Very good book with excellent suspense and steamy romance. Brent and Jenna made their first appearances in The Defender as secondary characters. I was rooting for him to get his own story, and this is it. Brent is dedicated to his work as a marshal, not just professionally but also personally. He went into law enforcement because of the murder of his mother when he was a child. Her killer was never caught and he spends his off time continuing the investigation. When he is offered the assistance of investigator Jenna, he takes it, hoping that a fresh outlook will turn up something new. He doesn't expect that the attraction he's felt since he met her will begin to consume his thoughts. He doesn't want it because it is a distraction from his purpose.

Jenna was very happy to take the case. She has been looking for something that would be a challenge for her and this certainly qualifies. A twenty-three year old cold case is not going to be an easy one to solve. Her biggest challenge, though, is resisting the attraction she feels for Brent.

The relationship between these two was very interesting. Brent is a brooding, self-controlled kind of guy. He keeps his emotions locked up because he knows it won't be pretty if he finally lets go. Working with Jenna is a real challenge to those emotions as his attraction to her puts some cracks in the walls around his heart. She has a real talent for seeing the pain he is in and trying to get him to talk about it. Brent has also been the one in his family that the others all seem to depend on, even his aunt and uncle. It's just one more thing that adds to his stress. I liked that he could see past her beauty to the kickass investigator that she is. Jenna is more outgoing and slightly outrageous. She is a former pageant winner who has gotten good at using her beauty as another method of getting people to talk. She really wants to be taken seriously as an investigator and looks at this case as a way to earn the respect she craves. She sees Brent's pain and the way he has locked away his emotions. He has told her that he's a bad bet for a relationship because of his focus, but she sees things differently. Both of them have different ways of investigating and find themselves frequently butting heads. Brent has a big protective streak and tries to get Jenna to follow his rules while investigating, which puts them on a huge collision course. Jenna doesn't like being told when and how to do her job and makes sure he knows it. I had fun seeing their confrontations, as Jenna makes her points and Brent tries to reconcile her capabilities with his need to protect her.

The suspense of the story was great. Just getting the background of what happened and seeing the effect it had on his whole family gave another layer of importance to his need to solve the crime. He had been right that having fresh eyes look at it might turn up something new, as Jenna discovers a lead that looks very promising. It's importance becomes more obvious when she's attacked, leading them to believe that they are very close. It has quite a twist to the final confrontation as the killer was not who I suspected at all, and the reason behind it was a total surprise.

This was a very emotional story. Both Ali and Ronin have businesses that consume their lives. They encounter each other while on vacation and have an instant connection. They have one hot night together, but Ronin is gone without a word the next morning, leaving Ali hurt and wondering what's wrong with her.

Ronin had received the devastating news that his sister had been killed in an accident along with her husband, leaving him as guardian for his newborn nephew. He left for home immediately, so dazed with grief that he forgot to leave word for Ali. Overwhelmed when he gets home, with the baby still in the hospital, he contacts a baby-planning service to come help him get his home prepared. He stunned when Ali arrives.

Ali is furious when she sees it's him, thinking that he had been cheating on a pregnant wife while on vacation. She had been married to a man who had cheated on her, and for a terrible reason, leaving her devastated and feeling less than a woman. It takes awhile for her to calm down enough to listen, but once she does she is ready to help him.

I liked both Ali and Ronin. He's a high-powered businessman who has quite the way with the ladies, but when his family needs him he drops everything to be there. I loved seeing the way that even as overwhelmed as he was, Ronin was determined to make the best life possible for Josh. It was so sweet seeing him deal with feedings, diapers and crying fits. Having Ali around also makes him realize how much had been missing in his life. He feels such a deep connection with her, and is sure that she feels the same, but can sense that there's something holding her back. 

Ali has slowly put her life back together after the devastating end of her marriage. She has put all of her heart into creating the perfect setups for other peoples' babies. She is determined that she will never again risk her heart on a man that will treat her that way. Her encounter with Ronin on vacation was unlike anything she'd ever done before, and seeing him again puts her intentions at risk. She finds herself being sucked into their lives and her heart getting involved anyway. A devastating revelation about Josh, added to her own insecurities, sends her running, certain that there's no future for her with Ronin.

I loved Ronin's determination to show Ali how much he cares. It takes a giant gamble to get her to understand and believe that she can have the life she wants.

