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The Coltons of Texas #5
Her Colton P.I.
A private investigator tracks a mysterious widowed mother of twins in the next gripping installment of The Coltons of Texas series! Raised in foster care apart from his six siblings, PI Chris Colton knows what it's like to be separated from family. So when a kindly older couple hires him to find their son's gold-digging widow who ran off with her twin toddlers, Chris won't rest until Holly McCay is held accountable. But he quickly discovers that his employers are out to get Holly. And they'll eliminate anyone standing in their way…including the brave woman and sweet little boys the investigator-turned-bodyguard has come to think of as his own!
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 3, 2016
About the author
Amelia Autin
43 books57 followersAward-winning author Amelia Autin is an inveterate reader who can’t bear to put a good book down…or part with it. She’s a long-time member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), and served three years as its treasurer. Amelia lost the love of her life in 2021 to the ravages of ALS. She currently resides in quiet Vail, Arizona, where she can see the stars at night and has a “million dollar view” of the Rincon Mountains from her back yard.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 13, 2016
A double whammy of goodness in this book. First, it is the continuation of the Coltons of Texas series, with its ongoing mysteries of catching the Alphabet Killer, and the Colton siblings trying to find out where their serial killer father buried their mother. But the icing on cake, so to speak, is that this installment was written by Amelia Autin, an author who excels in characters and stories you can't forget.
The book opens with an older couple hiring Chris to find their daughter-in-law, a woman who has taken their grandsons away from them. They paint her as a gold-digger who tricked their late son into marriage. Chris believes in the importance of family and is determined to find her. I started out thinking that he was being awfully judgmental before getting the whole story, but that opinion changed pretty quickly. Chris is a very observant man, and something about them made him look into their story a little deeper. What he discovered sent him looking for Holly, not to turn her over, but to protect her.
Holly had taken her boys and run after someone tried to run her off the road twice, and then tried to run her down in a grocery store parking lot. She is the sole trustee for her sons' inheritance, and her in-laws had already tried to overturn the will and also take custody from her. She was convinced that they were trying to kill her to gain control of their money. After several months of running, she ended up in Granite Gulch where she has made friends with, of all people, Chris's former sister-in-law. Just as she thought she might be safe, she gets the feeling she's being watched and prepares to run again.
Can I say just how much I adored Chris? He is a very complicated man, with so many things that have influenced the man he has become. There's being the son of a serial killer, having spent time in foster care at the mercy of foster parents only in it for the money, and holding himself responsible for the death of his wife and unborn child to name a few. In spite of it all, he is a kind and honorable man. I loved how he very quickly put Holly's mind at ease when he found her, letting her know that he believes the truth of why she ran. Not only that, he is determined to protect her and her boys, while at the same time catching the McCays and stopping them for good.
Holly was fantastic, too. She is independent, resourceful, and a great mother. She and her husband had been best friends growing up. She carries some guilt over how their marriage came about, but she was the best wife she could be to him. When she realized that her life was in danger, she did what she needed to in order to survive and protect her boys. Okay, she wasn't devious enough to be really good at it, but she tried. Fortunately, Chris was the one to find her.
I loved the development of their relationship. The attraction was there from the moment that they met, but both were wary of doing anything about it at first. Chris simply avoids involvement as a way to protect himself, where Holly believes that she is simply bad at it. When they shared that first explosive kiss, both had to come to terms with the feelings it stirred up. I loved seeing Holly embrace it first. She is so open and caring that she easily sees through the walls that Chris has put up. I loved seeing the way that she takes each one of his issues and shows him a different way to look at it. She also sees how wonderful he is with her sons and knows that he'd be a great dad if he would let himself love again. For his part, I loved seeing how impressed Chris was with Holly's strength of will and determination to protect her boys. He was also surprised by his attraction to her, since he'd been closed off since his wife's death. I also loved how observant he was when it came to her, she often felt as though he was reading her mind. It was sweet to see the lengths he went to in order to make her see how beautiful she was to him. I had to giggle at Holly's timing for her confession of her feelings, and Chris's reaction.
