Kansas City Confessions - Julie Miller (HI #1606 - Dec 2015)

Series: Precinct: Cold Case (Book 3)
           Precinct (Book 26)

Keeping secrets close…and an enemy closer…

His protection instincts on high alert, KCPD detective Trent Dixon knew something was wrong with Katie Rinaldi. The special investigator had obviously uncovered a dangerous piece of evidence while looking into a cold case. So dangerous, in fact, that the single mother's life was now in jeopardy. But as much as Trent told himself he was keeping tabs on Katie and her young son as part of his job, he couldn't ignore the very real feelings he had for her. Still, as a professional, he was bound to the badge and would give Katie all the security she deserved. And not give in to the attraction he was having trouble containing…

Very good book and conclusion to the Cold Case series of books. Katie and Trent are both members of the Cold Case unit at KCPD. They are also old friends, having known each other since they were in high school. Katie and her young son are members of a local theater group where Tyler is playing the part of Tiny Tim and Katie does the costumes. When she isn't needed she uses the time to do some of her cold case research for work.

At the beginning of the story Katie, who is a genius on the computer, has uncovered what appears to be some links between several cold cases. That night, at the theater, some strange things happen that make her feel threatened. Scared, she calls Trent, but then tells him not to worry she was actually okay. Trent, unconvinced, shows up at the theater, but Katie and Tyler are already gone. He notices some things that are suspicious, and also rescues an abandoned dog.

The next day at work Trent tries to get Katie to tell him what happened, but she insists that she was panicking over nothing. In the meantime, Katie fills in the rest of the team on what she has found. It is looking more and more like the links they have found may lead to a mob boss they have been trying to nail for a long time.

The relationship between Katie and Trent is one of friendship, by Katie's insistence. As a kid she and her mother suffered from her father's physical and mental abuse, then she saw her father murder her mother. She has always felt responsible for that happening. Then in high school she got pregnant, was kidnapped by someone who wanted to steal her baby to sell it, and lost a good friend to the same man. She and Tyler were rescued, and she has been determined to make better choices in her life ever since. She also has a hard time trusting other people, especially men. Trent's friendship has meant a lot to her and to Tyler, so she refuses to take a chance on ruining that friendship with anything else. Trent has been in love with Katie for years. He wants nothing more than to marry her and become Tyler's father, but Katie won't take a chance on them. So he takes her friendship and tries to make the best of it.

As the danger to Katie and Tyler increases, Trent's protective instincts overpower his attempts to follow Katie's rules. I loved seeing him pull them closer to him and overcome Katie's objections. I also loved the way that he gave in to his need to kiss her, and how that one kiss started changing the way Katie looked at him. She had forced herself to keep him in the "friend zone", but that kiss has really opened her eyes to the man he has become. It was fun to see how she was suddenly noticing his physical attributes and how sexy he was. Unfortunately, her fears still have her resisting what her heart really wants. I really liked how Trent's patience and persistence finally started to break down the walls around her heart. But it isn't until she thinks she'll never see him again that she can admit to herself how much she has always loved him.

I loved following Katie and the team as they worked their way through the information she uncovered. The events of the previous two books are included in this one as they are finally able to link the crimes together and to the man behind them. It was fascinating to see the connections uncovered and how each one led to another. The escalation of the threats against Katie kept the intensity high. Though it was pretty obvious who the man behind it all was, it was the people in between that kept me guessing. The final confrontation was fantastic. I especially loved how Katie kept her head and used her skills to help the team find her at the same time she kept the bad guy focused on what he had her doing. The arrival of the team came at just the right time and how it all worked out was perfect. I loved seeing the bad guy's final plan thwarted.

The last chapter was the perfect wrapup to the trilogy. As always, I loved the way characters from previous books are an integral part of the story, not just tossed in as filler. The support they always give each other, both professionally and personally, makes their relationships seem that much more real. I love some of the conversations between Trent and Max. The ending was really sweet as the whole team comes to see Tyler in the play, and Tyler gets his biggest Christmas wish.

Crossfire Christmas - Julie Miller (HI #1530 - Nov 2014)

Series: Precinct (Book 23)

With his life bleeding out from bullet wounds and a car crash, Charles Nash's best option is to kidnap the innocent nurse who stops to help him. At gunpoint, the jaded DEA undercover agent offers Teresa Rodriguez a desperate deal: if she keeps him alive long enough to find out who's blown his cover and set him up to die, she'll be home for Christmas.

