Series: Cutter's Code (Book 10)
Reunited in peril…and united in love?
When a stalker haunts Cassidy Grant's every move, she
turns to Jace Cahill to keep her safe. Pretty soon Jace realizes that his best
friend's little sister is all grown up. But with danger menacing, can the
brilliant guard dog Cutter keep Cassidy safe…and nudge her and Jace toward the
scariest proposition of all -- a future together?
Finally another Cutter's Code book! I have been anxiously
awaiting this book for more than a year, as Justine Davis has me hooked on this
part detective/part matchmaker dog. Ten years earlier Jace promised his then
best friend, Cory, that he would help
his little sister if she ever needed it. When Cassie suspected she had a
stalker, but not enough evidence for the police to help, Cory told her to call
Jace. Jace immediately set out, hitchhiking from Southern California to
Washington state, where he was picked up by Foxworth Foundation operatives Rafe
and Cutter.
I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. We see
Jace trudging through the rain on his way to Cassie's, as he was passed by a
car with a barking dog. Suddenly the car stopped and backed up, and we have
Rafe nearly begging Jace to get in the car so that Cutter would stop barking. I
had to laugh because this behavior is typical Cutter, who has an uncanny
ability to find people who need help. Rafe's desperation was apparent, as was
his willingness to let Cutter dictate what happened. It was also Cutter's
unique abilities that had Jace telling Rafe about why he was there. In typical
Foxworth fashion, Jace suddenly had unexpected help. I loved their arrival at
Cassie's and the process of deciding what to do. Rafe was fantastic at pulling
out the details of what was happening, and Cutter was funny with his
"nudges." I especially liked how Rafe and Jace believed what Cassie
had to tell them.
I loved the development of the relationship between
Cassie and Jace. They had known each other since they were children and Jace
was her brother's best friend. Jace had a terrible home life with a verbally
abusive father and the time he spent with Cassie's family gave him a
desperately needed respite from the abuse. The Grants always treated Jace as
part of the family. When his father deserted them, Jace and his mother were
left with nothing but crippling debt, and disappeared from Cassie's life, until
he returned to help Cassie. There were sparks between Jace and Cassie from the
beginning. Cassie wasn't surprised to see that her feelings for him were just
as strong as they'd been before. Jace was taken aback by his attraction to his
best friend's little sister and resisted the pull he felt toward her. He was
determined to keep her safe but did not feel worthy of anything more, thanks to
continually hearing his father's voice in his head always putting him down. I
loved Cassie's sensitivity as she learned more about his childhood. She had no
trouble seeing how wonderful Jace was. Her determination to break him free of
his father's abuse was fantastic. I especially enjoyed her way of breaking him
out of his downward spirals whenever his "memory bombs" would go off.
She worked very hard to break through his walls because of how she felt about
him.
Another thing that helped with the furthering of their
relationship was Cutter. He had quite the reputation within Foxworth for his
matchmaking abilities. I laughed out loud when I read the part where Rafe
realized that Cutter had plans for Jace and Cassie, and he tried to explain it
to Jace. It was so much fun to see Cutter aid in their "courtship" by
pushing, tripping, and nudging them where he wanted them to go. The
descriptions of his facial expressions and attitudes were vivid, and I could
actually picture them in my head. When the mystery was solved, it was Cutter
who gave the final push that showed Jace he could have it all.
The suspense of the story was excellent. I was drawn into
the mystery from the very beginning. It is always fascinating to watch the
people from Foxworth work, and this was no exception. Rafe is impressive in his
abilities, and I loved how he was always there when he was needed. I wasn't at
all surprised by the direction the investigation took. The intensity built with
each encounter, and as they came closer to the truth. Several twists and turns
kept me guessing about what would happen next. The final confrontation was a
nail-biter and had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.
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