From the publisher:
From celebrated author LaQuette comes a sizzling opposites attract Texas Ranger romance that will leave you breathless…
Aja Everett longs to turn her old family ranch into a place where anyone can find rest and healing. But her big heart’s bound to get her in trouble if she’s not careful—someone wants her gone, and they’ll do whatever it takes to drive her away from the land that’s her lifeblood. Whether she’s willing to admit it or not, she needs help.
She needs a man like Ranger Jackson Dean.
Jackson doesn’t trust love. He once made the mistake of following his heart and all he’d gotten was pain in return. But when city-slicking do-gooder Aja Everett asks for his help, he can’t stay away…and as attraction sizzles and protective instincts flare, she may be the only woman able to restore the heart of this Texas Ranger.
Get out your fans for this steamy contemporary romance which features a hunky Texas Ranger with trust issues and a confident, sexy, full-figured heroine who believes in the best in people. Sometimes oil and water are meant to mix.
Review:
All Aja Everett wants is to renovate the ranch that has been in her family since the Reconstruction era and turn it into a bed & breakfast. However, she is plagued by accident after accident as she tries to reach her goal. It’s clear someone wants her to fail. When the local sheriff ignores her umpteenth complaint that someone is trying to hurt her and her project, her uncle contacts his friend, Ranger Jackson Dean, to find out what’s going on. Aja doesn’t count on the sparks that fly between her and the gruff, no-nonsense Texas Ranger.
Jackson is used to being in control. Therefore, he finds strong-willed Aja incredibly infuriating – and irresistible. When yet another incident comes too close to being deadly and is so obviously not an accident, he is on the case, determined to find the evidence needed to put the saboteur away before the unthinkable happens.
Jackson is a complex protagonist, burned by his mother’s abandonment and his ex’s betrayal. Aja is plagued by guilt and unhappiness so great, she is her own worst enemy. There is so much hurt between them, but also a sizzling chemistry they can’t deny. They both have to find a way to overcome their deep wounds to fulfill the promise of their attraction.
I’m not one for cowboy romances or suspense, but ever since I read LaQuette’s Under His Protection, I have been eager to read more. LaQuette creates strong, independent leads full of passion and agency. Aja is capable, beautiful, and willing to take on the impossible, whether in her work as an attorney, the renovation of her ranch, or in trying to find love with the skittish Jackson. She’s also plus-sized and the representation is absolutely perfect.
A wonderful start to a new suspense series.
My thanks to NetGalley for a review copy of the novel.
Where to buy: