Stay low.Don’t get close.Anne Taylor has been living her life by these two simple rules since she moved to Imminence in an attempt to disappear from her previous life. She works full time for the Bounty County Public Defender’s office as a legal assistant, but she’s spent the past five years faking smiles and keeping secrets. Save for a few shallow friendships, Anne is alone and that’s just the … that’s just the way she needs to keep it.
Richard “Smitty” Smith is the opposite of alone. His work as a Bounty County deputy sheriff keeps him busy and lets him work with his best friend, Wesson. When he isn’t saving his beloved home town of Imminence from crime, he’s working to bring home a state football championship with the Imminence High School Iron Eagles. But now that the mysterious and beautiful Anne Taylor has come into his life, he wants more than just to work from sunup to sunset.
He’s easy on her eyes, soothing to her soul, and impossible to resist. It’s not that she doesn’t want to tell him everything.
It’s that, for Smitty’s safety, she can’t.
Will Anne’s secrets be too much to bear? Will Smitty be able to protect her from the danger she swears still lurks? Will he be able to protect his own heart in the process?
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Holy smokes, this book was hot. Maren has this ability to make you want mhmmm or and more for each character, and she doesn’t disappoint with Anne and Smitty. Anne has fought to overcome an abusive past and closed herself off to relationships. Smitty is a strong dominant man who will stop at nothing to break down Anne’s walls and make her see that she is all he wants. The chemistry between them is off the charts.
So happy to be back in Bounty County
Smitty is a total alpha hero, with a sweet and protective side. Anne is a fierce and bold heroine running from her past. This book has everything – hope, love, friendship, sexy times, mystery and a little suspense. I really enjoyed visiting with characters from books past as well.
Detour by Maren Lee was a wonderful addition to the already awesome Bounty County series!
*I received an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review*
Detour is book five in this standalone series. It had all the feels. I loved it! I loved Smitty and Anne. They were were cute, perfect and scorching together. I loved all the banter and of course the Smitty and Wesson bromance, which was my favorite! Definitely recommend this series!
4.5
Detour was a great mix of action/suspense and romance! I love when I can read a good suspense novel and still get some hot romance
Anne’s backstory is one that tugs at your heartstring from the very beginning. You WANT her to find her hero and happily ever after. Up steps Smitty/Rich/sexy deputy, whichever you want to call him. Loved their chemistry throughout
Very good book, would recommend even if you haven’t read Maren’s other books (I haven’t and still thoroughly enjoyed!).
I am hooked on this standalone series and Detour has me filled with endless emotions from beginning until the very end. Anne has been through more then I can even imagine and has turned her life around while continuing to be cautious at the same time. Rich “Smitty” is a man you can’t help but swoon over. This man is caring and giving in more ways then one. Their story pulls at your heartstrings and will have you cheering them on non stop. The suspense, romance and action are blended perfectly. A must read and bump to the top of your TBR list.
Smitty is a hot Deputy Sheriff and high school football coach. He has had a crush on Anne for a several years. Anne can’t allow herself to let her guard down or date anyone. She is still married to an extremely abusive police officer from California. She’s been in Imminence for 5 years and changed her name and social so she could blend in and keep a low profile.
Smitty is relentless and continues to ask her out any chance he gets. He finally breaks her down and she agrees to go out with him. Anne refuses to call him Smitty, even though that’s his nick name. She prefers his real name, Rich.
In this book there are several story lines. They all blend well and make the book flow together nicely. This is the 5th book in the series; however you can read as a stand-alone. I will warn you, you will probably fall in love with these couples and want to go back and read books 1-4. It’s that good.
I’ve read all the books in this series. By the end of each book I think; this is my most favorite couple. At this point I really can’t choose. We’ve been introduced to the next couple and am definitely looking forward to see how that relationship works. I received this as an ARC for my honest review with no compensation.
Smitty and Anne are such amazing characters. Anne is hiding from her abusive husband and Smitty spends his time trying to get a date with Anne. How do you fall in love while hiding from your real world? Can you follow in love with a police officer when it’s another police officer your hiding from? Will kink from the man you love set off triggers from the one you fear?