The suspense of the story was a slow build to an intense conclusion. From Chris's initial suspicion of Holly, to his quick realization that she was the wronged party, his protectiveness came out in full force. I liked seeing the steps he took in order to bring the McCay's down. I liked seeing the help he got from Sam and Annabelle, as they all were very careful to make sure that everything was done in a way that would ensure success. The final confrontation was really exciting as all the pieces came together perfectly. I especially loved the dog!
Also running through the book were the three ongoing storylines. First, were the continuing attempts to catch the Alphabet Killer. We discovered who it was in an earlier book, but so far she has evaded capture. We've learned a little bit more about the motivation, and have seen the killings escalate in frequency. Also going forward is the one clue per sibling that their father is providing in regards to the Coltons' mother's burial place. This time it was Chris's turn to visit their father and receive the clue. Two things came out of his visit. The clue, and also a chance for Chris to gain some closure with regards to his relationship with his father. We also see Chris and Holly try to decipher the meaning of the clue, and actually make what appears to be a significant discovery. The third storyline is that of the search for the youngest Colton, Josie. Chris has been looking for her for six years, and in this book discovers some information that enables him to start putting together pieces of the puzzle. I loved seeing what conclusion he comes to. A surprise visitor at his engagement party provides the last of the pieces. I can't wait to see how these stories progress in the next book.
*copy received in exchange for honest review.
The book opens with an older couple hiring Chris to find their daughter-in-law, a woman who has taken their grandsons away from them. They paint her as a gold-digger who tricked their late son into marriage. Chris believes in the importance of family and is determined to find her. I started out thinking that he was being awfully judgmental before getting the whole story, but that opinion changed pretty quickly. Chris is a very observant man, and something about them made him look into their story a little deeper. What he discovered sent him looking for Holly, not to turn her over, but to protect her.
Holly had taken her boys and run after someone tried to run her off the road twice, and then tried to run her down in a grocery store parking lot. She is the sole trustee for her sons' inheritance, and her in-laws had already tried to overturn the will and also take custody from her. She was convinced that they were trying to kill her to gain control of their money. After several months of running, she ended up in Granite Gulch where she has made friends with, of all people, Chris's former sister-in-law. Just as she thought she might be safe, she gets the feeling she's being watched and prepares to run again.
Can I say just how much I adored Chris? He is a very complicated man, with so many things that have influenced the man he has become. There's being the son of a serial killer, having spent time in foster care at the mercy of foster parents only in it for the money, and holding himself responsible for the death of his wife and unborn child to name a few. In spite of it all, he is a kind and honorable man. I loved how he very quickly put Holly's mind at ease when he found her, letting her know that he believes the truth of why she ran. Not only that, he is determined to protect her and her boys, while at the same time catching the McCays and stopping them for good.
Holly was fantastic, too. She is independent, resourceful, and a great mother. She and her husband had been best friends growing up. She carries some guilt over how their marriage came about, but she was the best wife she could be to him. When she realized that her life was in danger, she did what she needed to in order to survive and protect her boys. Okay, she wasn't devious enough to be really good at it, but she tried. Fortunately, Chris was the one to find her.
I loved the development of their relationship. The attraction was there from the moment that they met, but both were wary of doing anything about it at first. Chris simply avoids involvement as a way to protect himself, where Holly believes that she is simply bad at it. When they shared that first explosive kiss, both had to come to terms with the feelings it stirred up. I loved seeing Holly embrace it first. She is so open and caring that she easily sees through the walls that Chris has put up. I loved seeing the way that she takes each one of his issues and shows him a different way to look at it. She also sees how wonderful he is with her sons and knows that he'd be a great dad if he would let himself love again. For his part, I loved seeing how impressed Chris was with Holly's strength of will and determination to protect her boys. He was also surprised by his attraction to her, since he'd been closed off since his wife's death. I also loved how observant he was when it came to her, she often felt as though he was reading her mind. It was sweet to see the lengths he went to in order to make her see how beautiful she was to him. I had to giggle at Holly's timing for her confession of her feelings, and Chris's reaction.
