Series: Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #4
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon The Book Depository
Book Blurb (from goodreads):
He never saw her coming...
Spencer Lark already knows too many secrets about Arizona Storm, including the nightmare she survived and her resulting trust issues. But in order to expose a smuggling ring—and continue avenging his own tragic past—the bounty hunter reluctantly agrees to make Arizona a decoy. Yet nothing has equipped him for her hypnotic blend of fragility and bravery, or for the protective instincts she stirs in him.
Arizona wants to reclaim her life, which means acting as bait to lure the enemy into a trap. Sure it's dangerous, especially with a partner as distractingly appealing as Spencer. But as their plan—and their chemistry—shifts into high gear, Arizona may discover there's an even greater risk in surrendering her heart to a hero...
Teaser:
For a short time, he only held her, watching her, his thumb moving over her knuckles until her skin tingled, and the butterflies in her stomach rioted.
"Relax." He lifted her hand toward his mouth, looked at her palm, then pressed a kiss there.
Firm. Lingering.
Her pulse stuttered. Heat swelled inside her. His mouth was war, his breath moist, his hold so incredibly tender.
Ho boy.
Suddenly he released her and stood to walk back to the window.
She kept her arm extended for half a minute before she caught herself and snatched it back. "That's it?"
Hands on his hips, his head down and his shoulders rigid, he said, "This time, yeah."
Reviewed By: Bea
My Thoughts:
I read one of the other books in the series, "Trace of Fever", last summer, which was helpful when reading this one. You could read this as a stand alone but it would probably be less confusing if you have at least one other book in the series. I liked "Trace of Fever" well enough but I definitely preferred this one. I connected more with the characters in "A Perfect Storm". Spencer is a decent guy, just trying to do the right thing - he saves abused dogs, tracks down criminals, and is very careful of Arizona due to her past as a victim of human trafficking. But at times, he is so concerned with doing what he thinks is right, that he can't always see the truth. He's so blinded by Arizona's past and what he sees as her needs that he doesn't see, or respect, who Arizona is. Neither do the mercenaries who rescued her and have adopted her. They all see her as a little girl (she's 21) who needs to be sheltered and protected.
Instead, Arizona feels smothered and misunderstood (which she is). She can be very reckless and careless of her own well-being so their attitude is somewhat understandable but she's far more competent and capable than they give her credit for. The book is not only a romance but a coming of age story for Arizona. She slowly comes to accept that the men care about her and that it's okay to open up and care about others and she comes to accept that being an adult can include settling down.
The romance unfolds slowly and I love how careful Spencer is with her. They have a misunderstanding, naturally, well two really: his failure to accept her for who she really is, which gets resolved, and her belief that he wants her to move onto another man, which sort of gets forgotten about.
I had trouble believing in Arizona's naivete at times; she was 17 when she was sold to human traffickers so unless she was incredibly sheltered, and we're not told that she was, there were some things that just didn't ring true. But overall, Foster wrote a sweet love story, with wonderful characters, and I enjoyed it very much.
I received a paperback ARC for review as part of a blog tour.
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EXCERPT
Minutes later, just to prove a point, she went about making coffee.
SPENCER STOOD WITH HIS HANDS braced on the porcelain sink, his head hanging, his muscles twitchy.
What the hell?
Sure, he knew Arizona Storm was a reckless, impetuous, headstrong girl. He’d figured that out in the first few seconds of making her acquaintance.
But breaking and entering?
Why the hell had she sat there watching him sleep?
He felt…violated. Angry.
He felt extreme pity. For her.
Damn, but he didn’t want her, not in his house, not in his head. He could control the first.
Hadn’t had much luck controlling the second.
Interesting. Nice review, I'm not sure about the cover though. It's a nice cover, but it doesn't seem to portray what the story is really about.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the cover really doesn't tell you what the cover is about, other than that you'll be getting a romance.
ReplyDelete