Smoky Ridge Curse - Paula Graves (HI #1438 - Aug 2013)

Series: Bitterwood P.D. (Book 3)

Two former partners find their feelings rekindled when they're forced to uncover the truth in Paula Graves's Bitterwood P.D. trilogy 


Assistant FBI director Adam Brand is out of time. His attempt to expose a domestic terrorist hiding in plain sight has left him with more questions than answers. Still, asking his former FBI subordinate Delilah Hammond for help is even more dangerous. 

Once before, the unexpected heat between them drove her back to her mountain hometown-and Adam to the heights of the Bureau. And now, as a new sheriff, Delilah has much more to lose...even as her skills and determination leave Adam breathless all over again. Staying two steps ahead of their ruthless quarry reignites a desire neither can resist. But as Delilah puts herself on the line to set a lethal trap, will they survive to explore the future neither has given up on?

Very good book - kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.  Adam is on the run after being framed during his attempt to uncover a domestic terrorist.  When he shows up wounded at Delilah's house she knows she's going to help him.  Eight years earlier she had been on a task force with him when their attraction got the better of them.  Knowing that nothing could come of it she left the FBI to work for Cooper Security before returning to her hometown to be a police detective.  Now they're together again and the chemistry is still off the charts.  Neither one wants to give in to it as they work to clear Adam's name.

I really liked both Delilah and Adam.  Delilah had been a brand new agent when she was assigned to Adam's team.  She had a great talent for figuring out puzzles which meshed well with his.  She managed to hide her attraction to him until after one mission when they gave in to it.  Knowing there was no future in it, plus being frustrated with the agency bureaucracy, she left for the private sector.  She had a very successful career with Cooper Security and learned a lot.  After returning to Bitterwood to help find a serial killer she found that she wanted to stay.  A week before starting her new job, Adam showed up wounded and on the run.  Knowing him as well as she had, she knew he was innocent and there was no way she was going to let him continue on his own.  I loved the way that she had the strength to stand up to him when he tried to convince her to stay out of it.  Even though they had been apart for eight years she was still able to slide right into a good working relationship with him.  She was also a lot better at reading him and knowing how to make sure she was able to do her part.  Even as their attraction heated up she was still sure that there would be no future for them but now she was willing to take what she could get.  I also really enjoyed seeing the way she worked and how good her instincts were.  There were times I felt like she had a better idea of what was going on than Adam did.

Adam had been attracted to Delilah from the moment he met her.  As her supervisor he also knew that he couldn't do anything about it.  I really liked the way that he appreciated and respected her abilities even as a new agent.  When he could resist her any more he then tried to step back afterward to protect her reputation.  He didn't expect her to leave the agency afterward.  While he tried to tell himself it was for the best, he still kept track of her as best he could, even using her brother to do so.  When he didn't know who else he could trust, he went to Delilah for help.  All he wanted was for her to clean up his wound and he wasn't real happy when she insisted she was going to help him.  Even though he was well aware of her capabilities he still had his protector hat on and hated the idea of putting her in danger.  I really enjoyed seeing him struggle with admitting she was right when she took the lead in some of their activities.  I also liked seeing him struggle with the knowledge that she meant even more to him now and that he wasn't going to be able to let her go.

The suspense part of the story really kept me turning the pages.  I loved watching the two of them work together to piece together the motivations and activities of the bad guy.  It was also interesting to see them merge the information that the two of them had to make a more complete picture.  One of the bad guys came as no surprise at all.  I also loved seeing some of the Coopers make an appearance and also the hacker from an earlier Cooper book.  I'm looking forward to more Bitterwood stories -- I'd love to see a story for Antoine!

The Smoky Mountain Mist - Paula Graves (HI #1432 - July 2013)

Series: Bitterwood P.D. (Book 2)

"Who wants Rachel Davenport dead?"
Seth Hammond won't stop until he gets answers. Tapped by the FBI to find out who's targeting the heiress gives the former Tennessee bad boy the chance to atone for his past sins. But it's his future he's worried about when Seth finds himself falling for Rachel...who's in graver danger than anyone in their small mountain town of Bitterwood realizes.

Ever since she was named CEO of her family business, strange things have been happening--terrifying incidents that could be tied to Rachel's violence-shadowed past. Seth's the only one who doesn't think she's losing her mind. Her intense, rough-around-the-edges protector has blindsided her with his passion. But Rachel also believes in Seth--believes he's a good man looking for redemption...and possibly love?

Very good book with plenty of action.  Seth has been asked by the FBI to keep an eye on Rachel and see if he can figure out who is targeting her.  That's no hardship for him as he's been doing that anyway.  He had noticed her connection to the murders in the first book of the series (Murder in the Smokies) and wanted to find out who was behind it. 