The suspense of the story was a slow build to an intense conclusion. From Chris's initial suspicion of Holly, to his quick realization that she was the wronged party, his protectiveness came out in full force. I liked seeing the steps he took in order to bring the McCay's down. I liked seeing the help he got from Sam and Annabelle, as they all were very careful to make sure that everything was done in a way that would ensure success. The final confrontation was really exciting as all the pieces came together perfectly. I especially loved the dog!
Also running through the book were the three ongoing storylines. First, were the continuing attempts to catch the Alphabet Killer. We discovered who it was in an earlier book, but so far she has evaded capture. We've learned a little bit more about the motivation, and have seen the killings escalate in frequency. Also going forward is the one clue per sibling that their father is providing in regards to the Coltons' mother's burial place. This time it was Chris's turn to visit their father and receive the clue. Two things came out of his visit. The clue, and also a chance for Chris to gain some closure with regards to his relationship with his father. We also see Chris and Holly try to decipher the meaning of the clue, and actually make what appears to be a significant discovery. The third storyline is that of the search for the youngest Colton, Josie. Chris has been looking for her for six years, and in this book discovers some information that enables him to start putting together pieces of the puzzle. I loved seeing what conclusion he comes to. A surprise visitor at his engagement party provides the last of the pieces. I can't wait to see how these stories progress in the next book.
*copy received in exchange for honest review.
April 5, 2016
Chris Colton, private investigator. If that was all you knew about the man, what would your perception be based on that alone? Would it be accurate? Would you think of him in a negative or positive way? Let's face it, there have been some pretty sleazy private eyes in the world of fiction in the past. So his occupation doesn't necessarily reflect his character. What if I told you he'd been in the foster care system? Then what? I've read books about the horrors of foster care and the way certain people came out worse than when they went in. Well, what if I tell you Chis's father was a serial killer currently behind bars for his crimes? Still skeptical? I was too until I started reading his story. There are so many layers to Chris and little by little, as the story unfolds, we get to see those layers peeled away and learn just what kind of man he's become in spite of his tragic past.
Now Holly, on the other hand, gets our sympathy and trust right away. She's a widow with adorable twin boys who is on the run from her in-laws. They want to do her in, gain control of the twins and thereby also gain control of the trust fund set up in the boys' names. Holly is fiercely protective of her sons but after meeting Chris, it doesn't take long for her to feel that way towards him as well. While attracted to the man, she resists her feelings at first. She was so in love with her husband but Grant never felt that way about Holly. Oh, he'd done the honorable thing and married her when she got pregnant but Holly hadn't been able to make Grant love her. Not the way she wanted to be loved. So what was she doing thinking these thoughts about Chris? Was she actually considering getting involved?
"Thinking about moving on was dangerous, too, especially when the man she was interested in moving on with was Chris Colton."
And Chris . . . He'd been hired by Holly's in-laws to track her down. He'd initially thought she was a little gold digger who'd married the couple's son for his money and was now trying to keep her children from their loving grandparents. Then he'd discovered they were really out to kill Holly. He'd never allow that to happen. Even so, just because he was trying to protect them didn't mean he should be having all these intimate thoughts about Holly either.
"But Holly's smile reminded him he was a man, first and foremost. A man who hadn't made love to a woman in close to two years, who hadn't even given it serious thought in all that time. He was thinking of it now, though. He was definitely thinking of it now. In spades."
I loved this story. I instantly bonded with Holly. Not so with Chris. At first I was angry with him for his initial opinion of Holly, although I quickly forgave him when I found out more about his past. And the lying, conniving, murderous in-laws did give him a pretty good sob story to begin with. Chris totally redeemed himself with the way he cared for Holly and the boys and it wasn't long before I was completely in love with the guy myself.
The author has done it again. I have to admit I read each new book expecting not to like the characters as much as I did those in her last book. She continues to amaze me. Characterization is one of her strengths and the depth she instills in these fictional people she writes about makes them leap from the pages and come alive. It leaves me shaking my head in awe. No exaggeration. I could easily see myself befriending Holly and well, Chris . . . that's better left unsaid!
Where was I? Oh, yes, the characters. I can best liken Chris to an onion. You had to keep peeling away the layers to get to the real heart of the man. With Holly you pretty much got what you saw from the beginning. She was more open and forthcoming than Chris. It's what made her so good at getting through to him, at capturing his heart. She was a wonderful mother, kind and compassionate, and deserved to find a good man to love her, a man like Chris.
