An Absence of Motive

Good small town romantic suspense. Fast paced, well written and entertaining. Marlee is home because her father is pretty much forcing her to take over the company after her brothers death left her as the only child to take over. Ben is the new sheriff in town. He took the job seeking a little peace after being a DEA agent. Unfortunately, peace is not what he gets, Marlee's brothers’ friend is found dead and his death seems to be similar to her brothers. To top it off Marlee's is receiving creepy text messages and the sheriff is finding her on his mind and a strong attraction to her which doesn't bode well for his job or peace. Can Ben get to the bottom of what's going on and keep Marlee safe? I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Booksprout and I am voluntarily reviewing it. I am having a hard time figuring out the star rating for this one. It isn't a 4 but a little better than a 3 but not by much. This is the first book of a series. I normally enjoy this author's work. But this one is falling short for me. I felt the ending was a little rushed. The thread to tie everything up was a little ambiguous than I am used too. I tried to connect to the characters but I just couldn't seem to relate to them. I did enjoy the dual POV format that the book was written in. The chapters were decent sized so the perspectives were changed during the chapters. That was a good thing for me. Getting that glimpse into the characters' thoughts normally helps me to get a better understand of them. This was a clean romance with just a little kissing here and there.

This clean, suspense romance brings us two characters seemingly difference and from different backgrounds. Sheriff Ben Kinsella is new in town. Ben is a former DEA agent whose undercover life and discovery has him starting over in a small town in Georgia. Marlee Masters is a young , recently graduating lawyer, whose father basically owns not only the local mill, but also the town. A man that has dictated what was expected of his children . After the apparent death of his son, Marlee is only in town for a while with plans of leaving home and living in Atlanta. But Henry Masters has different plans. When Ben and Marlee meet the attraction is evident , though his past and her leaving are a big hinderance. But when more suicides are occurring, and the danger to Marlee seems to grow, will these two find a way to be together? Will they survive the danger? This was an entertaining mystery with interesting characters and town. I was entrusted a copy of this book . The opinions expressed are my own.