Cold Case Reunion

Native Country #2

by Kimberly Van Meter

A passion that's anything but cold...Fifteen years ago, Mya Jonson thought her life had ended. Pregnant and alone, she found strength in her people and the beauty of the Pacific Coast reservation. Now her lover has returned, chasing a killer, and she doesn't dare trust him.

For Angelo Tucker, every memory is proof of his failings. Not strong enough to lead the tribe, not smart enough to catch his brother's killer... Coming back was the last thing he wanted. Especially when he sees Mya--and feels a passion he'd long since set aside. But when a fellow FBI agent is murdered and Mya's life is in danger, Angelo knows he must track the killer whatever the cost.or risk losing Mya forever...

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Adult

219 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 19, 2011

Reviews

[Beatrice · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ page 80

Boring. I didn't feel any excitement. I might give this book to someone else.

[Lynette · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love series romantic suspense novels. Love, love, love. Probably because I like that the series romantic suspense tend to focus on the character development more than the plot and romance to me no matter the subgenre is all about the characters.

I so wanted to love COLD CASE REUNION, after all it is a series romantic suspense featuring non-white characters (Native Americans), but I could not. Despite eagerly opening COLD CASE REUNION with great anticipation, I could not get into it and ended up not finishing the novel after trying for almost a week.

I am going to try to articulate why I didn't like COLD CASE REUNION. The major reason is that I didn't connect with the characters. I didn't understand the conflict. The main conflict between Angelo and Mya was that after Angelo's little brother was murdered he skipped town and her (he was eighteen at the time) when he was supposed to be the heredity chief, even though everyone and their mother knew that was something he never wanted and something that was foisted to him because of his birth order. His younger brother was the one that really should have been the Chief.

I didn't understand why that much pressure was put on a teenager (being head of the tribe) to where now everyone hates him for a decision he made as an eighteen year old. A decision that everyone knew that he didn't want. I didn't get the resentment. He was eighteen people. Do you remember yourself at eighteen? Everyone, everyone wants to get the hell out of dodge when they're eighteen and skip town the first chance they get to exert a little bit of freedom. Or was that just me and practically everyone that I've ever known?

I didn't understand that he was being defined for leaving his high school sweetheart to go to college and it was all that she could think about like nothing happened in her life since he left. I mean, seriously. REALLY. I love a good childhood sweetheart reunion story as much as anyone (really, I do) but I just cannot understand a childhood sweetheart story where there is no growth, no understanding that they were kids, that they are now not the same person that they were. While I know that there are some people that marry their childhood sweethearts are very happy, but the majority of teenage romances DO NOT WORK OUT BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUNG AND IMMATURE AND DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT WITH YOURSELF NO MATTER ANOTHER PERSON. So I don't get that Angelo was being defined by this single relationship and that everyone hated him because his family died under horrific circumstances and he just wanted to get the heck out of Dodge. Normal behavior for a teenager.

I understand that there may have been some cultural factors, but that was not balanced enough with the reality of being a teenager at the time.

That brings me to the lack of respect shown. Mya had no respect for Angelo. If the heroine has no respect for the hero how am I supposed to buy into their romance and believe that they should have a happily ever after?

I just didn't like Mya. She was living in the past too much and never asserted herself. She let herself be pushed by her brother and her best friend and their resentment for Angelo added to her own. Despite being a doctor (and why hadn't she had some character growth from going away to college and medical school) she was not a strong individual.

I also had a hard time with the writing. I felt like I was being told a story instead of shown it. I think that the author was so focused on trying to portray the reservation and the research effectively that it was at the expense of the story and the characters.

I really wish that I could've finished the story, but the above mentioned factors made it too hard.

http://lynettestwocents.blogspot.com/

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mya and Angelo grew up on the reservation together. They were best friends, lovers, and soul mates. But where Mya embraced their tribe and its beliefs, Angelo struggled against his hereditary and expected station within the tribe.

After Angelo's baby brother Waylon (15) was murdered and his grandfather passed away, Angelo left the reservation, and Mya, abruptly, not sparing a glance back.

