Feb and Colt are lifelong friends. Colt was a friend of her brother's and they basically grew up together. That friendship blossomed to love and they were moving towards their happily ever after. Until something pulled them apart. No one knew what happened, not even Feb and Colt (especially not Colt) but they spent the next 15 years apart. Both of them moved on to other relationships and other loves...but they both carried a lot of hurt.
When Feb moves back to town, she and Colt spend a couple of years circling and avoiding each other. Both of them angry and hurt, but neither willing to break down their walls and talk about it.
Then a crazy person starts killing people in Feb's life. Colt immediately steps up to protect her. There is some push and pull as they navigate their relationship, but their old love is determined to be rekindled. It is a slow burn, but once it gets going, it burn super hot. There are few frustrating chapters, but between the murder, intrigue and the big mystery about what tore them apart, the story moves quickly and as usual, KA dots every "i" and crosses every "t". If you are a KA fan, this won't disappoint. Feb is an introspective character. She is not a good communicator and this leads to years and years of heartache for these star crossed lovers. She definitely works on that aspect of herself and with Colt's help, really grows as a character.
Feb and Colt...Oh, how I sold your story short. I started this series with "At Peace". I didn't realize it was a series at the time. I read most of the rest of the series and I *thought* I understood Feb and Colt's story through the snatches I got from those books. But, I decided go ahead and read it because I had already bought it. I couldn't put it down. I love KA. I am a little late to the party on her, but I feel like I've known her forever. I know she is not for everyone and I usually get to a point where I feel like I need a break from her stories and start back on the rest of my reading list. But, invariably, I start to feel like "I need some KA alpha hotness" and I go running back. No one writes an alpha like her. She makes them so much more than "tough and bossy". These men have real vulnerabilities, they have histories littered with hurt and disappointment...and once they have decided to commit, they do it flat out.
KA definitely has a formula when she writes, but it has yet to feel old, stale or overused to me. I think this is because she writes such great characters with real problems. But she also writes epic romances. Ones that are fought for, over long periods of time. Her characters don't get to rely on destiny or luck. They have to *work* for their HEA and at times you are not sure if they will get it. This is a great read, in a fantastic series. I listened to it on audiobook as well as read the kindle version. I thought the narrator was good, but her male voice was not as good as the males voice done by the narrator in the Unfinished Hero series. I highly recommend you read this and if you haven't read any of the "'Burg" series, start with this one.
NB- Graham Reece, from her Colorado Mountain series (Jagged) is in this story. I am glad I read that before this, because I think it would have made it very difficult for me to get into his and Zara's story...just saying.
