Really enjoying this series. Loved Emma and her spunk, the town she moved to was quirky and very South Florida, and Conner was alternately maddening and amazing.

I found Emma to be a good female lead. She is strong, smart, and likable. Even when she was being threatened, Emma was never truly afraid. In fact, she had spunk about her. Which I liked a lot. In regards to Connor, who doesn't love a good strong man that is easy on the eyes. Emma keeps Connor on his toes. Yet, when it came to the romance, it was "fine". It was not earth shattering or fog up your glasses type of hot but Connor and Emma did have sparks. The scenes were quick and short. As if the author did not want the romance between Emma and Connor to get too much in the way of the overall story. A quick read. I did enjoy this book but not as much as the first one.

These Kavanaugh men, wooeee.  They're tall, dark and handsome and oh so loveable.  In Abandoned, Rhonda Pollero gives us another nail-biting tale with thrills and chills, a sweet love story, stereotypical teenagers, slimy politicians and small-town southern life.  I really liked Emma and I loved Conner.  Honestly, I'll take any of the Kavanaughs.

Trying to solve the murder her father was accused of twenty years earlier Emma is thrown into her own life or death political thriller.  While her life is full of danger and stress she finds herself incredibly attracted to and falling for Conner.

The cast of characters in this books is diverse and well written.  There are so many people from so many tracks of life and Pollero gives them all interesting and unique personalities.  Like the other books in the series, Abandoned is a nail-biting thriller, sweet love story and interesting study of people.

reviewed by Jem

One of the best things about being on a romantic suspense kick is returning to a series that I love. Abandoned, the second book in Pollero's Finding Justice series was not as creepy as the first book, but the character background blew me away. I loved Emma's history. Being the daughter of an assassin isn't something I've come across before and now I wonder why. It gave her a very interesting past and a vivid connection with the town, which I loved. Conner was no slouch, either. I wondered if there was going to be a character connection with the first book, then it dawned on me that Connor is the brother of the hero in the previous book. Connor was just as intriguing as Emma. I loved the little moments between them. You know, those moments between threats and keeping a secret from everyone.

As much as I enjoyed reading Abandoned, I will say that it felt as if some pieces were missing which left awkward time jumps. There was one instance where it starts off at point A, but the next scene was point C. I was expecting a little bit more after a certain event and it felt like there was a step missing. It also made some points feel a bit rushed. Obviously I can't explain it in detail because of spoilers, so I hope this makes sense. This really only happened twice in the book, so it wasn't too distracting. I still loved the time I spent reading the book, which was pretty quick. I enjoyed Rhonda's writing style just as much as I did in the previous book. I loved her characters, especially how intriguing and well developed they are. I'm hoping this turns out to be a 4 book series, once they're able to get the 4th brother out of trouble of course. Overall, Abandoned was a thoroughly enjoyable and quick book that kept me guessing throughout.

Book two of the Finding Justice series, Abandoned centers around the Kavanaugh brother Conner the Sheriff of the small town Purdue, Florida whose claim to fame is that an assassination of the President of the United States took place there. My only issue is that I read it too fast, 272 pages and I inhaled it, once it got the ball rolling it went by so quickly and when I got to the end I didn't want it to end just yet.

The main characters are likeable, Emma is one of the public defenders in Purdue, she just moved from New York and is way over qualified for the job but she has other reasons for moving to Purdue, Florida. Conner is the Sheriff, he's divorced and kind of got screwed over in the divorce all because he was a cop, his wife cheated on him and got full custody of their daughter because her new husband was rich and Conner's schedule was erratic. But things are looking up for him; his daughter, Sam, chose to spend a couple of months with him. Conner is immediately attracted to Emma, even if she was a bit prickly to him when they first met and a couple of times after that. Conner liked that about her and she knows her way around a courtroom and actually seems to care. Emma's reasons for being in Purdue have to do with her father who was the assassin in the President's assassination. Emma and her family accepted the fact that for some unknown reason her father went to Florida and killed a man, but some weeks ago Emma started to receive newspaper clippings all about the assassination that started to raise question about her father's innocence. Right off the bat weird things start happening and Conner is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Overall, it's a really good read, I loved where the story went and how it got there just not how quickly it did it. It gives more information on what happened to the Kavanaugh brother who is in jail and hopefully one of the up coming books is his HEA. It's not necessary to read the first book in the series, all the characters are new, but I really loved the first one and I would recommend reading them both.

