The Forgotten Daughter - Lauri Robinson (HH #1254 - Oct 2015)

Series: Daughters of the Roaring Twenties (Book 4)

Often the quietest people…

Josie Nightingale has always been the odd girl out. While her sisters swoon over guys, she's busy trying to change the world! Which isn't easy with Eric "Scooter" Wilson watching her every move.

…have the biggest secrets!

She may be out of his league, but the day Scooter rescued Josie from jail and discovered her secret, he vowed he'd do anything to protect her. And if keeping Josie safe means not letting this stubborn dame out of his sight -- then so be it!

Good book, and a time period that isn't visited very often in romance novels. Josie wants more out of life than working at her father's resort and being one of the local "princesses."  When given the opportunity, she jumped at the chance to sneak off to nearby Duluth and attempt to help the prostitutes working the docks. Those missions become much more difficult after she has to call on her friend Scooter Wilson to bail her out of jail. Suddenly, Scooter won't let her out of his sight.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Scooter and Josie. They've been friends since they were children, and Josie has always been more comfortable with him than any of the other guys she knows. So when she needed help, he was the one she called. She didn't expect him to get that mad when he found out what she was doing. She wasn't at all happy when he threatened to tell her father what she was doing. Plus, every time she turned around, Scooter was right there, making it impossible for her to sneak away. Josie is very stubborn, and nothing that Scooter can say to her will stop her from doing what she thinks is right. Scooter has been friends with Josie for a long time, but deep down he wants more. Unfortunately, she's the daughter of the richest man around, and he's simply the owner of one little gas station and car repair business. Once he finds out what Josie is up to, he is determined to keep her safe. However, he didn't realize just how hazardous it would be - to his heart.

I loved the interactions between Josie and Scooter. Josie's stubbornness tends to find its voice in sarcasm and snark. But try as she might, she can't shake him loose. I loved how well Scooter knew and understood Josie, and it was fun to see him thwart almost every attempt she made to sneak away. The night of the Fourth of July celebration was fun to see. It was also the first time that Josie looked at Scooter as more than just a friend. That first kiss they shared was pretty steamy, and quite a surprise to her. There were times that Scooter's protectiveness was a little heavy-handed, but I think a large part of that was his frustration with her. I ached a bit for Scooter because of his certainty that he wasn't good enough for her. I liked how Josie started to realize that she'd cared for Scooter for a long time. Once she did, there was no holding her back. I loved the ending as she demolished each of his obstacles to their future together.

The premise of Josie's mission was intense and had its dark moments. She got involved when a friend of hers was kidnapped by a prostitution ring, and she became part of the group that rescued her. After seeing the plight of the women forced into that lifestyle, Josie had to help. I was impressed with her creativity in disguises, and her quick thinking when in trouble. But she also didn't seem to realize just how much danger she was in until Fourth of July night and Scooter's pretty blunt explanations. Even then, her stubbornness led her into danger that she almost didn't get out of. There were some very intense moments as Scooter came to her rescue. There were some interesting twists and turns provided by Scooter and a new friend of his, and I had to laugh at Josie's frustration with it all. The final resolution was quite satisfying, with an excellent scene involving Scooter, Josie, and her father.

 

Lone Star Christmas - Delores Fossen (HQN - Sept 2018)

Series: Coldwater Texas (Book 1)

A family crisis brings him home…

Just in time for Christmas

Cattleman Callen Laramie has no intention of returning to his hometown of Coldwater, Texas, until a Christmas wedding and a family secret convince him he has no choice. And when he’s reunited with his childhood crush, the girl who’d always been off-limits, Callen knows leaving might not be so easy this time.

Shelby McCall is as pretty as a Christmas snowfall, and Callen wants to kiss her under the mistletoe…and the Christmas tree…and the stars. But once Shelby knows the whole truth behind this homecoming, will their holiday fling come to an abrupt end? Or will she accept the gift of his heart?

