Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Continuing the adventures of Bree Daniels and Tanner Dempsey. This book begins about three months after the previous book ends. Bree continues her work at the diner and has made progress in acquiring social skills. She is still insecure about those skills and worries a lot about saying or doing the wrong thing. Fortunately, everyone around her is very understanding of her occasional gaffe and give her plenty of encouragement. Tanner is still her number one cheerleader. He is head-over-heels in love with her, but also has the patience to let things develop at a pace that is comfortable for her. What he hasn't shared with her, as yet, is the PTSD from an undercover op gone wrong. His attempts to protect her from his issues exacerbate her fears that she is doing something wrong in their relationship.
The peace that they've enjoyed since The Organization was brought down comes to an end when Bree discovers a dead body in her yard. The man was a criminal that Tanner had helped put away and was recently released from prison. There are no clues as to who killed him or dumped the body in Bree's yard. Things get a little more complicated when a second man is killed who also has ties to Tanner. He is put on administrative leave while the two murders are investigated. It quickly becomes evident to Tanner and Bree that someone is setting him up. The question is who and why?
The suspense is intense and fast-paced from the first scene to the last. The story opened with Tanner reliving an incident from the past that continues to haunt him. As the evidence piled up against him, those issues are one more mark against him. The best chance for Tanner to clear his name is to evade arrest, and he and Bree go on the run. With Bree working her computer magic and Tanner applying good old logic, they work to find the truth. There are any number of possible suspects, and the twists and turns kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew who it was, someone else would move to the head of the line. The final confrontation was unexpected and intense, and I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over.
One of the things I enjoyed the most was the continuing progression of the relationship between Bree and Tanner. Each is protective of the other, which becomes more evident as the danger increases. In the first book, we saw Tanner's sensitivity to Bree's trauma. In this one, Bree gets her chance to be there for Tanner as he finally opens up about the devastating events of three years earlier. I loved the way that Bree stood up to him, reminding him that she is not fragile and kept herself out of danger for many years. It was heartwarming to see Tanner realize his mistake and promise to do better. I loved the end of the book and seeing Tanner's mom help Bree know the truth of his feelings. I can't wait to see what is up next for them.
The peace that they've enjoyed since The Organization was brought down comes to an end when Bree discovers a dead body in her yard. The man was a criminal that Tanner had helped put away and was recently released from prison. There are no clues as to who killed him or dumped the body in Bree's yard. Things get a little more complicated when a second man is killed who also has ties to Tanner. He is put on administrative leave while the two murders are investigated. It quickly becomes evident to Tanner and Bree that someone is setting him up. The question is who and why?
The suspense is intense and fast-paced from the first scene to the last. The story opened with Tanner reliving an incident from the past that continues to haunt him. As the evidence piled up against him, those issues are one more mark against him. The best chance for Tanner to clear his name is to evade arrest, and he and Bree go on the run. With Bree working her computer magic and Tanner applying good old logic, they work to find the truth. There are any number of possible suspects, and the twists and turns kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew who it was, someone else would move to the head of the line. The final confrontation was unexpected and intense, and I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over.
One of the things I enjoyed the most was the continuing progression of the relationship between Bree and Tanner. Each is protective of the other, which becomes more evident as the danger increases. In the first book, we saw Tanner's sensitivity to Bree's trauma. In this one, Bree gets her chance to be there for Tanner as he finally opens up about the devastating events of three years earlier. I loved the way that Bree stood up to him, reminding him that she is not fragile and kept herself out of danger for many years. It was heartwarming to see Tanner realize his mistake and promise to do better. I loved the end of the book and seeing Tanner's mom help Bree know the truth of his feelings. I can't wait to see what is up next for them.