If you're looking for a delightful romance with a bit of sizzle, a story of suspense that will keep you turning pages to find out what happens, and characters you can easily fall in love with, this book is for you. I have to admit, I will be thinking about Chris for a long time to come.
*I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Now Holly, on the other hand, gets our sympathy and trust right away. She's a widow with adorable twin boys who is on the run from her in-laws. They want to do her in, gain control of the twins and thereby also gain control of the trust fund set up in the boys' names. Holly is fiercely protective of her sons but after meeting Chris, it doesn't take long for her to feel that way towards him as well. While attracted to the man, she resists her feelings at first. She was so in love with her husband but Grant never felt that way about Holly. Oh, he'd done the honorable thing and married her when she got pregnant but Holly hadn't been able to make Grant love her. Not the way she wanted to be loved. So what was she doing thinking these thoughts about Chris? Was she actually considering getting involved?
"Thinking about moving on was dangerous, too, especially when the man she was interested in moving on with was Chris Colton."
And Chris . . . He'd been hired by Holly's in-laws to track her down. He'd initially thought she was a little gold digger who'd married the couple's son for his money and was now trying to keep her children from their loving grandparents. Then he'd discovered they were really out to kill Holly. He'd never allow that to happen. Even so, just because he was trying to protect them didn't mean he should be having all these intimate thoughts about Holly either.
"But Holly's smile reminded him he was a man, first and foremost. A man who hadn't made love to a woman in close to two years, who hadn't even given it serious thought in all that time. He was thinking of it now, though. He was definitely thinking of it now. In spades."
I loved this story. I instantly bonded with Holly. Not so with Chris. At first I was angry with him for his initial opinion of Holly, although I quickly forgave him when I found out more about his past. And the lying, conniving, murderous in-laws did give him a pretty good sob story to begin with. Chris totally redeemed himself with the way he cared for Holly and the boys and it wasn't long before I was completely in love with the guy myself.
The author has done it again. I have to admit I read each new book expecting not to like the characters as much as I did those in her last book. She continues to amaze me. Characterization is one of her strengths and the depth she instills in these fictional people she writes about makes them leap from the pages and come alive. It leaves me shaking my head in awe. No exaggeration. I could easily see myself befriending Holly and well, Chris . . . that's better left unsaid!
Where was I? Oh, yes, the characters. I can best liken Chris to an onion. You had to keep peeling away the layers to get to the real heart of the man. With Holly you pretty much got what you saw from the beginning. She was more open and forthcoming than Chris. It's what made her so good at getting through to him, at capturing his heart. She was a wonderful mother, kind and compassionate, and deserved to find a good man to love her, a man like Chris.
If you're looking for a delightful romance with a bit of sizzle, a story of suspense that will keep you turning pages to find out what happens, and characters you can easily fall in love with, this book is for you. I have to admit, I will be thinking about Chris for a long time to come.
*I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
March 31, 2016
This book is so damn good that giving away a snippet of the story will cost you the thrill of this story itself. So I’m going to keep the mystery of this rollercoaster ride of a story and let you find out all about the danger lurking between the pages yourself! All I’ll say is that Amelia Autin takes you on an edge-of-your-seat journey in her latest Harlequin Romantic Suspense: Her Colton P.I., which happens to be the fifth book in the Coltons of Texas multi-author continuity series. With well-developed characters whose lives are interspersed with danger and drama…this is a book to be in your hot little hands! I couldn’t put it down. The suspense killed me. I had to know what happened next so I kept on reading. And gosh, Ms. Autin didn’t disappoint. The climax and the ending were spot on. Well done!
Highly Recommended
5 Stars
October 26, 2016
I have really enjoyed this series. Each book in the (The Coltons of Texas) series is a stand alone, so you can read them out of order. In the series you have several things going on. There is a Alphabet killer, that the family of Colton's, the Police, and FBI are attempting to find, and arrest. The Colton family was all separated when the kids were young, placing them in different foster homes. The father was a serial killer, and killed their mom. He has been in prison for many years. Only one of the brothers has visited him. Now the old man is dying. The only way he can get his kids to see him, is to give each on a clue as to where he buried their mother. They all want to find her, and give her a funeral, and final resting place.
