Tag: Hearts of the South

Throwback Thursday Review: Memories of Us by Linda Winfree

Posted February 1, 2018 by Casee in Reviews | 4 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Memories of Us by Linda WinfreeReviewer: Casee
Memories of Us (Hearts of the South #5) by Linda Winfree
Series: Hearts of the South #5
Also in this series: Truth and Consequences, What Mattered Most, His Ordinary Life, Uncovered, Fall Into Me, Memories of Us (Hearts of the South #5), Hearts Awakened, Facing It, Hold On To Me, Gone From Me (Hearts of the South, #10)
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: June 10th 2008
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Beneath the lies is truth—and temptation that neither of them can resist.

Book Five of the Hearts of the South series.

Investigator Celia St. John is hopelessly attracted to the one man she shouldn’t want, district attorney Tom McMillian. Arrogant and completely alpha, McMillian is the type of man she likes—a tough son of a bitch. The problem? He’s her boss, and he’s still hung up on his ex-wife.

Since his marriage to a law enforcement agent failed after the death of his infant son, Tom has avoided emotional involvement with any woman. Despite his attraction to Celia, he refuses to get involved with another cop.

Their no-strings affair quickly becomes a tangled web of intrigue as they investigate an illegal baby adoption ring and more than one murder, one of which points to Tom as a suspect. The more they dig under the lies, the higher the risk, not only to their relationship, but their lives.

***Every Thursday in 2018 we will be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books.

This review was originally posted on August 5, 2009.

At the time of this review, I have completed the Hearts of the South series. So I can say with complete conviction that Tom and Celia are my favorite couple of the series. I don’t know if it was Tom w/ the heartbreaking tragedy of his son dying or Celia with her unequivocal understanding and empathy for him.

Celia has lusted for Tom since she started working at the DA’s office. Knowing him as well as she does, she knows that there is no chance for them. Tom is still hung up on his ex-wife and Celia will never get involved with someone she works with again. When a dead baby is found in a car that was pulled over for a traffic stop, Celia and Tom get much closer than expected.

Babies’ deaths always hit Tom hard. With his ex-wife remarried and now expecting her own child, this case hits even harder. With his emotions going every which way, he finds himself instead concentrating on Celia. He has always known that she’s a good Investigator, he has just never looked at her as a woman. Now that he has, he can’t get her out of his head.

Following the trail to the person(s) responsible for the baby’s death takes Celia and Tom to a place they’re ill prepared to go. Not only that, but it makes Celia a target. Someone doesn’t want her finding the answers to the questions she’s been asking and they’ll do anything to prevent it.

The relationship between Tom and Celia was just so real. I can’t think of another way to describe it. I continued to be amazed by the characters that Linda Winfree writes.

Hearts of the South Series

4.5 out of 5

four-half-stars


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Review: Gone From Me by Linda Winfree

Posted January 12, 2017 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Gone From Me by Linda WinfreeReviewer: Holly
Gone From Me (Hearts of the South, #10) by Linda Winfree
Series: Hearts of the South #10
Also in this series: Truth and Consequences, What Mattered Most, His Ordinary Life, Uncovered, Fall Into Me, Memories of Us (Hearts of the South #5), Hearts Awakened, Facing It, Hold On To Me, Memories of Us (Hearts of the South #5)
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: May 10th 2016
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 292
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

"Their life was a fairy tale until it all came tumbling down."
"Hearts of the South," Book 10
Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Amy Bennett isn t sure when her own Prince Charming went AWOL from their marriage, but she s certain of one thing. She wants him back. She and Rob had it all: law-enforcement careers they loved and each other. Yet somehow he s wound up sleeping on the couch and emotionally beyond her reach.
Rob is trying to put the pieces back together, but battling his own demons while starting over in a small-town sheriff s department is pushing him and his marriage to the breaking point.
His very first missing person s case threatens to end anything but happily ever after for the families involved. Then a young man goes missing too, and the pressure has Rob reaching for the nearest lifeline. The one that s dangling by the barest of threads his wife.
And though Amy s grip is strong, her love may not be enough to keep Rob from slipping away.
"Warning: Contains a husband who s holding too much in, and a wife who ll do anything to get him to let go, even meet him halfway on their last piece of common ground in bed. Also: cop bonding between cops who talk like cops.""

