Series:
Coltons of New York (Book 3)
Digging into the past…
…might get her killed
Within minutes of reconnecting with her high school
boyfriend, CSI Ellie Mathers survives two attempts on her life. Liam Colton
insists on staying by her side until he knows she’s safe, and Ellie doesn’t
push him away. Is it because she wants his help figuring out if her long-lost
childhood best friend wants her dead? Or because the bad boy she broke up with
has grown into an upstanding—and extremely sexy—man?
Good book. Ellie receives two surprises in one morning.
First, she spots her long-lost childhood best friend on a subway platform - a
friend that has been missing for sixteen years. After chasing after Aliana but
not catching her, Ellie proceeds on her way to work. Seeing Aliana reminded
Ellie of her high school boyfriend, who she hadn't seen in years. She
impulsively calls him, thinking he's the only one who'd believe her about
Aliana. On her way to meet him for coffee, someone takes a shot at her. Liam is
there to pull her out of any further danger.
Ellie is surprised by her reaction to Liam. They had been
close during high school until Liam started getting into trouble and ended up
in prison. She hasn't seen him since then but feels immediately attracted to
him. Liam is also attracted, but it is his protective instinct that takes center
stage. That protectiveness kicks up when she receives an anonymous cup of
poisoned coffee. Thus begins a roller coaster ride of trying to find Aliana
before she succeeds in killing Ellie.
The suspense of the story was good. I could feel Ellie
and Liam's frustration at being unable to lock down where Aliana was and
feeling one step behind as they dealt with the attacks against Ellie. I
understood when Ellie proposed setting a trap for Aliana using herself as bait
and when Liam feared for her safety if she did. The tension ramped up as Aliana's
attacks escalated in intensity. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I
was impressed by Ellie's ability to fight back. The only downside was that I never
got a real sense of why Aliana was so determined to kill Ellie when it would
have been easier (and safer) just to disappear again.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Liam and Ellie
develop. The chemistry between them was intense, and neither had any hesitation
in giving in to it. However, neither was prepared for the feelings that also
developed. Liam believes that a permanent
relationship isn't in the cards for him, thanks to the reasons for his failed
marriage, so he tries to keep things casual. It was entertaining to see Liam
get teased by his siblings. The intensity scared Ellie, who then tried to put
some distance between them before realizing that she loved him. I liked seeing
them finally overcome their fears and insecurities and admit their feelings for
each other.
I liked both Liam and Ellie. Liam's reaction to his
parents' deaths sent him down a wrong path that ended with him being sent to
prison at age eighteen. Fortunately, he had the intelligence to see what would
happen if he continued down that road and turned himself around. I loved that
he then turned to speaking at schools, hoping to keep other kids from making
the same mistakes. Ellie is an intelligent and valued member of the CSI lab.
She has a reputation for successfully providing the evidence needed to convict
criminals. She is also headstrong and stubborn, which sometimes puts her at
odds with Liam's protectiveness. With both of them, I liked their closeness
with their families.
There is also some progress in the overarching series
mystery of what happened to the Coltons' friend/guardian Humphrey, who
disappeared without a trace in the first book. New evidence makes them believe he
disappeared on purpose, but they don't know why. I'm looking forward to the
next book and seeing their progress.
No comments:
Post a Comment