Susan F. (scoutmomskf) - , reviewed on 3/24/2020 + 2617 more book reviews

Good book. It has been a very long time since I read any of the Connelly books, so the details of the overarching mystery were very fuzzy. There was enough information in this book that I never felt lost and found it easy to become invested in what happened.

Charlotte used to be the personal assistant to Grant Connelly, the family patriarch and head of the business. She disappeared a few months earlier, after being blackmailed into helping a crime family hack into the company's computers. Shortly after she disappeared, Charlotte discovered she was pregnant with Rafe's baby after a one-night passionate encounter. She went into hiding after an attempt on her life, and before telling Rafe he was going to be a father.

Rafe is the computer genius of the family and a man who works hard and plays hard. He was attracted to Charlotte from the moment he met her, but she didn't seem interested. That is until one night when he drove her home from his parents' house and discovered a passionate woman under the prim and proper façade. When he found out she was pregnant with his baby, he did everything he could to find her.

The book started when Charlotte was five months pregnant and working as a waitress in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and bar. The sense of danger is there right from the beginning as Charlotte narrowly escapes being the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Her evening continues to go downhill when Rafe suddenly appears and drags her out of there, insisting that she isn't safe. Rafe is furious that she has put herself in danger, and is determined to keep her safe. He is also determined to do the right thing and marry her. Independent to a fault, Charlotte has no intention of accepting his "proposal" for myriad reasons of her own.

I liked both Charlotte and Rafe. Charlotte is smart and independent and loyal to those she cares for. She is wracked with guilt over what she did but had had no choice. She is feisty and mouthy and has no trouble standing up for herself. Rafe is brilliant and intense and comes off as being a bit arrogant at the beginning. He is also very protective of Charlotte.

I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Rafe hasn't been able to forget the night they spent together. It freaked him out at first, which is why he snuck out of her apartment and didn't try to contact her for a long time. By the time he did, she wasn't interested in talking to him. Then she disappeared, and Rafe went into overdrive trying to find her. I loved how he surprised himself with his happiness at his impending fatherhood and that he wanted to be a full-time father. However, he wasn't exactly smooth in presenting his case to Charlotte, and she dug in her heels. Charlotte has reasons that she won't marry Rafe, not the least of which are a couple of secrets from her past that she feels make it impossible. It was charming to see how hard Rafe worked to show Charlotte how much he wanted her in his life. There were terrific scenes of the thoughtful things he did and emotional ones when his fears for her would explode over some foolish thing she did. Charlotte does her best to resist him, but it doesn't take long before he starts to wear her down. She fights against her feelings for him, as her belief that she's not good enough for him keeps her from believing they have a future together. But her heart cannot be denied. I loved the scene where she's looking for the perfect birthday present for him, but her issues keep getting in the way. I laughed out loud at her conversation with Dix and what it led to. The ending was terrific, and the epilogue a good wrap-up to this book and lead-in to the next one.

The suspense of the story was excellent and kept me hooked through the whole book. A big part of it was trying to find out what the bad guys were after when they attempted to hack into the Connelly computer system. Because of her role in it, there were some major trust issues between Charlotte and Rafe that had to be overcome. Rafe was torn because he couldn't believe that she would purposely betray the family and company that way, but the evidence was there. But there was also the undeniable fact that someone was out to kill her, and there had to be a reason. It was interesting to get a few instances from the bad guy's point of view, something that sheds a little light on the motivations. I loved it when Rafe finally decided to trust Charlotte and get her involved in helping find the truth. It was quite satisfying that she was the one who did. Just when it seemed that everything was going to be alright, the killer made his move. There were some very intense moments there that had me on the edge of my seat until it was over. Help came from an unexpected source and proved to be exactly what was needed. The finish was very satisfying.

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