Series: Coltons of Shadow Creek (Book 10)Coltons (Book 71)
Good conclusion to the Coltons of Shadow Creek series.
Special Agent Cowboy by Regan Black
When hackers strike Colton, Inc., they put executive Marie Meyers in their crosshairs. FBI agent Emiliano Ortega is charged with protecting the beautiful city girl on his ranch. But keeping their mutual attraction professional under the mistletoe is impossible…
Excellent story. Marie is the Chief Digital Officer for Colton, Inc., and works hard in appreciation of the trust her bosses have placed in her. When hackers strike at the company, Marie is the one in the greatest danger. In order to protect her, FBI agent Emiliano takes Marie out of the city to his family's ranch in Shadow Creek. As initial evidence is gathered, there is some question as to whether Marie is the victim or a participant. Part of Emiliano's job is to verify which it is.
From the moment they met, there were sparks of attraction between Marie and Emiliano, even though they are so different. Marie is a workaholic, with no family to distract her from her job. Bounced from foster home to foster home, she has developed a self-contained independence. She is also pure city girl, and the wide open spaces and quiet kind of freaked her out. Emiliano grew up on the ranch with his brother and his veterinarian parents. He splits his time between the city and the ranch. I loved seeing the development of their relationship. Emiliano is wary at first, because of her status as a possible suspect, but he quickly realizes that there is no way that she would be involved. Marie isn't happy with the situation, but she doesn't create problems in her frustration. She's understanding of the situation, and that also helps her case with Emiliano. I loved seeing the two of them get to know each other, especially as Emiliano introduces Marie to the joys of ranch life. Their feelings for each other grow quickly, but neither is sure how a relationship could work. I especially ached for Marie, who has little experience with love, only with abandonment. Her fears cause her to pull back, and it's only Emiliano's refusal to give up on her that brings them back together. I loved their big moment at the end, and the help they got from the little dog, Scrabble.
The suspense of this part was fantastic. The speed and depth of the attack were believable in this day of cyber crimes. The focus on Marie as both target and suspect kept me hooked as I waited to see how it would play out. I felt for Emiliano and Marie as lead after lead came to a dead end, even as the threats against Marie became more intense. I loved seeing them take proactive steps to draw out the bad guys. The final confrontation was intense, with a twist that I sort of saw coming, but the details surprised me anyway. I also liked the realism that the good guys aren't always supermen who come through unscathed.
One of my favorite characters in the story was the little dog, Scrabble. I loved how she took to Marie right away, cementing Emiliano's belief that Marie is innocent of the cyberattack. It was fun to see his jealousy over Scrabble's defection to Marie (Scrabble is HIS dog!). It was sweet to see how Marie went from so wary of the dog to totally in love with her. The scene with Scrabble interfering with Marie's packing was adorable.
The Marine's Christmas Case by Lara Lacombe
When Dario Ortega meets Felicity Grant, the lovely Marine-turned-PI spurns his advances. Instead, Dario offers his tech expertise to help Felicity solve the Colton, Inc., hacking. Working the case together softens Felicity's steely heart and makes Dario rethink bachelorhood. But can they catch a killer Colton in time for Christmas?
Good story. Felicity is the newest member of Adeline's detective agency and has been put to work on the Colton, Inc., hacking case. After twelve years in the Marines, she's happy to be back in Shadow Creek where she can put down roots. Dario is Emiliano's brother and home for the holidays. He's a computer whiz and something of a playboy. I loved their first meeting. Felicity is at the ranch for Emiliano and Marie's engagement party. She's still adjusting to being a civilian, so she is hanging out around the edges of the party. Dario is watching his brother and Marie with a bit of puzzlement. He doesn't understand the whole "happy-ever-after" thing and is much happier with his casual, short-term relationships. Felicity catches his eye, and he attempts to charm her in his usual manner. He's surprised at her resistance to going out with him but doesn't give up. Felicity has no intention of getting involved with a man who just wants a fling. She's amused by his attempts but keeps up her resistance.
I liked the development of the relationship between Dario and Felicity. The sparks between them are apparent from the start, though Felicity does her best to ignore them. When she accepts her need for his professional assistance on the Colton case, she makes it clear to him that their time together will be business only. That doesn't last too long, as Felicity gets to know the man behind the reputation. I loved the scene at the Colton's cookie party, with Felicity's reaction to Dario and little Joseph. It made her realize that there was more to him than she thought. It softened her resistance a bit as her mind wandered down a fantasy route of her and Dario together. Dario was equally intrigued by her, and I loved the way he watched her and noticed little things about her. It was fun to see the committed bachelor suddenly thinking of long-term ideas. He as slightly disturbed by those thoughts and tried to shake them off. As the two of them get more deeply involved, each has to come to terms with the changes to their feelings. Dario surprised me with his acceptance and readiness to see where it goes. I ached for Felicity, who knew she was falling but believed that Dario didn't feel the same. I liked the way that Dario didn't give up, and his big moment at the end was pretty sweet.
The suspense of this story was good also. Felicity and Dario are rapidly closing in on the person behind the hacking. Dario's abilities get him into the "dark web" spaces where he goes to search for more clues. The action heated up when the office was broken into, but questions arose when it appeared that nothing was damaged or stolen. The reason became obvious a short time later, but I found it a little hard to believe that a computer expert hadn't thought of that possibility immediately. The threat left on Felicity's car brought home the fact that, though they were closing in, the danger was also closing in. A couple more clues involving Livia and Jade came to light and had Dario going off alone to check on something. What happened then had me on the edge of my seat with the intensity of that confrontation. There were some unexpected twists as the last of the questions were finally answered.
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