A very enjoyable suspense read. All the threads to the plot are out there, and they're brought together nicely, with a terrific action-filled ending. I especially liked the easy-flowing and natural dialogue. Very often in romances involving law enforcement, there's lots of jargon thrown in, but there's little of that here.

Here's the blurb:

Bound to protect and serve, sheriff Billy Reed has tried to let his career be enough. But he could never forget Mara Copeland, the woman who left without a goodbye and hurt him without warning. Now she's back with criminals on her trail and a child in her arms. His child. 

Mara didn't trust the future she and Billy could've had. He's a lawman and she was born into a world of ruthless criminals. Still, he's the man she can turn to. He'll do anything to protect their daughter, but will love be reason enough to forgive Mara and bring their family back together?

I liked both the protagonists. Billy isn't the fastest thinking hero--he likes to think things through, which is a nice change from other heroes who seem to be able to make instantaneous right choices under all conditions. I especially liked Mara. She's learned the right things from her criminal father, like staying cool under pressure, and rejected the wrong things. Unless her child is threatened, she's the one who stays on an even keel, whereas Billy has to keep a constant check on his emotions. But he has great empathy, which is endearing. And his best friend is a woman, which is a nice change. A lot of the Intrigues are a male bonding fest, but it's Suzanne, his ex-police partner, who has his back when it gets difficult.The rekindling of the romance develops naturally, with the inevitable hiccups nicely resolved. 

Recommended. 

A Heartwarming Thanksgiving by various Harlequin Authors
Love the idea of this book because so many new authors for me to discover along with old ones that I like to read their stories. Also each story comes with a recipe for the holiday meal.
Read all the books and can't select just one book as my favorite. Each one teaches me about new places and things I want to see for myself. A turkey farm, sounds so easy but we've never been to one.
Each one also has a feeling of not only family but others who enjoy helping others.
Some favorite novellas: a pregnant woman who meets up with a man from high school days who not only delivers her child in an airport...
An old woman who's spent 12 years as a widow and has found another love draws the other members of the family together for the ceremony.
Soldiers home for the holidays...loved hearing about all the careers the characters have, learning new words and learning about new places as they are so detailed you want to step into the book.
Love parts where others bring those less fortunate home for a hot meal as that is something we do.
Other heroes stories: policemen, firemen and men served in the military along with school teachers and other service people and their stories.
Also liked the one about the family tree and what it symbolizes about the past and the future.
Some lengths some go through, amazing!
I received this book from Prism Book Tours in exchange for my honest review

Author: Carol O’Connell

Published: In paperback 2003 by Arrow Books

Category: Crime/Suspense/Thriller

Fifteen years have passed since a junkie whore and police informer, known simply as Sparrow, cared for a feral child when she was lost and alone. Now, on a hot August afternoon, in an East Side apartment, a woman is found hanged. Carefully placed red candles and an enormous quantity of dead flies suggest a bizarre ritual.

I was supplied with a copy of the book through Bookbridgr in return for an honest review.

This is the 6th book in the Kathy Mallory series. I had enough background from previous books, although I haven’t read them all, not to be left floundering. Mallory is an enigma, a child of the streets who survived on her wits and was looked after by hookers. She is damaged emotionally, unable or unwilling to allow herself to trust anyone. She was adopted by NYPD Detective Louis Markowitz and his wife Helen and became very close to them both. Since their deaths the people closest to her are Detective Riker, Markowitz’s former partner, now Mallory’s and her business partner and friend, Charles Butler, who worships her.

Fifteen years had passed since Kathy Mallory had roamed the streets as a child. Being homeless was damned hard work and running the tired little girl to ground had been the job of Riker’s old friend, Louis Markowitz, but only as a hobby. Lost children had never been the province of Special Crimes Unit, not while they lived. And they would have to die under unusual circumstances to merit a professional interest. So Kathy had become the little blond fox of an after-hours hunt. The game had begun with these words, spoken so casually: “Oh, Riker? If she draws on you, don’t kill her. Her gun is plastic, it fires pellets – and she’s only nine or ten years old.”

This story unravels more of Mallory’s complicated and dubious past when a serial killer strikes. One of the victims is Sparrow, a whore who held a special place in the young Kathy’s heart until, as Kathy saw it, Sparrow betrayed her. They never spoke again. Now Mallory has to confront her demons as the investigation progresses. Twenty years ago a similar murder occurred  but due to bad policing the murderer was never caught. But what bearing does that have on the present murders? Is the connection Mallory herself?

A very grim, grisly and complex murder plot with very graphic descriptions, sometimes too much so. Mallory is definitely a unique protagonist, someone who could conceivably be dangerous, and is now in the homicide division of the NYPD. Tough and intimidating, she takes no prisoners and can be very cruel and insensitive. Towards the end there is a slight glimmer, are emotions beginning to tap on the hard shell surrounding Mallory? A character development of sorts is long overdue for Mallory. How much longer can she continue to be so cold, contained and manipulative towards the those who care for her. Surely she has been shown enough kindness and love since the Markowitz’s adopted her to merit even a small crack in her armour.

I found the writing distracting and a little awkward in parts, not quite as I remember. It was a long time ago though, and maybe I should have caught up with previous books before embarking on this one.