Terrific start to the new series, with a steamy romance, fun characters, and a quirky small town. There are secrets to deal with, a wedding to attend, and memories to face. Callen hasn't been back in Coldwater since he left at the age of eighteen. There were too many bad memories, and he was determined to leave them as far behind as he could. He has no intention of ever going back to Coldwater, even when he gets the invitation to his foster father's wedding. It doesn't matter that there is a note attached that Buck needs to see him. Then Buck's daughter Shelby shows up at Callen's Dallas office to personally ask Callen to come because she's worried about her father. Callen had had a huge crush on Shelby as a teen, but Buck's threat to castrate any of his foster sons who even looked at her funny kept his feelings well hidden.

Shelby is excited about her father and Rosy's wedding, but she has a bad feeling that there is something seriously wrong with her father. If he wants Callen home for the wedding, she will do whatever it takes to get him there. She also had had a huge crush on Callen when they were younger and looked on this as a chance to have what had been forbidden to her before.

Callen only intended to make a quick visit to see Buck and find out what was on his mind. What he found instead was a man with a big problem and that he was the only one Buck trusted to take care of it. Callen isn't happy about the secrets Buck wants him to keep, but he packs up his office and his assistant and moves to Coldwater temporarily to help Buck out. Seeing Shelby again is a bonus, especially after Buck removes the threat of castration.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Callen and Shelby. The chemistry between them was explosive every time they were near each other. Shelby is well aware of the fact that Callen will not stay in Coldwater for long, but she's willing to take what she can get. Callen is up for a fling but also suffers some pangs of guilt because he's afraid of hurting her. The attraction between them leaped off the pages as they could not keep their hands off each other, but it was also clear that what they had was more than just physical. I loved seeing how tuned they were to each other and the protectiveness it brought out in both of them. There were some terrific scenes of Callen being there for Shelby when she most needs him. There were also a few times when Shelby showed how well she understood Callen and what drives him. There was a fantastic scene near the end where she supports him in a totally unexpected way. I ached for Shelby as her "no strings" promise looked like it would lead to another broken heart for her. I was a little worried about Callen and his plans, but he came through in a big way. I loved his Christmas present to her at the end. It was sweet, romantic, and symbolic of everything he had been fighting against.

The secondary characters and stories were wonderful. I loved Buck and Rosy. Buck's devotion to giving homes to those who most needed it was heartwarming. It was clear just how much he meant to those kids when the responses to the wedding invitations came rolling in. Buck was also stubborn and protective, which is what led to his attempts to keep the truth from Rosy and Shelby. Rosy was a riot. She had a huge heart and a sweet disposition. She was also a wee bit eccentric, as shown by her wedding plans. It was fun to anticipate just what she was going to come up with next, especially when it came to Billy, the stuffed armadillo. I loved Lucy and Mateo. The parallels between them and Callen and his brothers were heartbreaking. They were terrific kids, and I loved the way they looked out for each other, and how much they cared for Buck and Rosy. I was happy for them with the way things worked out at the end.

I also loved Callen's brothers. In spite of the way he had cut them out of his life when he fled Coldwater, they were still there for each other when needed. I ached for them all as the stories of their pasts were revealed. There was a fantastic scene at the end where they confronted a part of their past together, and I couldn't help but laugh as they did it. It was great to see Callen reconnect with them. I am looking forward to reading their stories.

There were plenty of other quirky characters in the small town. There was Gavin, Shelby's ex-fiancé, who had a hard time letting go, and his sister who had issues with Callen. The town flasher was a bit of a scene-stealer. Then there was Ted, the owner of the local junk shop, who ended up having quite an effect of Callen. I loved the scene of Callen in his shop as Callen did his Christmas shopping.

Secret of Deadman's Coulee - B.J. Daniels (HI #996 - June 2007)

Series: Whitehorse Montana (Book 1)

A DEADLY SECRET AND A DEVASTATINGLY HANDSOME SHERIFF... HOW LUCKY CAN A GIRL GET?

It would just figure! Eve Bailey would have the rotten luck to drop in on a body and a thirty-year-old mystery. And darn it all, Carter Jackson would be the sheriff determined to take on the cold case--and Eve. In high school he had been one tall drink of water, and nothing had changed--not his smoldering eyes, his cowboy swagger or the way Eve felt about him. The Whitehorse sewing circle would surely be putting in overtime "quilting" sessions down at the community center, speculating whether Eve and Carter would have a second chance.

