Reviewed by
Desere
Being in the line of justice can be very tough and when you are female I think it is even harder, everyone knows it more of a man's kind of world. And when your childhood friend is killed and you have to go after the killer, being emotionally involved makes it all the more worse to deal with.
But imagine that the suspect is your past and deep down you know he is innocent for how can a kind and caring man be capable of committing such a ultimate act of evil? Will you still go after the truth in order to honour your friend's memory or will you look the other way in order to be with the man that makes your heart beat faster than a flying bullet?
In the début read from author Rachel Brimble this is the situation that Sergeant Cat Forrester finds herself trapped in. She has the chance to show she is loyal to justice or simply fall of the cliff into bliss whist covered in guilt. She goes for the loyalty we all love to see in one that upholds the law. Only being already emotionally involved on the level of friendship and romance does prove harder than she thought, the lines seem blurred and she needs to really push to keep her balance.
When she finds out a secret about suspect numero uno Jay that could jeopardize any possible future they might have a shot at, the mystery level of this read intensifies to above and beyond and I found myself having to make sure that am reading a Harlequin Superromance and not one from the Intrigue line, yes the action, suspense and mystery was that awesome!
The character of Cat was phenomenal, she does a man's job and she does it so very well, never backing down and always going for the jugular when the time calls for it. But as tough as she is when it comes to the job she is weak and falling into slippery territory when it comes to her love life, so you have a combination of a heroine that will make any criminal stop dead in his tracks but at the same time a woman that any prying man will go after because she can easily be broken when it comes to romance. Totally amazing combination and I for one as reader have not really seen this combination done before! Loved it!
The character of Jay was the kind that as the story builds you find yourself thinking he is so sweet, kind and caring he cannot possibly be a killer, but the mystery level around this man is so intense that it makes you start to think that just maybe the author is going to hit you any minute now with a boom moment and he will turn out to be the killer! A lethal and delicious combination of emotions were rolling around in my head while reading about this man! And am here to report I absolutely adored it! Kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat.
The backdrop settings were in line with the intense building here comes the killer moments and the dialogue was just perfect to keep me mystified. I loved that the author did not let the whole book become about the romance between Jay and Cat, but instead kept the focus on the murder and the secrets of Jay and Cat , letting the romance kind of drop to the background which is unusual for a Superromance read but again so very well done and such a brilliant touch!
I am taking away a message of we all have secrets some not half as bad as you may think and others that we would rather keep hidden from those who love us for they might think less of us, but if someone truly loves you any secret no matter how dirty will be accepted and understood and you will be surprised at the level of support you will receive.
I will add that the read ends in such a manner that you can tell there is more to come, and like myself you will find yourself counting down the days for the next read in this series to hit, you simply will NEED to know.
I highly recommend this read for lovers of romance that have a dose of action, intrigue and passion flaring to the point of no return! A sensual, romantic action packed read that will simply blow you away!
I look forward to the next read from this author, if the first one was this good I can only imagine how awesome the next will be! A best seller, go get a copy now!
5/5 star review
"She has found her romance but will she find the justice?"
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Reviewed by
Maria
FINDING JUSTICE is Rachel Brimble's Harlequin debut and a worthy one it is too. Harlequin Super Romances is an imprint which features novels with slightly more intricate plots than regular romances. This is a piece of emotional drama combined with romance and even suspense. A great combination and a most absorbing read.
Detective Sergeant Cat Forester is a strong police detective, a no nonsense woman with a mission and a passion for justice. However, beneath that tough exterior there's a heartache which is impossible to heal, which she shares with no one. Her carefree life changed forever the day her beloved father was run over by a drunk driver. Cat's mum turned to drink - the very substance which caused her late husband's demise - as the balm to soothe her wounds. Her mother's descent into alcoholism takes every ounce of Cat's coping skills. Because of this, she turned her back on her best friends, Sarah, the best friend a girl ever had and Jay her one time lover, both residents of Templeton Cove, the family's yearly holiday destination. Now, however, Templeton Cove is calling once more. Sarah has been found murdered in puzzling circumstances and Jay is a suspect. As a police detective with an unblemished record of solving murders, Cat considers it her duty to find her friend's killer.
But finding justice is only part of the story. Cat has to find her way back to Jay again. He never forgot her, nor their unfinished business. Cat finds it difficult to realize that she doesn't, in fact, have to face her problems alone. A trouble shared is a trouble halved and with the support of her lover and brother, she can face the difficulties with her mother. But will she let go and try to trust or will she continue to be Sergeant Fix It, with the solution for everything? Meanwhile, it becomes more and more difficult to solve the mystery of Sarah's death. The young woman had a lot of secrets and how is it possible to unravel them?
As well as an absorbing mystery, this novel deals with the predicament of people caught up in addiction and that of those who care for them. I think readers should really enjoy this. Just one tiny thing and this could be editorial rather than authorial (Authorial? Is there such a word?). Cat's English and the book has an English setting. Yet Cat keeps on referring to herself as a 'cop'. 'Cop' is an American colloquialism, I'd have thought. I can understand a British police officer using the word 'cop' now and again, but I'd have thought they'd have used the term 'police officer' or 'police detective' instead. I haven't visited the UK in a long time, so maybe things have changed. The book was published in the USA so maybe that's why.
Looking forward to reading more from Rachel Brimble in the future.
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Reviewed by Nancy Crocker
Sergeant Cat Forrester has a lot on her plate.
Working to put the bad guys behind bars and dealing with an Alcoholic mother. When
a childhood friend is murdered and their best friend and Cat’s ex lover is the
suspect she agrees to visit and see if she can help clear his name.
Jay Garrett has everything he could want, except
for Cat in his life. A recovering drug addict he has worked hard to keep clean
and be someone he can make his parents proud of. But now the police chief
thinks of him, as the number one suspect. And he is going to need all the help
he can get to stay out of jail.
I have mixed emotions about this book. It started
off slow for me and parts of it seemed to repetitive. I also had issue with both
Cat and Jay lying, and it made me question was this always going to be an issue
in real life. Lying in my opinion leads to trust issues. I did not care for the
back and forth lying, trust, whole truth issues.
Now for the good part: I felt in the end Jay
redeemed himself somewhat and the last 1/3 of the book really took off for me “
In the best of ways”, to the point I was turning pages really fast to find out
who the killer was. I was correct by the way.
One of my favorite lines:
“Hey, anytime you want to spank it, just shout.”
4.5/5 stars
