Reviewer: Judith
Bridal Armor (Colby Agency, #51) by Debra Webb
Series: Colby Agency #51
Publisher: Harlequin, Harlequin Intrigue
Publication Date: August 20th 2013
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Pages: 224
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Series Rating:

Two agents' forgotten love is rekindled in USA TODAY bestselling author Debra Webb's Colby Agency: The Specialists series.

Someone was out to get Thomas Casey. His profession had taught him to trust no one. So when Johara di Rossi abducted him on his way to his beloved niece's wedding, Thomas assumed the worst—despite their intimate history.

Though attachments made him vulnerable, Thomas was haunted by regret for walking away from Jo years ago. No other woman had stirred such intense desire in him. Now, snowbound in an isolated cabin, with a determined enemy from his past closing in, suspicion begins to melt away as the embers of their passion reignite.

Wow!  This is a really complicated novel that will keep lovers of espionage and mystery on the edge of their seats.  The director of a government agency that is a branch of the CIA that isn’t supposed to exist is on the way to his niece’s wedding to give the bride away.  But what starts out as a bit of family leave time turns into a witch hunt by those who are trying to end not only Thomas Casey’s career but his life as well.  Intercepted by a woman who was his lover five years previously, Thomas begins to understand the extent to which his enemy has gone to do him great harm, and possibly those he loves.  What he doesn’t plan on is the renewal–the resurgence of his gut-deep attraction to Jo Rossi in spite of the fact that she is the governmental equivalent to Internal Affairs and may well be a part of the conspiracy.

This novel is layer upon layer of trouble, so much so that the reader will have a hard time deciding who the bad guys are. The sexual tension between Jo and Thomas keeps on building throughout the novel and the relentless nature of the enemy’s action against Thomas never lets up.  Ms Webb has written a story that literally leaps off the page continually and it was one of those that I started and didn’t put it down except for bathroom breaks.

This series of novels have been wonderful reading and it is always fun to re-visit characters that have figured prominently in past stories.  That all this murder and mayhem is set against the backdrop of a family wedding is sheer genius on the part of the author.  It is certainly a study in contrasts and yet it seems to ramp up the tension even more.  There’s not a lot of erotic action in this novel.  Yet it is deeply erotic in that the intent is there, the tension is palpable, and the sense that it was going to happen eventually–but we just don’t know when.   Just goes to show that the sexiest novels are sometimes those were the sex is implied or delayed.  That is certainly the case here.

Harlequin’s “Intrigue” imprint has come out with some wonderful stories.  This one is no exception.  And if you have been reading Ms Webb’s books in this particular series you will love this one as well.

I give the novel a rating of 4.25 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Harlequin Intrigue.  You can buy it here or here in e-format.