Book Review for On His Watch by Suzanne Matthews

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

On His Watch, by Suzanne Matthews, is a romance thriller about a single mother who regains her pride, all the while falling in love with a man who secures her physically and emotionally. After a hit gone wrong, Nikki Hart finds herself being hunted down by an assassin who never fails to kill his targets. She meets an FBI agent named Jason Spark, who vows to protect her after mishandling an emergency that nearly led to both her and her daughter’s deaths. Together, the two must find a way to outwit this assassin and uncover the reason why Nikki was targeted before things further spiral out of control.

This book was enjoyable. True, it screamed rich people problems, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I liked how realistic Nikki was when she found out about Jason’s reaction to the 911 call, and how protective she is of her daughter. Although she couldn’t remember her children before, you could tell how much she loves them based on how visceral her reactions were. Moreover, Nikki isn’t a pushover, and although the men in her life have tried to keep her obedient, she’s always had her children’s safety in mind, and in doing so, knew full well she needed to be strong to keep them safe. That being said, I loved how Jason fit into the family and how adorkable their interactions were. Personally, I would’ve enjoyed the story more had not there been an action element to it, but the buildup was good, as was the tension. 

There’s a definite parallel between Nikki and the main villain of the story. Without going into too much, there’s a reason why women need to be strong, why we can’t just sit back and let the men do all the work. If we rely on someone too much, borderline codependency, when they leave it’s like they take our entire identities with us. We get severe tunnel vision, and destroy the world around us just to get back at them. Throughout the book Nikki ensures her daughter’s safety, and takes steps to make herself more secure, even if it meant stepping on toes. The villain, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to bring themselves to do that, and it was only until it was too late did they finally snap. It’s true that men and women rely on each other mentally and emotionally, but that doesn’t mean you can entrust yourself entirely to someone. Even Nikki’s daughter, Mandy understood that, and that was completely on accident. 

I enjoyed the romantic and family elements of the book. Again, I felt the book could do without the action thriller, since I felt like I was reading two stories in one. I appreciate how Nikki’s focus remained on her family, and when Jason proved himself, he eventually became apart of that family. As such, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.