Bree and Connor have good chemistry. A suspenseful read. Great read. Keeps you on your toes. Secondary, characters are also engaging

I've picked up and put down Don't Look Back a couple of times. I have enjoyed other books by Craig and I can't pinpoint what isn't working about this one. I hope I'll be able to finish it one day, but for now its a DNF

I received a copy of this book via Net Galley but the review is my own.

This was my first Christie Craig and it wont be my last. The book was equal parts romance and suspense. The suspense involves a great many twists and turns. As for the romance it can best be described as two people most definitely attracted to one another and determined to fight it.

The final (?) book in the Texas Justice series. Its centered around 3 police detectives who after being put on probation are demoted to the Cold Case Unit.

We finally get Connor Pierce story. Connor suffers from guilt from having to kill a teen kid after his partner was murdered. He also had huge commitment issue due to a marriage that went bad. He doesn't quite know what to make of the short feisty FBI agent who had come barreling into his life.

FBI Agent Brie Ryan is out for justice. First her CI is murdered and soon after her half sister was murdered and she knows it was part of a human trafficking ring. In her quest to prove that she enlist her best friend to help and he ends up beaten and shot and fighting for his life. She ends up asking Conner, Mark and Juan for help as she fears there is a traitor within the FBI who is leaking information to the traffickers which is getting those close to her killed.

Brie was a force to be reckoned with but also carried a load of emotional baggage from her childhood. She and Conner had the chemistry but whew so much baggage between then that had to be dealt with before any good could happen between them.

Great book. Christie Craig writes an intense story with great characters and a nice romance. I look forward to more.

I was a little slow in getting interested in this book, but I actually really enjoyed it. The heroine is strong, determined, and trained (FBI), and our hero, a cop, is interesting and complex. They both have baggage, which makes them more real and relatable.

I really enjoyed this mystery. The topic seemed well researched and there were plenty of twists and turns along the way. The "instant family" aspect actually worked, and I loved the connection with the baby. A solid 4 star read.

I loved this book from Christie Craig! I couldn't put it down. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

A very well written romantic suspense. Edge of your seat page turner. Fans of suspense will not be disappointed. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Veena’s review of Don’t Look Back (Texas Justice, Book 3) by Christie Craig
Romantic Suspense published by Forever 15 Dec 20

Bree Ryan is in pursuit of her suspect in a “borrowed” car, speeding down a Texas highway when she’s pulled over by the local police. She uses her get-out-of-jail card, but leaves the patrol officer handcuffed to a pillar by the side of the road, nursing a tender spot after she kneed him. What a great way to begin what turns out to be an exciting story with all suspense, romance, and action that I’ve come to crave in my stories. Oh, and the best bonus of all, the discovery of an author that I have not read before with a back list that’s going to be exciting to catch up on.

As it turns out, her get-out-of-jail card donor Connor, a detective who works cold cases, is looking for her in connection with an attack on her fellow FBI agent and erstwhile partner. The excitement mounts as it becomes clear that someone is looking for something. Bree’s apartment is broken into, her partner’s hotel room is broken into, accusations are flying, and all that’s not even a patch on the red-hot chemistry that’s burning up the airwaves between Connor and Bree.

Ms. Craig’s storytelling style, which mixes good old detective work with a bit of angst and moments of excitement, is exactly what I enjoy. I’m pleased to add a new author to my Must Read authors as I go off to explore the earlier two books from this series.

Grade: A

3.5 stars rounded up.

Forced to take a leave of absence, FBI Agent Brie Ryan is looking into her estranged half-sister's murder. She's posing as a waitress at the club where her sister worked before her disappearance. When her unofficial investigation brings her onto the radar of local law enforcement, Brie winds up working with a handsome detective, Connor Pierce.

Known for solving cold cases, Connor and his team set out to help Brie get to the bottom of her sister's murder and the shooting of another FBI agent. When Brie's apartment is vandalized, Connor finds himself feeling extremely protective of her. Though he tries his best to remain detached, Connor is undeniably attracted to Brie and she seems to reciprocate, but as their investigation heats up, putting them both in danger, Connor must decide if he's willing to break his own rules.

