This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: August 30, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Mira
Author’s Website: brendanovak.com
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 2, Bulletproof series
Series Best Read In Order: Works well as a standalone, but read Inside first anyway.
Steam Level: Steamy


Laurel Hodges has been on the run for the past four years. Having been hunted by members of a ruthless street gang, The Crew, in order to exact revenge on her brother, Virgil, she entered the Federal Witness Protection Program (WITSEC), hoping that they would be able to protect her and her two young children. When a corrupt official leaked her location, she was attacked and barely escaped with her life. Abandoning WITSEC, she has once again changed her identity and moved her family to the small, idyllic town of Pineview, Montana.

Always careful to never reveal too much about her past, or to leave trails that could lead The Crew to her or her brother, she now exists as Vivian Stewart, and has finally begun to rebuild a life for herself and her two children.

Sherrif Myles King, Vivan's handsome and widowed next door neighbor, has been strongly hinting that he wants to date her, yet Vivian is still too wary about becoming involved when she knows that she and her children may have to pick up and leave at any moment.

Just as she gives in to her longing for companionship, however, her past comes roaring back into her life when a gruesome murder shocks the small community.

Knowing that she cannot risk putting Myles in danger, she attempts to distance herself from him, but Myles refuses to stand back and let something amazing slip through his fingers. When The Crew brings the fight to their front door, Myles and Vivian team up to make their final stand.


As much as I enjoyed Inside, the first novel in this series (which also RECEIVED A 5/5 STAR RATING FROM ME), I think I may have actually enjoyed this one even more. Despite my intense disappointment that Vivian/Laurel didn't end up with Rex as her hero, I quickly fell in love with Myles and realized that Rex never would've made an ideal mate for her. I was also thrilled with the way Rex's situation was handled, and that he wasn't made out to be a bad man. I'd fallen in love with him myself over the course of the first novel, and sincerely hope that he will feature heavily in the next novel, In Close, due out in October.

Ms. Novak has an incredible skill for allowing you inside of her character's minds and motivations, and never makes things purely black and white. All of her characters, even ones who seem that they should read as though they had no depth, are painted in a wide array of shades of gray, making you care about people that you normally wouldn't think twice about, and rooting for characters that by all rights you should absolutely hate.

The love scenes were fairly tame in terms of detail, but the emotion behind them helped to create a very strong sense of eroticism, and most importantly, you could feel the romance behind every action, even when the characters themselves were resisting it.

The suspense was incredible, with several surprising twists, including some revelations about various characters that have played a part throughout the series thus far.

Overall, I simply could not put it down. The suspense, the action, and the romance all sucked me in from the very beginning and would not let me go until the very last page.

Don't forget to CHECK OUT THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE as well! If you purchase this book before September 7th, send her the receipt and she will send you a free autographed copy of Inside, the first book in the series! This is an incredible opportunity, because as I mentioned, while this book might work well as a standalone, I do suggest you read Inside first not only because the main characters of the first book play such a large part in this one, but also because it was such an amazing book to begin with.

Even better, however, is the fact that the Kindle version is only $4.10 at the time that this review is being published, and both digital and print formats (with the exception of used copies) are included in this promotion! So, you can get the kindle format of this book AND an autographed print copy of the first book for an insanely low price, so long as you snag In Seconds before September 7th, 2011.

With both of these novels ranking very high up on my favorites list this year, this is an opportunity that you should not let pass you by.

Recommended for fans of abused heroines on the run, of small town law enforcement taking on big-city criminals, and of allowing yourself to love again despite all the obstacles life tries to throw at you. 5/5 Stars