Series: Hotter in Texas (Book 3)
The last thing veterinarian Leah Reece needs is a man in her life. They're nothing but trouble-and not even the fun kind. But when her apartment is broken into and Leah suspects Rafael, her dangerous half-brother, of foul play, she can't deny she could use a little help. She just never expected that help would come with twinkling blue eyes and a sexy smile...
All PI Austin Brook wants is to nail Rafael DeLuna, the man who framed him for murder. He'll do anything for information-even lie about his identity to charm Leah, DeLuna's half-sister. But her sweet dimples and fiery spirit soon make her more than just his only lead. Leah becomes his every desire. As Austin closes in on DeLuna, it's clear he won't go down without a fight. Now the only way Austin can protect Leah is to reveal all of his secrets and risk losing her for good.
Good conclusion to the series. Austin and his partners have spent the last several months trying to find a way to bring down the man who got them wrongfully convicted of murder. Even though they were exonerated, Rafael DeLuna is still on the loose, and they are determined to bring him to justice. But with his partners having found love in the previous two books (Don't Mess With Texas and Blame it on Texas) Austin feels like Tyler and Dallas have lost a little bit of their drive. He is convinced that DeLuna's half-sister, Leah, knows where he is and is determined to do whatever it takes to get that information out of her. He moves in next door to her with plans to charm her into revealing all.
Leah is a veterinarian with one thing on her mind - keeping her younger brother safe by keeping her older brother out of their lives. She isn't interested in having a man in her life. Between the father who abandoned her and the ex who cheated on her, it will take a lot for her to trust one again.
I loved the development of the relationship between Austin and Leah. Their first meeting did not go according to Austin's plan. Between the episode with the car horn and the broken bottle of wine, Austin's trademark charm turns out to be an epic failure when it came to Leah. Even his attempts to make it up to her faced stiff resistance. However, Austin is persistent and slowly works his way into Leah's life. One thing he did not count on was his unexpected attraction to her. She's nothing like the women he usually dates, but something about her gets past his own defenses. Leah is just as attracted to him, but his overt charm is a strike against him. She prides herself on her independence and fights that attraction as hard as she can, but it is a losing battle. I loved the interactions between Leah and Austin. He tries so hard to charm her and her comebacks shoot him down every time. As he works his way past her walls, he realizes that she is innocent of any knowledge of her brother's actions and that he really likes the woman she is. That puts him at a disadvantage because he has told her so many lies. I liked the fact that he felt guilty about those lies, and that he wanted to come clean before their relationship went too far. Unfortunately for him, fate didn't work in his favor. Leah's hurt and anger over those lies are understandable, though her stubbornness in the midst of the attack was not very smart on her part. I did like the way that she made Austin work to get back in her good graces.
There are a lot of laugh out loud moments in this book, but some of the best ones come at Austin's expense. Austin is terrified of cats, thanks to a bad encounter when he was a little boy. Leah is a vet who specializes in cat care, plus she has four cats of her own. The scene during which Austin attempts to plant bugs in Leah's apartment is hysterical. Austin is faced with four cats who he is certain are about to attack him. Even the most innocent of their actions send him into a panic. When an intruder traps Austin in the laundry room with cats and litter box, his reactions are priceless. One of Austin's lies to Leah is that he likes cats, which adds to his difficulties later when she brings him a "gift."
The suspense of the story was well done. Throughout the series, the three men have been intent on bringing down Rafael DeLuna, the man who framed them for murder. In this book, we have Austin's attempts to get information from Leah, Rafael's threats to Leah, and the efforts of informant Roberto to force DeLuna out of hiding. Roberto's actions are effective, but dangerous, and bring unwanted attention to Leah and Luis. The intertwining of Austin and Roberto's efforts created a final confrontation that had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.
There was a secondary romance involving Roberto and Leah's vet tech, Sarah. The attraction was obvious and reciprocal, though each has obstacles to making a success of it. Roberto is still grieving the loss of his wife and son, who were murdered by Rafael DeLuna, hence his involvement in bringing DeLuna down. His growing feelings for Sarah create a sense of guilt in him, as he feels he's being unfaithful to his wife. On top of that is his involvement with the DeLuna case, and he doesn't want to bring that danger to Sarah's door. Sarah's priority in her life is her young son, and she is reluctant to get involved with a man who seems to have an issue with her motherhood. The attraction can't be denied, and they slowly get to know each other. I liked seeing them open up about their pasts, and see that being together is healing for them both. There's some unexpected excitement toward the end that brings them closer together, including a scene with doggie pain pills that had me laughing out loud.
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