Series: Men of Hawaii (Book 2)
Aloha, Gorgeous...
Cassie Montgomery was in no mood for messing around--until she got an eyeful of the sizzling-hot miscreant breaking into her half-brother Dan's Hawaii home. Turns out he's not a criminal, but a friend who's just as suspicious of Dan's "accidental" death as she is. Cassie's beyond tired of bashing heads with thick-skulled local law enforcement, so there's only one thing for it: team up with Caleb Wilson, and try to keep her secrets--and hands--to herself...
Having a gun trained on him is nothing new for Cal. But when said gun is brandished by a goddess sporting short-shorts, a bad attitude, and a hidden agenda? A man should consider his choices very carefully. Option one: Seduce first, ask questions later. Option two: Find out why she's in his Air Force buddy's torn-up house, then seduce her. Option three: Let the islands do their work and let the woman behind the weapon seduce him...
Fun book that started out with a bang and kept right on going. Caleb arrived in Hawaii to see his Air Force buddy, Dan, after receiving a puzzling letter asking for his help. After unsuccessfully trying to find his friend, Cal showed up at Dan's house in the middle of the night and tried to let himself in a window, only to find himself facing a woman with a gun. After an amusingly confrontational encounter, Cal was stunned to find out the woman is Dan's sister and that Dan is dead. Just as Cal begins to get some of the details, someone shoots into the house.
Cal and Cassie strike sparks off each other from the beginning. Much of it is antagonistic, with an undercurrent of attraction. Cassie has a very confrontational personality, aggravated by the runaround she has been getting from the local cops. She is convinced that Dan's death was no accident and has made no secret of that fact. Cal is inclined to believe her, as he is well aware of Dan's flying ability. That belief is reinforced by whoever shot at them. The two of them agree to work together to search out the truth, but it's an uneasy partnership. Both Cassie and Cal are strong personalities, and each wants to be in charge. The bickering between them was pretty funny.
I liked the development of Cal and Cassie's relationship. The bickering remains pretty constant, but it doesn't take too long before they are leaning on each other for support when grief hits them. I liked Cal's protectiveness toward Cassie. He also experiences some unexpected jealousy when other men pay attention to her, which surprises him and freaks him out. He has quite a talent for making her mad, but he doesn't learn his lesson about when to keep his thoughts to himself. He's also keeping some secrets about Dan's past that he knows will create more trouble with her when they come out. Cassie is drawn to Cal and isn't happy about it. She thinks he's too cocky for his own good, and his take-charge attitude pisses her off. He also reminds her of her ex, which put him at more of a disadvantage. When the sparks between them burst into flame, the results are inevitable, as is Cal's rapid retreat. He deserved every bit of the anger she threw at him. The intensifying danger also boosted the feelings that grew between them, though neither was quite ready to admit it. It took nearly losing each other for them both to realize that they belonged together. I liked their big moment at the end, as well as Cassie's plan for their future.
The suspense of the story was good. It started with the first page and never let up until the end. The big question was whether Dan's crash was an accident or something else. If it wasn't an accident, what really happened? Cassie's certainty that local law enforcement was jerking her around appeared to be the truth, as both Ted and Josh appeared to blow off all of her concerns. Once Cal arrived and got involved, he agreed that they were hiding something. As Cal and Cassie continued their attempts to investigate, Josh's frequent appearances were very suspicious. As the attacks escalated, Cal and Cassie were determined to get to the bottom of everything they had discovered. Cassie pulled a really stupid trick that put her in extreme danger. The final confrontation was intense, and I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over. I wasn't too surprised at who was behind it all, as I had my suspicions from their first appearance.
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