Fighting for Adalyn (Redemption Harbor Security #3)

Katie Reus

Blurb:

She trusted the wrong person…

And got good people killed. While Adalyn will live with that mistake forever, she finally got justice. Even if it cost more than she’d imagined. But the past has come back to haunt her—and it wants revenge. An old enemy is out to destroy everything she holds dear, starting with her sister. He’s targeting all her former haunts and connections in New Orleans, using the wildness of Mardi Gras week to commit his crimes.

He thought she betrayed him and never looked back…

Rowan, veteran Marine, has hated Adalyn for getting his team killed. Until he discovers that the former CIA agent risked everything to stop the real perpetrator. Now they’re racing against the clock to stop a faceless madman determined to kill them and as many people as possible before the week is over. If they can’t figure out who he is or what his endgame is, an entire city could go up in flames—with them in it.

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

This story has intrigued me for a while now, since we began getting hints in Reese and Cash’s story, that Rowan and Adalyn had a history that was going to come back to bite them in the butt. Katie Reus is one of those authors that always manages to take reader’s through some of the darkest and most dangerous of backstories when she brings her couples together. As this series continues to expand and we meet more and more couples, learning more about characters that have intrigued us, we just continue to want more so I am looking forward to more in the series as more offices open for the Redemption Harbor group. Rowan and Adalyn were once friends and might have even been more, but then their world exploded with a mission that went terribly wrong, costing the lives of their friends and coworkers. After that tragedy, Rowan never stopped blaming Adalyn for the loss and began to hate her as much as he once thought he could love her. Adalyn once trusted Rowan as much as she trusted anyone, which truly wasn’t much, but she won’t trust him again after the way he reacted and treated her. Now a killer is after Adalyn through her family and friends and she has to depend on her Redemption Harbor team, even though she isn’t big on trusting others. The more time they are forced to work together, the crazier Rowan is making Adalyn and she is coming to count on him and her emotions are becoming undeniably wrapped up in him. The past finally catches up with Adalyn, forcing her to count on her friends in order to protect Rowan and both of them have to come to terms with their feelings for one another before they lose the chance forever.

There was no denying from the beginning that in order for Adalyn and Rowan to find their way to love, they both had overcome their anger and past mistakes. Adalyn has lived her life trying to protect her heart, keeping a wall up between herself and the world, and never letting anyone truly into her heart. She hasn’t ever felt the loneliness until recently as she watched the happiness of her friends as they found the loves of their lives and married, but now she wonders if she has made mistakes. But she never imagines that her future rests with a man like Rowan, one that more than once railed at her and broke her trust; while she trusts him to stand by her in work, she fights hard to protect her heart, but once she finally gives in to him, the love that blossoms for her is unbelievable. Rowan wanted Adalyn from the very beginning, but he had no idea how to handle her and then when he let his anger rule him, he made a huge mistake and he lost her. When they end up back together, working for the same company, his eyes are slowly opened to the truth of the woman that once captured his heart and he begins to forgive himself and her. Once he accepts the mistakes of his past, he sees a way to make Adalyn give them a chance and takes advantage at every turn. The heat and passion between Adalyn and Rowan is there in their every interaction, sometimes even more in their sparring than in their loving, but you can definitely tell that their relationship will never be boring. I loved every moment of this story and while I sort of guessed the villain, there was enough of a twist that it kept it interesting and I loved the ending. I am looking forward to more in the series, maybe even in a new setting with a new office branch (love how that gives the series unending possibilities), but whatever comes next I know will be tremendous. There is no doubt their story was filled with drama, angst, danger, and pain, but Fighting for Adalyn was an adventure worth every moment.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.