Lethal Temptation (Rifle Creek, #2)

by Kaylea Cross

She’s got her guard up.

Detective Avery Dahl finally has her life back on track after a painful divorce. She’s not going to risk her heart again, especially to a sexy veteran with heartbreak written all over him. Due to extenuating circumstances at an upcoming family wedding, she reluctantly agrees to bring him as her fake boyfriend—and soon realizes her mistake. Because Mason is as lethal with seduction as he is with a weapon, and keeps pushing her boundaries until her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble. Her instinct is to push him away, but when a mysterious enemy targets her, Avery has a choice to make. Face it alone, or take a risk and let him in.

He’s determined to get past it.

After a horrific accident ended his military career, Mason Gallant has struggled to fit into the civilian world. Now that he and his buddies are opening a business together in Rifle Creek, he’s finally found his footing again. But he never counted on meeting a woman like Avery. He can’t stop thinking about her, so when she needs help, he steps up. Except posing as her boyfriend makes things even worse—because he soon realizes he wants way more than just her body. Now that he’s seen the caring, sensual woman inside the tough cop, he wants to protect her from whoever is threatening her. As the attraction between them heats up, the danger escalates. Mason must prove to her that she can trust him with her heart as well as her life—or risk losing her to the bullet of a stone-cold killer.

• ISBN13: 9798682921379
• Publish Date: 23 September 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Independently Published
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 264
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Lethal Temptation by Kaylea Cross the second book in the Rifle Creek, which works well as a standalone tells the story of Detective Avery Dahl and Mason Gallant.

Avery has no desire to entrust her heart to another man, having escaped a marriage that drained her both mentally and physically. She throws herself into her job and avoids romantic entanglements.  However, with the upcoming nuptials of one of her relatives, she finds herself in dire need of a date and someone to act as her boyfriend for the weekend of the wedding. Enters Mason Gallant, the last person Avery wanted to spend time with, but left with no choice, she agreed for him to be her fake boyfriend for the weekend.

He had no qualms agreeing to be Avery’s date and fake boyfriend for the duration of the wedding as he developed an interest in her from the moment he laid eyes on her. If only he could get her to acknowledge the chemistry between them.

The more time they spend together, they discovered that what they felt went beyond mere attraction. Despite this, Avery refused to tear down the walls she had erected around her heart. Brick by brick, her walls came down and what started out as a fake became the real thing.

Amidst them getting to know each other, someone is determined to destroy Avery.  Mason goes into protective mode to protect the woman he loves, even if it led to the reopening of old wounds.

Not only do the readers get the POVs of Avery and Mason, the author also treated them to the POV of the villain or should I say psycho. While the reader is aware of who is behind the attacks from the start, it never dampened the excitement and the danger.

I enjoyed the romance. Avery and Mason had wonderful chemistry, I enjoyed their interactions and had a wonderful time getting to know them as a couple and as individuals. The romance and the suspense balanced out each other perfectly, and I liked there wasn’t a lot of drama to wade through.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Cross delivered an exciting, fast-paced tale filled with passion, witty banter and danger with an ending that left me feeling satisfied.  I am looking forward to the next installment and will pick up the previous book too.