I’ve been waiting years and years for Winfree to start writing again. I was concerned after so many years I wouldn’t enjoy her latest, but that wasn’t the case. I fell into the story right away. I felt like I was visiting old friends.

Amy and Rob got married right out of college. They were madly in love and things were going swimmingly, until they started trying for kids. After years of not being able to conceive the stress finally became too much to bear and they decided to adopt. Only they suffered a one-two blow when their application was denied after Rob was laid off from his job with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. While he was still reeling from that, his father, the person he was closest to in the world aside from Amy, suddenly died.

Months later they’ve moved to Chandler County, Georgia and he’s taken a position on the local police force. Despite their love for one another, their marriage is on the rocks. Rob pulled away from Amy after losing his father, and she didn’t know how to turn to him with her feelings about their lack of success in getting pregnant. When their long-time friend, and Rob’s co-worker, hits on Amy right in front of him, it’s the last straw. Finding their way back to each other isn’t going to be easy, but they know something has to give. Either they fight for their marriage or they give up on it and walk away.

There’s a suspense plot that runs throughout the book, but I felt the focus was on Amy and Rob’s failing marriage. Both have work to do on themselves and on their marriage, and I enjoyed watching them find their way.

I loved reconnecting with old characters and meeting new ones. This felt like coming home and visiting family I’d lost touch with. I’m so glad she’s continuing with this series.

4 out of 5

four-stars


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Sunday Spotlight: All I Need by Linda Winfree

Posted June 19, 2016 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 2 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a feature we’re running in 2016. Each week, we will spotlight a release we’re excited about. We’ll be posting exclusive excerpts and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

Sunday Spotlight

I know none of you will be surprised by my excitement for this week’s Spotlight book. Winfree secured her place on my auto-buy list ages ago, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am she’s writing again. Two books in one year? ::dies::

All I Need (Hearts of the South #11) by Linda Winfree
Releases on July 19, 2016 by Samhain Publishing

Pre-Order the Book:

AMAZON || BARNES AND NOBLE || KOBO

He’s nothing she wants…but everything she needs.

Hearts of the South, Book 11

Two years after she buried the love of her life, ER physician Savannah Mills remains buried in her work and keeps her heart under lock and key. But if anyone could tempt her banked desires to come out and play, it’s her neighbor. A couple of casual interactions with the former police officer has her considering a friends-with-benefits arrangement.

Emmett Beck is forging a new career after an on-duty shooting nearly cost him everything. His love life has been in cold storage during his recuperation, but when Savannah proposes a no-strings relationship, his body warms to the idea. After all, it’s just sex. What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty—once Emmett realizes that hot kisses and steamy nights aren’t enough. And that he’s fallen in love with a woman who intends to never love anyone again.

Warning: Contains a younger man determined to be everything his woman needs, in bed and out, and an older woman unafraid to explore her wild side. Also features cops who talk like cops.

We met Savannah in the previous book, Gone From Me, and I’ve been dying for her book ever since. I love the sisterly love in this scene.

Excerpt

Southwest Georgia’s summer heat lingered into late September. Leaves turned straight to brown and dropped to sidewalks that radiated the sun’s warmth even in early evening. Sweat trickled down Savannah’s spine and formed damp pools under each breast in her sports bra. She slanted a wry look at her sister, walking beside her. “Tell me again how this is better than yoga?”

“Maybe not better than yoga.” Amy brushed her damp bangs away from her forehead. Perspiration glistened on her upper lip, and she lifted her water bottle for a long swallow. “But you’re not supposed to talk during yoga. We can have a conversation while we do this.”

“How about next time we wait until the heat index isn’t so high?”

Amy laughed and bumped Savannah’s shoulder with her own. “You know you’ve missed walking with me.”

Savannah admitted no such thing. When they’d both lived in Valdosta, these evening walks had been a sisterly ritual, a time for chatting and laughing, sharing and weeping. She had missed this, but letting Amy know she was right could be a recipe for disaster.

“So, is this transfer as bad as you feared?” Amy glanced both ways at the intersection of Broad and Harney Streets, and they hustled to cross against the light.

