The Rebel's
Redemption
by Jacquie
Biggar
Series: Wounded Hearts, #2
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: February 2,
2015
Annie Campbell's predictable and cozy life gets turned on
its side when her son's prodigal father returns to town. Then an old enemy
shows up and the outcome will not only place her in danger, but their son as
well.
Jared Martin left Tidal Falls a hotheaded youth, and has
seen his share of violence in the eight years he’s served Uncle Sam.
Floundering, he returns to his hometown to regain his bearings, bitter and
disillusioned.
Then he finds out he’s a father.
When an old enemy follows and causes mayhem in the small
town, can Jared overcome the odds to protect the woman he’s always loved and
the child he never knew, or will it be too late?
“Miss Campbell, guess what? Jake’s here. He was outside when
we went to get Susan. How cool is that?”
“That’s pretty cool all right. How’d he get here? And
where’s Chris?” She’d grabbed up a napkin to wipe the ice cream from her lips,
when a voice out of the past lifted the hairs on the nape of her neck and sent
a shiver down her spine.
“He’s here. With me.”
The smooth tones rolled over her, and sucked all the air out
of the room. Annie stiffened, then crumpled the napkin and slowly turned in her
seat—yep, it was Jared all right. And Chris.
Oh.
My.
God.
He looked good. The random thought floated through her mind
even as she tried to digest the fact he was finally back. Eight years too late,
but he was here. She wanted to grab Chris and run. Run before what was obvious
to her became obvious to everyone else. Shit.
“Hello, Annie, it’s been a long time.” Why was he looking at
her as if she’d betrayed him? She wasn't the one to cut and run without a
single word in all this time. Goddamn him.
“Jared. Yes, it has been. A very long time. There were no
phones where you were? Your mother probably would've appreciated knowing
whether you were dead or alive.” Not to mention herself. She’d promised herself
she wasn't going down this road, the blame road. It was time to leave.
She turned her back on him, looked into Jack’s concerned
eyes, and forced herself to smile as if her heart wasn't shattering into a
million tiny pieces. “I better get back. Tina needs to take her break. Call me
later?”
He gave her waist a warm squeeze, and placed a gentle kiss
on her cheek before sliding free. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but for what
it’s worth, I've got your back.”
Near tears, she stood from the table, and without looking at
either man again, grabbed both children’s hands and hustled them out the
door.
The Rebel's Redemption was a fast paced second chance romance with a lively mix of suspense. Former SEAL Jared is back in his hometown, where he sees Annie for the first time since he left eight years ago. Annie has never forgotten Jared, and no man has ever quite measured up to him.
The feelings they still have for each other are still strong, but Annie is sure they are not meant to be together. She has a big secret, and Jared has trouble following him. Annie knows she can't keep her secret forever...but is it really as big a secret as she thinks? Even if Annie can't be his, Jared is determined to do what he needs to do to protect Annie. Even in crisis they unwittingly turn to each other. The connection is still there, but is it enough for a second chance at love together?
Annie and Jared have a history together and there are a lot of undercurrents in the plot that would probably be easier to understand if you read the first book in this series before The Rebel's Redemption. I didn't, and at times I felt like I was missing out on a lot of the background that would have made me understand this couple better. Not only together, but separately. Annie and Jared are strong main characters though, and their past has brought them to where they are today. I didn't really understand Annie's reasoning for her secrecy, but I liked how she knew she had to deal with it. I loved her personality, her independence, and that she really thought about things. Jared was interesting and little more vague for me. He wasn't your typical former SEAL in The Rebel's Redemption, and he seemed to have a lot of layers and secrets of his own lurking. I did like how he was with Annie. There are bumps and old hurts to struggle through before they can move on to the future, but I found myself hoping they could find a way to do this. I felt that this second chance romance was believable, and these characters were realistic.
I really liked the secondary characters in The Rebel's Redemption, especially Jack (the sheriff Annie is dating). I liked that the characters were mature and there is a refreshing lack of angst, even when some things don't work out.
The suspenseful part of the plot is secondary to Annie and Jack's relationship, but adds a lot of zest and dimension to The Rebel's Redemption. The Rebel's Redemption is a complex, yet at the same time easy to follow story that flows smoothly. I just would have liked more background, but as I said this might have been covered in the first book in this series.
With a lot of feeling and emotional up and downs, The Rebel's Redemption is a book I'd recommend to romance readers who like the edge of suspense.
Monday,
5/4
Tuesday, 5/5
Wednesday,
5/6
Thursday,
5/7
Friday,
5/8
Book 1: Tidal Falls
From the time Jacquie was twelve years old, she knew she
wanted to be a writer. That year she wrote a short story called Count Daffodil
after spending countless hours searching for ideas. The story garnered Jacquie
an A and was read aloud through the school's loudspeaker system. Needless to
say, after that she was hooked.
Jacquie grew up, got married, raised a family and left her
writing urges to simmer in the background unattended.
She owned and operated a successful diner in her hometown
for a number of wonderful years before deciding to live her dream of becoming
an author.
Jacquie's first book, Tidal Falls, a romantic suspense novel
about second chances, released September of 2014.
thanks so much for hosting and reviewing
ReplyDeleteThank you for the lovely review :)
ReplyDeleteJacquie