Covert Avenger - Rachel Lee (HI #2241 - Oct 2024)

Series: Conard County (Book 75)
 
His return has stirred up more trouble than he ever imagined…
 
CIA operative Devlin Paltier never thought returning to his small Wyoming hometown would be riskier than an undercover mission. But Devlin knows that revealing he's no ordinary cowboy could bring danger to everyone in his world. Including Deputy Elaine Paltier, his widowed sister-in-law and the off-limits woman he's never been able to forget. Before long, though, Devlin's dark secrets come back to haunt him…along with two killers hell-bent on revenge. Now protecting Elaine becomes the most crucial assignment of his career -- and the only way to secure a possible shared future.
 
Good book, though a little different than the usual Conard County book. This one was more of a suspense/mental intrigue than an action-packed one. Devlin is a CIA operative on leave after one of his informants was murdered. Someone revealed Niko's identity, and Devlin blamed himself. Devlin returns to his hometown while the powers-that-be try to find the responsible party. His family is shocked to discover that he plans to stay for as much as a month because he rarely stays more than a few days during those rare times he visits. His family doesn't know about his CIA identity; they believe he works for the State Department.
 
Devlin's sister-in-law, Elaine, is his brother's widow and the single mother of an autistic daughter, Cassie. She is also a deputy with the Conard County Sheriff's Office. Between her job and Cassie, her life is full. I ached for her and the pain she feels for Cassie and her heartache over her daughter's challenges.
 
Neither Devlin nor Elaine expected the attraction between them or the deeper connection they felt when spending time together. I loved watching them get to know each other. I especially liked Devlin's interest in Cassie and understanding of her challenges. Spending time together also shows them how lonely they are. They have some decisions to make and fears to face before they can hope for a future together. The ending was sweet and heartwarming.
 
Tension increases when Devlin gets the feeling of being watched. With his past, there was always a chance that someone would come after him. His protective instincts emerge, and he is determined to keep his family safe. I liked his and Elaine's teamwork as they combined forces to uncover the threat. We get a good look at the people sent to kill Devlin, their motivation, and their worries. I felt bad for them, their loss, and their confusion over the right thing to do. The confrontation with them did not go the way I expected. 

Murderous Intent - Rachel Lee (HI #2211 - May 2024)

Series:  ConardCounty (Book 74)
 
As a storm rages,
can he unmask the murderer in their midst?
 
When a killer strikes twice in the same day, former soldier turned stockade owner Josh Healey steps in to protect the locals who've taken refuge across the creek. But it's writer Krystal Metcalfe who penetrates his hardened exterior. Then, just as the investigation is truly getting underway, a savage rainstorm cuts them off from the outside world. Now Josh and Krystal must trust each other with their secrets to stop a chilling vendetta...and survive.
 
Good book that kept me interested from start to finish. It is fast-paced, as the story takes place over a few days. Krystal and her mother own a writer's retreat in the Cash Creek area of Conard County. Krystal loves the peace and quiet of the forest retreat and is disturbed when the long-absent property owner across the creek moves in and starts building a fort. Her initial encounters with him don't go well.
 
Josh is a veteran turned psychologist who builds a retreat for fellow veterans who have PTSD. He is very protective of his soldiers and worries about the attitudes of outsiders toward them. They pretty much keep to themselves.
 
As the story starts, a group of writers is at the retreat. Some are introverted and keep to themselves as they do their writing. Others are friendlier and like to socialize. Then there is one who is highly extroverted and constantly makes himself the center of attention. Krystal doesn't like him, but he brings business to the retreat. Mason is bloviating one day when Josh bursts into the lodge, fuming mad. Someone cruelly injured a dog and left it outside the stockade. He all but accuses one of them of being the culprit.
 
Tension increased as people on both sides of the creek worried about what might happen next. There is a worrisome visit with the dog's owner and an interview with the sheriff, who came to investigate the shooting. The injured dog, Reject, adopted Krystal and went home with her. The day went on with a storm building, and Reject showed up at the stockade. When Josh returns him to Krystal, he senses trouble. Things get freaky when Reject intermittently howls and stares out the window. Josh trusts that the dog senses something and decides to stick around.
 
Things go from bad to worse when Mason and another writer are found dead. Is the killer out there somewhere, waiting to kill again? Or is it one of them, huddled in the lodge, wondering what is happening? Josh's protective instincts are aroused, and he recruits some of his soldiers to help protect the writers. The suspense is intense as Josh and Krystal attempt to keep everyone safe and figure out who is behind the murders. In an unusual step, the author reveals the killer to the reader early. I wasn't surprised by the identity, but the accomplice was a surprise. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, with a resolution that wasn't what I expected.
 
The relationship between Josh and Krystal happened quickly. It was a rough start, with Krystal being suspicious and Josh being uncommunicative. But under the antagonism were sparks of attraction that neither could ignore. When the trouble started, Josh couldn't fight his protectiveness. Krystal was smart enough to accept his help. Spending that much time together allowed them to get to know each other a little. It takes Krystal a while to understand Josh's prickliness about his vets, but I liked that she tried. I loved that they acknowledged their feelings but knew they needed to get to know each other better.
 
I liked seeing some Conard County regulars like Gage Dalton and Connie Parrish. 

 

Killer in the Storm - Rachel Lee (HI #2181 - Dec 2023)

Series: Conard County (Book 73)
 
She's usually the protector
Will she accept his protection?
 
A whiteout blizzard leaves Deputy Artie Jackson no choice but to take Boyd Connor into her home. Maybe getting this stoic combat veteran to talk about his demons will distract her from her own. Their halting trust in each other takes on a new urgency when Artie starts getting threats against her life. As they search for her stalkers, will they find their way to each other?
 
Good book that kept my interest more for the characters than the suspense. Artie is a sheriff's deputy who, as the book opens, has just handled a brutal domestic violence call that has left her questioning her actions. On the way home, she spots a man walking along the road. With a significant blizzard bearing down on the county, she knows she can't leave him to the elements.
 
Boyd is former military, walking across the country to deal with his demons. Not only does he have PTSD, he is having problems with his ex-wife's refusal to allow him to see his daughter. He's not exactly enthusiastic about going with Artie but gives in to avoid trouble. With the motel full, Boyd accepts her offer to sleep on her sofa.
 
Artie is highly independent. It is just her and her dad, who is suffering from the beginnings of Alzheimer's. I know she was trying to deal with the trauma of her DV call, but I thought she was rude to Boyd. That independence continues, even when she begins receiving threatening phone calls. First, she blows them off as pranks, but when they escalate, she doesn't report them to the sheriff, believing she can handle them on her own.
 
Boyd has his own issues, but that doesn't keep him from being polite to her dad or behaving as a model guest. He senses Artie's turmoil and will listen if she wants to talk. The phone calls aroused his protective instincts, and he became invested in her safety.
 
I liked seeing their relationship develop. Artie begins to relax a little in Boyd's company and loses a little of her hard edges. I liked seeing them get to know each other and become comfortable with sharing their problems. Artie helped Boyd focus on his issues with his ex-wife and find a way to solve his problem. Neither expected the sparks of attraction that flared between them and weren't sure what would come of them. I liked how it turned out and look forward to seeing more of them in future books.
 
The suspense was good but could have been more intense. Artie receives threatening phone calls, and the reader sees their source. The two men behind them are not the sharpest tools in the shed, and their thought processes are not very logical. They have a friend who unsuccessfully attempts to talk sense into them. I could feel Artie and Boyd's tension about the calls and their worry about how the threats could impact others. I liked Boyd's protectiveness and determination in providing backup for Artie. The resolution was well done and amusing.

Exile's End - Rachel Lee (SIM #449 - Sept 1992)

Series: Conard County (Book 1)
 
SOMEONE WAS STALKING HIM
 
After being held captive for four years, CIA agent Ransom Laird just wanted to enjoy the wide-open spaces and warm sunshine of Wyoming. He hadn't expected to meet a woman whose very soul touched him, warmed him-a woman he could grow old with. And now that he'd found her, he was about to lose her to an unknown assassin. Someone who wanted Ransom dead. Someone who was trying to kill Mandy to get to him ...
 
Writer Mandy Grant saw Ransom as a wounded warrior seeking shelter within her fortress walls and herself as the lonely princess, too frightened to love. Because for Mandy, loving meant losing. And unless they stopped the killer first, they were both going to lose....
 
I've been a long-time fan of the Conard County series but only started reading them once I was further into the series. I liked getting my hands on the book that began it all. The story quickly drew me in with gripping suspense and emotional turmoil.
 
Ransom escaped from four years in a forced labor camp, then spent several months in the hospital recovering from his injuries. Looking for somewhere to finish his recuperation sent him to his friend, Nate, who lives in rural Wyoming. In addition to the wide-open spaces Ransom craves, Nate recommends him for a ranch hand position. He never expected to find a woman whose soul spoke to his.
 
Mandy became something of a recluse after the death of her husband four years earlier and the latest of many losses. She's afraid of caring for someone only to lose again. She immerses herself in the books she writes about warriors and princesses. Ransom's arrival creates cracks in the walls she's built around her heart.
 
I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Ransom and Mandy. Ransom touched me from the start. He is scarred, inside and out, by his experiences, but he wants this chance at a new life. After many years of subduing his emotions, allowing himself to feel again is difficult. He has a hard time believing anyone could care for him. Mandy is drawn to the wounded warrior in ways she's never felt before. As they spent more time together and grew closer, each had to face their fears before looking to a future together.
 
Mandy and Ransom spend a lot of time inside their own heads. When danger threatens, Ransom's protectiveness insists that she would be better off without him. Mandy pulls back every time her relationship with Ransom moves a little forward, terrified of risking her heart. There were times when I wanted to shake her for how she treated him. There's an emotional scene where he calls her out on it but disregards his own actions. It takes some in-depth self-examination, brought on by extreme danger, to open their eyes to the truth.
 
The suspense of the story was excellent. It began in the prologue with someone watching Ransom in his hospital bed, thinking about how easy it would be to kill him then. But they want to make him suffer first. When unexplained incidents happen to Ransom and Mandy, he is initially reluctant to believe someone is after him. After all, he's been inactive as an agent for years, and very few people even know he's alive. But his instincts tell him he's the target and he needs to protect Mandy. Though I figured out who the killer was pretty early, I was fully invested in seeing how it turned out. The final confrontation kept me glued to the pages as Ransom used his abilities to get to Mandy before it was too late.
 
This book was published in 1992, so some things are a little dated. One more noticeable was the realization that when Ransom, Nate, and Micah spoke of the war they fought, they were referring to Vietnam. There are no cell phones for quick communication, and the computer Mandy uses for writing her books uses disks. But those were all minor considerations in my enjoyment of the story.