Enjoying the momentary cooling shade of a magnolia tree, Savannah pondered the question. When Southwest Georgia Medical had bought out a set of small hospitals in the counties close to Lowndes, she’d dreaded being transferred away from the ER she’d served for three years. She’d thought being closer to her sister would be the only positive, but she had to admit Coney had its own charm.

“Not really, but I don’t want to stay here forever. The staff at the hospital is great, even though they really need to hire on some more nurses. Small towns are not my thing, but at least there’s a coffee shop and a decent grocery store. The parks are pretty.” She let a half-smile, half-smirk curve her mouth. “So’s my neighbor.”

“Really?” Amy’s bright pageant-princess smile lit her entire face. “That’s awesome.”

“I said he was pretty, not welcoming. He’s kind of grouchy, but that may be because he’s recuperating. You could tell he was in pain when I got to introduce myself last night, and he had a cane with him this morning. He has a nice smile, though.”

“Oooh, you could help him recuperate.” The pageant-princess smile took on a decidedly naughty note. “You know, give him the benefit of your vast knowledge of human anatomy.”

Amy’s enthusiasm could only be described as infectious, and Savannah laughed despite herself. She wouldn’t mind exploring Emmett’s anatomy at all. His rugged features—a square jaw, high cheekbones, and thin lips—kept him from being too pretty, and those blue eyes of his were gorgeous, contrasting with thick, tobacco-brown hair. He had lovely hands, too, long-fingered and capable-looking. And nice forearms, leanly muscled and dusted with brown hair. Lord, the possibilities. Plus, he seemed smart. Grad school and involved in reading? She loved nothing more than an intelligent, good-looking man.

He was younger than she was, probably midtwenties to her thirty-four, but what the hell? She wasn’t looking for a lifetime commitment.

Shaking her head, she grimaced. “You’re not helping. I miss sex, and he makes me think of it.”

Amy sketched an airy gesture with her water bottle. “So ask him out.”

“I did, very subtly, and he was not-so-subtly not interested.” Savannah sighed, indulged the disappointment a moment, then shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m sure there are other eligible men in this forsaken place.”

“A coffee shop and a decent grocery store, remember?” Amy’s brown eyes gleamed with a familiar teasing light. “Somewhere here there is one eligible man who’d be thrilled to date an independent professional woman who admits to liking sex.”

Savannah rolled her eyes.

“I could have Rob find you one.” The eagerness of having a new plan to execute suffused Amy’s voice. “There has to be somebody he works with that—”

“Uh, no.” As much as she loved her brother-in-law and actually respected his opinion, he owed her some major payback for the hell she’d given him over a certain ER visit a couple years back. She was not providing him that opportunity. “I’ll just look where most women do. You know, bars, grocery stores, and church.”

Well, maybe not church, since her idea of a relationship no longer involved happily ever after. She didn’t need to get tangled up with a guy who wanted vows and forever-and-always. Friendly companionship and a little hot sex—that was all she needed. Besides, to look for a man at church, one had to actually go to church, which she hadn’t done in well over two years. She didn’t intend to get tangled up with that either.

Their conversation shifted to other topics—work, their parents, Amy and Rob’s nearly yearlong adoption process—as they wrapped up the last block of their walk. Amy wrangled a promise for Savannah to come cook with her one night later in the week, and they parted with a hug despite being sticky and too warm. The Adirondack chair next to Emmett’s door sat empty, his curtains drawn, even though a now-familiar Ford truck sat in the spot assigned to his apartment.

Inside her still-new home, the blessed flow of air conditioning greeted Savannah. She glanced at the kitchen and headed straight for the shower. Cooking was not on her menu tonight. She stripped off her athletic wear while the water warmed. Pondering takeout versus trying a new restaurant, she stepped beneath the spray. The little retro diner a couple of blocks away looked cute and interesting. She’d try that, maybe pick up a movie from the rental kiosk outside the drugstore on her way home. No romantic comedies, no romantic tragedies…nothing romantic, period.

