Marlee is an Attorney who believed her brother didn't commit suicide and was in fact murdered. Now she needs the help of Sheriff Ben to help her out. Especially since there seems to be a stalker sending her sinister messages making it clear she isn't safe.

This was such a fun and fast paced read. I loved that there was plenty going on to keep me hooked. Marlee was absolutely sure that her brother wouldn't take his own life and needed to prove she wasn't about to let it go. I loved that there was so much to be revealed as the book went on more bodies piling up under the guise of suicide and other situations. Then there was that stalker you can't help but wonder when the person would be revealed and what they would do. Then there was the bit of romance brewing between Marlee and Ben that also was an enjoyable part of the book. Overall it was a great book I really enjoyed it.

This is a Romantic Suspense. I have to say I found the storyline to be boring, and it was so slow moving. This book was so slow moving nothing happen by the 50% mark of the book. I could not make myself care about the characters. I really wanted to love this book, but I just did not. I did not hated this book, but I just found myself not caring about anything in the book. Boring is the best word to explain this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Maggie Wells is the author of a number of contemporary romances (a couple of which have been reviewed here) and when I noticed her name attached to a new Harlequin Intrigue romantic suspense series, I decided to give her a try. An Absence of Motive has an interesting and fairly well developed plot, and I liked the set up, but the romance – once again – seems to have fallen victim to the limited page count because it’s almost non-existent, the couple of kisses the couple share are really shoe-horned in, and the same is true of the book’s only action scene, which is kinda blink-and-you’ll-miss-it right near the end.

Former DEA Agent Ben Kinsella was forced to leave Atlanta after an undercover operation that resulted in the death of a close friend and in his identity becoming known to the drug ring he’d infiltrated. He’s since relocated to the small Georgia town of Pine Bluff and taken up a position as sherrif, nominated for the job by the town’s most influential resident, Henry Masters, whose forebears founded Masters County and the lumber business that employs many of the local residents. When the book opens, Ben has just been called to the scene of the death of a young man named Cliff Young – a foreman at Timber Masters and a close friend of Henry Masters’ late son, Jeff – out at his family’s cabin on Sawtooth Lake. Ben is waiting for the ME to arrive when Masters bursts into the cabin, followed by a gorgeous woman whose body language screams her wish to be anywhere else. Masters introduces her as his daughter Marlee, a newly qualified attorney, and tries to get Ben to give him some of the details of the case – but Ben politely sidesteps his questions, refusing to confirm or deny anything until he has more information.

Marlee Masters has no plans to give in to her father’s overbearing ways and return to Pine Bluff to run – or help him to run – Timber Masters. That had always been the role earmarked for her brother Jeff, but Jeff’s suicide a few months earlier has left a hole that Masters now expects Marlee to fill. Which she has no intention of doing – she’s got her sights set on making a career and life for herself in Atlanta.

When Cliff’s death is ruled a suicide, Marlee can’t help but start wondering if maybe her brother’s death – he took his own life at their family property on Sawtooth Lake – was no suicide, and that perhaps there is something far more sinister at work than mere coincidence. She takes her concern to Ben, but with no evidence whatsoever to go on, they’re at something of a dead end. When she’s tasked with looking into documentation relating to Timber Masters’ property holdings, Marlee starts noticing things that don’t add up – mass evictions for seemingly bogus reasons, development deals for property on Sawtooth Lake – and becomes even more convinced that Jeff’s death and Colin Young’s were not suicides and that they’re somehow connected.

The mystery in An Absence of Motive is well thought-out and although it moves fairly slowly, the pacing means there are no silly leaps of logic and that everything feels as though it’s progressing in a logical manner. The two leads are likeable, if not all that well fleshed out – I liked that Marlee transcends the poor-little-rich-girl trope, and Ben’s background and his observations on being a man of colour working as an LEO are interesting and relevant. There’s also a sub-plot about someone stalking Marlee and then spreading unpleasant rumours about her – and about her and Ben – which increases the tension and illustrates the claustrophobic, small-town setting. What works less well, however, is the romance between Marlee and Ben, which is severely lacking in chemistry and is perfunctory at best, and the supposed ‘twist’ at the end relies too much on coincidence. The climactic action scene seems almost as though it’s an afterthought, and the ending feels rushed – which was disappointing after such a promising start.

