Grace Isabel MacKenna has a hundred things to do today. Killing someone isn’t one of them. It is supposed to be a quick visit to Boston for the Buchanan anniversary party, then on to Scotland to collect an inheritance. She checks into her hotel and then decides to go for a brisk walk. But after getting lost, she ends up with a wounded man stumbling into her arms—and his shooter coming after them both. When she fires back in self-defense, she doesn’t expect him to drop dead. After Isabel endures an interrogation by police, she is free to go, thanks to the Buchanans dispatching former Navy SEAL and now lawyer Michael Buchanan to assist her.
Isabel knows she should be grateful for Michael’s help, but since she’s harbored an extreme dislike for him for years, gratitude is difficult to muster. Michael has appointed himself her de facto guardian, and she’s stuck with him despite their constant bickering and sizzling attraction. Even when Isabel goes to Scotland to claim her inheritance, Michael follows her—but he isn’t the only thing she can’t shake. Mysterious threats against Isabel surface, and before they can deal with their growing feelings for each other, Michael and Isabel must first survive.
Release Date: Jul 19, 2022
Series: Buchanan/Renard/MacKena
Book: 14
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $14.99
“She was an optimist. He was a cynic. She saw the good in people. He looked for the bad and usually found it. He had to admit she was a hell of a lot more fun than he was, and he was happy and content when he was with her, even when she was driving him nuts. She had her flaws. She was stubborn, unreasonable at times, had a fierce temper, and she was a maniac behind the wheel. Simply put- they were all wrong for each other. He would make her miserable, and she would drive him crazy.”
Grace Isabel Mackenna is traveling to visit family when she accidently stumbles across an attempted murder in progress. She is in a part of town that she unfamiliar with, and she must make a quick life or death decision to save both her life and the victim’s. Once the police arrive on the scene, Isabel believes that things will settle down. What she doesn’t realize is she was the intended victim of the attempted murder after all, and someone wants her dead. Michael Buchanan is tasked with protecting Isabel and finding out why someone wants to kill her. He will stop at nothing to save the woman he loves.
I adore Julie Garwood’s Buchanan series. Mercy, Murder List, and Heartbreaker have a special place on my keeper shelf. I was buzzing with excitement that she was continuing this series and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. She is a master craftsman of intricate plots that will keep you guessing until the end. I never know what is going to happen, and the villain’s identity is always elusive until she wants us to find out who it is. If I can guess, who did it and what is going to happen then it tends to dampen my enjoyment of the book, but Julie Garwood still has never disappointed me.
She has built such an intricate world in this series, and I loved being able to catch up with one of my favorite literary families. We get to see how their families have grown, but how their love has stayed steady and constant all these years. I hope that she writes more, and I wish we could see a spin off series of some of their children.
If you’re a fan of other romantic suspense writers like Linda Howard and Nora Roberts, then this series might be something that you would enjoy. I would recommend reading the series in order as there is a lot of character overlap. Plus, the rest are just as fabulous!
~ Michelle
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