Series:
Swamp Slayings (Book 1)
There's only one way to clear his name.
But he needs her help.
Freed from prison after fifteen years, Beau Boudreau
turns to Peyton LaCroix. Their love affair ended the night he was wrongly
accused of murder. Now Beau needs the Black Bayou defense attorney to help
clear his name. With the case -- and reawakened passion -- heating up, time is
running out to find someone who has killed before. And is getting ready to kill
again.
I have mixed feelings about this book. The
mystery/suspense kept me reading well into the night, but I wasn't really
feeling the romance. Fifteen years earlier, Beau and Peyton were a couple. She
was eighteen, and he was twenty-one, and they had big dreams for their future.
But Beau was accused and convicted of murdering a "working girl" and
sent to prison. He swore he was innocent, but Peyton was influenced by her
wealthy parents, who never approved of "swamp rat" Beau. She caved into
the pressure to believe he was guilty.
Fifteen years later, Peyton is a defense attorney who
returned to her hometown to start her own firm. The last thing she expected was
Beau to come to her after his release from prison. He wants her help in finding
out who really killed Lacey. This is where Peyton's actions first turned me
off. She still believes he's guilty and doesn't see why they should stir things
up again. It isn't until he reminds her of a critical piece of evidence that
she realizes he is innocent, and she finally agrees to help him. I was
irritated that she had had no faith in the man she supposedly loved. Now, she's
all in on uncovering the truth.
The sparks of attraction between them are still intense,
but Beau is wary of getting involved with Peyton again. He is still hurt and
angry over the way she abandoned him all those years ago. In addition, he's now
an ex-con with a bleak future, thanks to a betrayal by his best friend. He
feels there is no way he and the respected attorney can have a future together.
But as they work together to clear his name, there is no denying the feelings
that keep growing stronger. I liked that once she believed Peyton was all-in on
the investigation and refused to back down when threatened. Their road to a
future together still has a few bumps - prove Beau's innocence and convince him
they have a chance to be happy.
The suspense of the story is what kept me hooked. It is
evident from the start that Beau's arrest and conviction resulted from
prejudice and incompetence. I liked seeing Peyton dig into the details of the
case. A lot is working against them because the townspeople still believe he is
guilty. There is also someone determined to stop the investigation. Attacks on
Peyton and Beau increase in intensity the closer they get to identifying the
murderer. The final confrontation was intense, with a twist that surprised me.
I was happy to see Beau's reputation restored.
No comments:
Post a Comment