But gossip was the least of Eve's problems. One of their own was desperate to keep local secrets buried deep in the Montana mountains. There would be an old-fashioned showdown when the truth was revealed.... And anyone could get caught in the crossfire.

Good suspense with a nice second chance romance to go with it. After years away, Eve has returned home for a couple of reasons. One, she wants to find out what is going on with her parents, who appear to be having problems. Dad is living several towns away, claiming it's to be closer to his work, and Mom looks like she's carrying on with someone else. Two, she wants to finally get to the bottom of her questions about who she is. Eve has never felt like she fit in with the rest of the family.

The book started with a bang, as Eve rushed off after a confrontation with her mother about the man she saw sneaking out of the house. Eve was so upset that she rode off without taking the usual precautions when going riding. She was miles away from the ranch when she noticed bad weather coming fast. When the storm hit, she thought she heard someone moaning, but when she investigated, she found a crashed plane with a dead body in it - a plane that had been there for thirty years. When Eve's horse returned home without her, Lila called the sheriff and search parties were formed. Sheriff Carter Jackson was the one who found Eve as she made her way out of the ravine after the storm had passed.

The meeting between Eve and Carter was tense. They had been an item their senior year in high school until Carter betrayed her with another girl and got her pregnant. He did the "right thing" and married Deena, and Eve left Whitehorse right after graduation. Now Carter is divorced from Deena and still feels guilty about the way he treated Eve. He has also never forgotten his feelings for her. Meanwhile, Deena creates a whole host of headaches for him. Eve isn't particularly happy to see Carter, but she knows she has to tell him about the wreck and the body. Because of where it is, Eve has to show him or he'd never find it. There were still some sparks flying between Carter and Eve, and they weren't all antagonism.

I liked Carter and Eve, though each had their moments of irritating me. Carter has grown to be an honorable man. He stuck out his marriage far longer than he should have, just because he took his vows seriously. I wasn't happy about the way he had treated Eve way back when, but he did grow and mature. He is also a bit stubborn and refused to give up on the investigation into the plane crash, even though he suspected that he wouldn't like some of the things that would come to light. I liked his protectiveness toward Eve, even when she resisted him. Eve has a fair amount of stubbornness of her own, as well as a tendency to be impulsive. She hasn't been able to let go of her suspicions about her place in the family and is determined to find out the truth. She also rushes into actions without thinking about ramifications, such as her flight on the horse or her break-in at the doctor's office. But she also loves her family, even though they frequently frustrate or confuse her.

The suspense of the story was very good. Eve's discovery of the plane and body stirred up a lot of questions. Who was the dead man, and why were he and the plane never reported missing? What happened to the pilot, and had anyone else been on the plane? I was a little mad at Eve when she found something on the plane that she recognized and took it without telling Carter about it until later. The evidence discovered on the plane caused more questions than it answered. Had there been babies on board? Was the plane being used to run drugs? Is there a connection to Carter's father and grandfather? At the same time, Eve's search for the truth about her birth is causing problems for her. Her conversations with her grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer's, may have confirmed that Eve is adopted, but can she trust her grandmother's memory?

I was glued to the pages as the answers to the questions were revealed. I could sense Carter's worry when he talked to his father about the plane and who it belonged to. He could sense that his father was hiding something. As the evidence from the plane was investigated, there were some interesting twists, including the identity of the dead man and information about the hair in the brush found on board. Meanwhile, Eve has stirred up a hornet's nest with her search. What she learned from her grandmother gave her the incentive to break into the doctor's office looking for evidence about the day of her birth. What she found made her question everything her mother had told her. She also encountered someone else who had also broken in. Then on the way home, someone shot at her truck, causing her to wreck. Fortunately for her, Carter had spotted her and came to her rescue. Things really started to heat up as the dead man was identified, and Eve kidnapped from her home. There were some interesting twists and connections revealed as Eve confronted her kidnapper. I loved that she didn't cave into the fear and that she assisted in her own rescue. The questions about Eve's birth were answered, but there is a bigger mystery that was left hanging. I will definitely have to track down the other books to see how it turns out.

