Series: Colton 911 (Book 1)Coltons (Book 91)
Amid disaster, a rancher is her only hope…
When Magnolia “Maggie” Reeves receives a puzzling map
from her former father-in-law, she can't resist searching for clues -- even in
a hurricane! Fortunately, search-and-rescue cowboy Jonah Colton is there to
save the day. But when the duo find a mummified body, they're plunged straight
into an abyss of danger. And even as they stumble headlong into a dazzling
attraction, they're also fighting for their lives…
Good start to the new series. Divorced from her former
husband, Maggie was surprised to receive a strange map from her former
father-in-law after his death. Though there was a hurricane bearing down on the
area, Maggie gives in to her curiosity and goes looking for clues. When she
turns up missing, search-and-rescue cowboy Jonah goes looking for her.
I liked the rescue scene when Jonah found Maggie. Though
the situation was intense because of the storm, Maggie and Jonah had a sense of
humor in spite of it. It was fun to see the teasing between them. They knew
each other somewhat because they grew up in the same small town. Jonah had had
a bit of a crush on her when they were in school but felt that the beautiful
girl was out of his league, so he never pursued it. He's surprised to find that
some of those feelings are still there. The grown-up Jonah made quite an
impression on Maggie also, and she couldn't keep her eyes off him. A stop at
Jonah's cabin to escape the worst of the rain gave Maggie a chance to show
Jonah the map and note. Maggie is determined to find out what it means. After
showing it to the local police chief and being told to leave it be, Maggie is
more intent than ever to discover the truth.
I liked the mix of romance and suspense. Set against the town's
recovery from the hurricane, both Maggie and Jonah show what they are made of.
Jonah is a good man with a big heart. I loved the depth of caring he shows to
the victims of the hurricane and his humbleness over his part in the rescue
efforts. I liked the way that Maggie got involved in the rescue efforts also. I
ached for her because people often believed that just because she was beautiful,
that's all there was to her. She threw herself into helping Jonah, which also
gave them a chance to get to know each other better. The more time they spent
together, the hotter the sparks between them were until they burst into flame. They
are both a little wary of putting a name to what they feel until unexpected
danger makes them realize what's important. I loved the scene at Maggie's
sister's wedding, with Jonah's awkwardness and Maggie's bewilderment.
The suspense of the story was good. As the first book in
the series, some time was spent setting up the background. A local man is in
prison, convicted of being a serial killer. When Maggie and Jonah discover
another body, there is some question about whether that man is responsible.
Maggie is determined to discover the truth and Jonah is equally determined to protect
her, especially after she receives some threatening texts. It was intriguing to
follow their investigation and see what they uncover. Their visit with the imprisoned
killer was creepy, and I could feel the waves of evil rolling off him. Things
got more complicated when they received unexpected news during their next visit,
and Maggie got caught up in a prison riot. Another threatening text shows that
someone is serious about not wanting Maggie involved in whatever is going on.
The ending of this book came with a confrontation that I never saw coming and
had me on the edge of seat until it was over. While one mystery was solved, the
door is left open on the question of who killed the woman that Jonah and Maggie
found. The epilogue does a good job of setting up the next book with a
disturbing discovery.
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