Series: Sons of Stillwater (Book 3)
A terrorized young mother and her secret child return home, where a killer awaits…
She's alive! Vincente Delaney has finally found his girlfriend, Beth Wade, who disappeared a year and a half ago, alive. But he's shocked to discover someone with her: their child, a little girl he never knew about! Once upon a time, lone wolf Vincente never expected forever with Beth, but now he must put everything on the line to protect her and their family.
Beth was forced to leave Vincente to protect everything she held dear. But now the threat to her loved ones' lives has reared its ugly head again. As danger approaches, she and Vincente must delve into her past to cast out the darkness jeopardizing their future.
Good second chance romance combined with a riveting mystery. A year and a half earlier, Vincente and Beth had had an intense on-again-off-again relationship. Then she disappeared without a word, leaving no trace of where she'd gone. Events from an earlier book made Vincente believe that she was dead (see Covert Kisses). He is stunned when police investigation reveals that she is alive. I enjoyed his cloak and dagger efforts to find her after being told that she is in hiding.
Beth had left Stillwater after receiving threats against her life and those of the people she cared for. It wasn't until after she was gone that she discovered she was pregnant, and at that point, she didn't dare contact Vincente. The stress she was under created some severe problems for her that she has just begun to overcome. Having Vincente show up at her door both thrilled and terrified her.
I liked the rekindling of Beth and Vincente's relationship. Previously it had been a very stormy one, but in the past eighteen months, both of them had changed. Vincente had been very much a lone wolf, holding himself at a distance from everyone. His experience with relationships was influenced by his volatile and selfish mother. But through the previous two books, he had become closer and more open with his brothers, showing him that love isn't all bad. Beth had also done a lot of growing up once she realized that she had another person to take care of. Her battle with depression had also made her stronger emotionally. When Vincente confronted Beth about her disappearance and hiding of his daughter, she didn't try to deny anything but faced up to what she had done and her reasons for it. I loved how Vincente immediately fell under little Lia's spell. I loved seeing the three of them become a family so quickly. The attraction between Beth and Vincente is just as strong as it had been before, but now there is an extra depth to it. It was great to see them learn more about each other outside of the physical connection. It didn't take long for Beth to see past Vincente's confident exterior to the vulnerabilities that he kept hidden from everyone else. I also liked how Vincente admired how Beth overcame her difficulties, and how he saw her strength of will as they dealt with the murderer. Though Beth realized her feelings first, I enjoyed Vincente's "aha" moment more. It took nearly losing her for Vincente to take that final step. I loved his big moment at the end. It was romantic and sweetly vulnerable. The epilogue was a good wrapup.
The suspense of the story was terrific. I ached for Beth and her memories of what had happened on that climb. I completely understood her fear when the threats began and how she wanted to protect Vincente. Once he got involved and they included Laurie in the process, things began to happen quickly. I was hooked from the start and completely invested in finding out who was behind it. There were multiple possibilities, and each attack seemed to point to someone else. I didn't suspect the true culprit until near the end, and the motive was completely off my radar. The final confrontation was intense, with several twists before it was all over.
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