cove (Book 4)
Your past will find you, even on an island paradise...
At forty-six, Debra Wheeler is thriving in her dream job
as the manager for the Ellington Cove resort in Key West. Brick by painful
brick, she’s built a life she can finally be proud of.
But when an old acquaintance blackmails her--demanding
access to the resort guests’ valuables--protecting herself means revealing her
worst mistakes to the resort’s special security team.
Including sexy silver fox Wes Slater.
As the new face in town, Wes is uniquely equipped to help
Debra with an undercover operation to bring down the criminals. He’s got the
military and security background to handle it.
Even if fifty feels too damned old to pretend to be
someone's boyfriend —he’s about to become a grandfather for God’s sake. But
he’ll do whatever it takes to help prove the innocence of the gentle beauty he
can’t get out his head.
When the danger turns deadly and the fake relationship
turns into very real feelings, two people who thought passion had already
passed them by will find it's never too late for love.
...if they can stay alive long enough to enjoy it.
Another terrific entry into the series. I love that these
stories are long enough to be satisfying in action, romance, and character
development but short enough to be read in one sitting. That's a good thing
because once I start one of these books, I don't want to stop until I finish.
Wes is the new man at the Key West Ellington Cove
location. He's there to learn from the security team's success and be ready to
take it to another Ellington property. He's fifty years old and looking forward
to this new stage in his career, especially when he meets resort manager Debra.
Debra is happy with her job as the Cove's manager. She
has friends, a position she loves, and the occasional date. The journey hasn't
been easy, but she is proud of the life she's made for herself.
I loved the first scenes with Wes and Debra. To learn the
area and the resort, Wes has been playing chauffeur for Debra. The sparks
between them are evident from the start as they are clearly intrigued by each
other. I enjoyed seeing Debra invite Wes to the women's networking meeting and
the pleasure she got from introducing him around. You know the way the wind is
blowing when she feels a bit of jealousy at one point, even though she knows
he's only in Key West for a short time.
Debra's pleasure in Wes's company is interrupted when she
receives a mysterious note under her door during the night. Unfortunately,
she's all too sure of who the message is from - a blast from the past she hoped
never to hear from again. I liked that she never truly considered handling it alone
or running from it. She takes it to Gabby first, who sees it for the blackmail it
is, and immediately insists on involving the rest of the team.
I ached for Debra, who had to tell her friends about her
troubled past and worried it would change how they looked at her. Of course, it
didn't; all they wanted to do was help her. When evidence of a robbery at the
resort is planted at her home, Wes and the others are determined to prove her
innocence.
Wes is assigned to play the part of Debra's wealthy boyfriend
and doubles as her bodyguard. I loved the interagency cooperation with the
police department, the security team, and the resort owners. I felt terrible
for Debra, who had to pretend she was under suspicion and worried that it would
affect her work relationships. However, being suspended from her job gave her much
time to spend with Wes. I loved their opportunities to do fun things and get to
know each other while their attraction grew. But will anything come of it when it's
time for Wes to move on?
I loved the suspense of the story. During the women's
networking meeting, they learned that a bling ring was operating in Key West -
a group of thieves that target wealthy clients at resorts and rob them of their
jewelry. When Debra received that letter, she knew who was behind the ring. I
was wholly invested in following the steps to protect Debra and stop the
thieves. Each time we encountered Debra's enemy, it became increasingly evident
that her targeting of Debra was a personal vendetta. The intensity ramped up
the closer the showdown came, and I was glued to the pages when an unexpected
twist put Debra in danger. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I
loved seeing Debra's strength and Wes's confidence in her.
The ending was fantastic. I especially loved the epilogue
and seeing what is in store for Wes and Debra. It was wonderful to see that the
resort owners appreciated her loyalty and talents and treated her accordingly. I
also loved Wes's surprise for Debra on their arrival back in Key West. I can't
wait for the next book in the series.
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