Review: The Intended Victim (The Agency #4)

The Intended Victim (The Agency #4)

by Alexandra Ivy 

Blurb:

ONCE, SHE GOT AWAY

The body lying on a cold steel slab bears all the hallmarks of the Chicago Butcher. There’s a cruel slash across her throat, deep enough to sever the carotid artery, and a small crescent carved into her right breast. Her delicate features are painfully familiar to Ash Marcel, once a rising star in the Chicago PD. But though the victim resembles his former fiancée, Remi Walsh, he knows it’s not her.

BUT THIS TIME

Though Remi escaped a serial killer five years ago, her father died trying to save her. Grief and guilt caused her to pull away from the man she loved. Now Ash is back in her life, insisting that Remi is still in danger.

IT’S A DEAD END . . .

Someone is targeting women who look just like Remi. With or without a badge, Ash intends to unmask the Butcher. But the killer isn’t playing games any longer. He’s moving in, ready to finish what he started, and prove there’s nothing more terrifying than a killer’s obsession . . .

Themes:  Contemporary, Suspense

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Lovers reunited in the wake of a tragic murder lead to an investigation that could leave their world shaken forever and one or both of them in the grave…or bring them back together for a lifetime of love. Alexandra Ivy returns us to her world of Romantic suspense in the Agency series as we get to know more about the Marcel brothers and their investigative skills. Ash Marcel gave us his shield five years before when his partner was murdered, his fiancée almost killed and his world rocked by a vicious serial killer known as the Chicago butcher.  When his brother arrives at his office with the news that a body has surfaced, matching the killer’s MO and looking almost identical to his former fiancée, Ash refuses to let the killer escape justice again or let them have another chance at killing the love of his life.  Remi Walsh lost everything five year earlier at the hands of this killer, but when Ash returns and tells her the killer is at it again and her life is in danger, she’s not sure she can handle being around Ash while he protects her and investigates the murders.  As the killings become more and more terrifying, Ash and Remi learn more about the past and several truth of their past begin to unravel into the lies they truly were, but the love they had for one another is as strong as ever.  Falling back into each other’s arms is a dangerous proposition for them both, but the passion and heat is uncontrollable and becomes too much for them to deny.  When the killer gets close enough to make them fear for their lives, Remi and Ash has to decide if they can trust their rebuilt relationship or if he foundation is too rocky to hold together.  Because this killer is coming after Remi once and for all, and their lives truly do hang in the balance this time.  Ash is the kind of guy that leads every woman to roll their eyes at least once—so protective he will run away instead of sticking close, in some stupid attempt to make it better, which only makes it worse. His brain is certainly a work of art as he works through all of the clues the killer leaves behind, working to unmask them as quickly as possible, but his greatest strength is his heart and determination to protect his loved ones, even if he doesn’t do it in the best ways sometimes. I enjoyed getting to know him and see him as he comes to terms with his pain and found his way back to love with Remi.   Remi is the kind of woman that has had to force herself out of her box all her life to get what she wanted, just not fitting in with her mother or her lifestyle and needing to find her own path in life.  Losing her father, her fiancée, and almost her life left her on shaky ground, but she has managed to build a pretty decent life for herself despite all that. I loved seeing the way she stood up to Ash and forced him to see the true woman she was, not just who he thought she was all these years.  The heat and connection between Ash and Remi was obvious from the beginning and the love was there as well, making this second chance romance sweet and sexy.  And just so you know, you will never guess the killer on this one until the very end. I cannot wait for the next book in the series where the final Marcel brother will fall in love (I hope) and find a woman to meet him step for step as well.  The Agency series is shaping up to be another great one that will be on my recommendation list for a long time to come.

*ebook provided by publisher (via NetGalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.