Provoke

by Missy Johnson

[Cocktails and Books]

PROVOKE had an interesting premise and it was one that I like a lot more than I thought I would.

Leeta and Mace are about as opposite as you can get, but they work together. They embrace their differences and build on what they have in common. Despite her job as a prosecutor and his family's less than stellar reputation in law enforcement circles, they work. They're incredibly hot and their chemistry almost tangible. Their relationship was such that I was starting to wonder about the title to the book and exactly what was going to happen to upset the balance with this couple. I should have known it was coming.

Let's say, Missy Johnson shocked me. I wasn't anticipating what Mace could be involved in, but the minute the discovery was made I knew this was going to be huge.

Without giving too much away, Mace is trying to avenge his sister's suicide. She became involved in something quite ugly, against her will, and her only way of dealing with it was to take her life. Mace discovered what she was involved in and forced his way into the group in order to find out who the ring leader is and bring him to justice. Even though he was working on some level with law enforcement, the evidence that Leeta discovers is quite damning. And when Mace discovers Leeta knows his secret, he makes matters even worse by kidnapping Leeta to make her understand what was happening. I loved Mace and understood why he was doing it, but even I was a bit horrified at the lengths he went to. If I were in Leeta's shoes, I'm pretty positive I couldn't forgive him...regardless of understanding what he was doing.

The story is fast paced and the perfect mix of intrigue and sexiness mixed together. I enjoyed Missy Johnson's writing style and will definitely be looking for more from her in the future. If you like a bit of darkness to your romance, definitely one to pick up.