In the wide-open landscape of Pennsylvania, Charlotte Martin and her father live a peaceful life on their farm . . . or so it seems. In truth, the rural locale provides the perfect front for the father-daughter NSA operatives as they expertly carry out their mission: using a high-tech computer system, they protect a team of undercover agents. Some would kill to have access to this system, and it … it makes Charlotte and her father prime targets. It was only a matter of time before this nightmare unexpectedly crashed down on them, and only Charlotte escaped with her life. Before Dwight Martin died, though, he initiated the failsafe lockdown, and now Charlotte’s the only one who can access the system. Writer Jake Bradford left the serene Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia for the hustle and bustle of New York to pursue his dreams and never looked back. Until now. Entrusted with his ailing grandmother’s care, Jake knows he needs help—and he can’t believe his luck when a lovely young woman providentially appears on his doorstep. Charlotte creates a new persona for herself and quickly develops a bond with Jake’s grandmother. But it’s the connection she feels with Jake that makes it almost too easy to lose sight of her reality: she is being hunted by men who will stop at nothing to access the intelligence she protects. With time running out, can the couple find a future together, or will Charlotte’s secrets tear them apart?
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This was my first Abramson book and will definitely not be my last. My husband and I read it together and we both got fully pulled into the story from the very beginning. Abramson crafted a fantastic story arc and I loved how everything ended up working out.
Charlotte Martin is such a strong female character. The way she worked to keep herself safe and her resiliency was admirable. She also went through a bit of character development that was well done. I liked her interactions with Miss Abigail (who is so lovely and I love her!) and how hard she worked to do the right thing.
Jake was a very interesting character and it took me a minute to decide he was alright. He comes across as a bit self centered at first (though he has nothing on his sister; she is a mega piece of work and I did not like her at all for most of the book) but it was refreshing to see his duty to his grandmother was a strong catalyst for giving up what he wanted to do something else.
The way the romance developed between Charlotte and Jake was very well done. There was enough romantic tension to make it believable without moving too fast. My husband liked that the romance was a sub-plot to the primary plot of mystery, espionage, murder, and kidnapping. It was all written very well and we have already moved on to the second book in the series.
Note: contains mild romance (kissing) and mild violence (murder/talk of killing, kidnapping, and espionage, none gruesome or detailed).
I finally got to listen to the audiobook of this story using Deseret Bookshelf and man, I didn’t want to stop listening to it. The action starts within the first two chapters and once Charlotte’s dad is killed and she’s running for her life, I was hooked. Charlotte has unbelievable skills at staying under the radar, but how is she going to manage it until she means up with her contact in six weeks?!
Jake is only back in Virginia to take care of his grandmother since the death of his parents. His original plan was to get back to New York after getting his grandmother settled, but he soon realizes she needs more help than he thought.
Charlotte Martin is super smart and great at keeping away from the guys that are after her. Once she meets Jake and starts helping him with his elderly grandmother, it’s easier for her to stay off the radar until she can meet up with her contact.
I liked Jake and Charlotte. I especially liked Charlotte with Jake’s grandma, she was so sweet, kind and understanding with the elderly woman. I liked that we got some chapters about Charlotte, some about Jake and some about the bad guys; I liked knowing what was going on with them. I liked the pacing of the book. It wasn’t all action all the time, and the slower parts of the book didn’t last too long.
I think I’m really going to enjoy this new series from one of my favorite mystery/suspense authors.