The mystery and suspense in this story was a bit slow for me and I got bogged down at times, but I did enjoy the complexity of the plot. Poor Connor could hardly say a thing without putting his foot in his mouth, but underneath his swaggery exterior, he was extremely vulnerable and hurting. I wish we'd seen more acknowledgement of that vulnerability and fear from Brie, rather than her simply refusing to listen to Connor most of the times he tried to have a serious conversation. Of course, Brie had her own issues, but Connor listened to everything she wanted to tell him and it would've been nice to see her be just a bit softer, at least with him. We only really saw Brie outwardly warming to Connor near the very end and that was just a bit too late for me to like her after how rude she was to Connor and to nearly every other male she encountered. I understand her needing to prove herself in a mostly male profession and I appreciate her competence, but in her attempts to do so, she often acted rashly and made poor decisions, refusing to entertain the notion that any of her male counterparts could have a better way of accomplishing things than her own. Her constant need to do everything herself and not ask for help smacked of martyrdom and was a bit tiring. That said, this behavior did make it all the more special when Brie started letting Connor in, even if that was a long time coming. Overall, despite wanting a slightly faster pace, I did enjoy the storyline and suspense here, as well as the characters, and I will likely go back and read the rest of the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Christie Craig brings the heat back to Texas with the third installment of her Texas Justice book, DON'T LOOK BACK. What happens when a “by-the-book FBI agent trusts a risk-taking detective for help in tracking down her sister’s killers?” All the good stuff, that’s what. FBI agent Brie Ryan is working undercover in the strip club where her half-sister was murdered, and when the shit hit the fan, desperately turns to Detective Connor Pierce for help. They have great chemistry and there’s lots of tension between the two as they inevitably progress toward romance. Craig does a nice job of creating a balance between dynamic characters who are equally intelligent, accomplished, flawed, and vulnerable.

*Originally published at Frolic: https://frolic.media/decembers-must-read-romantic-suspense/

Everything that Christie Craig writes is pure gold. I prefer her snark and humor to her mystery/suspense, but I devoured this in one sitting and highly recommend this series. Book three in her Texas justice series has Connor and Brie lighting up the pages with their chemistry. I can’t wait for the next book by Christie Craig, whatever it is I’m sure it will be amazing! Great series and great author!

Don’t Look Back is the third title in the Texas Justice series dealing with members of a Cold Case department cracking an old case and eventually finding their happy romantic ending as well. I have not read the earlier books in the series, however, that did not prevent me from enjoying Brie and Connor’s story.

Brie is an FBI agent working undercover to learn more about her half-sister’s murder. Connor is a cold case detective who will find himself not only protecting Brie (or trying to) but getting involved in this particular cold case while falling in love with one strong, stubborn woman.

Connor suffers from some significant emotional, mental issues from his past including a huge guilt complex. He’s held people off from getting too close, his communication skills really need some work, and he shouldn’t want to bring Brie into his life – but all that will change if he can find the words to explain himself and situations to Brie. That isn’t as easy as it sounds for Connor has difficulty expressing himself to others, especially someone as special to him as Brie is.

The action is intense and gritty. There may be triggers within Don’t Look Back for there is human trafficking, drugs, rape, and the violence that comes with that and more. I felt what was shown was necessary to the story, others may think otherwise.

I enjoyed Don’t Look Back. The story is good, smooth, the characters (good and bad) are interesting, and the puzzles to figure out are not too hard but intense enough to hold my attention.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Forever via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Well I'm still tracking down book one, but it didn't stop me from getting book 3!!! I'm wondering if this series is a bit like a roller coaster because while book 2 was a fun and nailed you right in the feels, book 3 is a little more tame. But don't get me wrong, still a great time! There was a few times I was glad we're all wearing masks now because I was grinning like and idiot underneath it and trying not to laugh out loud and disturb anyone in this silent room.

What made it so great? Well, I absolutely loved the chemistry between Brie and Connor. Even though Connor is a super intelligent idiot. Meaning he always conveys his thoughts ridiculously poorly when it comes to talking to Brie about his desire to be with her and anything that has to do with feelings. It's a classic romance cliche of miscommunication. Lots of it. To the point that Connor starts going really outside of the box in order to try and prove himself to Brie.

Brie, is a smart, sassy, highly capable, strong woman who guards her heart. Past heartaches from family and exs makes her a little gun shy. But when she feels a connection, she takes a chance with Connor....who almost immediately screws it up so bad Brie can barely stand to look at him.

Yet the two of them are professionals and mostly manage to work together, despite their personal feelings. Their banter together is quite hilarious at times. So is the banter between Connor and his fellow Cold Case teammates. It's refreshing reading all these interactions when what they are dealing with in their jobs is obviously so heavy.

