“You’re close to breaking, Lara.”Words Detective Lara Keen never thought she’d hear spoken aloud. Let alone have them spoken to her by the Department shrink in his official capacity as her psychologist.Things start to unravel not long afterwards. The H.E.A.T. arsonist is still at large. Carole Michaels, Lara’s boyfriend’s sister, is still missing. And a shadowed figure dressed in a familiar … a shadowed figure dressed in a familiar fedora hat and trench coat keeps popping up when she least expects it. If that isn’t bad enough, CIB still has a traitor in its midst and Lara’s determined to find out once and for all who it is.
But the enemy is not what he seems, and his reach is very far indeed.
With copycat crimes and explosive criminal acts mounting all around the city, Lara sets out to end the mayhem one way or another.
The clock is ticking.
People are dying.
Auckland City is set to burn.
Can Lara stop a madman before she loses everything? Or will the arsonist have the last word?
A sexy, sizzling crime-thriller sure to add a lick of heat to your night.
more
4.5 Stars! Just over five years after meeting Lara and Damon for the first time, I get to immerse myself in their world for the final adventure. And the HEAT is definitely on.
Summary:
The past six months haven’t been kind to Detective Lara Keen. Things are unraveling quickly and leaving her life in a shambles. She lost two important men in her life, and each returned in different, but impactful ways. The H.E.A.T. arsonist is still wreaking havoc, and Carole Michaels is still missing. The last thing Lara needs is to be cut off from CIB. Especially when a traitor is still lurking. But suspension is where she’s headed if the words her department psychologist just spoke are anything to go by. Is Lara close to breaking? Maybe so, but that won’t stop her from trying to find the truth. Unfortunately, there’s more to the enemy than meets the eye. He’s cunning and well-connected, and adept at creating havoc all over Auckland City. The HEAT is on and Lara’s running out of time. Can she catch a psychopath before more people die? Or will she lose everything to the arsonist’s blaze?
*************************
It was long, but A Lick of Heat was definitely worth the wait. The final book in the Romantic Suspense/Crime-Thriller H.E.A.T. series was a fast-paced ride with twists and turns galore. I’ve loved Lara and Damon from the very first word of their story, and after reading ALOH nothing has changed except maybe loving them even more. Lara is dedicated, loyal, observant, and strong. But she isn’t perfect. Her flaws, though, serve to make her stronger as she is forced to work through and around them. Damon has the same qualities, including his own flaws, with maybe some machismo and dominance thrown in. Individually, they are both formidable, but their advantage comes when they work together. Everyone has their limits, but Lara and Damon are able to stave off or postpone the effects of reaching those limits by supporting and loving each other. I loved their easy silences and how they just knew what the other needed without words. Their intimate relationship was sweet, sexy, intense, and freeing. They could be who they needed to be without the outside world interfering, taking or giving up control as needed. Overall, this was the perfect mix of romance and suspense. The storyline has evolved from book one, becoming more complex and involved. Some conflicts have been resolved, but with the main conflict gathering steam. This was nice because we saw resolution and questions answered while anticipation still mounted. And that anticipation could be heart-poundingly intense, the twists and turns keeping me on the edge of my seat. For the most part, I liked supporting cast. It was great seeing Ryan Pierce, Nick Anscombe and ASI again. Inspector Hart and the H.E.A.T. guys were also welcome additions. I would have liked a little more update on Eagle, though, and I just can’t seem to like Ethan Keene even if he sort of came around. ALOH was thought-provoking and multifaceted with great characters, making it a brilliant finale to the H.E.A.T. series. I’m sad to see it end, but the epilogue was everything I could have wanted. It really highlighted the character development throughout the series. My only hope is that Nicola dreams up another series set in the Sweet Seduction/H.E.A.T. world.
This is the final book in the series and Lara and Damon have a lot riding on them finding the bad guy.
A Lick Of Heat is filled with a lot of twists and turns, and I really enjoyed it, but I also felt like it was filled with a lot of heartache as well. That was really sad, other than that I loved how awesome Lara was, and I enjoyed them being a great team! I’m sad to see it end, but it ended in a good way, although it wasn’t the ending I was expecting.