I really liked Seth.  He has been trying to overcome his bad reputation and having a rough go of it.  He made no excuses for what he had done in the past, he knew he had been wrong and regrets it.  He has tried to make amends where he can.  But his desire to protect Rachel goes deeper than just a desire to do what's right or his job for the FBI, he feels a connection to her that he's never felt for anyone before. He also has a great ability to understand her fears and help her deal with them.  I really liked the way that he used his past and the abilities he had as a con man to be able to think outside the box when it came to finding out who is behind the attacks.  As much as he cared for Rachel he felt that he was nowhere near good enough for her, but he was also unable to walk away from her.  I felt really bad for Seth when everyone involved in the investigation thought that he was up to his old tricks, even his sister. 

Rachel had been a librarian until her dying father asked her to come home and take over the family trucking business.  She was reluctant at first but soon found that she was enjoying the work.  When four women she knew were murdered it became obvious that someone was after her.  After her father's death things began to happen to her that made her start to doubt her sanity.  The only person who seems to believe her is Seth, a worker at the trucking company who she barely knows.  In spite of the things that he has done in the past she feels safe with Seth and knows that she can trust him.  I really liked the way that she didn't let his past affect the way that she saw the man that he is now. 

Both Seth and Rachel had things in their pasts that had made them the people they are now.  They also had fears that had to be overcome and were fortunate enough to have the other one to help.  In this book we found out who had targeted Rachel, but the question of why is still unresolved.  I'm looking forward to the next book and the resolution of the mystery.

Murder in the Smokies - Paula Graves (HI #1428 - June 2013)

Series: Bitterwood P.D. (Book 1)

"A Cold Case Brought Him Home..."
When Sutton Calhoun shook the dust of Bitterwood, Tennessee, off his boots, he never thought he'd return. But now he's back to investigate an unsolved murder and has teamed up with police detective Ivy Hawkins--the only part of the Smoky Mountain hamlet worth remembering.

"A Steamy Reunion Would Keep Him There"
Ivy is a hometown girl and well aware of Sutton's reputation. She can't help but find his smoldering eyes resurrecting long-buried feelings. Plus, as the body count rises, Sutton is the only one who believes her that an eerily methodical serial killer is living among them in the shrouded peaks of Bitterwood. Ivy doesn't know which is worse--the desire she feels for a man who's nothing but trouble...or the danger posed by a killer who has them in his sights?

Good book.  Sutton has been sent back to Bitterwood by his boss at Cooper Security to investigate an unsolved murder.  He meets up with his old friend Ivy Hawkins, who is now a police detective working on a string of unsolved murders.  She thinks the murders are connected though her boss does not agree.  When Sutton agrees with her they team up to find out who and why.

Sutton couldn't wait to leave Bitterwood when he was younger.  His father was a con man who tried to get him involved.  Sutton wanted nothing to do with him and was tired of everyone judging him.  The only thing he missed about Bitterwood was his friend Ivy.  Now that he's back he finds that some things have changed.  His father is no longer doing cons,  a former friend is changing his own life, and Ivy has turned into a beautiful and sexy woman that could make him forget why he left.  I loved the way that Sutton started out his trip by wanting to finish as quickly as possible so he could leave again but started to changed almost immediately.  Besides his attraction to Ivy he appreciated her abilities as a detective especially as they began to work together.  I also liked the way that he faced up to his feelings regarding his father and began to repair his relationship with him.  Most interesting was his admission of homesickness for the mountains where he grew up and how being back made him feel more grounded and content.  His attraction to Ivy was strong and getting stronger the more he was with her. 

Ivy had stayed in Bitterwood after Sutton left.  It was her home and she didn't really want to leave.  She also felt that she needed to watch out for her mother who had a tendency to get involved with men who were no good.  She is investigating a string of murders that she is sure are connected even though her boss doesn't agree.  She is surprised when she sees Sutton at the scene of the latest murder, and more so when she finds out why.  I loved the way that she gets involved with him right away, realizing that their friendship hasn't changed and that her attraction to him is even stronger than it was when they were teens.  She tries to maintain some professional distance but their working ideas are so similar that they begin to share their findings.  She admits to herself that she's still in love with him but knows that he will be leaving again.  She has to decide if she can let him go again or if she wants to take a chance on a future with him.

The suspense in the story definitely kept me interested in seeing how it would progress.  There were some interesting points of view from the killer but it was mostly watching how Sutton and Ivy put the pieces of the puzzle together.  I liked seeing how part of the puzzle was solved but also leads into the next book in the series.  I'm looking forward to Seth and Rachel's story.