Settling An Old Score has a great premise, and it's rather original to the genre, at least it is for me. In addition to that, the story is fast-paced and action-packed. It does stretch the suspension of disbelief, but a bit of escapism can be a good thing, especially in this new socially distanced world. My only complaint is that I felt a little like I was missing something, like maybe there was backstory I wasn't seeing. Admittedly, I haven't read the first two in the series, so maybe that's it. Nevertheless, the action and suspense were good and kept my attention, so I have to say it's worth the read, and I liked the author's writing style, so I will watch for whatever comes next.

I was very much looking forward to reading Settling an Old Score, the third title in Delores Fossen's Longview Ridge Ranch series, because I quite enjoyed the first book in the series, but from the very high intensity start of this novel, I felt totally lost, as if this story began in a book I didn't read somehow, and that feeling continued until the very end. While it's a quick, high intensity, action-packed, romantic suspense novel, I cannot in good conscience give it more than a 3-star rating.

As the novel opens, Texas Ranger Eli Slater hears a noise on his porch in the middle of the night and gets out of bed to investigate. What he finds is a small baby in a car seat, puzzled that there's no note, no one out there waiting to take a shot at him, at least until a car comes racing toward him, and a woman gets out, pointing her gun at him, and he recognizes her--it's Ashlyn Darrow, his former high school flame, and she's ready to shoot him for kidnapping her recently adopted baby girl, Cora, and so began my confusion.

Eli and Ashlyn have a troubled history. Her best friend, Marta, a drug addict turned police informant, was killed in the drug bust in which Ashlyn was also shot 3 times, making her unable to have children of her own, and although Eli wasn't the one who shot either of them, Ashlyn blames him for Marta's death. That's a whole lot of story we only get to hear second-hand, and it doesn't end there, not even close.

After Eli talks Ashlyn out of shooting him, brings her and her baby inside his home, and convinces Ashlyn that they were was set up, bullets start flying, and Eli calls for back-up, as both he and Ashlyn finally accept the fact that someone wants Eli dead and Ashlyn in prison or dead, but who is behind this and why? Thus began the rest of my issues with his story, which introduced far too many characters, far too many possible motives, far too many attempts at killing Eli and Ashlyn, far too many attempts to kidnap baby Cora, far too many secondary lawmen, far too many assorted hit men, far too many shootouts, home invasions, and far too many complications to follow in a story in which my main feeling was total character confusion.

In addition, Settling an Old Score is supposed to be novel of romantic suspense, and while there'an overabundance of mystery and suspense in this whodunit, where was the romance? To say it was given short shrift is putting it mildly. While I realize that there are word/page limits in the Harlequin Intrigue imprint, this story needed either a much longer novel or far fewer characters, possible motives and assorted suspects. It also needed quite a bit more romance between the two primary characters.

In short, Ms Fossen has again given us a really good story idea which was unfortunately crammed into too short a novel to truly give her main characters some real depth, and give the reader a chance to sort through all the off-screen backstory and events. It's not a bad read, it's well thought out and intense, but Ms. Fossen needed more space for this novel to really develop it's characters and plot.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

I expected to enjoy Delores Fossen's "Settling an Old Score," but it turned out to be even better than I had hoped. It was an intense, fast-paced read that grabbed my attention from the very first page and didn't let go until the end. There was plenty of drama, action, and suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat, and while I was certainly concerned for the characters' safety at times, I was never overly frightened. In addition, the investigation into who was behind the attacks on main characters Eli Slater and Ashlyn Darrow was very twisty, and I honestly wasn't sure who was guilty until the very end of the book.

There wasn't a whole lot of relationship building between former high school sweethearts Ashlyn and Eli, but because of the high-pressure situation and the fact that they were suddenly forced to spend every waking minute together after so much time apart, it wasn't difficult for me to believe in their reawakening romantic feelings for one another. Just as importantly, Ashlyn came to understand that she was wrong to blame Eli for his part in an incident several years earlier that ended with her friend Marta's death and serious injuries to Ashlyn herself.

Overall, I very much enjoyed "Settling an Old Score" and highly recommend it for all romantic suspense fans. I will definitely be picking up the other books in this series as soon as possible.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love a good Harlequin Intrigue and Delores Fossen didn't let me down with Settling an Old Score! I loved Eli from the very beginning. He was down to earth, had common sense, but still a caring aura to him even as a Texas Ranger. Whether he was trying to dodge bullets or calming a worried mother, you could tell he cared.

You couldn't help but feel for Ashlyn when her daughter was kidnapped and left on the doorstep of the person she blamed for the death of her friend years ago. Eli also happens to be an old flame that she wasn't 'quite' over yet. (Read DEFINITELY still loves him) That said, NEVER mess with a momma bear's cub and Ashlyn didn't like finding Eli holding her cub.

Things go from bad to worse for Ashlyn and Cora immediately and she's left to rely on Eli to keep them safe while they figure out who is after Ashlyn and why they're setting Eli up to take the fall. Helped by his brothers and his devoted deputies, Eli follows the trail while trying to keep the woman he still loves safe. He knows the events that happened in their past was his fault, but as the thread is pulled, it becomes more obvious to the both of them that maybe those events had been out of their control, too.

There are a lot of bullets flying, a lot of people dying, and a lot of love happening in this intrigue. When the final twist comes you won't be expecting it! I loved the story and the idea that I found a new series to read in the Longview Ridge Ranch so I can read about all of the characters I've already fallen in love with.