Colton 911: Suspect under Siege

Fantastic mix of romance and suspense in the second book of this series. Abigail made her first appearance at the end of the first book, Family Defender. She is the daughter of the man at the head of the ReVitaYou vitamin scam, though she parted ways with him long ago. She discovered some horrifying information about the vitamin and took it to Colton Investigations. They were initially suspicious of her, suspecting that she might be involved in her father’s scam. As this book opens, Abigail learns that her plans to adopt her foster daughter, Maya, are held up due to accusations against her. Terrified that she could lose her daughter, Abigail goes to Griffin Colton for help.

Griffin is the Colton brother that isn’t a Colton by blood. Adopted by them after his mother’s death, Griffin has never felt like he fits in with the family. It’s not that they treat him any differently, it’s just the way he sees himself. Remembering his own experiences, Griffin became an adoption attorney and has one of the state’s best reputations. His kindness and compassion are evident from the beginning.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Abigail and Griffin develop. Griffin is wary of Abigail because of her father, and she senses his distrust. But Griffin can also see the depth of love Abigail has for Maya and steps up to help. From the start, the accusations against Abigail make little sense. First, she is accused of tampering with a study she’s in charge of, then being mixed up in ReVitaYou, and finally suspected of murdering her boss. Through it all, Griffin is by her side as they try to get to the bottom of the accusations. I loved how Griffin stepped up to foster Maya when CPS wanted to take her away from Abigail. There were some fantastic scenes with Griffin and Maya that had me laughing out loud. It didn’t take long for both Abigail and Maya to find a place in Griffin’s heart.

There was also no denying Griffin and Abigail’s attraction and how quickly it turned to love. The love between them also affected Griffin’s relationship with his family, and I loved seeing those changes. They were most apparent during the hospital scene and how easily Griffin accepted their help. The only real issue that came up was Griffin’s insecurity over trusting his feelings, but Abigail’s love overcame those. I loved the ending and seeing how happy they are.

The suspense of the story was great. The Coltons’ initial suspicion was understandable given Abigail’s profession, but they also quickly realized that she was a victim, not a suspect. I liked how Griffin was immediately suspicious of the actions taken against Abigail, finding their timing suspicious. Some interesting connections turned up linking the accusations to the ReVitaYou investigation, adding to the questions they already had. The intensity ramped up when someone attacked Abigail and threatened Maya. I wasn’t surprised by who it was, but the motivation had some surprising elements to it. The final confrontation was terrifying for Griffin and Abigail and had me on the edge of my seat until it was over. The book finished with one sibling’s plan to infiltrate the money side of ReVitaYou as a lead-in to the next book.

We met Abigail in the first story of the series, and now things are getting dangerous for her as well. Lies are being spread, accusations that will endanger the adoption of her foster daughter, the daughter of a beloved deceased friend who specifically wanted Abigail to become her baby’s mother because they both knew that she would not survive to have that joy herself. The danger and threats will increase until Abigail and Griffin find answers… which isn’t going to be the easiest thing to accomplish.

The action is fast-paced and the romance steamy in ‘Colton 911: Suspect Under Siege‘. The danger to Abigail and her daughter is very real, and as the threats increase, the emotional toll of this story will begin to be felt. It is impossible to not feel Abigail’s fear, her confusion at what is happening, and why this being done to her and one innocent baby is so intense, so real that I couldn’t help but feel what she was experiencing. When an author can make me feel that deeply – only partway through the story, at that point – that’s an author I’ll follow.

I adored Griffin. The work that he does is so necessary and so emotional at times that he is the perfect person to be helping Abigail so it’s also no wonder that the attraction between them grew quickly into a love to last a lifetime… if they survive. The rest of the Colton family will be slowly drawn into Abigail’s troubles. They may have had their suspicions about her at first, but it doesn’t take them long to figure out that she’s the victim here and had nothing to do with her father’s actions.

The danger to and the mystery surrounding Brody is also brewing in the background. I’ve got a feeling that Brody’s story (when we finally get it) is going to be explosive.

I enjoyed myself immensely in the ‘Colton 911: Suspect Under Siege‘ world, and I’m already anticipating returning next month for ‘Detective on Call’ by Regan Black. If you love a suspense-filled romance with likable, believable characters, vile villains, puzzles to be solved, and some steamy moments then you’ll want to get involved with the ‘Colton 911: Grand Rapids‘ series… right now.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.