She's wholesome as apple pie…
Or is she?
Bakery owner Ava Katz adores everything about her adopted
hometown of Ambrosia Falls -- especially her best friend, mystery writer Zach
Harrison. But the bucolic setting is hiding something -- or someone -- more
sinister. The Apple Cider Festival is threatened by a series of mishaps, and
Zach's young daughter goes missing -- just as the spark between Ava and her
neighbor begins to explode into flames. Has Ava's mysterious past plunged them
into danger? Can Zach solve the tangled mystery of just who his best friend
really is -- and will Ava find his child before it's too late for them all?
I made the mistake of starting this book in the evening
and got so involved that I didn't put it down until I turned the last page well
past my bedtime.
The story starts with a bang as Ava, an undercover
operative of some kind, discovers her partner of four years isn't what she
thought he was. The intense scene ended in a fade-to-black moment, leaving the
reader wondering what happened.
Fast forward five years, and we find Ava living in the
tiny town of Ambrosia Falls, where she owns a bakery. She is cheerful and
friendly to everyone she meets. But her favorite is probably Zach, a local
mystery writer who hangs out in her shop to do his writing. Zach is the single
dad of ten-year-old Chloe, the center of his life.
Ava and Zach have kept their relationship strictly in the
friend zone. Ava's past keeps her from getting too close to anyone, knowing she
could have to disappear at a moment's notice. For Zach, the last time he loved
it ended in disaster. He doesn't want to risk his friendship with Ava, so he
ignores his feelings, which have been growing for years.
The story opens as the town begins its yearly Apple Cider
Festival. Grumpy Zach rolls his eyes at the over-the-top reactions of tourists
visiting the bakery, while Ava loves interacting with them. She loves the
normalcy of her new life. However, when a temporary water tower collapses in
the middle of the festival, Ava has a bad feeling that things are about to
change. That feeling is reinforced when the temporary stage catches fire in the
early morning hours. Sure that her old partner has found her, Ava is ready to
run when a panicked Zach tells her that Chloe has disappeared.
Warned not to call the police, it is up to Ava and Zach
to find Chloe before it's too late. Zach is stunned as Ava transforms from a bubbly
baker to a deadly operative in the blink of an eye. I was glued to the pages through
the twists and turns of their search. The intensity ramped up with every page
until the nail-biter of the final confrontation.
The intense situation brings Zach and Ava's feelings for
each other to the surface. The question is, will they have the courage to take
a chance on love?
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