As the two go on the run from an unknown killer, the Good Samaritan gives Nash a bad case of unprofessional desire. He's drawn to the sexy little spitfire for her bravery, boldness and attitude. But how can he count on kissing her under the mistletoe when so many enemies are working to ensure they don't make it to the holidays?

Fantastic entry into the Precinct series, with plenty of action, suspense and romance. It starts in a rush with Nash and his contact ambushed by the bad guys. Nash is wounded in the leg and shoulder, while his contact is killed. Nash barely escapes with his life and is bleeding badly as he drives away in a snowstorm. Nash is from Houston, a place that doesn't see much snow, and on a back road spins out and crashes his truck.

Teresa is a pediatric nurse at the local hospital and loves working with "her kids". She is also the youngest of five kids, and suffers from very overprotective older siblings. She would really like them to see her for the competent adult that she is. On her way home she comes across Nash's wrecked truck and stops to see if he's alright. Terrified when she's confronted by what appears to be a desperate criminal with a gun, she takes him back to her apartment to fix him up. It's at this point that Teresa's natural sass starts to come back.

I really loved both Teresa and Nash. As the youngest in her family, Teresa learned early how not to be intimidated, and that comes in really handy when trying to take care of Nash. Once she got over her initial fear, I almost got the feeling she was simply humoring him so she could take care of him faster. The scene at the apartment the next morning, when he wakes up and she isn't where he left her, was pretty funny. I also loved her resourcefulness in her actions, even though one of those actions put them in more danger. Once she knows who he is and understands the danger, she's all in to help him. There's also a strong attraction that she tries to fight, since she knows he won't be staying around, but that's pretty much a losing battle. Besides the attraction she feels, she also falls for the man she sees under the undercover agent shell. 

Nash had left Houston to get away from the cartel members until he could get his undercover identity replaced. Two of his undercover team members had already been killed, and now his contact. The only explanation is that there's someone in his office working for the bad guys, and he wants to find out who. Bleeding to death before he does is not an option, and when the Good Samaritan who stops to help turns out to be a nurse, he makes a desperate decision. He's not happy about scaring her so badly, but he can't risk her calling the authorities. When she turns out to be stronger of will than he expected he makes his deal with her, and hopes he can keep her safe long enough to follow through. He doesn't expect that sass and the compassion that comes with it, to fire up an attraction he shouldn't be feeling. 

I loved the two of them together. Teresa isn't going to let Nash get away with treating her like a hostage instead of a partner. She has no trouble standing up to him and making him see that she can help. One of the things that made her fall for him is that he treats her like an adult, not like the kid sister her family does. It's also fun to see her bully him into letting her take care of him when he needs it. Nash has quite a time of it right from the beginning, since Teresa isn't exactly docile. He seems to spend a lot of time readjusting his opinion about her. Nash has been on his own for a long time and his feelings for Teresa take him by surprise, but he doesn't deny them. He also doesn't think he's anywhere near good enough for her. Teresa, of course, thinks differently.

The suspense of the story was fantastic. The ambush is a great opening, and the action never really let up. Nash's cover being blown was bad, but knowing that his other team members were killed because of the same thing, made him realize that there was a mole in his office. Unfortunately, he had no idea who, which meant he couldn't ask for help. He was also in a strange city, which added more stress to his situation. Teresa's innocent email inquiry set off a chain of events that puts them in more danger. Their teamwork was great, and some of their situations were pretty tricky. I loved Teresa's ingenuity in getting help for Nash, and the little girl who got into the act was adorable. The final confrontation was really intense, and I never guessed the identity of the mole.

Though there wasn't a lot of KCPD presence in the book, what was there was great. I liked seeing Jake again and the part he played in helping Nash. Some of the best parts involved Teresa's brother AJ, and her efforts to keep him in the dark. He did come through for Nash when it was most important. There was also a nice little tip of the hat to Julie Miller's first books, the LadyTech series, with a mention of Isla Tenebrosa.

Out of the whole book, though, Teresa has the best line when everything is over: "Seriously, Nash? You need to stop getting shot. You should just ask me out on a date."