Series:
Touré Security Group (Book 1)
Reunited by danger…
…and racing against the clock
On the trail of a hacker, IT security expert Malachi
Touré finds…a woman from his past he's never gotten over. Dr. Grace Blackwell
is no hacker. She's a medical researcher, and someone has stolen a potentially
deadly formula from her computer. Despite the still-simmering attraction
between them, Mal is wary of trusting her again. Then everything changes when a
killer has Grace in their sights…
Good combination of second chance romance and suspense. The
story opens as Grace, a medical researcher, opens an email that immediately
hacks into her files. Several files are stolen, which could be dangerous in the
wrong hands. She also learns that her mentor, Dr. B., died in a fall the night
before he supposedly sent her the suspect file. Grace sets out to discover who
hacked her computer by doing the same thing in reverse.
Mal, one of three brothers who own the Touré Security
Group, was hired that day to discover
who hacked into a defense contractor's computer system. He's stunned when the
hacker he's chasing sends him a message accusing him of being the hacker. After
an unsatisfactory exchange of messages, they agree to meet. Mal is shocked when
the hacker who shows up is his ex-girlfriend.
Mal and Grace have a history together. They met in
Chicago four years earlier and had an intense relationship. But when Grace's
older sister Pam died of diabetes-related complications, Grace was riddled with
guilt. She felt she'd allowed her relationship with Mal to interfere with her
diabetes research, so she walked away from him. They've never forgotten each
other, and now they are thrown together as they race to find out who stole
Grace's files.
There were many times I wanted to grab Grace by the
shoulders and shake her. The attraction and connection between her and Mal is
still there, but she refuses to believe that she can do her work and have a
relationship at the same time. Whenever she and Mal seem to get closer, she
pushes him away. Grace also has significant trust issues, which become more apparent
as they look for suspects.
Mal is a good guy who is reluctant to risk his heart with
Grace again. Her departure four years earlier devastated him. He has closed
himself off from people, preferring to do his work with the company via email
and texts rather than face-to-face.
The rekindling of their relationship was complicated.
Both are wary of getting involved again. However, the sparks and connection are
so obvious that everyone around them can see them. I liked Mal's protectiveness
as the danger intensified, and I appreciated that Grace trusted him enough to
accept his protection. As their feelings for each other grow stronger, they
must consider whether they are willing to risk their hearts again. It takes
straight talk from their loved ones to let go of their fears and take that leap
of faith.
The suspense of the story was good. The number of
suspects grew as Mal and Grace dug deeper into who would benefit from the
theft. The twists and turns of the investigation kept me hooked as the body
count went up, and they got closer to the truth. The final confrontation came
as a surprise and turned intense very quickly. I loved Grace's coolness and
presence of mind as she faced off with the killer. The resolution was well done
and believable.
I enjoyed getting to know Mal's brothers, Zeke and Jerry.
The dynamics among the three brothers were interesting and showcased each one's
personality well. Mal is the quiet one and the peacemaker who finds himself
refereeing the arguments between Zeke and Jerry. Zeke is the oldest and tends
to be a little bossy. Jerry is the youngest and appears to have a great deal of
resentment toward Zeke. However, they put aside their differences to keep Grace
safe. They also extend their protection to her grandmother. I loved Melba, a
feisty old lady in an assisted living center in Florida. She has a great
relationship with Grace and is blunt in advising Grace about her lack of a life
outside of work. I laughed out loud when Jerry was sent to be Melba's guard
because she got into the cover story with so much enthusiasm.
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