I have a confession: I'm an Anglophile! I love all things English- the country, the history, the weather (YES!!) and LONDON! My family lived in London after we left our home country of Ghana in the 80s and before we moved to the US. I also lived in London twice in my adult life and it is one of my favorite cities in the world.
So, I was super excited to read a story with an English leading lady. I bought the audiobook and must say that the narrator nailed the accent so thoroughly that I actually went to go and look her up because I was convinced she was actually English.
Anyway, this is book 1 in the Colorado Mountain Series and it sets us for a really great character driven series that uses the Colorado Mountains as a tableau for falling in love and murderous mayhem, a racist and corrupt police force, a serial killers-oh my!
The summary: "Love is the greatest gamble of all . . .
The owner of the house, Holden "Max" Maxwell is surprised by the beautiful woman who turns up at his door. But when Nina becomes ill, Max spends days nursing her back to health. A private man with a broken heart, Max finds himself drawn to the strong-willed woman. Soon it becomes impossible for Nina and Max to deny their growing attraction to one another. Yet even as these two wounded lovebirds think about taking a chance on a relationship, a dangerous secret from Max's past emerges-and threatens to end their love for good."
They don't get off to the greatest start and Max is not exactly the man of anyone's dreams in the beginning of the story. You gotta understand that when Alphas are wounded, they can be dangerous...and Max is carrying around a lot of hurt and is not in the best place when Nina appears in his life. But, when he sees what a spitfire Nina is, he knows he has to have her. And when he starts on his campaign to make her his, nothing short of an act of God can stop him.
Nina...she is my favorite KA heroine. Of all time. (Well maybe she is tied with Josie from The Will, but they are very similar in my opinion) She's a lady, and is proud of it. She can also get down and dirty when she needs to take care of business. She's a great friend and I love watching her choose to take a risk on something exciting rather than settle for what is safe and familiar.
Watching this couple find their way amidst the drama of Nina's engagement, unsolved murder, protecting friends from abusive ex's and OH, just trying to stay alive themselves, is a page turning hoot! And this couple is HOT together. I love watching Max lay claim to Nina and how excited Nina is by it. It's nice when a woman is portrayed as independent but also someone who likes a man to take care of her when she wants/needs it. LOVED IT!
Kristen Ashley writes an Alpha Male like no one else. She knows how to balance all of that take charge, bossy male with the "my woman is also my queen" thing that they need to be loveable, swoon worthy heroes.
The entire series is awesome. It is some of KA's finest writing and story telling. And it's not over. The author has shared that Deke and Wood will be getting their own story!