Shower over, she left her face bare except for moisturizer, a smudge of eyeliner, and a quick coat of mascara. She half-dried her hair and pulled it into the messy twist she preferred when in the ER. Dressed in cuffed boyfriend jeans and a black T-shirt, she considered sparkly flat sandals versus the sexy black pumps she’d bought on her last girls’ day with her mom and sister. She reached for the heels because, dammit, she’d been dying to wear them and it wasn’t like they were appropriate footwear for the ER. She snagged her pearl studs from her small jewelry box and let a fingertip trail for only a moment over the sparkling diamond solitaire nestled in the blue velvet. On a deep breath, she closed the lid before she slung her leather bag on her shoulder and headed out.

She swung the front door open to find herself face-to-face with Emmett. Her heart thudded hard with surprise, and her breath whooshed out. His blue eyes widened, and she laughed, a hand to her chest. “Oh, dear God, you startled me.”

Hearts of the South Series

Giveaway: We’re giving one lucky winner their choice of one of our Sunday Spotlight books. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter for one of this month’s features.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know how excited you are and what other books you’re looking forward to this year!

About the Author

Linda Winfree

How does an English teacher end up plotting murders? She uses her experiences as a cop’s wife to become a writer of romantic suspense! Linda Winfree lives in a quintessential small Georgia town with her husband and grand-dog Poe. By day, she teaches English/Language Arts and is an all-round education nerd; by night she pens sultry books full of murder and mayhem.

To learn more about Linda and her books, visit www.lindawinfreewrites.com, follow her on Twitter @lwinfreewrites, or connect with her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/lindawinfreewrites. You can also contact Linda via email at lindawinfreewrites@gmail.com.


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Sunday Spotlight: Gone From Me by Linda Winfree

Posted April 10, 2016 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 6 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a new feature we’re running in 2016. Each week, we will spotlight a release that we’re excited about. We’ll be posting exclusive excerpts and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

Sunday Spotlight

It’s no secret that Linda Winfree is one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. Lori introduced me to her books years ago, shortly after she published her debut novel, and I’ve been gobbling up her books ever since. She hasn’t released a book since 2009, so you can imagine my elation when it was announced she going to release two more books in her Hearts of the South series this year.

gone from me
Gone From Me (Hearts of the South #10) by Linda Winfree
Releases May 20, 2016 from Samhain Publishing

Pre-Order the Book:

AMAZON || BARNES AND NOBLE || KOBO

Their life was a fairy tale—until it all came tumbling down.

Hearts of the South, Book 10

Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Amy Bennett isn’t sure when her own Prince Charming went AWOL from their marriage, but she’s certain of one thing. She wants him back. She and Rob had it all: law-enforcement careers they loved and each other. Yet somehow he’s wound up sleeping on the couch and emotionally beyond her reach.

Rob is trying to put the pieces back together, but battling his own demons while starting over in a small-town sheriff’s department is pushing him—and his marriage—to the breaking point.

His very first missing person’s case threatens to end anything but happily ever after for the families involved. Then a young man goes missing too, and the pressure has Rob reaching for the nearest lifeline. The one that’s dangling by the barest of threads—his wife.

And though Amy’s grip is strong, her love may not be enough to keep Rob from slipping away.

Warning: Contains a husband who’s holding too much in, and a wife who’ll do anything to get him to let go, even meet him halfway on their last piece of common ground—in bed. Also: cop bonding between cops who talk like cops.

Fans of the series should recognize some of the key players in this scene. If you haven’t read her before, you really must.

Here, Rob, a new deputy in Chandler County gets pulled into his supervisors office because he almost got into a fight with another cop out on a call. He held himself in check, but just barely.

Excerpt

“Have a seat.” Calvert closed the office door behind them, and the muted noise from dispatch and the squad room died away. Rob sat, back ramrod straight, in one of the chairs angled in front of the desk. Calvert crossed to sit at his desk. “You want to tell me what happened out there?”

Rob shrugged. The words locked up in his throat.

Calvert’s brows winged upward. “You got nothing to say?”

Silence descended. The clock ticked. Rob stared at his knuckles, lifted his gaze to the photos gracing the corner of Calvert’s desk. Wedding shot, another one with his wife and son, a third of his little boy in an orange life vest, Lake Blackshear sparkling behind him.

No way this guy would ever understand how having everything fall out from under you made you want to take that first swing, and a second, and a third… Even if he hadn’t taken a swing at Jake, his desire to do so had been obvious. Damn it, he didn’t need to look unstable.

