Colton Christmas Conspiracy

Good book. I haven’t read the other books in the series, but there was enough background given that I didn’t feel lost. However, I do want to go back and read the others! Neil and Elise met in law school, fell in love, got married, and then started a law practice together. Though their love was strong, so were the problems with their marriage. The main one was that Neil was in a hurry to start their family, and Elise wasn’t ready. Neil threw down an ultimatum: baby or divorce, and Elise chose to divorce, even though she still loved him.

I will say I mostly liked Neil and Elise, but they also irritated me at times. Strangely enough, they remained friends after their split, having dinner together once a month, and maintaining a professional relationship. Elise went on to become mayor of the town while Neil continued his law practice. Underneath their friendship, the sparks between them remained strong, and one night they gave in to them. The story starts a month later, with Elise suspecting she may be pregnant.

When Neil finds out, he immediately proposes marriage, and she immediately says no. This is where Neil has clearly not learned his lesson. Every time he sees Elise, he pushes for marriage, talking about raising the baby, being a family, etc. Elise had put off having a family with Neil because she needed to find out who she was, professionally and personally. She’s happy with her work as mayor. Though dismayed by the pregnancy, she feels fully capable of being a single mom and the mayor. Neil’s constant proposals, and the way he words them, strike at deep down insecurity because she thinks he only wants to marry her because of the baby. He’s never told her that he regrets the divorce and still loves her. Both of them spend a lot of time dwelling on these two issues instead of talking to each other. It takes life-threatening danger and some advice from his mom for Neil to realize where he went wrong. I liked his big moment at the end as he finally makes things right.

The story’s suspense started with a bang (literally!) and stayed intense throughout the book. Neil and Elise were lured to an empty building under false pretenses. They barely escaped with their lives when the building exploded. As attacks on them continue, the reader occasionally gets a peek into the culprit’s thoughts. He clearly has a grudge against both Neil and Elise, but the question is, why? Does it have something to do with one of the cases they worked on years ago? Or is it related to the ongoing questions about the properties the senior Colton developed? There are plenty of heart-pounding moments leading up to the final confrontation. The book finishes with a surprise revelation by Mr. Colton that is a lead-in to the next book.

Mayor Elise Willis was once married to a Colton, Attorney Neil Colton. They met in law school, fell in love, married and opened a law practice together. Love didn’t seem to be enough for their marriage to succeed so they ended up divorced. One of the major problems was Neil wanted to start a family and Elise wasn’t ready. So now here she is with her period being late and she suspects she is pregnant, pregnant with Neil’s baby after they couldn’t fight off their sexual attraction to each other a month ago. Now Neil has left her a message to meet him at Crest View Center, the warehouse Colton Construction, Neil’s father’s company, was renovating when the remains of two murder victims were found there. The renovations had to be stopped for the investigation into the cold case murders. Elise has no idea why Neil would want to meet her there. Their divorce had been a friendly one so they did get together once a month for dinner as they wanted to remain friends, but why this meet? Elise drove to the meeting place and headed inside to see what Neil wanted. Neil entered after her but they decided to make a quick exit. It felt like a set-up when they discovered neither one sent each other the message to meet there.

Neil Colton knew he made a mistake when he divorced Elise Willis. He still loved her, always would. Yes, they argued a lot but that wasn’t the problem. When Elise put off starting a family Neil lost it. Now they are both in danger. Someone wants them both dead. What a bad time to find out that their one night of lovemaking the previous month resulted in Elise getting pregnant. As soon as he found out he proposed. Elise said “No” then and every time thereafter too. Neil is frantic to protect Elise and their unborn child. Perhaps after the danger is over, if they survive, he can convince Elise that they are meant to be together.

Colton Christmas Conspiracy by Lisa Childs is the fifth book in the Harlequin series, Coltons of Kansas. This book is an exciting addition to the series. It starts out with a bang… literally. Elise and Neil are interesting characters. Neil is a little too impulsive and Elise is a little too insecure. But they both still love each other. It was great to see many of the Colton family members jump in to help solve the mystery of who wants Elise and Neil dead. I liked how they are willing to drop everything to support a family member. This is a fast-paced, action-packed story and it kept me turning the pages