This Cavanaugh detective guards his ready-made family A brand-new Top Secret Deliveries thriller Delivering a stranded woman’s baby? All in a day’s work for Detective Dugan Cavanaugh. But the new mother is investigative reporter Toni O’Keefe, who’s hot on the trail of the drug cartel Dugan is tracking. Now with infant Heather and Toni in the cartel’s lethal sights, Toni’s fragile trust in Dugan … fragile trust in Dugan is their only shot to get Cavanaugh justice!
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Good book though not as intense as previous books until the end. The book opened with some excitement as Dugan discovered a woman in labor as he was leaving Malone’s. The woman is wary but accepts his help when he produces his police credentials. But Dugan doesn’t get to stick around as he’s called away to a murder scene just as the ambulance arrives. Later, he’s dismayed to find out that she gave him a fake name, so he has no way to follow up on her and the baby. Two months later, Dugan is stunned to find the woman in the Chief of D’s office. It turns out that Toni is an investigative reporter who is doing a story on the same drug cartel that Dugan is working to shut down. Toni has information that is useful to Dugan’s investigation, and Dugan is ordered to make Toni part of his team.
Sparks flew between Dugan and Toni from the beginning. There is no doubt about the attraction, but Dugan also has to reconcile his protectiveness toward Toni with her work as an investigative reporter. Toni is fiercely independent and doesn’t take well to Dugan’s restrictions. He’s furious when she puts herself into danger to draw out a cartel member, but she is determined. I liked seeing how their relationship developed as they worked together. Dugan is a nice guy with a good heart and love of family. I loved watching him fall just as hard for baby Heather as he did for Toni. There are some really sweet scenes with him and the baby. Toni is a bit wary, as Dugan is nothing like any man she has ever known. It was fun to see her surprise at how comfortable he is with Heather. There is the usual invitation to one of Andrew’s family parties. It was a nice change to have one where the non-Cavanaugh person doesn’t have to be dragged kicking and screaming, though Toni was a bit cautious at the beginning. I liked that their growing attraction and feelings took place over a realistic amount of time. Both were hesitant to vocalize their feelings, and it took a little outside encouragement to get them past that hurdle. I loved Dugan’s big moment at the end. There is just enough awkwardness and vulnerability to emphasize how important she is to him.
The suspense of the story was good. Going after the drug cartel isn’t a quick process, and we get a good look at the day-to-day slog of following leads. The investigation is somewhat personal for Toni and is the motivating factor for some of the risks she takes. The intensity starts to pick up when Toni uses herself to draw out a cartel member and gets caught in the middle of a shootout. This puts a target on her back. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as Toni found herself at the mercy of a killer. I loved her “mama bear” reaction and Dugan’s timely arrival.
I liked because it is a quick read & pure escapism.
This was my first glimpse into the Cavanaugh family. This family is huge, and so loving to everyone. Toni is not used to having help from anyone other than Lucy, so the Cavanaugh’s are a little overwhelming in a good way. Even with this story being part of 2 different series you didn’t have to read either to know what was going on with this one. It was a pretty fast read, the suspense kept you wondering what was going to happen next.
3 1/2 STARS!
Unexpected delivery! With a dip into the Top Secret Deliveries series, we get to go along for the ride of yet another sexy Cavanaugh cop as he tries to rid the streets of the bad guys. The story started off exciting, and the characters were an interesting pair, but sadly this was not a favorite for me by this author. I’m sure we’ll see another great one next time, but this one fell flat for me with too little plot development.
Detective Dugan Cavanaugh is more than happy to assist when he finds a woman about to give birth on the side of the parking lot with no assistance. He manages to calm her down and delivery her baby before getting them on their way to the hospital with a promise of stopping in to check on them.
Investigative reporter Toni O’Keefe didn’t exactly plan this crazy birth going the way it did, but she’s super thankful for Dugan’s help. When they finally get a chance to connect again, it’s beneficial because she just so happens to have a lot of info on the drug cartel he’s trying to bust. Will he be able to use the info she can give him and still keep her and her little family safe?
I do enjoy a good Cavanaugh story, even if they are a bit predictable with how things will move forward, this one delivered few punches and twists as the suspenseful side of the tale unfolded.
The fight against the cartel is tedious work with few big busts between the vigorous investigation and gathering of the leads. I liked how the timeframe is spread out to be more realistic and at the same time giving a chance for the romance to develop and the feelings between the protagonists take root.
I really enjoyed both of the main characters, Dugan Cavanaugh and Toni O’Keefe had an interesting energy between them. The connection from the roadside delivery to being partners of a sort was not smooth, yet the sparks were flying, the attraction is obvious, and they have the time to let the feelings simmer and grow. I loved how much Dugan cherished the baby Heather, they together provided a couple of heart-melting moments.
Toni was a tough journalist who didn’t seem to have a sense of fear, making her act even a bit foolhardy at times. But she is a caring, loving mother and friend, and her need to be like her fearless father is understandable, as her history is revealed and we get to know more about her.
Dugan is a compassionate, smart, dedicated detective who loves babies and his family. I loved how while being so alpha and protective, he had this relaxed smoothness about him that set him apart. He was obviously comfortable just being himself, a very attractive quality in a person.
A good, entertaining, character-driven story with a solid balance of romance and suspense with few surprises and up close battles that turn deadly…
~ Three Spoons with a teaspoon on the side