“You’ve got to give me something here.” Calvert lifted his fingers, a come-on-man gesture. “I appreciate your not beating the shit out of Stringham under provocation, but I need some reassurance that I’m doing the right thing if I put you back in that car with Troy Lee. Give me a reason not to tell you to the hit the road.”

Hell. His marriage and his career in one twenty-four-hour period. He rested his head in his hands, dug his fingers into his skull.

“Bennett, come on. Talk to me. I might get it.” When Rob lifted his head, Calvert watched him with a rueful grin. “Hell, I physically attacked the local head of the GBI a few years back.”

“Botine?”

“Yeah.” Calvert rubbed at his jaw.

“Why?”

“It’s complicated, but made perfect sense at the time. Now, what has you wound so tight?”

Rob fingered the nick on his wedding ring. “He’s…he was one of my oldest friends.”

“Was?”

“I caught him making a pass at my wife last night.” Rob rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the tension there. “I guess he wasn’t the buddy I thought he was.”

“That…explains a lot.” Calvert leaned back in his chair. “So what about the next time Stringham pushes your buttons?”

“The same as today. He can push all he wants, but I’m not breaking. He’s not worth it.” He couldn’t lose this job, couldn’t lose everything at this point. Rob leaned forward, attention locked on Calvert’s unreadable expression. “I’m not the kind of agent, the kind of cop, that loses control. I have never lost it, with a suspect or in any situation, and I didn’t lose it today. It’s not the kind of cop I am.”

He glanced away, his gaze lingering on Calvert’s FBI award hanging on the wall, and blew out a disgusted breath. “It’s not the kind of man I am, either.”

“Well.” Calvert’s quiet voice held a hint of satisfaction. “Now that’s what I needed to hear.”

“So I’m not fired?”

“No, you’re not fired.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You are getting some extended time riding with Troy Lee before we turn you loose.” Calvert rested his elbow on the chair arm, a finger at his temple. “Having some backup might be a good idea for a while.”

“Yes, sir.”

Calvert cleared his throat. “It’s important that you have an outlet, Bennett. Someone to talk to, a way to let the anger and frustration out.”

He swallowed. “I’ll talk to someone.”

Hell if he knew who, though. He had a few college buddies left, but in the past few months, they’d all drifted away. Honestly, Jake had been the last one. His dad was gone, and if he were here, he wouldn’t get it, any of it, his failures as a husband and a cop. And not like he could turn to either Amy or Jake any longer.

“Even as much as he talks, I understand Troy Lee can be a good listener. He’s smart too.” Calvert rubbed a hand over his jaw once again. “Considering you two will spend a lot of time in that car together… All I’m saying is talking to him might be a place to start, if there’s no one else.”

Rob nodded. He waited for Calvert to tell him he was done for the day, to go home and try again tomorrow.

The older man leaned back in his chair. “You think you can compartmentalize this enough to do the rest of the day?”

What the hell? He was getting another chance? A smile, the first real one of the day, pulled at his mouth. “Yes, sir.”

“All right.” Calvert pushed up from the desk and crossed to open the door. “Get back to work.”

When Rob emerged into the hall, he found Troy Lee and Chris waiting, lounging against the wall with assumed nonchalance. Troy Lee straightened immediately, hands spread in inquiry. “Well?”

Rob glanced back at the door that had shut softly behind him. “He told me to get back to work.”

Troy Lee’s mouth dropped and he closed it with a snap. “You’re kidding.”

“No.” Rob shrugged. He still couldn’t fathom it. Shoot, if he’d seen himself as wound up as he’d been earlier, he’d have sent himself home.

Chris whistled, long and low. He and Troy Lee exchanged a look, and Troy Lee chuckled. “Son of a bitch, he’s mellowed. Well, hell, let’s get back to work then.”

As they moved down the hall toward the side exit, Troy Lee clapped Rob’s shoulder. “Dude, I’m buying you a beer tonight.”

Rob frowned. “Why?”

Chris laughed and pushed the door open. “Because if anyone deserved an ass-beating, it’s Stringham. Don’t know many guys who wouldn’t have obliged him.”

Troy Lee settled his campaign hat on his head. “What was that about anyway?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Great. We have four more hours on shift. You can tell me all about it.”

