Series:
Never Too Late for Love: Ellington Cove (Book 5)
Griff Fowler left his career as a cop after a tragedy he
couldn’t shake. Now nearly fifty, he’s a Guardian Agency protector. His job is
to shield and to safeguard. And he does whatever it takes to get that job done.
So going undercover at a resort in Key West to help take
down a drug dealer is business as usual for him.
What isn’t business as usual? The resort’s spa manager
Cici Malone and her haunted brown eyes.
She’s caught in the middle of this mess since the police
have asked her to help identify who’s behind the deadly drug. She doesn’t know
Griff’s real purpose for being here.
But she does know the hunky silver fox has caught her
attention in a way no one has in years. She learned the hard way that men can’t
be trusted, but finally feels willing to give passion another shot.
But when the danger amps up and the truth comes out,
everything changes. Griff will have to find a way to protect the woman who’s
come to mean so much to him while proving his feelings for her are genuine.
And that it’s never too late for love.
Terrific addition to
this later-in-life romance series. CiCi is the manager of the luxury spa at the
Ellington Cove resort. She's been a secondary character in the previous books,
and I was happy to see her get her own story.
The story opens as CiCi is informed that someone is
running drugs through her spa. She is hurt that one of her employees has
betrayed her trust like that and furious over what it could do to the spa's
reputation. The Key West PD has requested her help figuring out who it is. The
security team at the resort is concerned about CiCi's safety if the perp
figures out her involvement, so they arrange for an undercover bodyguard -
without telling her they are doing so.
Griff is a former cop who left the force after a
traumatic event and went to work as a bodyguard for the Guardian Agency. Because
of his construction experience, he's going undercover as the contractor in
charge of renovations at the spa. While overseeing the work, he mainly focuses
on protecting CiCi.
The sparks between CiCi and Griff are evident from the
moment they meet, but each hesitates to enter a full-fledged relationship. I loved
that neither could stop thinking about the other. It was sweet to see Griff
come up with a reason to spend more time with CiCi that had nothing to do with
being her bodyguard. They connected quickly during the snorkeling trip, and
their attraction continued to grow.
Griff and CiCi's relationship develops quickly, but Griff
feels guilty because CiCi doesn't know why he's there. When the truth comes
out, both must overcome their pasts before they feel ready to move on together.
I loved that CiCi knew she couldn't push Griff if he wasn't ready. At the same
time, Griff worried that he'd been moving too fast. I liked their honesty with
themselves and each other as they faced those hurdles. It takes a dangerous
situation to bring home that they belong together.
The suspense was fast-paced and intense. CiCi's anger at
the betrayal by one of her employees was intense, as was her determination to
root out the traitor. I was glued to the pages, and she and Griff followed
their paths in the investigation. The tension ramped up after Griff's discovery
and the attack on him at CiCi's house. A couple of twists kept me on the edge
of my seat until the culprit was caught. The final confrontation and its
aftermath were intense and emotional.
The epilogue was fantastic and a terrific lead-in to the
next book, Ilsa's story. I can't wait to read it, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment