For heart-pounding suspense and heart-pounding romance, you can't do better than Lori Foster. As this book begins, Detective Reese Bareden wakes up on Alice Appleton's couch after being licked away by his puppy. Since his apartment was the scene of a crime and Alice came to his rescue, she gave him a place to stay. Reese had been fascinated with Alice since she met him but it took a rescued puppy before she would give him a chance. Alice has learned to guard herself closely since being rescued by human traffickers. She doesn't have any desire to get close to anyone because she doesn't know who she can trust and because of the guilt she feels about assisting the traffickers until she could escape. Alice is quiet and shy and not convinced that she would be attractive to any man.Reese is first attracted to her quiet beauty but soon learns to appreciate much more about her including her bravery and the way she cares for his abused puppy. When she impulsively rescues another woman from abuse, she puts herself in the crosshairs of a very bad man. It takes Reese, his partner Logan, Rowdy Yates and the elusive Trace to keep her safe.I loved watching the relationship between Alice and Reese develop. Their love scenes were hot and filled with emotion. I also liked seeing Logan and Pepper (from Run the Risk) and catching up with their lives. Pepper's brother Rowdy had a substantial role in this story, too, and I enjoyed watching his view of the cops change as he gets to know Reese and Logan. I liked that the group of them forged a strong unit of love and respect. Fans of romantic suspense will really enjoy this story.