You guys. This book was so good. I just loved it. I’m so freaking glad she’s writing again.

Hearts of the South Series

Giveaway: We’re giving one lucky winner their choice of one of our Sunday Spotlight books. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter for one of April’s features.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know what other books you’re excited for this year!

Linda Winfree

How does an English teacher end up plotting murders? She uses her experiences as a cop’s wife to become a writer of romantic suspense! Linda Winfree lives in a quintessential small Georgia town with her husband and grand-dog Poe. By day, she teaches English/Language Arts and is an all-round education nerd; by night she pens sultry books full of murder and mayhem.

To learn more about Linda and her books, visit www.lindawinfreewrites.com, follow her on Twitter @lwinfreewrites, or connect with her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/lindawinfreewrites. You can also contact Linda via email at lindawinfreewrites@gmail.com.


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Review: Hold On To Me by Linda Winfree

Posted March 15, 2016 by Holly in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Hold On To Me by Linda WinfreeReviewer: Holly
Hold On To Me by Linda Winfree
Series: Hearts of the South #3
Also in this series: Truth and Consequences, What Mattered Most, His Ordinary Life, Uncovered, Fall Into Me, Memories of Us (Hearts of the South #5), Hearts Awakened, Facing It, Gone From Me (Hearts of the South, #10), Memories of Us (Hearts of the South #5)
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: December 11th 2007
Genres: Fiction, Suspense
Pages: 405
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

She keeps a secret buried in the past. He wants the truth—now. But an unknown killer could destroy their future.
Book Three in the Hearts of the South series.
For FBI profiler Caitlin Falconetti, immersing herself in her job is the only way to quell the memories of a vicious, near-fatal attack and all it cost her, including the only man she ever loved. Better to let him think she simply rejected him, rather than reveal a painful secret that she’s certain would have destroyed his feelings for her.
Investigator Lamar “Tick” Calvert is determined to clean out the corruption-riddled sheriff’s department in his hometown. While he understands Caitlin’s drive to excel at her job, it doesn’t mean he’s happy about the prospect of working with his former lover, the one woman he tried and failed to hold onto.
A rash of unsolved murders brings them together to find the murderer before another woman dies. Daily contact re-ignites the lingering attraction between them, but Caitlin won’t risk opening herself and revealing her secret. She plans to complete the killer’s profile, make an arrest and get out of town for good.
Tick plans to solve this case, too, but now that Caitlin’s back in his life, he also plans to finally dig up the truth about why she left him.
But there’s an added complication—the killer isn’t done, and Caitlin could be the next target.
Warning: Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, light bondage, graphic language, violence.

She keeps a secret buried in the past. He wants the truth—now. But an unknown killer could destroy their future.

This is the third book in Linda Winfree’s Hearts of the South series.

Caitlin and Tick were getting pretty hot and heavy when he was given and undercover assignment and disappeared. While he’s away Caitlin is attacked and almost dies. When he gets back he tries to rekindle things but she pushes him away for reasons of her own. Heartbroken, Tick returns home and begins the process of cleaning out the corrupt sheriff’s department. When Caitlin is called in as the profiler in a serial killer case, they’re forced to work together. Tick doesn’t want to let her go, but Caitlin is determined to keep him at arms-length. Too  bad for her he’s more stubborn than she could ever be.

This is an emotionally compelling tale. The heartbreak and loneliness both characters felt really came through. Caitlin’s reasons for pushing Tick away seem flimsy on the surface, but Winfree did such an excellent job showing her pain and anger it really worked. Caitlin was a great heroine. Strong and independent, yet fully relatable. For his part, Tick was a pretty solid character. He was steady and honest, and his determination to win Caitlin back was wonderful to witness.

The procedural stuff often frustrates me in romantic suspense, but Winfree does her beautifully. Though there were some minor points I could nitpick, the truth is I was wrapped up in the story and barely noticed until it was over.

This is Winfree’s fourth book. Her plots are tighter, her characters more balance and her overall story better than in the previous releases. I’ve noted before that she only seems to get better with each release, and I find that’s absolutely true here.

This is an emotionally wrought tale filled with love, redemption and a good amount of suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars


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