From a suspense stand point I found this book less suspenseful and more like a police...drama? I pretty much pegged the leak from the start. I pegged the decoy bad guy. I pegged what was up with the kid. Pegged the deal with the bad guy...there were a lot of things that were easy to figure out. Which wasn't a bad thing. I enjoyed this book immensely. But if you are here for a mystery and/or suspense exclusively, this one may not be for you as it is very relationship driven.

Ex: Brie working this case for justice for her sister. Brie working the case for Tory and Carlos.

Brie is driven by her need to seek justice for her friends and loved ones and it's this the drives the story forward. Connor is driven by his need to pay for his perceived past mistakes and his approach to all his current relationships with people seemed coloured by this driving need to never let what happened in the past happen again. He's just terrible at conveying that thought via words to anyone. which makes for all the miscommunication between him and Brie.

I just...loved Brie so much. It is so NICE to have a strong female character who can take on the boys repeatedly and win. At no point in time did Brie have a TSTL moment as many women characters in these types of books do. Brie is just awesome!

Conclusion

I would highly recommend this book to people.

I would warn that there are a few things in here that can be triggering for some people. While none of it goes into detail really this book does deal with human trafficking. Therefore there is talk of rape, murder, kidnapping, drug use, etc. As well as some brief descriptions of things like the image of Brie's dead sister she got from her case file. This book also deals with kid abandonment a little bit as well. So just be aware.

What an absolutely thrilling read! Don’t Look Back took me on a roller-coaster ride of emotions and DAMN I LOVED IT. I’m pretty new to the romantic suspense genre, and is it too early to say that I’ve a found a favorite already? 🤭🧡

I was invested in the storyline of Don’t Look Back from the very beginning. All the characters were fascinating to read about. Brie, the female lead, won my heart with her badass attitude, and I cheered for her throughout the book. Connor was the perfect hero for the story too! Brie and Connor’s chemistry was my favorite part – they made such a great team! 😍 I loved seeing them connect by sharing their histories and tragic pasts. The emotions that Connor and Brie felt about their lives were expressed in the best way possible through the author’s words, which made the characters feel very real to me. :’)

I appreciated how Don’t Look Back’s storyline wasn’t focused on the mystery or romance aspect, but delved into family drama and social issues as well. I think with romantic suspense novels, the author is pressurized to prioritize both the couple and keep a sense of suspense throughout the story, so kudos to Christie Craig for giving the book the best supporting cast it needed, without getting off-track with the plot.

5/5 HAPPY STARS. Can’t recommend this book enough. If you’re looking for an engaging book to pick up next, this one will be perfect for you! 💜

Good story filled with suspense, mystery, danger, and romance. I enjoyed the main characters and the storyline. Bree and Connor worked well together and had great chemistry. Both had past issues that they had to deal with along with working with each other to solve the case. There were a few places in the story that seemed to stall a bit, but overall I enjoyed it.

*I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

The appeal of Don't Look Back by Chrsitie Craig is two fold: the characters and the chemistry! There is mystery in their attempt to solve a crime, but I didn't feel that was what made the book stand out.

Brie, an FBI agent, is going undercover to find out what happened to her sister. Connor is a cop who gets roped in as well. Both of them have baggage. They are complex characters for sure! They had great chemistry that really popped right off the page.

The plot was interesting-who killed Brie's sister? But the story moved slow. At times, I skimmed pages because it just seemed to be stagnant. What kept me reading was how great Brie and Connor were and I wanted to see where they ended up.

Don't Look Back will appeal to readers who like a little mystery/suspense with a character driven story! While I found the plot to drag at times, I adored the characters!

This drew me to this new to me author with what it contained inside. FBI Brie is going after her sister's killer. She does need some help so she gets help from drool worthy whom is also a cop-Connor. As danger hits close they get closer as they look for the who done its. Even though this is in a series this is a stand alone too. This thriller will keep you on your toes. After I was finished I would if given opportunity read this author again.

Don't Look Back is the third book in the Texas Justice series. It is a suspenseful thriller that will pull you in and keep your attention until the end. Conner and Bree were a good couple with great chemistry. It had mystery, suspense and danger.

This just didn’t vibe with me.
In my opinion the book had too much going on plot wise. It was hard to keep up and differentiate. I think I would have rather had the focus of the story be on Brie’s search for her sister’s killer rather than the FBI mole. To me that storyline had more emotional weight.
I also felt the characters didn’t have chemistry. Their banter and dynamic wasn’t cute, sexy or steamy. There was no tension between them. The way the characters interacted just left me disinterested in their romance.
Unfortunately this didn’t work for me. Thank you to Forever publishing for the arc.