Love and mystery are all here…

And combine they did in the next read of the Austin Heroes series. Justin was the next Archer brother to find his love but he, and Lori, had to wade through a deadly mystery before they could even think about ever after… This author was new to me but I’m really enjoying her writing style and the characters and stories she has created. Falling in love is perhaps one of the most personal things one can do so I am loving feeling and hearing about it from the character’s perspectives. Justin’s devotion and belief in Lori was a highlight as the twists and turns, including betrayals and surprises, kept on coming…

2nd series for Austin Heroes and this one is about Justin Archer, the oldest.
Justin is a Texas who never deviates from his job. His job always comes first and never had time for relationship. When human remains was found, he is call to his duty to investigate.
When he shows up at Lori Robert’s vineyard, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Yet she is one of the prime suspects. He needs to investigate the case but he is feeling something different this time. .
Lori worked so hard on her vineyard while her husband was gone. Now she can finally close that chapter in her life. She wasn’t happy in her marriage, one saving grace from her marriage is her daughter. When Justin showed up at her vineyard, she feels attraction to him but she knows she is one of the suspects.
Justin needs to figure out the murder of Lori’s husband.. He strongly believes she is innocent. When Lori calls in the middle of the night and they give into their instant chemistry.
When this case was assigned to his younger Texas ranger, he is determined to find the real killer..

It was great to see all his quirky family.. I love his brother’s dog Harley (still has strawberry addiction). Story moved quickly and it had enough steamy scenes, romance, suspense at the end. It was great summer read for me. I can’t wait to read about his younger brother.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing - Loveswept for ARC in exchange for honest review.

ALMOST FOREVER - Kathy Clark

#2 in the Austin Heroes romance series

ROMANCE + MYSTERY - 3 stars

Plot - 3.5 stars - Justin is a Texas Ranger who has been tasked with solving the mystery of a skeleton that has been found years after the man went missing. Unfortunately his prime suspect is the man's wife, and Justin is having a hard time resisting her beauty and charm. As they get deeper into the story, it seems that there was more to Mark than originally thought. Which means there's more of a mystery than his wife could have imagined.

Writing - 4 stars - I was caught up in the story right away. Clark has built up a nice mystery and has added some hot romance to it, making a well-rounded book that kept my interest throughout.

Characters - 2.5 stars - As with the first book in this series, I had a bit of a problem with the main characters. Lori is a good heroine, the wife of the victim, but she's worked hard to overcome a bad marriage and straightened circumstances and has built a successful wine business. Justin is a Texas Ranger who finds himself very attracted to her. His attraction is understandable and acceptable, but his acting on it seemed very unprofessional, especially when he is called on it by his boss. Both of them worry that the relationship won't last past this situation, but neither of them talks about it, they just both worry and act fatalistic that it's a foregone conclusion. They just don't gel well together for me, and their thinking and moral codes seem a little off.

Title - 1.5 stars - I still don't know what this refers to. What's almost forever?

Cover - 4.5 stars - This is a completely over-the-top sexy cover. I know that male abs are a typical go-to for this genre, but this cowboy is gorgeous and his pose is suggestively sexy.

Overview - 3 stars - I liked that there was a little more to this story than just a Western romance. The mystery was interesting, and I enjoyed watching the clues build together into a cohesive story. It was the characters that threw me off (again--same as with the first book in this series). Justin is supposed to be a strong-willed and rule-following ranger, but in this story he's pretty casual about bending the rules and doing his own thing, mostly because he cares about Lori and just wants to do what he wants. I also felt the reveal about the murderer was a little abrupt and a little too pat. Would the law really just say "oh it's OK" even after all these years and with not a lot of evidence? It seemed a little unbelievable.

A murder mystery for Texas Ranger Justin Archer to solve turns into a love story with one of the suspects. Once again, Grammy is a hoot!