Unfortunately I was not able to get into this book and stopped within the first 10% because of my disconnection to the story and its characters. I figure it's more me being the issue rather than the book as I loved the blurb.

Abandoned has so many things I love to see in romance novels. Emma, the heroine, is a lawyer. LOVE it. Opposites attract trope is prevalent as well which is almost always a win for me! I also love books that feature the children or family members of a murderer or serial killer. I find that fascinating! Add in the snappy dialogue between the hero, Connor, and the heroine, Emma and you have a wonderful set up for romance.

Emma is certainly the dominate one in this story. She is the alpha and Connor is more of the beta. She shines so bright that Connor sometimes seems less noticeable. That being said, Connor is still very swoony and goes above and beyond to keep Emma safe! I liked that they kind of danced around each other, creating that push/pull romance feeling that was a slow burn and tension building. Connor was burned in love before, so there is a bit of internal struggle for him when it comes to love. I felt that made him a very authentic character!

Emma's father assassinated the President. Her life changed that day: she changed her name, moved, and did everything she could to separate herself from that crime. However, as an adult now, she wants to understand why her dad did what he did. Someone, though, isn't as keen on her finding out the truth and sends her some anonymous messages to attempt to deter her. Connor is the sheriff of the town and the person Emma must come to trust in order to help her. They have great banter and I enjoyed them as characters.

The mystery is interesting and keeps you turning pages, but the ending felt rushed after all the build up. That is my biggest issue with the story overall! I certainly plan to check out book 1 in the series and this author will be one that goes on my TBR for sure!

I wasn't able to finish this book. The pacing was slow and the storyline just couldn't capture my interest.

in abandoned, emma mckinley returns to purdue, florida with a new identity and a mission to discover more about the worst time of her life. her father was shot and killed after assassinating the president, and recently she's been getting notes questioning his motives. he never really had any motives that were clear to anyone.

she thought she'd left that part of her life behind her, but the truth is it still affect her choices even now. she became a lawyer in part because she believes in justice. and maybe it's time to make sure that justice was served on that long ago night.

it's hard to keep secrets in purdue. and from her first encounter with conner kavanaugh, the local sheriff, she's somehow managed to blow her ability to fly under the radar. not that the town grapevine would ever have let her fly under the radar. not with the wealth a her fingertips, her harvard law degree being put to use as a public defender, and her ability to collect stray people in need of a second chance.

with conner that first night, sparks flew. and the more often they encounter each other, the hotter things get. conner's got baggage of his own to deal with. but he can't help himself when there's a woman in danger. and emma is clearly in someone's crosshairs.

once emma and conner get over their trust issues, there's really only the pesky problem of the escalating threats against emma's life that get in the way of their relationship. but unlike exposed, the first book in the series, this story focuses more on the relationship and less on the suspense. in the end, the resolution to a decades old crime is less intense than an evil ex-husband terrorizing you. but this isn't a bad thing. it's just a different flavor of intrigue.

So many little twists. I did not expect all that went down. Although I should because Rhonda Pollero is great at putting in twists and keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Emma is not what I thought she would be. She is smart and cunning. Kind and caring. When she is lured down to where her life changed one fateful night all those years ago you wonder what will be revealed. Will she really get answers or will it be a wild goose chase. At first it feels goose chase but as little more is found out and seen we get a lot of danger and coincidences. We also get a little romance with her and the sheriff.

