Sweet Justice by Christy Reece
Publisher: BallantinePublish Date: September 6, 2011
Paperback, 400 pages
Fiction, Romantic Suspense
ISBN: 978-0345524072
A Last Chance Rescue Novel (1st in new trilogy)
My Review:
Overview: I now have a new author to read in one of my favorite genres and that excites me. Christy Reece will be on my must-read list after reading Sweet Justice.
My thoughts: From the first pages I liked Honor Stone. She's a tough-as-nails FBI agent who wants to do what is right, and she has a heart of gold. But inside she's a woman too and she has a heart that can be broken and that's just what Seth Cavanaugh does at the beginning of this book, but Honor moves on as best she can. I like that Honor is strong and that she moves on as best she can. I like the normal woman side to her. I don't like women that can act like it's nothing. Now Honor can put on that front, but deep down she is hurt.
I also like Seth, but that's because we are privy to what is going on and to why he is breaking Honor's heart. Part of the reader will dislike him, but most of the reader will understand. Seth is really a good guy who is trying to do right and it just ends up being a bad situation. Love always seems to find you when you aren't looking for it and that's what happened to Seth.
Fast forward to several years later and that's when the meat of the story really starts. Honor is working for Last Chance Rescue (LCR) which Ms. Reece has written about in earlier books, but as far as I could tell this book stood alone quite well and this book is actually the start of a new trilogy. I think there are some mentions of several married couples in the LCR and I assume they are couples from earlier books, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything by starting with this book. So Honor is working with LCR and Seth's niece has gone missing and they have exhausted all the normal modes of trying to find her so Seth goes to LCR. Of course Honor is assigned to the case and works closely with Seth. There is great tension between them, but they also work very well together bouncing ideas and working to solve the case with other LCR operatives. So there is much more to the book than just them rekindling their romance. But of course they do rekindle, but not without bumps along they way. I like the approach of the seasoned romance, they didn't have to get to know each other. They had dated for awhile when Seth left her.
The kidnapping plot was great, I like how Ms. Reece made it into a greater plot and gave us a glimpse into the bad guys as well. And the bad guys are quite evil. One thing I really like too is even though the bad guys are quite evil, she gives us a glimpse but never goes into great detail so we aren't haunted by what is going on. We know it's bad, but we don't have to deal with really bad imagery and I appreciate that. I like my romantic suspense gritty, but not too gritty and I think Ms. Reece truly understands the line not to cross. She really builds up the suspense even though we know they bad guy. We are left wondering if Seth and Honor will figure it out, will they catch them and is Seth's niece okay. Trust me when I say there is plenty of suspense to keep you turning pages in this book.
In the end, I have a new name to add to my list of great romantic suspense authors and a ready made backlist to go through as well. I can't wait to see what's in store for me with Rescue Me, Return to Me, Run to Me, No Chance, Second Chance and Last Chance. And then there is Sweet Revenge coming in October which will be a must-read for me and Sweet Reward in December which is even more of a must-read because it will feature Jared who was in Sweet Justice and was the mystery man that I want to know more about.
So if you haven't tried out Christy, you should try out Sweet Justice, if you have tried her, let me know what you thought of the book you read. I love reading comments and will respond back if you leave an email or if your email is attached to your blogger profile.
My Rating: 4.75/5.0
About the Book:
Honor Stone is a young, idealistic FBI agent when her path collides with Seth Cavanaugh. For a girl who has never walked on the wild side, the dark and dangerous Seth is a temptation she can’t refuse. But then Seth walks out the door and out of her life. Five years later, Honor is an operative with the elite Last Chance Rescue organization and Seth is a desperate ex-cop searching for his missing niece—one of many young women who have mysteriously vanished from college campuses. Going undercover, Honor will attract the maniacal cult leader behind the kidnappings and find a way to work with Seth—while steering clear of the passion and need that’s just one touch away from explosion. Seth knows he had all the right reasons for the wrong he did five years ago. And from the moment he sees her—and takes her in his arms again—this former undercover man will risk everything for one more chance with Honor.
About the Author:
Christy Reece is a member of Romance Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She lives in Alabama with her husband, two adorable canines, and one very shy turtle.
Sweet Justice is the first novel in her new three-book Last Chance Rescue series.
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FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for an honest review.