Simon "Beau" Beaulieux oozed sensuality -- from his bedroom eyes to his broad shoulders to his lilting Louisiana drawl. Kit Colfax knew the parish sheriff always got what he wanted, but to protect her future she couldn't let him have his way... or her.
Kit sought to put Beau's thieving cousin behind bars. Beau sought to stop her. And painful experience had taught Kit how powerful men operated... and manipulated. Well, not this lady. Not this time. Sure, Beau made her FEEL as she never had before. Made her WANT to trust him as he so unwaveringly trusted in his cousin's innocence. But was that a lover talking, or a deceiver bent on saving his family... whoever paid the price?
New York Times and USA Today best selling author Nina Bruhns is an avid world traveler and adventurer with two graduate degrees in archaeology -- all great fodder for her stories, giving them broad dimension, vivid settings and characters that are out of the ordinary. In addition to hitting both the NY Times and USA Today bestseller lists, her novels have earned two RITA nominations, and won numerous other awards, including three prestigious Daphne du Maurier Awards of Excellence for Overall Best Mystery Suspense Novel of the Year, five Dorothy Parker Awards, several RT BookClub Awards and a National Readers Choice Award.
A native of Canada, Nina grew up in California and currently resides in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina.
This was Nina Bruhns's first release and, wow, what a way to start her career! This was actually my second read by her - my first was Top-Secret Bride, which I really liked and prompted me to track her backlist - and it may be too soon to say it, but I think I've become a fan.
Katherine "Kit" Colfax is an insurance investigator whose job is on the line because her company is in the process of downsizing its personnel and only the most "lucrative" employees will be kept in the end. Kit has an almost perfect performance history when it comes to solving her cases, but she has some expensive ways of doing it and her boss is being pressured to let her go because of that. So he gives her one last case to redeem herself: either she brings down Remi Beaulieux, a jewel thief who's been giving hell to the insurance company by heisting its clients' jewels, or she's out of the job she loves by the end of the month. Kit's plan to catch Remi is simple: join a very private and friendly poker game with him in Las Vegas, lose her sapphire necklace to him in order to lure him to steal more where that came from, then — bam! — catch him in the act. Naturally, not everything goes according to her plans...
Simon "Beau" Beaulieux, who's Remi's cousin and shares a fair resemblance to him - not good enough to fool anyone who's close to them, but enough to fool passing acquaintances -, is also trying to track down his black sheep cousin in order to "persuade" him to return the family jewels - no pun intended - he's stolen from their grandmère. Beau's the Chief of Police in his hometown of Verdigris, LA, but he's also the head of the Beaulieux family and will do anything to protect his family - which, at the moment, means hiding the theft from his family and trying to get them back unnoticed. So he sets his own plan to catch Remi: set up a backroom game using his cousin's name in his usual Vegas haunt, and rattle him out of hiding. But as we all know, even the best plans go awry sometimes...
As the story opens, Kit and Beau are facing each other over the poker table - Kit mistakenly thinking that Beau is Remi - and they're down to the final bet. Short of chips, Kit ends up betting her sapphire necklace - which is okay, since that's actually part of her plan - and the expensive Karl Lagerfeld dress she's wearing - uh-oh, that's not part of the plan! Obviously, she loses and, in a scene that had me gigling, leaves the game backroom and crosses the hotel lobby wearing nothing but her high heels and her underwear. Only in Vegas! (To be fair, Beau isn't a sleazy bastard and offers to give the dress back to Kit, but she refuses. After all, a bet is a bet and she lost it.)
Immediately after leaving Beau, Kit discovers his true identity and now she's in a bind: she lost the necklace - and the dress - to the wrong man, and she needs them back in order to salvage any chance of keeping her job at the end of the month. And what's up with Beau pretending to be Remi? Is he a dirty cop in cahoots with his cousin? On his side, Beau's also intrigued by Kit: he knows she's after Remi, but he doesn't know why. Is she a con artist set on forming an alliance with his disreputable cousin?
