Judith’s review of Trust Me by Anna Wells

Lawyer Alaina Simmons never imagined that she would be defending her deceased father against accusations of terrorism when she agreed to protect his legacy, a group of documents he’d placed in an archival repository. FBI Lawyer Donovan Prentice insists that her father and the organization he worked for were terrorists and that crucial evidence is in the documents Alaina has sworn to protect. Now she is forced to combat the FBI and her compelling attraction to Donovan Prentice while unaware that she is also Donovan’s suspect. 

Special Agent Donovan Prentice is working undercover posing as a lawyer in an attempt to gain access to the evidence he needs to convict a group of terrorists as well as determine if Alaina Simmons is working with them. Things become complicated as Donovan becomes more intent on getting his suspect in bed than putting her in jail.
When the bullets start to fly and the lies begin to unravel Alaina and Donovan begin to explore their intensely sexual relationship, but the couple will have to learn to trust each other both in and out of bed before the terrorists’ game of intrigue can end.

I don’t know about you, but I think the FBI, the CIA, and all those covert surveillence organizations are really scary.  It is mind-boggling to know how much others know about us and I think most of us cruise through life in denial because it is just too scary to think there are people out there that are keeping tabs on us.  This is a novel that proves that point.  Two lawyers, one is the daughter of a man the FBI wants to connect with past terrorist attacks, and the other is an undercover field agent/lawyer who has been keeping track of Alaina for months in order to prove her compliance with her father.  The meet accidentally (?) in the coffee bar and it is not until much later that Alaina learns that Donovan has been following her and their meeting wasn’t accidental at all.

This is a sizzling love story with unbearable attraction between these two but overwhelming odds against their ever being able to have a long-term relationship.  There are some characters that are moving about in the gray shadows behind the scenes and they only  make their appearance at surprising junctures in the story.  It is also a mystery complete with espionage and murder, witness protection and all the fear and upheaval that go with that situation.  It is a story that causes the reader to wonder if these two can ever really learn to trust.  Alaina loved her mother and step-father;  she wanted Donovan in her life but couldn’t figure out how that was going to work;  and she grew to love her biological father who disappointed and hurt her after abandoning her over two decades earlier and came back into her life.  Was his attempt to bond with her all part of a scam?  The reader is left with a lot of questions until late in the book — the very best kind of mystery.

This is a new author for me but I have to say that I really loved the book and was impressed with the deft touch the author demonstrated in telling this story.  It was put together so well.  The sex was hot but did not ever overwhelm the larger story.  It truly was the spice that lifted the story and gave it the vibrancy of a sizzling romance.  Most of all, both these main characters wanted to trust, to believe one another, to believe that their instincts were on and that their emotions weren’t crowding out the logic they needed to resolve the situation and find the bad guys.  The characters were multi-dimensional and were created to have the look and sound and “feel” of real life, real people.

This was a really fine read and one that deserves to be read and appreciated.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

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

This title is available from Anna Wells Publishing.  You can buy it here or here in e-format.