Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good book. Blaze has not been home in many years thanks to her estrangement from her father. But when she learns he was charged with murdering a neighboring rancher, she heads for home. When she first arrives, Blaze believes that Monte is guilty of the murder, but is determined that he have a fair trial. It isn't long before Blaze changes her mind about his guilt and turns her efforts to proving his innocence. Though it pains her to do so, she will even accept ex-boyfriend Jake's help.
Jake hasn't been able to forget Blaze. He's more than happy to help her with her investigation as it gives him the chance to spend time with her. He is determined to do everything he can to prove his love to her.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Blaze and Jake. Their previous relationship burned hot, disturbing both with the strength of their feelings. Blaze took advantage of an incident with Jake to break off the relationship. She's not happy at first to discover he was sent by a mutual friend to help her. Though she claims to be over him, there is no doubt about the sparks that still fly between them. But Blaze has trouble trusting Jake's professed feelings after witnessing the disintegration of her parents' marriage. She doesn't believe that love lasts. As they worked together, Blaze's feelings for Jake grew, but she was afraid to acknowledge them. I loved Jake's patience and persistence as he showed Blaze how he felt in many different ways. There were some sweet scenes as he took care of her, and some steamy ones as the sparks between them continued to grow. Jake refused to give in to those sparks without Blaze's admission of her feelings, creating some volatile moments. I liked the conversation between Blaze and Monte that helped put some of her fears to rest, but it was nearly losing each other forever that pushed Blaze past those fears. I liked Jake's big moment, even though it wasn't quite what he'd planned.
The suspense of the story was terrific. I was a little surprised that Blaze believed Monte was guilty when she first came back. But it didn't take long for her to pick up on the clues that Monte was likely protecting someone by pleading guilty. Blaze accepted Jake's help in investigating after realizing that it wasn't going to be easy to discover the truth. Monte was not a popular man, and many were more than willing to believe he was guilty. At the top of that list was the sheriff, who had a long-standing grudge against Monte. The deeper that Blaze and Jake delved into the past, the more suspects they found for Frank's murder. They also stirred up a veritable beehive of trouble, resulting in several attempts on their lives. The tension increased the closer they got to the truth. The final confrontation was intense, with a couple of unexpected revelations. There was also the secondary mystery of what had really happened to Blaze's mother, which drove the sheriff's vendetta against Monte. The resolution of that question was very well done.
I loved the depth of characterization of the people of Saddle Butte. It was interesting to see the number of secrets that were present in this small town and how pulling one thread unraveled so many of them.
Jake hasn't been able to forget Blaze. He's more than happy to help her with her investigation as it gives him the chance to spend time with her. He is determined to do everything he can to prove his love to her.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Blaze and Jake. Their previous relationship burned hot, disturbing both with the strength of their feelings. Blaze took advantage of an incident with Jake to break off the relationship. She's not happy at first to discover he was sent by a mutual friend to help her. Though she claims to be over him, there is no doubt about the sparks that still fly between them. But Blaze has trouble trusting Jake's professed feelings after witnessing the disintegration of her parents' marriage. She doesn't believe that love lasts. As they worked together, Blaze's feelings for Jake grew, but she was afraid to acknowledge them. I loved Jake's patience and persistence as he showed Blaze how he felt in many different ways. There were some sweet scenes as he took care of her, and some steamy ones as the sparks between them continued to grow. Jake refused to give in to those sparks without Blaze's admission of her feelings, creating some volatile moments. I liked the conversation between Blaze and Monte that helped put some of her fears to rest, but it was nearly losing each other forever that pushed Blaze past those fears. I liked Jake's big moment, even though it wasn't quite what he'd planned.
The suspense of the story was terrific. I was a little surprised that Blaze believed Monte was guilty when she first came back. But it didn't take long for her to pick up on the clues that Monte was likely protecting someone by pleading guilty. Blaze accepted Jake's help in investigating after realizing that it wasn't going to be easy to discover the truth. Monte was not a popular man, and many were more than willing to believe he was guilty. At the top of that list was the sheriff, who had a long-standing grudge against Monte. The deeper that Blaze and Jake delved into the past, the more suspects they found for Frank's murder. They also stirred up a veritable beehive of trouble, resulting in several attempts on their lives. The tension increased the closer they got to the truth. The final confrontation was intense, with a couple of unexpected revelations. There was also the secondary mystery of what had really happened to Blaze's mother, which drove the sheriff's vendetta against Monte. The resolution of that question was very well done.
I loved the depth of characterization of the people of Saddle Butte. It was interesting to see the number of secrets that were present in this small town and how pulling one thread unraveled so many of them.
