- Brothers, swindlers, and an exotic dancer had me intrigued. When Chad Foster’s brother goes missing the Texas Ranger has no choice but to turn in his badge and head to California to find him. The plot drew me in with compelling characters.
- Chad Foster is a born and bred rancher and lawman. Chad has a reputation hunting cattle thieves and uses those skills when he enters California. The man brought his horse with him, and I could not help but giggle. Chad could be charming, and the man was tenacious trying to find his brother and capture a crook.
- Jasmine is so much more than an exotic dancer and the girl does not mess around. She completely upended Chad and I loved her role in the case.
- Riley is a local police officer and his interactions with Foster where comical in the beginning. The banter made me laugh and I enjoyed their interaction as the case deepened.
- While this is dubbed a romantic suspense, it leans heavier to the suspense side. Foster did a great job of provided clues, ramping up the tension and adding some twists to the story. The tale flowed well despite my disconnect to the romance and I enjoyed all of the character interactions. The villain was slimy and I cheered the good guys on.
Decaffeinated Aspects:
- I liked Jasmine and Chad together and could see them working as a couple but some scenes and the rushed romance (in part because the action and suspense were heavier) I was never really swept up in the romance.
- Jasmine used something to prove that Chad was interested in her as a woman and it just did not work for me personally. I felt in a way it degraded her. Not for the act, but because she saw it as validation he liked her. It is only one scene and the author clearly showed more sides to them as a couple but for me it fell flat.
- Chad was a tad bull-headed and got himself in some mighty sticky situations while trying to solve the case and while I loved his tenacious persistence, some of it was just a bit over the top. Hotheaded and stupid are two different things.
Copy provided by publisher.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer