Series: Bigler (Book 3)Ten weeks in a swanky Arizona rehab center and Tanyalee Newberry, aka Taffy, is ready to give up everything that isn’t good for her―her forgery habit, taking (i.e., stealing) things that don’t belong to her, and, of course, men. But when her flight home gets rerouted, she finds herself in a hotel room with her smoking-hot travel companion. One night together is all it should have been. But passion is oh-so sweet…
Special Agent Dante Cabrera has been duped at his own love-’em-and-leave-’em game by this so-called Taffy. To forget she ever existed, Dante buries himself in his work…until a case leads him to North Carolina and, impossibly, right back to her. He has no business messing around with this felonious femme fatale, especially one who could be in more danger than she thinks. But Dante also knows there’s more to her than great looks and hot nights―a soul-searching woman who wants to amend her past sins. Is he ready to take their desire to the next level…and steal Taffy’s heart?
Fun conclusion to the Bigler series. Taffy made her first
appearance in the opening book of the series, Cheri on Top. She was Cheri's bitchy,
manipulative, and criminal sister, who was notorious for her sheer selfishness.
At the beginning of this book, she has just finished ten weeks of court-ordered
rehab, where she made an impressive voyage of self-discovery. Taffy was
determined to turn over a new leaf, make amends for her past mistakes, and
avoid temptation. Those intentions were waylaid; however, when a rerouted
flight threw her together with an impossible-to-resist and scorching man. Taffy
gave herself the gift of a last hurrah with this man, never expecting to see him
again.
Dante is a special agent with the DEA. His previous undercover
assignment went so well that it has been extended, much to his dismay. Dante is
a city boy from New York, and the South is not his cup of tea. His encounter
with Taffy was the distraction that he needed but left him with a far more
memorable experience than he expected. Desperate to forget about her, he threw
himself into his work.
I really liked both Taffy and Dante. Taffy had quite the
challenge ahead of her. She has to find a job and perform her community service
hours to satisfy the conditions of her probation. She also had to make amends
to the people she'd wronged, a list that grew longer rather than shorter, as
she took those steps. I loved her dedication to that mission, and her determination
to carry it out, no matter how painful it was to her. I ached for her and the
pain and frustration she felt as she tried to find both a job and a place to
volunteer. Her encounter with Candy (I Want Candy) provided both, in a
heartwarming scene of forgiveness. Throughout the book, Taffy's struggles were
realistic and believable. I loved seeing her overcome them and become someone
she could be proud of.
Dante has some challenges of his own. Events from his
past put him in a downward spiral that took a great deal of effort to break out
of and required a fair amount of diligence to maintain. His memories of the
night with Taffy were a distraction that he didn't need. His current assignment
was an offshoot of the previous one and had the entire taskforce stumped trying
to find the local connection. His interactions with his coworkers were fun, especially when it came to his relationship with Taffy.
Fate wasn't done with Taffy and Dante. Dante was stunned to find Taffy right under
his nose, and not sure if he was happy about it or not. Taffy was equally
unhappy to discover her lapse in judgment was not relegated to her past. But
neither could deny the sparks that flew between them. They couldn't stay away
from each other and quickly discovered they had a deeper connection than just the
physical one. I loved the time they spent together and how each was able to
share their pasts. The similarities they shared made it much easier for them to
understand each other, and that understanding quickly deepened their feelings
for each other. Dante's care, understanding, and patience were sweet, as he
provided the support she needed, but also space when she wanted it. His growing
feelings for her also created a bigger problem, because someone in his position
was forbidden to keep company with someone with her record. I loved seeing
Taffy grow more confident in her new life, thanks to Dante's support. I loved
how her feelings for him grew as she learned more about the man he was. The
protectiveness they felt for each other was sweet, as they tried to do what was
best for the other. I ached for the tough spot they were in, faced with the
prospect of having to give each other up. The ending was perhaps a little to
neatly wrapped up, but I loved it anyway. The epilogue was fantastic. Dante's
big moment was sweet and romantic and perfect.
Fern was my favorite secondary character. I ached for her
and everything she had been through, making her wary and cynical. I loved how
she and Taffy were matched up, with Taffy's sweet but determined nature running
up against Fern's defensive snark. It was great to see Taffy break through
Fern's walls with her southern steel and gentle understanding. The two of them
have some laugh-out-loud moments as well as some heartbreakingly emotional
ones. The scene at the hairdresser really got to me. Their growing trust became
very important when they had to work together to escape life-threatening danger
at the end.
The bit of suspense from the case that Dante worked was
good without overshadowing the relationship. I liked Dante's confidence in his
belief of a local connection in spite of the others' skepticism. I liked the
connection between Dante and Fern, and the background of their relationship. He
was certain that she knew something that would help, but he was also protective
enough not to push. The tension ramped up when the bad guy spooked, and Taffy
and Fern were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was impressed with Fern's
presence of mind and loved how she and Taffy saved themselves in an exciting
and funny confrontation.
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