I do like how Emma helps those who are down in their luck. Some of it was for her own gain but she still took a chance when no one else would. I hated how she had a secret that between her and Conner. It was necessary due to what the secret was but still hated to see.

Conner is a stand up guy. He fights for justice and is fair and honest. His love for his daughter is immense and it was sad that she wasn’t around him as much as he would like. When we first see him he is meeting Emma and she is showing her spunk. Next thing we see them at the courthouse and he is still as flirty as ever but also kind.

their relationship grows as they get to know one another and Emma is in more and more danger. As things are revealed we see Conner become more protective and the two of them need to trust one another. Emma helps Conner with his brother and his custody situation and Conner is always there for Emma when she needs it.

When Emma’s sister is in trouble Conner is there and helps all he can. He also is the one she opens up to about her past as well at that point and he doesn’t judge or run. He is angry and hurt but doesn’t run. And the wrinkle on who lured her there wow just wow.

As all slowly is revealed and unraveled, you are sitting on the edge of the seat needing more. Why was Emma’s dad there? What really went down? Did her dad do as they said? Why if her dad did what they said was someone trying to harm Emma? But we also get a sweet romance that isn’t a focus but a beginning to something more for Conner and Emma.

The story is alluring and intriguing filled with twists and reveals you don’t expect. The characters are honest and caring. The town small and like grandmas at bingo gossiping and finding out everything but also close knit. Some characters are not nice and downright manipulative but that helps keep you wondering what is going on. the chemistry between Conner and Emma is great and their interactions keep you coming back for more as they unravel what happened on that fateful night Emma’s dad was shot and accused of killing the president.

Emma McKinley wants answers and she is certain the only way she will find them is by going to the scene of the crime and start digging into her father's past, but someone isn't so happy about her unearthing the past and they will do just about anything to keep it buried. Twenty years ago Emma's father assassinated the President, and she can't fathom why he would do such a thing, a small part of her knows he is innocent, but in order to prove it, she is going to have to re-open the case and start retracing his steps. But when she starts to get close to the truth the threats coming at her left and right, and now she must turn to the police... question is will Sheriff Conner Kavanaugh want to help her once he learns her identity and what she is getting involved in?

Once again Ms. Pollero has dazzled me with her literary talents, and created a spine tingling read that had me addicted in a matter of minutes, I could not put this one down!! The story line was inventive, engrossing, and had a good mix of mystery and romance, I loved it! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Emma and Conner, Emma was a stand out heroine, that measured up easily against her alpha male counterpart, the chemistry between these two was palpable and it created some serious heat between the pages!! Highly recommend this one, it is one of those stories that will grab a hold of you from the first page, and not let go until the last page is turned!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

Well-written book full of snappy dialogue.

I absolutely loved all the court room scenes as the heroine, Emma McKinley who is a lawyer, who excelled at being able to readily read her clients and able to think of quick solutions to problems and unique situations. She put both the prosecutor and his witnesses to shame.

As the series name states this series is about finding Justice. Emma has moved to the small Florida town in hopes of finding out any information on why her dad 20 years ago killed the President of the United States. She had been getting anonymous clippings in the mail that prompted her to seek the town out and take a job with the Public Defenders office. On her first night in town she has an interesting encounter with a man at a bar who later she finds out is the Sheriff of the town.

This series is about the Kavanaugh brothers. The first book was about Jack who is also a lawyer, now Conner who is a Sheriff, then there is Declan who is a PI and the last brother has been in jail for 15 years for manslaughter for the death of his abusive father and the accidental death of his mother.

Conner and Emma had quite lively dialogue going on between them for most of the book. I have to say Emma's strong personalty and tenacity stole most of the scenes and some of the spotlight from Conner – not saying that as a bad thing, she was just a great heroine that at times out shown her hero..

This author was new to me and I've really enjoyed both books so far in this series. My only nit-picking thing about the writing is how fast the wrap up and endings come. These would be 5 star books if those things were extended a bit.