Synopsis
from Goodreads: They're
back - the boys you go out looking for precisely because your mother
warned you not to - the bad boys every good girl needs at least once,
if not twice...
Raphael
"Rafe" Santiago may have left the streets years ago, but
the street has never left him. A rough childhood in the Bronx taught
him never to let his guard down, to keep everything in order, and
always to trust that little voice in his gut that tells him when
someone's got something to hide. horse trainer Elena Caulfield, is
definitely hiding something, and Rafe intends to find out what it is
and take care of it - his way.
But
his way wasn't supposed to include feeling an intense attraction to
the tomboyish Elena. With her mud-caked boots, quiet strength, and
gentle manner, she's nothing like the flashy, seductive, overtly
feminine women Rafe usually beds. The closer he gets to her, the
harder it is to control that fiery passion he's worked hard to keep
cooled, the kind that can catch a man off guard and leave him open to
danger - because whatever secret Elena's protecting, it's big...and
worth killing for. Because when you're from the Bronx, you take care
of what you love - or die trying...
Stats
for my copy:
Trade paperback, published by Kensington Publishing Corp.,2008;
received from the author - I won autographed copies of all three
Unholy Trinity books in a giveaway on her Facebook page!
First
line:
He found himself watching her.
My
thoughts: We
met Rafe briefly in THE BLACK SHEEP AND THE PRINCESS, so I already
knew his style and personality would be quite different than Mac's.
I'll admit right now that I like Mac's cover better than Rafe's –
there's just something about a man in jeans and a black t-shirt. Mac
also appealed to me because he was a former cop, and I like stories
with cop/former cop heroes. Rafe is more the white collar type,
always impeccably dressed and groomed. Which of course provides an
immediate contrast between him and our heroine, Elena, who is always
dressed in overalls and boots, often with a thermal underwear top,
and usually dirty/muddy/horse poopy. Most definitely not Rafe's type,
yet he can't seem to keep himself from watching her as she trains the
horses for Kate's camp kids.
I
followed with the plot this time around much easier than in Mac and
Kate's book, finding it less convoluted and confusing. The fact that
it revolved around horses, and Elena's previous job as a trainer at a
racing stable, may have helped, as the world of thoroughbred horse
racing used to be my life's dream, back when I was a teenager.
Rafe
of course is one-third of the Unholy Trinity, the three friends who
grew up terrorizing summer camp, and are now partners in a company
called Trinity. They help people, the underdogs, righting wrongs,
championing those who don't have the means to champion themselves.
Elena is a horse trainer, hired by Kate to work with the horses at
her camp for disabled kids. She previously worked for a large racing
stable, and supposedly left that job in search of a calmer, quieter
environment for her own horse, who is pregnant, and who had
difficulties with her first pregnancy. Elena keeps to herself, is
friendly but does not go out of her way to befriend other employees
at Dalton Downs. After covertly witnessing a conversation between
Elena and her vet, who showed up unexpectedly to talk to her one day,
Rafe is convinced that Elena is hiding something, and determinedly
and doggedly sets out to uncover her secret.
The
writing felt a little crisper, and like the first book, there is a
lot of characterization and dialogue, both internal and external,
along with plenty of amusing banter, not only between Rafe and Elena,
but between Rafe and Mac. Mac is a little more involved in Rafe's
story than Rafe was in Mac's, and that was a good thing, giving us a
look at the friendship and brotherhood bond between them. I figured
out Elena's secret quite awhile before the guys did, or part of it
anyway, but it didn't bother me or take away from my enjoyment of
watching the plot unfold. And things got pretty tense towards the
end, leading to a very satisfactory resolution.
Overall,
I enjoyed the actual mystery/plot more here than in the first book,
but I think if I had to choose between Rafe and Mac I would go for
Mac. Sorry Rafe!
No comments:
Post a Comment