Pivot (Deep Ops #2.5)
by Kat Martin ,
Alexandra
Ivy, Rebecca
Zanetti
Blurb:
As girls, they
bonded over broken homes and growing up in foster care.
As women, they’re fighting for their lives, and loves, once more . . .
MERI (Against the Heart)
When Meriwether Jones takes her young daughter and runs from trouble in L.A.,
that trouble follows.
MELANIE (Echoes of the Past)
That secret explodes when Melanie Cassidy spots two men trying to kidnap a young boy she tutors and responds by ramming them with her car. The last thing she expects is for the man she once loved, Detective Gray Hawkins, to appear and rescue them both. Now she has no choice but to trust him as they investigate the truth about a conspiracy of dirty, drug trafficking cops—and the truth about their relationship . . .
MICHELLE (Shaken)
After a rough youth, Michelle Peach was finally content in Portland—until two men broke into her home, threatened her, and sent her mentally unstable mom on a blackmail spree that Michelle has to stop. The last person Michelle wants to see is her ex, Evan Boldon, a former marine turned sheriff. But Evan misses the woman who walked away instead of letting him help years ago. This time he’s not asking permission; he’s going to put a stop to the trouble stalking Michelle and her friends—and win her heart for good.
Themes: Anthology,
Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
It’s
always much more difficult to review an anthology of stories written multiple
authors because you either end up with an overly long-winded review or not
enough to actually explain the stories themselves. This anthology was very different and makes
reviewing a little easier though in that the stories were actually connected
and overlapped a little bit in the timelines and story conflicts, making it
more fun and interesting. Of course even
better was that two of the three were favorite authors for me so I loved every
moment of reading the stories.
Book
1(Against the Heart) was about single mother Meri and her young daughter Lily, who are on the
run from Lily’s father, a serious asshat that is determined to put their lives
in danger to try to get money that he thinks Meri has. Along her journey to
safety Meri seeks shelter with Ian, who is staying at the family homestead to
try to get it back in shape since his father has let things go for a while
now. Meri and Ian’s connection is
instant and seriously sweet. Ian is a true protector at heart, a former cop and
current investigator, making it easy for him to spot that Meri and Lily are in
trouble and making him determined to help.
Meri has had a rough life but she is determined to do right by Lily and
resists the pull she feels for Ian as much as possible but soon the love is
undeniable. I loved these two together
and they were so perfectly matched that there was no way they couldn’t have
their HEA in the end. Book 2 (Echoes of the Past) was about Meri’s friend Melanie, whom she was
trying to reach when she ran across Ian, who finds herself in need of
assistance from her ex, Gray, who happens to be a friend of Ian’s. Melanie works in a youth center and one of
her kids is in danger she immediately intervenes in order to save him from thugs
trying to abduct him, placing herself square in the middle of Gray, an
undercover police officer’s investigation into dirty cops. Together they have to go into hiding and try
to solve the save, but being cooped up with the man that broke her heart years
ago is not on Melanie’s agenda to be sure. Melanie and Gray had a lot of issues
to work through in order to find their way back together and to love, but
seeing them together was a fun and passionate experience. They were both opinionated and strong characters
and obviously knew that being around the other was going to challenge a lot of
their preconceived notions about life and themselves. Melanie was a sassy and sweet woman that made
her opinions known, but she was also smart enough to know that she needed Gray
to keep her safe, despite knowing he was dangerous to her heart. Gray has worked a long time to get his mind
and soul ready to go back for the one person that he never meant to lose and
now that she is with him there is no way he will let her get away. Mel and Gray were beyond ideally matched and
seeing them coming back together was a magical second chance love that reminds
me why I love this author. Book 3 (Shaken)
revolves around Michelle and her own second chance with and ex that broke her
when he left her for a different life, but having Evan back in her life is
extremely painful for her. Evan went off
to war years ago and refused to ask Michelle to wait for him, knowing that if
by chance he did come back, he wouldn’t be the same man, but now that he life
is in danger there is no way he can leave her behind. He has settled into his new life as a small
town sheriff and, despite Michelle’s crack to the contrary, has been content in
his calm life, but he could never be happy without her in his life. Now that he has a chance to show her how much
he has changed and perhaps bring her into his life too, there is nothing he
won’t do to give them that chance. I loved Michelle (not just because she has
the best name EVER either *giggle*) because she is just a smartass and full of
bravado even when the world is crumbling around her. She has had a difficult path in life and only
her crappy mother remains except for her foster mother and siblings, but she is
determined to make it on her own despite those beginnings. She fights so hard to not let herself fall
back into love with Evan, but there was just no way she could resist once she
saw how much he has changed and that she needs him to completely be happy as
always. Evan is determined to protect Michelle and to show her that he has
changed so that he can have a chance to give them the future they both
deserve. I loved his sexy and sweet
alpha tendencies but the way he cared for Michelle and showed her his love and humor
again and again made him my favorite of the three guys for sure. The fire and emotion that these two shared
from the beginning shows us how strong their love was always meant to be and I
loved seeing them happy in the end.
All
three of these stories were beautifully interwoven and overlapped together, but
each had the distinct and wonderful style of the author to keep things
interesting. It was also fun that each
of the stories were actually novellas to larger linked Series for those
authors, so they make a good intro to readers that aren’t familiar with those
series and recommend them highly. I
loved everything about this book and would live to see move of this type of
anthology in the future as very few are truly interconnected in such a tight and
intriguing way. Way to go each of you
ladies, keep the magic coming!
*ebook provided by publisher (via
NetGalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.
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