~*★Review★*~ Justice Hunter (Cold Case Detectives #2) by Jennifer Morey

Synopsis

The Cold Case Detectives series heats up with a sexy new hero in this story of revenge and desire.

A tough ex-SEAL turned private investigator, Lucas Curran vows that solving his sister's murder must come first. Even before his raging attraction to Rachel Delany, who might be a fresh lead in the four-year-old case. It's just that he can't trust the down-on-her-luck beauty. He's already been devastated once by a deceitful ex. Then there's Rachel's rap sheet; and her infuriating tendency to withhold the truth.

But when Rachel's life goes up in flames, they're forced to rely on each other. Because Rachel is more than just Lucas's ticket to outsmarting a killer and serving up justice; she's his second chance at a burning love he never thought possible.

Title: Justice Hunter

Author: Jennifer Morey

Release Date: January 5, 2016

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series or Standalone: Standalone Series (Cold Case Detectives #2)

Rating: ★★★★

Reviewer: Melyssa

I have to admit, it’s been a long time since I sat down with a Harlequin romance. Years in fact. My reading travels have taken me all over the place, but what is kind of cool about this book is, since Harlequin was where I got my romance reading start, it’s sort of like coming home again in a sense.

Especially since I always did enjoy the more suspense driven stories and this one definitely has that. At times, it was this very aspect that kept me engaged.

I loved Lucas. I enjoyed the fact that he was hell bent on bringing the person that had killed his sister to justice by any means necessary. That entire family dynamic definitely tying me instantly to the book. I even enjoyed the fact that he was going to have to get close to Rachel in an effort to do that, and for me to agree with someone who is basically using another is a big thing. I just wanted to see the resolution for him and resolution I most definitely got.

Rachel. I wasn’t sure about her. Even from the start I questioned just how deeply involved in all of this she was even though I was sort of hoping with the way they reacted to one another, the attraction between them (despite the secrets on both sides) that she wasn’t going to be too involved. I wanted her to be innocent so that they could just stop fighting the inevitable and again, the author delivered.

Where some romances focus solely on that and the suspense falls more into the background, this story I think kept a pretty even pace with both, even though it did take quite some time for the romantic pay off I was after. There were glimpses, moments in time shared throughout that were right on par with the craziness that ensued the more the story progressed.

At no one point did I nail down exactly who was behind everything, which was another aspect I enjoyed. The author definitely played that angle perfectly. Every time I guessed at what was going on, something would happen to prove me wrong, and by the time it was revealed, I can safely say I didn’t see it coming that way at all.

The ending was a little too tightly wrapped in a big red bow for me I think (and typical of a lot of romances of the past), but aside from all of that, it still remained a really great romantic suspense. It also made me want to check out more work from the author, both previous and works she releases in the future because I did enjoy the writing style here and the way it all came together.

If you’re a fan of suspense, romances, or even just a fan of the Harlequin style stories, this is definitely one you should check out and one I’d recommend.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and all others involved for letting me read this before official release.