Series: Whitehorse, Montana: The Clementine Sisters (Book 2)
A deadly homecoming in Whitehorse, Montana.
Bestselling author TJ Clementine thought she’d be safe with her sisters during the holidays. She was wrong. Dead wrong. Now her “biggest fan” has followed TJ to Whitehorse, Montana, with visions of murder in mind. The only person who can help TJ is ruggedly handsome loner Silas Walker -- if she can trust him. Because this mountain man knows just how to hunt deadly shadows…and win.
Very good book, and a "two-fer" when it came to the suspense. TJ is a bestselling author of suspense novels. For the last six months, she has received multiple letters from someone calling themselves her "true fan." They started innocuously but have become increasingly threatening, so she hopes to escape the stress by joining her sisters for the holidays in Whitehorse. Just as she's leaving for her flight, she feels something shove her off the curb into the path of an oncoming truck. She's only saved when she's grabbed by a passing man, who disappeared without saying anything. Did he save her, or had he pushed her first then changed his mind?
I could feel TJ's fear and paranoia from the beginning, and her relief at leaving New York was clear. That fear intensified when she spotted the same man in Whitehorse. Is this True Fan, and had he followed her from New York? To make matters worse, she receives another threatening letter that had been mailed from Whitehorse itself. When she sees him at the local drugstore, she panics, but when he shows up at her book signing the next day, she's left with questions.
Silas is a former cop who now works as a PI. He'd been following a man when he rescued TJ from her fall, not recognizing her as his favorite author until after he saw her go by in a cab. He suspected that she was headed home for the holidays and wondered if he'd run into her there.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between TJ and Silas. It started out pretty rough, with TJ afraid that he was True Fan. I loved their encounter at the book signing. TJ is wary and suspicious, sensing an edge and hint of danger in him. Silas was actually pretty sweet. For such a big, tough looking guy he was also sensitive to the way she seemed nervous around him. I loved how he told her how her books influenced him to come to Montana. TJ left the signing feeling very confused about him, a feeling that continued into the next day. I loved the part in the cabin when TJ was snowed in with Silas. Her initial fear was understandable, and I loved Silas's patience and sensitivity as he waited for her to get past it. I liked the protectiveness he felt toward her as she told him about the letters and his determination to help her find out who it was. TJ also sensed that there was something going on with Silas and had her own feelings of protectiveness for him. With everything that happened, their feelings got a boost in intensity thanks to the danger. The ending was sweet and romantic.
The suspense of the book had me riveted from the very beginning. The main thread was the threats that TJ received. The escalation of those threats was scary as TJ had no idea where the danger was coming from. Once Silas convinced her that he wasn't True Fan, they were able to put their heads together to figure it out. There was a surprise connection between Silas and their quarry, leading them to several suspects. Of the ones they talked to first, any of them were possibilities, though each was different. The final confrontation was intense, all the more so because TJ hadn't seen it coming. I loved how TJ kept her head, and how Silas believed his instincts when he thought she was in trouble. The resolution had me glued to the pages until it was all over.
There was a second bit of suspense going on at the same time. Silas was a former cop who was responsible for bringing down some dirty cops. He's spent some time looking over his shoulder, expecting retaliation. While helping TJ, Silas received word that those same dirty cops had put out a hit on him. The warning came just in time, giving Silas little chance to prepare to defend himself. The man who came after him was truly frightening in his intensity. I loved how TJ followed her instincts when she felt that Silas was in trouble. She also had help from a very unexpected source. That confrontation was heart-poundingly intense, keeping me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.
I enjoyed seeing the three sisters spending more time together and mending their relationships. Their support of TJ was immediate when they found out what was going on. It was interesting to see the difference between Annabelle and Chloe's attitudes. Annabelle seemed to tend more to the trusting side, while Chloe was much more skeptical. I liked seeing more of Chloe and learning a little bit of her backstory. Her book is up next, and I can't wait to read it.
No comments:
Post a Comment