Even angels have their demons
Jordan Reiss is well aware that if she was on fire the entire town of Oak Creek would probably go inside and make a sandwich. She can't blame them. Her father scammed half the town out of their retirement funds, and then she...
She did so much worse.
She doesn't expect forgiveness. But she's back in town with no other options and just wants to be left alone to live on the fierce Wyoming land she's missed so much during her six years in prison.
Former Navy SEAL Gabriel Collingwood's callsign may have been Angel, but he'll be anything but to protect his sister. Especially from a pretty ex-con who has somehow weaseled her way into a job at his sister's new bakery.
He doesn't trust Jordan, even with her big gray eyes and quiet smile.
But when someone decides it's time for Jordan to leave Oak Creek--preferably in a body bag--Gabe will have to put his distrust aside. Jordan needs her own guardian angel. And he happens to be one.
Janie Crouch, you will be the death of me yet! I downloaded this book a little before midnight on Monday and told myself I could read a couple of chapters, then go to sleep. Yeah, right. Next thing I knew it was 4 am, and I was on Chapter Seventeen and face-planted on my e-reader. Up again a few hours later and champing at the bit to start reading again, I could not put this book down. I've been intrigued by Jordan since her first appearance and hoped that she would get her own story. When she and Gabe (brother to Violet in Shamrock) met in the previous book the sparks flew, and I couldn't wait to see what happened.
The beginning of this book overlapped with the end of Shamrock, but this time from Gabe and Jordan's points of view. Gabe is protective of his sister and suspicious of ex-con Jordan and her motives for working at Violet's bakery. He was pretty obnoxious in his attempts to bribe Jordan to leave. I loved seeing her stand up to Gabe and do what was right for her. Underneath all that antagonism was attraction, and it burst into flame with an explosive kiss that neither knew how to deal with. Nor could either one forget it. Though he tried, Gabe couldn't stay away, intrigued and curious to find out more about her. There was a sweet, romantic scene involving a sunset and good conversation that exploded into unexpected passion. But when Gabe's desire to treat Jordan the way she should be treated ran into the demons of her past and present, his frustration caused some very boneheaded actions on his part. I ached for Jordan and the hurt she experienced, and even for Gabe because he knew he'd been a jerk.
Jordan is amazing. She has been through so much, but she is determined to have the life she wants. A tragic mistake, when she was seventeen, sent her to prison for six years. Added to the fact that her father stole the retirement funds of most of the people in town, she wasn't surprised by the way she was treated when she came back. All she wanted was the chance to live in peace on her little patch of Wyoming paradise. I ached for her over all the acts of bullying, large and small, that she endured, believing that she doesn't deserve to be treated kindly. I loved how the men and women of Linear Tactical slowly worked past her defenses and gave her the love and friendship she craved.
I loved the development of the relationship between Gabe and Jordan. Though he was suspicious and antagonistic at first, it didn't take long for Gabe to admire Jordan's strength, intelligence, and humor. Jordan was wary. It took a little while for her to trust him, especially when he made some stupid mistakes. He came through brilliantly after the fire at the bakery. I loved seeing him in all his protective glory at the hospital, from the alpha avenger after he saw how she was treated, to the sensitive, observant man who was there when she needed him most. I loved seeing Gabe take care of her, showing her through his actions that she deserved everything he could do for her. The depth of thought and feeling that went into the date he took her on showed just how much he was starting to care about her. I loved watching Jordan blossom under his attention and support.
Just when it looked like life couldn't get any better, Jordan's past comes back to haunt her. With her friends' lives threatened, Jordan found herself in a position that would test Gabe's trust in her. I was on the edge of my seat as I watched Jordan forced to betray him. Intensified by the memory of another recent betrayal, Gabe's reaction was extreme, and I wanted to clobber him with a baseball bat. It was so satisfying to see him realize how big of an ass he had been when he found out what had actually happened. I was glued to the pages as Gabe, Jordan, and the Linear Tactical guys teamed up to bring an end to the threat. The final confrontation was a complex dance that had the potential for either disaster or success. Of course, you know it will be a success, but the process was intense. All that was left was for Gabe to regain Jordan's trust and get her to believe in a future together. I loved his "go big" moment at the end. That hint of vulnerability made it so much sweeter as he found a way to make all of Jordan's dreams come true.
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