There were some other things going on at the same time. Carter's ex-wife wants him back, and she's willing to do anything to make that happen. Eve's mother, Lila, has to face up to some mistakes she made in the past. There were times when I didn't like her at all, and others where I did. There was also an interesting turn of events involving Carter's dad.

 

Cardwell Christmas Crime Scene - B.J. Daniels (HI #1677 - Dec 2016)

 Series: Cardwell Cousins (Book 5)
             Cardwell Ranch (Book 9)

Dee Anna Justice had thought that her convict father was her only living relative. Now Walter Justice, fearing for his daughter's safety, urges her to seek out her cousins in Montana. Calling in a decades-old debt, he also enlists private investigator Beau Tanner to protect her.

Despite their fiery attraction, she resents the bodyguard her dad foists on her. Trust doesn't come easy to DJ. But the warm, embracing family she finds at Cardwell ranch just might begin to soften her suspicious nature, and learning to trust the sexy PI may be the key to saving her life.

Good story that focuses on the importance of family. As the daughter of a conman, DJ grew up always on the move, believing that her father was the only family she had. She discovers otherwise when a doll and photograph are mysteriously left in her apartment. When she confronts her imprisoned father, DJ learns that she has cousins in Montana on her father's side and the possibility that her mother's relatives may have "found" her. Her dad insists that she visit her cousins where she will be safe.

Meanwhile, dad contacts the son of a former partner in Montana to call in a favor. Beau is now a private investigator, but he had made Walter a promise many years earlier. Walter is concerned for DJ's safety and asks Beau to watch out for her. He also refuses to tell Beau the details of what he believes is happening.

I loved DJ's arrival in Montana. She had been very wary about meeting these relatives she knew nothing about, but from the moment she arrived, she felt at home. She was surprised to find out that a former roommate of hers had impersonated her with the family and caused trouble (Cardwell Ranch Trespasser). One of the things she wants from the visit is to get answers about why her father had kept them a secret. She was not happy with Beau's arrival and his insistence that she is in danger.

I liked the development of the relationship between Beau and DJ. Beau had never forgotten the one time he met her, when he was ten and she was five. He had sensed she needed help then but was too young to do anything. Now he has his chance to protect her, and he won't mess it up. There were sparks between them immediately, though both are wary of them. Neither one is very good at trusting people, thanks to their lives with conman fathers, but those shared childhood experiences also form a connection that neither can deny. I liked seeing them learn to trust each other, as Beau stuck close to DJ. There were several sweet moments between them, and I especially enjoyed the Christmas tree search. The heat between them continued to build, as did their feelings for each other. There was a little problem with lack of communication which pulled them apart at the end until a conversation with his secretary opened Beau's eyes. I loved his big moment at the end, which was sweet and romantic.

The suspense of the story was good. The bad guys are known from the start, but the backstory of why DJ is in danger is revealed slowly. There are two different hit men, each with his own motivations. The person who started the trouble had warped values but was also taken advantage of by someone she trusted, making the situation worse. Getting the points of view of the various players was excellent at building the tension to the final confrontation. There were some interesting twists leading up to the end, both satisfying and heart-wrenching.

 

Promise Me You - Marina Adair (Amazon Publishing - Oct 2018)

A heartening romance of friendship, second chances, and the healing power of love…

Mackenzie Hart has made a career out of writing about eternal love, so when she finds her perfect match in Hunter Kane, she decides to put it all on the line. Irresistibly charming and drenched in alpha-male swagger, Hunter isn’t just the catch of the town -- he’s Mackenzie’s best friend. Only someone beats her to the altar. After a fresh start and three years to recover, the last thing Mackenzie expects is for her old life to come knocking…

Recently divorced, musician Hunter Kane wants to reconnect with the woman he left behind. Admitting his biggest mistake comes first. What comes next is up to Mackenzie. He hopes she’ll give him a second chance. He may have been the one to break her heart, but he knows he can also be the one to mend it.

As a tenuous friendship turns into something more, Hunter’s life on the road beckons once again. Will love be enough to keep them together, or will their wildly different worlds be too much for them to overcome?