Very good book. We've seen Julie several times in previous books, always quiet and not saying much about herself. Now we discover that it's because there's not much to say. Four years earlier she had woken up in a hospital with no memories of who she was or where she had come from. She had no identification and the police never found out what happened to her. She was given a new identity and she tried to make a new life for herself.

Over the months since her recovery, she has felt a constant pull toward the state of Montana. After reading of the troubles after the flood in Rust Creek Falls she moved there to help in the recovery. She feels more at home there than anywhere else she's been, but it still doesn't feel quite right. She's haunted by her lack of memory and worried what people would say, so she doesn't tell anyone. It makes her nervous when people ask questions that she can't answer and she's learned to be somewhat evasive. It makes it impossible to have any kind of relationship, especially since she worries that she might not like the person she used to be.

Braden is the last of the unmarried Traub men. He seems like something of a recluse as he is usually very busy running the family ranch. On a rare trip into town he has a chance to meet Julie and is immediately intrigued by her. Besides the beauty that instantly attracts him, he senses a vulnerability to her. There is also that air of mystery, which gets his interest in puzzles focused on her. After a couple of times having coffee together, his interest is well and truly hooked. They are slowly getting to know each other when a freak blizzard traps them together.

It's during this time that Julie, who has remembered that her name is actually Jennifer, takes courage in hand and tells Braden about her amnesia. She worries that it will send him running, just as she's becoming more willing to take a risk with her emotions. I loved Braden's reaction. He was surprised of course, but what really impressed me was his sensitivity. He admitted that he couldn't imagine what it was like, but also made it clear that it didn't matter to the way he was beginning to feel about her. I really liked the way that he listened to her fears and tried to help her through them. He takes a big risk when he makes a phone call that could either help her or ruin what they were beginning to feel for each other.

Julie's fears were completely logical and they were creating some real dilemmas for her. She was getting comfortable in her new life so she wasn't sure if she wanted to keep searching for her past. On the other hand, the lack of a past has left a huge hole in her heart. Getting closer to Braden has made her want to know more, but also afraid of what she might find. The information he discovers makes her wonder if all her fears were well founded and she has to decide what to do with it. The ending wasn't quite what I expected, but it was very good anyway. Braden was especially sweet and awkward as he tells her of his feelings.

I liked the appearances of Braden's family and Julie's friends. It was an easy way to get a feel for her relationships with others and the effect her amnesia had on the way she went about it. I really enjoyed the teasing that Braden got from his brothers, especially Dallas. I wish there had been more about the old guy, Homer. I'd had the feeling that he was going to play a larger part in the story than he did. Hopefully there will be more of him in a future book, because I am interested in what his story is.

Series: Campbells of Creek Bend (Book 3)

She was trouble the size of Texas, but he'd cross every line to keep her safe

Border patrol agent Reed Campbell knew when he found a blonde beauty hiding out in a crate of guns smuggled into Texas she'd be nothing but trouble. Emily Baker claims she was kidnapped, beaten and held hostage by Mexico's most elusive drug lord, a man Reed's desperate to bring down. But the sexy cowboy has been betrayed before, so trusting a stranger -- no matter how strong their attraction -- isn't easy. Still, determined to protect her, he takes her on the run, risking his life time after time. Suddenly, the man who doesn't do feelings is in big trouble. Keeping Emily alive is a problem. Keeping his hands to himself becomes nearly impossible.

Action packed conclusion to the series. Emily had been on vacation in Mexico when she was kidnapped. Beaten and threatened, when she saw an opportunity she ran, and found herself hiding on a ship headed for the US. Reed found her there, hiding in a crate of guns being smuggled into Texas. He was suspicious of her claims at first, but when it became obvious that someone was after her he was determined to keep her safe. 

Both Reed and Emily have some trust issues that make the beginning of their relationship a little rough. Emily has been alone for a long time, able to depend only on herself. Her childhood had been difficult, with a father that deserted the family and a mother that joined a cult looking for the love she craved. Emily had learned early that she couldn't count on anyone else. But with the trouble she's in now, she has to trust that Reed can protect her. I loved her independence, and that she didn't just sit back and let Reed take over once she decided to trust him. She was determined to be an active part in the whole situation. She hadn't counted on the attraction she felt for Reed and the way that attraction grew into love. She doesn't feel that she's good enough for a man like him, and that there's no future in dreaming of one. 