Now 15 years later, FBI Agents Angelo Tucker and Grace Kelly have returned to the Northern Pacific Coast reservation to investigate the death of a fellow FBI agent. As the agents' investigation evolves, Angelo finds that they are not only dealing with the agent's murder but also the ghosts of the reservation's past, including the death of his brother. Considered an outsider, Angelo is greeted with callous eyes and tight lips. To solve his case, he is going to have to enlist Mya's help. But once the investigation is over, will he be able to walk away from his soul mate? And will he want to?

It's been 15 years since Mya last saw Angelo and she curses the fluttering response of her heart at the mere sight of him now. She has spent the years since Angelo left trying to forget him, trying to forget the relationship and love they had, and to move past the emotional pain from the baby she lost - the baby she never told Angelo about. When he asks for her help in talking to their people, she goes against her better judgement and agrees, hoping that she can survive the pain his departure this time around will knowingly inflict.

Cold Case Reunion was a solid story with a consistent character base and a swift pace. I rate this as a solid 3 out of 5 stars due to those three points.

My pros for Cold Case Reunion:
1) Identifiable and relatable characters
2) The originality of the mystery behind and/or the reason for the killings - it is not a situation I have seen in other murder mystery/ romantic thrillers
3) The epilogue - it tied things up and out, nice and tidy, without being unrealistic

My cons for Cold Case Reunion:
1) The book was told from Angelo and Mya's POV with the exception of two excerpts, which were told from the POV of a mentally depleting person who is struggling to hang on to the importance of a past incident long enough to clue Agnelo in. This POV wasn't necessary and his ramblings could have been told during a dialogue between Mya and Iris or even Mya and her substitute.
2) Not really a con, but just an overall "eh" was my overall comfort with the story - meaning that nothing really had me on edge or stuck out about Cold Case Reunion. The overall pace was fairly mellow and even the action scenes were more on the subtle or subdued side. Even the resolution held an easy paced feel.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling novel full of emotional ups and downs, with characters that are really hurting inside but who have spent the last 15 years trying to move forward and not doing a very good job of it. Set in the Pacific Northwest, in the midst of a small Indian reservation that is struggling--unlike many tribes these folks have not gone the "casino" route--and adding in the murder of an FBI agent as well as the death of two teens 15 years ago, there is trouble knee-deep and not likely to be resolved easily. Only as the characters put their collective knowledge and experience together is there any hope to solve these three murders nor is there any personal future to be had unless there is renewed honesty and some good old-fashioned groveling. Very, very romantic story with the edginess of unsolved mysteries and a lot of old memories that translate into resentment One of those very good books that will keep you glued to the pages from start to finish.

[Cleffairy Cleffairy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed at: Over A Cuppa Tea
Review date: 22 July 2011
Review link: http://cleffairy.com/?p=5771

I learned quite a few things about one’s culture in this story. The book was highly entertaining tormented characters trying to move on from their shadowed past.

It is interesting to note that even the most macho man of all have a weakness and I definitely enjoyed reading this book.

I highly recommends this book to those who love romantic stories with meaningful plot. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I received an ARC of this book from Harlequin via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review for this book.

[Bayareabookaholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

FBI agent Angelo Tucker and his partner Grace Kelly (mre eating ex-marine) are headed to the rez on the Olympic Peninsula to investigate a murder of a fellow FBI agent. Not a big problem except Angelo used to live on the rez and is actually the hereditary chief- he turned his back on the tribe when he was nineteen- leaving Mya heartbroken and tearing a hole in his own heart as well.
Now, the only way he can investigate this murder is with Mya's help. No one is willing to talk to him because of the tribal history.
As the investigation develops family histories entangle as do the hopes and dreams that Mya and Angelo finally share.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

After 15 years away Angelo goes back to the reservation he grew up on (and turned his back on) to investigate the murder of a fellow FBI agent. For Mya having Angelo back is like having her heart broken all over again. But when these two team up together to solve the mystery WOW IT GETS HOT!!!!! Secrets are uncovered and the little community is rocked to its core but with a new chief taking care of them it all works out.

[Sharon Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold Case Reunion tells of two people who are now ready to love and start a family. It is also a story of greed on an Indian reservation.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Native Country