Series: I think this will be book one!
Author: Raen Smith
Published: April 2014
Format: Egalley, Thank you Raen Smith!
One letter can change it all...
When caregiver Charla Tayor arrives at the isolated cottage of a man suffering with Alzheimer's, she's given one instruction to carry out upon his death: to deliver a letter to a man named Liam Murphy. Three years later, she's face-to-face with the letter's recipient, a tattooed Irish Bounty Hunter who's exactly the type of man she's trying to avoid.
But Charla can't ignore their undeniable connection as Liam drags her deeper into her patient's troubled past. Just as she's opening her heart, her life teeters on a dangerous edge, and there's only one man who can save her.
I picked this book up on NetGalley on a whim. The cover was pretty good, and the blurb sounded pretty damn good. By the time I finished the book, I was excited and eager for book two. I haven't really seen anything that says there will for sure be a book two, but I am crossing my fingers!
So this story starts out with Charla, who is a home nurse. She's just answered a newspaper ad put out by a man who meets her on the porch wearing cowboy boots and a bathrobe - his name is Jack. He hires her on the spot, and then chapter one brings us to the present. Anyway - back to Charla. She's pretty okay. She's not my favorite heroine, but she isn't the worst. She's a strong woman with a douchey ex in her past, and you know how that goes. She's working on herself, which is all well and good until Liam steps into play.
Now Liam, Liam I liked. Bartender slash bounty hunter slash all around good guy. He's ex military and he likes life with a bit of an edge. He's definitely likable as a character, and by the end of the book I was hooked on him.
This book had a bit of the instant chemistry going on in the beginning, and it felt like it was more a part of the "formula" than something that was actually happening. In fact, there were times that I felt Liam and Charla didn't get along at all, even without any chemistry. And then the next moment they were very into each other. But whatever, it didn't kill the story for me. And actually, as the book goes on, things did begin to gel a bit more, and I was impressed.
So anyways, Jack wants Charla to deliver a letter upon his death to Liam. And that sparks off a ton of events that involve the mafia, lies, and a lot of action. The story moved quick and was exciting. I don't generally read mafia related books, but lately it seems I've been totally into the Irish and mafia. Go figure.
I love the way that family threads it's way through the entire story. Just when you think you've seen it all, here's another branch on the tree. And the Irish heritage that binds the guys together plays out very well. There is one character in the story, who shall remain nameless at this point, who just kind of took off at the end of the book. He's the reason I am hoping for another book. It just felt... I don't know, swept under the rug and not really handled well.
Anyhow - this book definitely has some different twists, and I would recommend it for a quick read! (and be sure to check out Raen's website for the prologue and chapter one yourself!)