In this book Chris was hired by Evalinda, and Angus McCay to find Holly, and their twin grandsons. Holly was their daughter in law. She took off after her husband died. Someone was trying to kill her. When her husband died, She became the heir of the large trust fund until the boys grew up. In the first meeting with Chris, Evalinda cried saying she missed her grandsons, for they were all that she has left of her son. They made Holly into a Gold digger that only wanted money. Christ knows how important family is. He hated being separated from his brothers and sisters all those years. He takes the case on pro bono . He is good at his job. He investigated the McCay's, and the story wasn't adding up. Once he found Holly, and her twins, he knew he had to protect her.
I loved Chris in this book. He was very protective, and caring. He was also good with the boys. I really enjoyed how the relationship grew throughout the story. There were a few moments that tugged at my heart. Chris lost his wife, and Holly lost her husband. Neither have been with anyone else after they lost their spouse. They never felt chemistry with anyone, up until now. The bond between the two was special, and on fire at the same time.
I loved this book, and look forward to the next book in this series.
In this book Chris was hired by Evalinda, and Angus McCay to find Holly, and their twin grandsons. Holly was their daughter in law. She took off after her husband died. Someone was trying to kill her. When her husband died, She became the heir of the large trust fund until the boys grew up. In the first meeting with Chris, Evalinda cried saying she missed her grandsons, for they were all that she has left of her son. They made Holly into a Gold digger that only wanted money. Christ knows how important family is. He hated being separated from his brothers and sisters all those years. He takes the case on pro bono . He is good at his job. He investigated the McCay's, and the story wasn't adding up. Once he found Holly, and her twins, he knew he had to protect her.
I loved Chris in this book. He was very protective, and caring. He was also good with the boys. I really enjoyed how the relationship grew throughout the story. There were a few moments that tugged at my heart. Chris lost his wife, and Holly lost her husband. Neither have been with anyone else after they lost their spouse. They never felt chemistry with anyone, up until now. The bond between the two was special, and on fire at the same time.
I loved this book, and look forward to the next book in this series.
August 17, 2023
Chris Colton is the P.I. mentioned in the title. He actually owns a multi-office detective agency in Texas. He comes from a family of (mostly) lawmen and -women, at least as far as his siblings are concerned – despite the fact that they were pulled in all different directions as kids when their father turned out to be a serial killer and their mother, one of his victims. Nasty baggage this guy is carrying. But that's just the appetizer. He also built a house for his beautiful wife, Laura, only to lose her and their unborn child in a tragedy from which his heart still hasn't healed.
Now Chris has been hired to track down a couple's widowed daughter-in-law, who is preventing them from seeing their adorable twin grandsons. Chris is quick to realize that his clients are actually trying to kill Holly McCay so they can take custody of the boys and control their dead dad's money. Chris recruits a couple of his cop siblings to help him set up a sting to catch the McCays in their murderous plot – while, at the same time, they're working an ongoing serial killer case that dredges up foul memories of their father.
There's a lot of plot points in play in this book, including a dying serial killer dad (now on death row) who holds the secret of where he hid their mother's body over his grown-up kids' heads; a female killer whose alphabetized victims all represent a single, hated person in her mind; a missing youngest sibling who disappeared, quite possibly after klling a drug dealer related to her adoptive parents; and a bouncing baby addition to the wider Colton family.
There is absolutely an Adult Content Advisory in effect concerning this book. Despite the vividly specific depiction of the hero couple's lovemaking, however, it's also very pointedly a romance between two people who have never been with anyone else besides their respective, deceased spouses and the moment they meet each other, it's pretty much guaranteed to be a lifelong thing. They just have to get over some personal hang-ups to realize it for themselves – a process that may provoke the reader's impatience at times.