As the story progresses, Kit follows Beau around - first to San Diego, then to his home in Verdigris -, both of them looking for Remi. Kit wants to bring Remi down, but Beau isn't sure his cousin's really guilty of all the thefts she claims he's done. Beau's pretty sure Remi's guilty of stealing their grandmère's jewels, but this is one theft no one but him is aware of and he's going to keep it this way. Things get more complicated as the attraction between Kit and Beau grows stronger and they start falling in love with each other. He soon realizes that he wants more than a temporary affair with her, but she's afraid of getting seriously involved with him due to a bad experience in her past. But how can she resist him? Well, she can't. ;)
I really loved this book. It was one of the sexiest books I've ever read, the love scenes were sigh-worthy and hot, and the sparks between Kit and Beau could put any Fourth of July fireworks to shame. Oh, and the plot was good too! I didn't know if Remi was innocent or guilty till the end. I had my hopes, but I didn't know how Ms. Bruhns would make it "right" for everyone. If Remi was innocent, Kit would have wasted time and money on a fruitless chase and would lose her job; if he was guilty, she would keep her job but Beau would never forgive her for being the one who got his cousin arrested. What a dilemma!
As for the H/h, Beau and Kit were very well-developed, and I fell instantly in love with them. Beau was charming, funny, sexy, and protective but not overbearing. He turned me into a puddle of goo several times while I was reading this book. *sighs* The scene where he bet Kit that he could kiss her without touching her... Wow, the man definitely knew his moves! Kit started out very well too, but then she went into her I'm-afraid-Beau-will-try-to-manipulate-and-hurt-me-so-I'm-going-to-stay-away-from-him mindframe and I got a little annoyed with her. I mean, he did manipulate her a bit but it was for her own protection and he would never, ever do anything to hurt her. Anyway, she did come to her senses in the end, so this minor "annoyance" wasn't enough to ruin the book for me.
Overall, this was one of the best SIM novels I've read, and I'm definitely going to keep tracking Ms. Bruhns's backlist.
Nina Bruhns is a forgotten but wonderful author! I love her cajun heroes, her smoking hot romantic suspense books and lovely heroines. This was no exception!
My only complaint was that Kit was a bit too stubborn and couldn't get past her own percieved notions. Not all guys are like your last boyfriend. I'm just saying.
But other than that, it was highly enjoyable! It was a book I really enjoyed in the middle of a book slump. I'm beyond happy for that!
Insurance investigator, Kit Colfax is on the trail of jewel thief Remy Beaulieux when she inadvertently arrests his cousin, Simon “Beau” Beaulieux who just happens to be the Sheriff of a small Louisiana parish. Determined to get to the bottom of his cousin’s case and protect his family name, Beau convinces Kit that they should work together, but she is wary of controlling and manipulative men and has no intention of losing her head over one.
An engaging romance with a touch of mystery.
Kit and Beau’s repartee is witty and amusing, and their chemistry is off the charts. That said, Kit’s insecurities with regard to men are overdone, especially considering that Beau is nothing like her former boyfriend.
Beau is a typical alpha male with a gorgeous Southern drawl to boot. He is reminiscent of the hero in my favorite Karen Robards book, Ghost Moon, so it was easy for him to worm his way into my heart.
The minor suspense plot could have been better developed, but the climax and resolution are exciting.
All in all, not at all bad for a debut book and I look forward to reading the sequel.
I really wanted to enjoy Catch me if you can but the constant dithering of the heroine hampered that. Kit is an insurance investigator who is on the verge of losing her job unless she brings in a man named Remi, who may be a jewel thief robbing the jewels insured by her company. She tracks him down to Vegas, where she meets a man who turns out to be Remi's cousin Simon.
Simon is a cop, he has looked after his family all his life, he is wealthy and well liked and determined to get to the bottom of the truth about Remi. Kit is attracted to him but she figures he is the same as her ex, wealthy and would expect to mold her to fit into his world, no matter what it takes and may even sabotage her job like her ex. But they agree to work together since they both want Remi though the reasons are different.
They move to Simon's house and his family that seems to depend way too much on him. Kit pushes him at turn to turn in her quest for independence but gets peeved when Simon doesn't pay her attention and tries to respect her boundaries. She is too doubting and always sees things as something being done against her.
The setting of the book was different and it could have been great but God save me from irritating heroine's. We get it you had a douche-bag for an ex but stop trying to fit in everyone into your conspiracy theories. She suddenly has a change of heart in the end but too late for me.
Solid 3.5 Rating (Contemporary/Suspense romance with a late '90's feel for the date/classic (although sometimes cheesily clique'), Louisiana country/New Orleans setting.)
Good showing of what this writer can probably do. This is an early Silhouette romance for Nina Bruhns, so I'm assuming this is the "tip of her iceberg" when it comes to her talent. She had a good story base and developed her characters; definitely was able to create some real heat between her H/h. She also carried her suspense of the "villain" rather well. I was continually uncertain whether he was innocent or not, almost to the end (sign of a great suspense writer). Although there were quite a few moments that dragged and I was easily distracted from finishing the book, it didn't put me off this author. Her hero was stand-out in how she was able to make me fall in love with him -- very masculine, but brought me into his mind so I always knew how "vulnerable" he REALLY was [perfect - *sigh*:]. I was much less engaged with the heroine. Her savviness about her job/capabilities never really rung true for me. She came across way to naive, and just wasn't believeable in that capacity. She was wonderful as far as I knew she really had fallen for Beau, but it seemed like she was rather silly casting him aside for her "little insurance investigator" job, ONLY -- mind you -- because the execution of how she was carrying it out seemed, well, petty to be honest! So, to sum it up, the hero really held up the book.
All that said, I didn't forget this was an early endeavor for the author. I'll definitely check out some of her later writing; I definitely think her body of work can be judged here as very promising. If you love the quick romance and sparks of talent that Harlequin offers, this is worthy of your attention. K.
Kit Colfax is an insurance investigator and works for Moorefield Insurance in New Orleans. At the moment, her job is at stake and she can’t afford to screw up her plans to catch the guy who stole some jewels belonging to clients. Her boss jas given her a month to recover the jewels or she’ll lose her job.
At the same time, Simon Beaulieux, Chief of Police, Verdigris, Louisiana is in Las Vegas impersonating his cousin, Remi. His cousin stole their grandmother's jewels and he wants to recover the family heirloom before their grandmother finds out. Remi happens to be the same guy Kit Colfax is after.
Kit and Simon run into each other during a poker game and sparks fly.
Brand new re-release in Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and other popular ebook formats!
She got the wrong man…or did she?
Kit Colfax is a sassy insurance investigator who is out to catch herself a suave Southern jewel thief any way she can. Her very career depends on it. But she’s in for the surprise of her life when she mistakenly snares handsome chief of police Simon “Beau” Beaulieux in her sting operation instead.
Lord have mercy, if the man didn’t have a voice custom made for smooth satin sheets on hot, sultry afternoons, dripping with the scent of honeysuckle and the taste of icy mint juleps sliding down kiss-parched throats.
Kit does her best to resist the sexy Louisiana aristocrat. But a series of disasters—certainly not his heated kisses—have her chasing Beau from Las Vegas to the bayous of his antebellum plantation, where she finds herself hopelessly caught in the sensual web of his love.
Winner of the: 2001 Daphne du Maurier Award 2001 National Readers’ Choice Award 2001 Golden Chalice Grand Prize Golden Heart Award
Decent book. Easy to read and was amusing as well. I didn't get very caught up in it as I did not like the back and forth between the two characters. I would have enjoyed it more if the romance aspect had not been the main focus of the book.
This wasn't your run of the mill romance. It was well written, the characters were interesting, and I didn't suspect who the real thief was until the bar. Kit was so hung up on what happened in the past, that she couldn't see what she had right in front of her.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Laden with internal conflicts, assumptions and repetition, I felt it a little too negative as a whole for me. There's good moments though. I truly enjoyed the story when Kit and Beau were just in-the-moment. Had fun together. And not just in the bedroom either, ya nasty~ Those glimpses of their happiness is why I continued reading and rooting for them as a couple.
Kit was kind of annoying. She is the Debbie-downer of this tale. And so stubborn. Over-the-top at times. As a reader it definitely alienated her from me. And don't even get me started on all the repetitious BS! Especially in the middle of the book. It was really hard to get through it at that point. Very frustrating. And it was mostly from Kit and her "Never trust a man", "Never again", "Men are evil", blahblahblah. I'd say 90% of this book is Kit's negativity toward men. Anyway, I liked the writing style so I'll give the author another chance to win me over. But I can't really recommend this one.
Katherine Colfax alias Kit ist Versicherungsermittlerin und auf der Jagd nach einem Dieb. Simon Beaulieux alias Beau ist Polizeichef und Plantagebesitzer und auch auf der Suche nach einem Dieb, seinem Cousin. Als beide aufeinander treffen wird es heiß und als sie merken das sie den selben Mann suchen.
Ich hatte schon Zero Unit Reihe gelesen und hat mir gefallen. Als ich hier drüber gestolpert bin, habe ich es mir einfach holen müssen. Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht, denn ich habe eine großartige Liebesgeschichte mit einem schönen Thrillerteil. New Orleans wurde atemberaubend beschrieben und am liebsten wäre ich gleich hin geflogen um es persönlich anzuschauen. Immer wieder wird man von Kit und Beau überrascht und plötzliche Wendungen lassen die Spannung nicht vergehen. Die Leidenschaft der beiden wird nicht nur im Bett gezeigt, sondern auch in Wortgefechte.
Kit wanted to put Simon’s cousin behind bars. He wanted to stop her. Familiarity had shown Kit how men of influence operated… and manipulated. Well, not her. Not this time. Okay, so Simon made her feel like she never had before. He made her want to trust him, as he trusted his cousin’s innocence. Yet, was that an aficionado talking, or a swindler intent on protecting his family?
This is a sizzling book. The fire between Kit and Simon scorches throughout the whole story, turning it into a quite a page turner.
Following Kit from the beginning, with her strong, independent personality, you quickly get wrapped up in her and the job she's trying to do.
Beau, throwing a big dent in her plans. Him being everything a girl dreams about. Handsome, rich, successful, and a full southern gentleman (well mostly).
You will enjoy how this book plays out and how well it's written. I've read it twice now and got just as into it as the first time.
Nina, has wrote an amazing first book of a series. Kit, is an insurance agent who is trying to catch the elusive Remi, a jewelry theif, to save her job. He has cost their company millions of dollars. When Kit attempts to trap him in Vegas she doesn't realize that its actually his cousin, Simon, a police chief. The story just booms from there. From sex, to love, to disappointment, suspense...Nina wrapped all of it up in one big bundle of awesome!
If you like the movie Sweet Home Alabama you will love this book. Kit didn't know what she really wanted in life. And when she saw it was right in front of her for the taking sparks fly. The suspense wasn't on the edge of your seat suspenseful but I will say I didn't expect the twist of it. This was a great get lost in a romance story.
This was a good fun read; very easy going. You knew what was going to happen but it was good fun to get to get there. Beau was a great character that you very easily fell in love with; whereas Kit was more complicated with all her insecurities. But it was lovely to see how they came together; and the secondary characters were great fun. Looking forward to reading remi's story.
I pleasantly suprised how good this book was. It was free form kindle. I also got the second one, which i will read next. The third one unfortunately is not available in australia, copyright laws, they are really starting to annoy me. Especially when you have found a great author and would love to purchase her book. Great book , loved Simon and kit. Very hot and also fun:-)
This was purchased as a Kindle freebie with hesitations, but I was pleasantly surprised. Pleasant read, basically well-written, had a plot (these are always a plus, but by no means a given with kindle freebies!). Kept my interest for the most part, few real surprises, but a nice simple diversion. Guy gets girl, a couple of fun sex scenes, no-brainer but a fun read.
What a great book and start to the trilogy. I'll admit this is my favorite of the three (I should say two, because I have only read this one and the second).
Great romance and strong characters; I would recommend this to any one who likes action with their romance.
According to the author notes at the back, this was Nina Bruhns' first published work and it was a true winner. Loved the characters, loved the story, sex was steamy... An all round enjoyable read. Thanks Ms Bruhns xx
Definitely not a fan of this book, storyline and characters were not well thought out to me. The whole thing seemed to contrived and mushy and ended far too pat. I can't see myself reading another book by Bruhns.
the first of 3 books in this romance/suspense set outside new orleans. i could have wished for a little more background for the main characters to better understand their motivations, but overall, a pretty good book, and i'm looking forward to reading the other 2
A huge Nina Bruhns fan, this is obviously her earlier works because it just doesn't have the Nina feel. It had a slow start, but that allowed the characters to really develop. Romantic, sexual tension, and easy to be drawn into.
It was free download for Kindle, and I didn't expect too much, but I pleasantly suprised how good this book was. Loved the characters, loved the story, sex was steamy... An all round enjoyable read.
I enjoy reading this book. This being the first book by this author I did enjoy the interaction between Beau and Kit. I do wish the author would have brought the jewel thief more into the story. I am off to reading the 2nd book in this series, Sweet Revenge.