By Jaime Jo Wright

While I’m not a huge fan of the Romantic Suspense genre, I am a huge fan of Jaime Jo Wright’s books. It was a bit of a dilemma, but I made room for this book in my busy reading schedule and, y’all, it was actually really good!

Ever since she took down her famous uncle’s criminal empire, Lainey Jo has been a part of WITSEC, living in the middle-of-nowhere Montana. But even from prison, her uncle’s organization has found her, infiltrating the U.S. Marshals to track her down and try to eliminate her. On the run with an assassin hot on her trail, Lainey Jo jumps into a random stranger’s truck and her life changes.

Former Navy SEAL Bowen Mays was just getting groceries for his grandma when Lainey Jo tumbled into his truck, terrified. The Montana mountains may have been a prison for her, but for him, they have been healing after his last mission went wrong. With a chance to make things right, Bowen agrees to help Lainey Jo. But he soon discovers nothing about Lainey Jo is as it seems. Has he bitten off more than he can chew? And will they be able to make it out of Montana alive?

Pros: This wasn’t a sappy romance, it was a suspense story with a dash of romance thrown in – just the way I like it! I loved the whole mystery/suspense angle and the way it wove in real life true crime stories. It made the story seem real and really made you think about the people caught up in the fringes of criminal organizations and the choices they have to make.

I also wanted to stand up and cheer at the way Bowen’s character arc resolved. Pax’s speech to him was fantastic!

Cons: Just your average “why are you doing it that way?” moments where I question the heroine’s life choices. 

The Bottom Line: A suspenseful summer vacation read with surprising depth.