As for the mystery-suspense-thriller subplots circling around the romantic core, this book resolves some of them but leaves others dangling for a future book. This is, after all, the fifth installment of a 12-book, multi-author series called "The Coltons of Texas" which, I guess, is paced to give the alphabet killer time to cover the whole alphabet. The series starts with Colton Copycat Killer by Marie Ferrarella and includes such titles as A Baby for Agent Colton, The Pregnant Colton Bride and Runaway Colton. Meanwhile, Amelia Autin is the author of the companion books Reilly's Return and Cody Walker's Woman, the nine-book "Man on a Mission" series (also under Harlequin's Romantic Suspense label), and an installment (book 18 of 48) in the "Marry Me, Cowboy" series titled Gideon's Bride.
Now Chris has been hired to track down a couple's widowed daughter-in-law, who is preventing them from seeing their adorable twin grandsons. Chris is quick to realize that his clients are actually trying to kill Holly McCay so they can take custody of the boys and control their dead dad's money. Chris recruits a couple of his cop siblings to help him set up a sting to catch the McCays in their murderous plot – while, at the same time, they're working an ongoing serial killer case that dredges up foul memories of their father.
There's a lot of plot points in play in this book, including a dying serial killer dad (now on death row) who holds the secret of where he hid their mother's body over his grown-up kids' heads; a female killer whose alphabetized victims all represent a single, hated person in her mind; a missing youngest sibling who disappeared, quite possibly after klling a drug dealer related to her adoptive parents; and a bouncing baby addition to the wider Colton family.
There is absolutely an Adult Content Advisory in effect concerning this book. Despite the vividly specific depiction of the hero couple's lovemaking, however, it's also very pointedly a romance between two people who have never been with anyone else besides their respective, deceased spouses and the moment they meet each other, it's pretty much guaranteed to be a lifelong thing. They just have to get over some personal hang-ups to realize it for themselves – a process that may provoke the reader's impatience at times.
As for the mystery-suspense-thriller subplots circling around the romantic core, this book resolves some of them but leaves others dangling for a future book. This is, after all, the fifth installment of a 12-book, multi-author series called "The Coltons of Texas" which, I guess, is paced to give the alphabet killer time to cover the whole alphabet. The series starts with Colton Copycat Killer by Marie Ferrarella and includes such titles as A Baby for Agent Colton, The Pregnant Colton Bride and Runaway Colton. Meanwhile, Amelia Autin is the author of the companion books Reilly's Return and Cody Walker's Woman, the nine-book "Man on a Mission" series (also under Harlequin's Romantic Suspense label), and an installment (book 18 of 48) in the "Marry Me, Cowboy" series titled Gideon's Bride.
February 8, 2018
Another excellent book in a great series.
Have enjoyed all of these books.
Have enjoyed all of these books.
December 31, 2021
It has been a few years since I read the earlier books in this series, but this author repeated the back story too often. A couple of good story lines, and I almost always enjoy romantic suspense.
August 20, 2024
I was glad I found this book. It is part of 7 books. To find the answer to the mystery, you have to read all the books.
March 6, 2020
Great addition to the Colton series. Well written with great characters. I enjoyed the way the author intertwines story lines from one book into others. Nice characters, supportive family, and some really bad in-laws.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
May 9, 2016
I will admit that I am have not read this series in chronological order but I have fallen absolutely in love with the story of Chris and Holly and those little twin boys of hers. The love may have been sudden for me but it felt enough. I am also loving the whole plot twist with the alphabet killer and I cannot wait to see how it goes. **SPOILER ALERT** I was so happy to finally see the Colton clan reunited with baby sister Josie. I'm already anticipating her own story so I cannot wait for that book to come out. I would like to see the Colton clan finally be able to find their mother's body to put her to rest and I know the next author will not let me down when it comes to this series. I'm already waiting for the next story and I might just have to read this series from the very beginning.
Read
May 31, 2016"Chris is a strong hero set within an engaging story. Autin fills this Coltons of Texas novel with tender moments" (4 stars @ RT Book Reviews).
Miniseries: The Coltons of Texas
Miniseries: The Coltons of Texas
May 1, 2016
I received this book for free as part of a first reads promotion
May 22, 2016
A quick, straightforward romance. No thinking involved in this one.
November 13, 2016
Now I want to find out what's gone on with the other Coltons!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews