Without Warning (Lynette Eason) – Review

Posted 28 July 2016 by Katie in New Releases, Review, Romance, Suspense / 0 Comments

Publisher’s Description
Katie Singleton, a partner with the Elite Guardians Protection Agency, stumbles upon her next assignment quite by accident. Spotting blue lights at a familiar restaurant, she stops to investigate, only to discover that owner Daniel Matthews has become the target of someone who will go to any lengths to put him out of business.

Daniel might be concerned, but he’s not convinced that a bodyguard–and a female one at that–is necessary. A new attack and his niece’s urgings are enough to make him reconsider. He and Katie must figure out who’s behind the intimidation and threats–before a would-be killer strikes again.

Witty dialogue and a simmering attraction will have readers flying through this tension-laced thriller. Eason exercises complete control of her readers’ emotions as they race through the pages to discover the truth.

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He climbed from the vehicle and saw Katie stop at the edge of his drive. The wind blasted him as he exited the garage, and he shivered, pulling the edges of his coat tighter against his throat. He walked toward Katie and she rolled down her window.
“You didn’t have to follow me,” he said.
“I know.” She held up her phone. “But as soon as Riley learned I was with you, she texted me and asked me to make sure you got home safely.”
He shook his head. “That girl.”
She frowned. “Be careful. Watch your back. Something’s not right about tonight in more ways than one.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“My opinion is that someone’s started playing a pretty twisted game, and until you figure out if it’s the restaurants he’s targeting or you personally, you need to be on constant guard.” Her eyes dropped to where he would wear a shoulder holster should he have it on. “Carry your weapon.”
“Twenty-four seven.” He took in her concern, the way she tilted her head, the dark hair pulled back into that severe ponytail. And felt his attraction meter kick in. Strange he hadn’t ever noticed her before. He shook his head, pushed the feeling away, and chalked it up to the craziness of the night.
“You have it?”
He blinked. Have it? Oh right, his gun. He patted the shoulder holster. “Yes, I’ve got it. I kept it after Holcombe looked at it.”
She nodded. “Good.” She gave a low laugh and shook her head.
“What?” he asked.
“Me. Telling you what you need to do. Sorry, it’s a job hazard.”
He smiled and glanced around. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
And surprisingly enough, he found the fact that she wanted to look out for him . . . interesting. He’d never experienced that before. He had a feeling Katie wasn’t like most of the women he’d been around. A few he’d worked with in the Marines were tough enough, but there was just something about Katie . . .

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My review
This book had me hooked from its opening “Chink, chink, chink.” I wasn’t intending to read the whole book in one sitting (or, should I say, reclining!), but somehow I just never got around to putting it down. I kept telling myself, “I’ll just read to the end of this chapter…” and then, before I knew it, I was halfway through the next chapter, and I’d tell myself that I’d just finish this one and, well… you can guess how that went!

Daniel Matthews is an ex-Marine who owns and oversees six restaurants as CEO of his company, A Taste of Yesterday, Inc. When two of his restaurants become the scene of a crime on the same night, it seems unlikely to be a coincidence, but Daniel is at a loss as to whom he could have angered enough to elicit such a drastic reaction.

Katie Singleton knows Daniel Matthews through his seventeen year old niece, Riley, who attends one of her self-defence classes, so when she sees the police attending one of his restaurants she stops off to see if she can help. When Riley learns of the attacks on her uncle’s restaurants, she insists on hiring the Elite Guardians to protect him. Since the death of her parents eighteen months ago, Daniel is the only person she has left, and she will do everything she can to make sure she doesn’t lose him too.

One of the reasons I never got around to putting this novel down (besides my deplorable lack of self-control!) is that I never knew what was going to happen next. The danger constantly came out of nowhere, and so I was always on edge, waiting for the next ‘incident’ to occur. There was also that fact that I could never quite settle on who I thought the culprit was. No matter which way I leaned, there was always some reason why I doubted my choice.

For me, the romance was a little low key. It developed steadily over the course of the novel, and I didn’t mind that there wasn’t any conflict between Daniel and Katie, but I would have liked more of a sense of anticipation as their friendship and attraction grew; that tension that comes from wondering when the attraction will be acknowledged between them rather than just in their own minds. Both Daniel and Katie were a little too pragmatic about it, I thought. But I guess that’s better than clichéd or cheesy!

This novel is very much centred on the suspense plot, so you don’t get much of a glimpse into the characters’ personal lives, but Katie is confronted by some PTSD issues during the course of the novel, and Daniel’s niece, Riley, ends up playing a significant role in the story as well. The faith element is there, but subtle. All in all, if you’re after a romantic suspense read that’s weighted more towards the suspense, then this is a good choice for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Revell in exchange for my honest review.

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