Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good blend of suspense and romance. Philip is looking forward to some time off after a tough undercover case when he gets pulled back to work. His covert talents are needed to stop someone suspected of leaking sensitive information. Philip soon finds himself working as a carpenter on a western-themed reality show. When one contestant gets hurt before filming the show, Philip is tagged to take his place. It quickly becomes evident that there is more going on behind the scenes than he expected. Not the least is his attraction to the show's producer, Naomi Colton.
Naomi is the youngest of the twelve Colton siblings and the one who seems to fight the hardest for her siblings' respect. After years of trying, Naomi finally got the coveted executive producer job she wanted. The bonus is that she can film her reality show on her brother and sister's ranch, giving her the rare opportunity to spend time with her family. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though, thanks to personality conflicts and accidents. The last thing she needs is her inconvenient attraction to Philip.
The suspense of this book grabbed me from the start and kept me hooked to the last page. It starts with Philip's mission to watch Brad, the contestant suspected of selling secrets. He's working out the best way to do this when he first spots Naomi and is instantly fascinated and attracted to her. Naomi picks him to be on the show when one of the contestants is injured. Philip isn't sure how it will work out, but it puts him in a better position to watch Brad. On Philip's first night with the contestants, a fire destroys his and two other tents. While it is deemed accidental, his cop instincts are aroused by the details of the fire, and he decides to keep a watchful eye out. Over the next few days, there were several other suspicious "accidents." Philip is also kept busy trying to keep track of Brad's activities. When Naomi catches him out of bounds late one night, he's forced to take her into his confidence. It was evident that the accidents were likely an inside job, and there wasn't much question in my mind about who was responsible. Even so, the final confrontation was intense.
Philip's primary mission was to figure out what Brad was up to and how he would carry out his scheme. Brad was quickly disliked as he was rude, arrogant, and misogynistic. He alienated just about everyone on the set with his attitude. I had to laugh when he "blackmailed" Philip into helping him, which gave Philip an easy way to know Brad's plans. But when the final confrontation came, some unexpected changes put Philip and Naomi in danger. Complicating matters was a twist I didn't see coming but made a very intense situation even more so.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Philip and Naomi. Their connection and attraction were immediate, surprising both of them. Because of his undercover work, Philip has never looked for anything serious, but Naomi has him reexamining his priorities. Naomi avoids relationships because of her poor opinion of men, beginning with her father. Philip is all-in from the start, realizing that his feelings for Naomi are unlike anything he's felt before. I laughed out loud at some of his flirting and double entendres when he was with her and how it flustered her. Philip was also very protective of her, which showed when he confronted her assistant producer. There were some delightful scenes when he would find a way to be with her. Naomi didn't know what to do with her feelings for Philip. She was starting to care for him but couldn't see how anything could come of it. Both have a lot of self-reflection to do before they can make any decisions about the future but eventually find the solution that works for them.
I enjoyed the setting of this book. The reality show theme was intriguing and gave a wide range of characters. The various contestants and their stories were interesting, as were their reactions to the multiple challenges. Grace, the beauty queen, was a formidable contestant determined to show up the men. She was also quite aggressive in her pursuit of Philip, and it was amusing to see his attempts to keep his distance. I laughed out loud several times at the posturing among the men as they trash-talked each other, mostly in good fun. On the other side, we had various members of Naomi's family. She loves them all, but as the youngest, she suffers from a surfeit of unwanted advice. I felt her frustration over the apparent lack of respect they show for her work. There were fun scenes with Naomi and her sisters as they shared "girl time," and she talked about Philip. Her brother Jasper got some excellent page time between his issues with one of his (female) employees and the effect Naomi's problems are having on the ranch. I'm looking forward to his story.
#netgalley
Naomi is the youngest of the twelve Colton siblings and the one who seems to fight the hardest for her siblings' respect. After years of trying, Naomi finally got the coveted executive producer job she wanted. The bonus is that she can film her reality show on her brother and sister's ranch, giving her the rare opportunity to spend time with her family. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though, thanks to personality conflicts and accidents. The last thing she needs is her inconvenient attraction to Philip.
The suspense of this book grabbed me from the start and kept me hooked to the last page. It starts with Philip's mission to watch Brad, the contestant suspected of selling secrets. He's working out the best way to do this when he first spots Naomi and is instantly fascinated and attracted to her. Naomi picks him to be on the show when one of the contestants is injured. Philip isn't sure how it will work out, but it puts him in a better position to watch Brad. On Philip's first night with the contestants, a fire destroys his and two other tents. While it is deemed accidental, his cop instincts are aroused by the details of the fire, and he decides to keep a watchful eye out. Over the next few days, there were several other suspicious "accidents." Philip is also kept busy trying to keep track of Brad's activities. When Naomi catches him out of bounds late one night, he's forced to take her into his confidence. It was evident that the accidents were likely an inside job, and there wasn't much question in my mind about who was responsible. Even so, the final confrontation was intense.
Philip's primary mission was to figure out what Brad was up to and how he would carry out his scheme. Brad was quickly disliked as he was rude, arrogant, and misogynistic. He alienated just about everyone on the set with his attitude. I had to laugh when he "blackmailed" Philip into helping him, which gave Philip an easy way to know Brad's plans. But when the final confrontation came, some unexpected changes put Philip and Naomi in danger. Complicating matters was a twist I didn't see coming but made a very intense situation even more so.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Philip and Naomi. Their connection and attraction were immediate, surprising both of them. Because of his undercover work, Philip has never looked for anything serious, but Naomi has him reexamining his priorities. Naomi avoids relationships because of her poor opinion of men, beginning with her father. Philip is all-in from the start, realizing that his feelings for Naomi are unlike anything he's felt before. I laughed out loud at some of his flirting and double entendres when he was with her and how it flustered her. Philip was also very protective of her, which showed when he confronted her assistant producer. There were some delightful scenes when he would find a way to be with her. Naomi didn't know what to do with her feelings for Philip. She was starting to care for him but couldn't see how anything could come of it. Both have a lot of self-reflection to do before they can make any decisions about the future but eventually find the solution that works for them.
I enjoyed the setting of this book. The reality show theme was intriguing and gave a wide range of characters. The various contestants and their stories were interesting, as were their reactions to the multiple challenges. Grace, the beauty queen, was a formidable contestant determined to show up the men. She was also quite aggressive in her pursuit of Philip, and it was amusing to see his attempts to keep his distance. I laughed out loud several times at the posturing among the men as they trash-talked each other, mostly in good fun. On the other side, we had various members of Naomi's family. She loves them all, but as the youngest, she suffers from a surfeit of unwanted advice. I felt her frustration over the apparent lack of respect they show for her work. There were fun scenes with Naomi and her sisters as they shared "girl time," and she talked about Philip. Her brother Jasper got some excellent page time between his issues with one of his (female) employees and the effect Naomi's problems are having on the ranch. I'm looking forward to his story.
#netgalley