Reed has trouble trusting anyone outside his family any more. A year earlier he had been shot and left for dead by a fellow agent who had been working for the bad guys. To make it worse, his fiancee had been sleeping with the man. So when he first meets Emily he's reluctant to believe her story, especially when he senses she's hiding something. When they are attacked after talking to another agent, Emily finally opens up about everything that had happened and what she heard. It isn't long before Reed discovers that what happened to Emily is connected to what had happened to him. Now he's determined to keep her safe, which means keeping her with him at all times. Emily's strength and independence are attractive to him and suddenly he's feeling things he's never felt before. He's not sure if he can trust himself since he was so wrong before. I loved seeing both of them realize how important it was to grab on to their feelings and take the chance for happiness.

The suspense part of the story was fantastic. With the rise in crimes that have to do with computers and finance, the premise of the story was quite believable. Emily's emotions during the kidnapping and her fear when she couldn't give them what they wanted was easy to feel as I read. What she went through to escape kept me turning the pages as I waited to see if she would be found by the good guys or the bad guys. From the time she and Reed were attacked on the road until the final confrontation I was on pins and needles. I could understand Reed's frustrations as they never knew who they could trust. I loved seeing his brothers, Luke and Nick, as they served as backup for Reed. The scene at the hospital, then again with the final takedown, show just how close the brothers are. 

Series: Omega Sector (Book 2)

The clock was ticking, the enemy was watching…

At first it looked like a glorified babysitting job: safeguard a scientist while she created a countermeasure to neutralize a dangerous weapon that had fallen into the wrong hands. But when Dr. Megan Fuller's life was threatened, undercover agent Sawyer Branson knew the enemy was closing in. Sticking by Megan 24/7 wasn't something he took lightly, even if Megan didn't seem to appreciate his constant presence. For a man used to getting any woman he wanted, Megan was a challenge he was coming to enjoy. Because beneath her boxy lab coat and pinned-back hair lay a brilliant and beautiful warrior. And before long, Sawyer's determination to save the world was matched only by the sudden need to make Megan his.

Very good book with some intense action along with a fun romance. Sawyer is an agent with Omega and is used to assignments with a bit more importance than watching over some scientist. But he ticked off his boss (see the end ofInfiltration) and this is his punishment. But far from being some absent minded professor type, Megan is young and beautiful, and gives Sawyer a whole new outlook on his assignment. Things get far from boring when Megan is attacked and it becomes obvious that someone doesn't want her to finish her project.

I really liked Megan and Sawyer together. He gets off to a rough start with her when he mistakes her for the receptionist, but it doesn't help that she's so flustered by him that she can barely speak. There are some sparks flying as Sawyer explains the urgency of the need for her countermeasure, but they subdue them in favor of keeping on task. When Megan is attacked, Sawyer finds that his need to protect her goes far deeper than just business. I loved seeing the two of them getting to know each other. especially Sawyer's appreciation of Megan's "giant brain". The attraction burns hotter, thanks to the intensity of all they are going through, and both begins to realize that there's more to what they feel, if they can just stay alive to pursue it.

One of the things I enjoyed about the book was that both Sawyer and Megan feel like real people. She's scary smart, but has insecurities also. She is also physically affected by the stress of what is happening, just like any normal person. Her moments of weakness are natural, and I loved seeing Sawyer's tender side come out as he takes care of her. I loved seeing Sawyer kind of blindsided by his developing feelings for Megan, especially after the way he had been making fun of Cameron. I also liked the reality of the injuries he received at the end. He went through a lot and it would have been strange to see him come out with just a few bruises. It also set up the ending quite nicely. He was pretty amusing in his desperation, and I loved seeing the part his family played in it. I wasn't surprised by her solution, but loved how it played out.

The suspense of the story was fantastic. I felt the premise was quite realistic and was completely riveted as I read, waiting to see how it would turn out. There was a good mix of both physical and mental action. I admit that I had the inside person figured out, though I did have a couple moments of doubt about one of the other characters. The final confrontation was really intense and could have gone in several directions, especially as there are more books in the series. I liked the way this one turned out and am looking forward to the next one. I just wish I didn't have to wait until June!