A Review of Pure Vengeance (The On the Line Series, Book 1) by Lori Ryan
Lori Ryan, and I was immediately struck by hercharacter-driven style. The story follows Detective Cal Rylan of the New HavenPD, who is paired with FBI Agent Eve Sands after one of the Bureau’s witnessesis killed by a sniper while being transported from the police station to theFBI office. The attack leaves Rylan’s partner, Jarrod, critically injured—adevastating blow that stirs up guilt from losing a former partner in the past.
With Eve now athis side, Rylan struggles to balance his instinct to protect with his respectfor her skills. He admires her sharp mind, steady composure with the press, andundeniable strength. Though he feels an instant pull toward her, he knows theirfocus has to stay on catching the sniper before more blood is shed.
As theinvestigation unfolds, the sniper strikes again—taking out men in the middle ofviolent crimes, from an attempted rape in a park to a gas station holdup. Whatbegins as a suspected mob hitman evolves into the chilling possibility of alone vigilante doling out justice on their own terms.
This fast-pacedread is packed with action, secrets, and tension, both professional andromantic. I found the characters well developed, the dialogue authentic, andthe push-and-pull between Cal and Eve full of sparks. The cat-and-mouse chasewith the sniper, always one step ahead, kept me hooked until the truth wasrevealed—and when it came, the motive made sense. While a few moments wereslightly confusing, the story’s momentum and the simmering attraction betweenthe leads more than made up for it.
Overall, LoriRyan delivers an engaging romantic suspense with plenty of twists and just the rightamount of heat. I’ll definitely be picking up more of her work. Two thumbs up!
Rating: 4stars
Some of myfavorite lines:
He didn’tintroduce himself. He had more than one reason for going on the offensive withher. The fact his witness and partner had both been shot was only the start ofit. The kick of attraction he felt for her was another. He didn’t know wherethe hell it came from, but he didn’t want it getting in the way. “Why the hellweren’t we told this guy was high value? What the hell kind of clusterfuck isthe FBI running?”
He wouldhave known she was FBI without the badge. She had it written all over herbuttoned-up suit and the way she’d twisted her hair tight to the nape of herneck.
And wherethe hell had thoughts of the nape of her neck come from? Why did he even knowthose words? Cal shook his head to clear it and focused on the anger. He hadevery damned right to be angry here. The FBI’s screw-up had just put hispartner in the hospital.