I liked the mystery in An Absence of Motive, and I liked the two leads, even though their romance is a bit lacklustre. I’m offering a low-level recommendation with that proviso – the mystery works better than the romance. I’ll keep searching for a Harlequin Intrigue title that gets the balance right.

Grade: B- / 3.5 stars

Good start to the new series. Marlee is a newly minted attorney who looks forward to finding a job in the city. She grew up in a small town where her father runs the town's most prominent business and the town. She knows he wants her and her brother to take over the company, but she wants nothing to do with it. When her brother dies, the pressure is on for Marlee to return home. That pressure increases when a second young man dies by suicide.

Marlee's brother Jeff's death was ruled a suicide, but Marlee believes he was murdered. That suspicion is reinforced when she unearths some suspicious land transactions in the company's files. Proving those suspicions means working with Ben, the town's new sheriff.

Ben took the job as sheriff after his career as a DEA agent came to a violent end. With Ben's undercover identity blown, Atlanta's drug kingpin vowed revenge if Ben showed his face there again. Since most of the town's law enforcement was caught up in a vast meth bust, Ben has to rebuild the community's trust. Not an easy task for an outsider. The last thing he needs is to get involved with Marlee.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Marlee and Ben. The sparks flew from the moment they met, but Ben tried to resist them. His past as an inner-city kid and undercover agent and her plans to leave town as soon as possible are strong deterrents to involvement. Marlee, on the other hand, is quite willing to see where the attraction takes them. I liked seeing them get to know each other, from sharing their pasts to sharing onion rings. I also enjoyed seeing Marlee stand up to her father when he had other ideas. When everything was all over, Ben and Marlee had to decide if they wanted to find a way to be together. I liked the hospital scene at the end as Ben laid it all on the line for her. Marlee's response was excellent.

The suspense of the story was good. The second suicide, whose details were disturbingly similar to Jeff's, roused Ben's suspicions. Marlee's questions about the land sales around the lake offered a possible link between the two. The difficulty was figuring out who pulled the strings and why. I found Marlee's deductions intriguing and the twist over the land ownership a surprise. Complicating matters, Marlee had a stalker who threatened retribution if they didn't stop investigating. I thought I had the stalker figured out, but even that had an unexpected twist. The showdown at the end didn't go the way I thought it would, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

All in all a very good read, sweet romance, and utterly twisty mystery that will have you glued to the pages.

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=74630

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley but my opinions are my own.

This was a fast and entertaining read, but as a mystery it was a bit disappointing. We got a lot of setup but nothing concrete for the majority of the book, and then the last ten percent had almost all of the action and revelations. The twist at the end was a little disappointing for the coincidences and there was a lot that was just left hanging and unsatisfied. Maybe this is the first in a series but it didn't leave me wanting to read more either because the ending felt final for all that it left me with questions.

On the other hand, i enjoyed the characters. In the beginning, i didn't expect to but as the story progressed i found myself liking them more and more. The poor little rich girl cliche is not something i relate to or care about so i was surprised when i came to like the main character but i did. I wouldn't mind reading more with them.

An Absence of Motive (ebook) by Maggie Wells
This is Sheriff Ben Kinsella and Attorney Marlee Masters’s story. He had to leave Atlanta and she had to come home because of her brothers death. There in intrigue, angst, evil, death, laughter, tears, mystery, family dynamics all getting to a HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Tragic Witty Action-packed Entertaining Scary Tear-jerker Page-turner Great world building Wonderful characters Romantic Twisted Easy-to-read Unpredictable Happily Ever After.

This was a quick light read! It did have some suspense, action, and mild heat! It was a decent read , worth reading but not one of my top favorites. Like I said worth reading but just ok for me! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!