Against the Fire - Kat Martin (Mira - Jan 2011)

Series: Raines of Wind Canyon (Book 2)

Once one of the “no-account Raines boys,” Gabriel Raines has pulled himself out of poverty by his bootstraps to become a successful businessman -- one who has become the target of revenge . . .

You can’t fight what you can’t see. And Gabriel Raines can’t be sure just who’s setting the fires in his new real-estate development. When two fires hit back-to-back, he knows it’s personal, but any number of competitors or ex-employees could be the arsonist.

The police suspect Angel Ramirez, a local teen who’s been in trouble before. But Mattie Baker, a volunteer at the Family Abuse center, just can’t believe the kid she’s been working with would go back to his delinquent ways.

Determined to convince Gabe that she’s right, Mattie must get close to him and find out who’s putting their neighborhood in jeopardy. And just as the arsonist’s flames continue to burn, they find a heat developing between them. It might just turn into a full-fledged fire . . . if they can survive long enough.

Very good book with excellent suspense and good romance. Gabe overcame a rough childhood and has become a successful development and construction businessman. When one of his projects is torched by an arsonist, a young teen with a previous record is accused and arrested. Mattie is a successful architect and volunteers with a local Family Abuse Center. When a teen she's been working with is accused of arson, she's determined to show he's innocent.

I loved the initial meeting between Gabe and Mattie. She's passionate about her belief in Angel's innocence and that gets Gabe's attention. Because of his own past, he's willing to give Angel the benefit of the doubt. There's an immediate spark between Gabe and Mattie that he is interested in pursuing, but she is wary. Mattie avoids entanglements with men and devotes herself to her work and her volunteering. Her father passed away when she was young, leaving her and her mother with little to live on, convincing her that it is better to be self sufficient than relying on someone else. Then the man she was engaged to deserted her when she was pregnant, reinforcing those beliefs. She's attracted to Gabe, but reluctant to get involved

When Angel is cleared of suspicion he wants to help find who is targeting Gabe and ends up getting badly injured. Feeling like they're responsible, Gabe and Mattie decide to do some investigating of their own. Constant proximity to each other has the sparks burning brighter and feeling beginning to develop. Gabe hasn't been much interested in relationships and permanence in the past, but the more time he spends with Mattie, the deeper his feelings go. But Mattie's fears have her trying to keep some distance between them. I liked Gabe's patience with Mattie's fears, but he also wasn't above pushing a bit to get her where he wanted her. Mattie slowly realizes that she has fallen in love with Gabe, but trusting him with her heart is something she isn't willing to do. It isn't until their lives are in danger that she's ready to give him everything.

The suspense of the story was excellent, with the attacks on Gabe's properties escalating throughout the book. There were multiple suspects, all of whom had motive, and it was interesting to see them sort through them all. The fires start to take a heavy toll on Gabe's business and his frustration is obvious. He also became very worried about Mattie's safety as the attacks got more intense. I really liked seeing the help and support Gabe got from his brothers, especially Devlin. The final confrontation with the arsonist was intense and very scary.

I also enjoyed the secondary romance between Mattie's best friend Tracy and Gabe's foreman and best friend Sam. Tracy has her own fears thanks to an abusive childhood, and doesn't plan to ever marry. She has no problem using men for physical pleasure, but doesn't trust them. Sam is a really sweet guy who takes the time to show Tracy the respect he feels she deserves. He slowly shows her what real love is and that they can have a future together.

Against the Sun - Kat Martin (Mira - June 2012)

Series: Raines of Wind Canyon (Book 6)

It's not in bodyguard Jake Cantrell's job description to share his suspicions with his assignments.

Beautiful executive Sage Dumont may be in charge, but Jake's not on her payroll. As a former special forces Marine, Jake trusts his gut, and it's telling him there's something off about a shipment arriving at Marine Drilling International. His instinct is aroused…in more ways than one.

A savvy businesswoman, Sage knows better than to take some hired gun's "hunch" as gospel. And yet she is learning not to underestimate the man her grandfather hired to protect her. Determined to prove Jake wrong, Sage does some digging of her own and turns up deadly details she was never meant to see.

Drawn into a terrifying web of lies and deceit -- and into feelings they can't afford to explore -- what Jake and Sage uncover may be frighteningly worse than they ever imagined.

Good book. Jake has been hired by Sage's grandfather to be her bodyguard while she is participating in negotiations with a Saudi prince. Sage isn't at all happy about it and makes her feelings clear to Jake. He isn't too thrilled with her either, but an assignment is an assignment.

Jake and Sage get off to a rough start. Sage doesn't think she needs protection or help from Jake. He didn't make the best first impression when he mistook her for the receptionist and she isn't going to forget it. Sage has worked her way up in the family company and could be in line to become CEO if she pulls off this deal with the Saudi prince. She's strong and determined and knows exactly what she wants. She sees Jake as the caveman type, there to intimidate, but not much use otherwise. He's nothing like the sophisticated men like her fiance. She quickly learns that there's much more to Jake than meets the eye. Jake isn't too thrilled to be protecting a businesswoman who probably got her job because of who she is. He sees her as a spoiled society girl playing at real work. That doesn't last long as he sees just how good she really is at her job.

I liked Jake a lot. He's a little rough around the edges, but he is highly intelligent and honorable. He's attracted to Sage, but since she's engaged he's determined to keep his hands to himself. I really had fun seeing their power struggles at the beginning. It didn't take as long as it could have before they developed a good working relationship. I liked seeing the way that his view of life changed over the book. He went from a lone wolf type to one who was willing to form relationships. I really liked his Big Brother relationship with Felix. It was another layer of his personality that showed what kind of man he was.  

I had a harder time liking Sage. She's earned her place  in this business, that's no problem. But I didn't like the way that she had basically selected her fiance because of his pedigree and what she saw as suitable qualities. She's attracted to Jake, but sees too many inequalities between them, which made her seem rather snobby. I liked the way that exposure to Jake had her rethinking her engagement. There were a couple encounters between Jake and Phillip that made me laugh. Once Phillip is out of the picture things get pretty hot between Jake and Sage. They spend a lot of time telling themselves why a relationship won't work long term, but they can have fun short term. I loved seeing Jake start to plan a future and wanted to slap Sage silly for what she said to Jake near the end. I'm glad she came to her senses and saw that they belonged together. I felt like Jake could have made her work a little harder to make up, but it was good.

The suspense was quite good. I enjoyed learning the bits of protocol that Jake taught to Sage. The theme of the story was realistic and easy to believe in. The leaking of the story that led to the protests obviously had a purpose, and that became more clear as the book went on. Sage was a bit naive about the danger of the protests which led her to make a stupid move, but she learned her lesson quickly and Jake got high points for the way he handled it. Things got a bit more intense with the conversation Jake overheard between the sheikh's son and his friend. Add in an explosion, drug trafficking and some possible terrorist activity and the last quarter of the book had me staying awake until I finished it.

I loved seeing the backup and support Jake got from his friends and coworkers. It wasn't just on the business side either. I loved seeing them come together for the takedown at the end. There were some great sparks between his coworker Alex and Sage's friend Rina, which means their story is bound to be good.