A very emotional friends to lovers and second-chance story. Mackenzie is a talented songwriter and has been working with Hunter Kane and his band for a while. She and Hunter are friends and writing partners, but she wants more. Unfortunately, she's waited too long to tell him, and Hunter is about to marry another woman. Unable to handle the pain of seeing him with another woman, Mackenzie walks away from the celebrations and disappears.

Three years later, Hunter is divorced and the band is in trouble. Their last album tanked and Hunter is having trouble getting his songwriting mojo back. Their record label is threatening to drop them if he doesn't accept one of their suggested songwriters to help. The problem is that the songwriting duo that Hunter wants to team up with isn't cooperating. Hunter really irritated me in this scene, as he comes across as very arrogant. He's so certain that he can charm the writers that he wants that he refuses to consider any other option, even blackmailing his cousin into setting up a meeting.

What Hunter doesn't know is that the songwriting "duo" of Mack and Muttley is Mackenzie and her Seeing Eye dog. At the time of Hunter's wedding, she had just found out that she suffered from the same hereditary eye disease that her mother had had. The same disease that had made her mother dependent on Mackenzie and derailed her own plans. Mackenzie never wanted to be dependent on someone that way, but finding her way in her new reality has been harder than she expected. Brody works to convince her that it's time to face Hunter again, but Mackenzie is afraid of being caught up in Hunter's take charge personality and losing herself in the process.

I ached for Hunter when he found out the truth. He was stunned, confused, and angry. I was a bit angry at him for walking away without a word. His confrontation with Brody opened his eyes to what Mackenzie had been through, and it took him some time to process it. In spite of what Brody told him about her need for privacy, he was determined to get her back with him.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Hunter and Mackenzie. It started out rough because of the way that Hunter forced himself back into Mackenzie's life. I was pretty irritated with the way that he steam-rollered right over her objections. Some of those objections were just because she was afraid of leaving her comfort zone, but some of them were legitimate concerns. Hunter is one of those guys who has a Superman personality. If he sees something wrong, he wants to fix it. He also tends to assume responsibility for a lot of things, such as the band and everything that makes it a success. Mackenzie is most desperately afraid of being dependent on someone else, the way that her mom was dependent on her. I loved the ease with which they were able to resume their working relationship. Just being with Mackenzie again made Hunter able to get past the writer's block he'd been suffering from, mostly because she was the rudder that steered his thought processes.

Seeing Mackenzie again made Hunter finally admit to himself that he'd always had feelings for her. He had buried them before because of their age difference, and that he didn't want to screw up their working relationship. Now he's ready to do something about it, but he realizes that he has to get past all of Mackenzie's walls, especially her refusal to accept help. It was interesting to see his complex run up against her independence. Mackenzie also had a habit of holding herself back, lacking the confidence to believe that she can do it. I liked the confrontation between Mackenzie's sponsor and Hunter, as she laid out for him what Mackenzie's issues and challenges really were. I liked that he saw her point and made changes in his actions that would help Mackenzie the right way. I liked seeing the progress that she made, but it was still painfully slow.

Unfortunately, Hunter still has something of a blind spot when it comes to their relationship. He sees the progress they've made with their writing, and that she has made with her independence, in the context of their future as he sees it. The success of their collaboration propels the band to the next level, and he sees Mackenzie at his side through it all. It takes Brody pointing out that she may not see things the same way before Hunter gets a glimmer of the problems. At the same time, Hunter has pushed Mackenzie into an activity that she doesn't feel quite ready for, and it comes back to bite him in the butt. I ached so much for Mackenzie because of the fear she felt, and how overwhelmed she was by what happened around her. Those fears led her to push Hunter away. His pain at her words was intense, as was his anger at the way she refused to give them a chance.

It was satisfying to see his misery as he gave her the space she wanted. It was even more satisfying to see Brody point out to Hunter just how selfish he had been. I loved Hunter's "light bulb" moment as he finally saw the light. His timing in going after Mackenzie was perfect. She has spent the last week wallowing in her misery but was finally pulling herself together. Her realization that she had allowed herself to push Hunter away was eye-opening for her. What followed was a terrifying period of time that had my heart in my throat. I loved seeing her use the strength she didn't know she had to get through it, just in time for Hunter to find her. I loved the perfect combination of caring for her and supporting her that he showed. I was thrilled to see that they finally actually talked and listened to each other. The ending was fantastic and showed that they had finally found the balance that they needed.

Same Time, Next Christmas - Christine Rimmer (HSE #2660 - Dec 2018)

Series: Bravos of Valentine Bay (Book 3)
            Bravo Family Ties (Book 54)

They’re each other’s Christmas present.

But what about the other 364 days?

Ex-soldier Matthias Bravo likes spending the holidays hunkered down in his remote Oregon cabin. Until Sabra Bond seeks refuge from a winter storm. Now they meet every year for a no-strings Yuletide romance. But Matthias is changing the rules. This Bravo bachelor finally knows what he wants -- Sabra forever. Is she ready to commit to love not just at Christmas but every day of the year?

Terrific book with a very unusual timeline. Most romances take place over a few days to a few months, while this one spans four years. It was a lot of fun to see how both Sabra and Matthias changed over those years. It began when Matthias arrived at his cabin for his yearly holiday retreat. He loves his big, noisy family, but at that time of year, he'd prefer to be alone. Those plans are upended when he arrives at his cabin and discovers a beautiful trespasser. Sabra had been out on an impulse hike when she got caught in a storm. Miles from her car, she broke into an empty cabin to get out of the weather and dry her clothes.

I loved the first meeting between Matthias and Sabra. Matthias wasn't in the best of moods when he arrived, thanks to a small accident with a hatchet and not feeling well, so he may have over-reacted just a little bit. Sabra certainly wasn't expecting a rifle-wielding man to come bursting in the door. I was pretty impressed that she didn't freak out, especially with Matthias's surly attitude. She earned even more points from me when, noticing both his injury and his fever, she refused to leave. Instead, she stood up to him and insisted on helping him. The battle of wills was pretty funny, and I loved seeing Matthias finally give in. Once he started to feel better, Matthias's better nature came out and I enjoyed seeing him and Sabra get to know each other, well enough to be comfortable sharing their pasts. There are also some hints of sparks, but both of them have been burned in the past and have no immediate plans to enter any relationships. Yet those sparks prompt an unconventional idea - indulge themselves in a holiday fling, knowing that when they part, they won't see each other again. So fling they did, and what they had together was fantastic. And when the snow melted, that was it. Except neither really wanted to say goodbye. I loved the plan that they came up with: that if she wanted to, Sabra could return next Christmas, and they would do it again. But there would be no contact for the rest of the time.

I loved the glimpses into their lives over the next year, as neither could forget the other. But both stuck to the agreement until December 23rd came around again. I loved their joy at seeing each other again, and how they couldn't get enough of each other. One of the best things was that it wasn't all physical. I loved the way that they could be content just talking, playing with Matthias's dog, Zoya, even just being near each other while reading. Each of them realized that their feelings were changing, but neither was quite ready to do anything about it. I ached for both of them because their fears were still holding them back.

I loved the roller coaster of emotions over the years as Matthias and Sabra worked their way through their fears, hopes, and dreams. The strength of their feelings was never in question, only what they would do about them. I loved their times in the cabin as they grew closer physically and emotionally. There were some really sweet scenes of the two of them together as they shared the good and the bad of the previous years. There was also a lot of pain as first Sabra and then Matthias allow their fears to push them apart. Those scenes had me in tears as their pain leaped off the page. The glimpses of them during the non-Christmas times of the year showed how deep their feelings for each other were, and how their separations affected them. I was especially rooting for Sabra during that last year as she confronted her fears and allowed herself to build up hope for the future.

The reunion of Matthias and Sabra was everything I could have hoped for. Their joy at being together again was clear. I loved how they were able to face their pasts and see that everything that happened had been necessary for the growth of their relationship. I liked seeing them catch up on each other's lives, especially the changes in his. I adored the epilogue and seeing them with their friends and family. I had to laugh at Sabra's friend Iris and her "talk" with Matthias. I loved how easily Sabra fit in with Matthias's family and the lovely surprise at the end.

 

Operation Notorious - Justine Davis (HRS #1973 - Dec 2017)

Series: Cutter's Code (Book 9)

Katie Moore’s small town is rocked when her best friend is brutally murdered -- and her father becomes the prime suspect. Her dad’s only chance is Gavin de Marco, an attorney who doesn’t trust anything or anyone. Now Gavin is probing secrets heartbroken Katie didn’t know she had -- and sparking an attraction neither can resist.

Betrayal taught Gavin to ruthlessly expose the truth -- and he’s certain Katie is hiding something. Still, her fiery warmth is challenging his defenses every step of the way, making it impossible to stay out of her arms. But surviving a killer’s insidious scheme could shatter any shot he and Katie have at justice -- or a future…

Terrific book. It opens with Quinn getting a call from his sister at their office in St. Louis. She's sending attorney Gavin de Marco to him (presumably before she does something drastic) and for Quinn to find something for him to do. I loved his and Hayley's confidence that one of them can get to the bottom of Gavin's issues, and if not them, Cutter most definitely could. We also learn that Gavin has no use for liars of any kind. I loved his arrival at the Foxworth's and his realization that they didn't have a case for him, just before Cutter came into the house. Cutter has a cell phone in his mouth, which he takes right to Gavin. As they speculate about the phone's owner, the bell rings, and it is Katie Moore, who chased after the phone thief. As soon as she's in the house, Cutter sits at her feet and gives his people "The Look."

Katie moved to town six months earlier, to escape the memories of the death of her best friend, Laurel. She had discovered Laurel's body in their apartment, where she had been brutally murdered. Katie still suffers from nightmares, and desperately misses her friend. To top it all off, she just found out that her father has become the police's number one suspect. She's worried about her dad because he doesn't seem too concerned, but she senses that he could be in trouble. She's stunned when Cutter leads her right to the person that could help her.

As always, it's fun to see the reactions when Cutter does his doggy magic. Gavin is a little quicker to pick up on it simply because he's been with Foxworth long enough to be aware of Cutter's reputation. Katie is more skeptical, at least at the beginning. She has experience of his therapeutic benefits but is unaware of his more professional talents. I also enjoyed seeing him immediately start in on his matchmaking plans.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Katie and Gavin. There are sparks of attraction from the get-go, but both try to fight them. Gavin is very cynical about people in general and tends to see the bad in them. Katie, on the other hand, sees the best in people first. As they work together to find out the truth about Laurel's murder, Gavin and Katie have the opportunity to get to know each other. I liked seeing Katie break through some of Gavin's walls. Her kindness and compassion made it possible for Gavin to share things from his past that have made him the man he is. Gavin is a bit freaked out by the way his feelings for Katie grow. He found himself protective of her and worried about how she'll take it if they find her father is guilty after all, something he's never done before. His cynicism gets in the way of their relationship at times, when he suspects her of lying and/or covering up important information. I ached for Katie at the end, when she was confronted by the lies that were told, and the effect it had on her belief in people. I loved Gavin's big moment, when he realized the depth of his feelings for her, and how much she had changed him. I loved seeing the ruthless, cynical lawyer made vulnerable by love.

The suspense of the story was very good. At the beginning, it was very easy to see why the police were focused on Katie's dad. Gavin's involvement upped the stakes for everyone involved. I loved his attention to detail and the intensity with which he tackled the investigation. His interview with Katie's dad was interesting and added a bit of doubt to Steven's innocence. Both Gavin and Cutter could tell that Steven was hiding something. Thanks to his reputation, Gavin's being involved in the case stirred up some trouble. This became clear when Gavin was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant and later run off the road. Evidence and circumstances pointed to Katie's dad. The resulting confrontation had some unexpected twists that changed Gavin's view of some things. But it was the information that Gavin received from Quinn that put the final pieces of the puzzle together. I loved how Gavin, Katie, Cutter, and the rest of the folks from Foxworth came together to bring the killer to justice.

I can't wait to see what is next for the folks at the Foxworth Foundation. At the very least Cutter still has Charlie, Tyler, and Rafe to find the perfect partners for.