Haven’t read Bounty County by Maren Lee? What are you waiting for? I love this series and Smitty and Anne just stole my heart! I can’t wait for Book 6!!!
Be prepared for all the feels in this book. This book starts out by just crunching your heart and little by little as you read, it starts to heal. I love how brave Taylor Ann is in this book and how deliciously hot and alpha Richard “Smitty” Smith is. I loved every minute of this book and was so happy I got the chance read it.
Good things are worth the wait and this book is definitely one of those things! Book 5 in the Bounty County series is the best one yet! Smitty and Anne kind of dance around each other until Sierra gets involved and then the sparks fly! Their story is happy, sad, funny, suspenseful and oh so steamy. If you like guys who are sweet and caring and dirty talking, you will love Smitty. All the characters from the first 4 books are back and the “Wessonisms” are better than ever! I got so invested in these characters that I slowed down my reading so I didn’t have to finish the book!
Absolutely my favorite book of the series by far. The level of emotions you experience while reading Smitty’s story will have you laughing, crying and becoming so invested that you will not be able to put your kindle down. Definitely the most emotional story of the series. All the characters have such personality and are unforgettable. This is a must read story of love and redemption that you will remember for a long time.
If you have been reading the Bounty County series you know and love Smitty and have been waiting and wondering who was going to capture this special guy’s heart. Now we know that it’s Anne. Quiet, prickly Anne from the DA’s office. Everyone has silently wondered what her deal was and now we’re finally getting the story. I’m not going to give Anne’s story away other than to say that she’s a survivor and an amazing woman. Anne is determined to keep Smitty at arm’s length but he is one determined man and he isn’t going down without a fight! When these two finally get together they’re smoking hot! Detour is full of fictional fun, heat and intrigue but intertwined in it are real life issues. Now if you haven’t read the rest of the B.C. series you can easily read Detour on it’s own but to get the most enjoyment out of the supporting characters, I recommend reading the rest because they are so good! Detour is written from dual POV and I recommend reading it to all romantic suspense/comedy fans.
Maren’s books should probably come with a steam warning. You get a two in one with this book. You get a bromance in addition to a romance. Who doesn’t love a good bromance? Smitty is so swoony. I have a love of dirty talking alpha males. If you do too then this is definitely one to check out. There are some really sweet moments also because Smitty is pretty amazing. It was great to see Anne get her confidence back, and become strong again. To be able to trust again. I love books in a series. It so fun to see what happens with the characters as life goes on. I’m already looking forward to the next one.
Anne and Smitty’s story was fantastic! Anne has learned the hard way to live her life quietly and without letting anyone get too close, but she didn’t count on the men and women of Bounty County. The women aren’t letting her live a lonely life, and one man in particular is willing to wait as long as it takes to make her his. Smitty proved over and over just what a great, caring, SUPER hot man he is, and that he’s nothing like what Anne is expecting.
These two had a beautifully sad beginning, during which Smitty gave Anne the hope and strength she needed to survive…before he even realized who she truly was. I loved their journey, the fact that Smitty didn’t completely lose his mind for more than a minute or two upon learning some hard truths, and their HEA was the perfect way to tie them together forever.
I can’t wait to see what happens next in Bounty County….
Love this book for so many reasons! All the characters, both main and secondary, the couple, have great chemistry, and the hero is amazing
Detour, Bounty County #5, brings us back to our boys in the BC sheriff’s department. This could definitely be read as a stand alone, but it’s just a little more fun if you’ve read the first 4. All of the old gang is back and we get even more Wesson since Smitty is Wesson’s best friend. Anne is amazing and strong; resilient. But she’s running. And circling the friends group we have come to know. She is included in events because she works with Lane, but she keeps her distance. Smitty is intrigued by Anne, and he is finally able to crack the shell Anne has placed around herself. This story is funny, but has a perfect amount of suspense and all the feels. It was just the best to go back to Bounty County!
Anne and Smitty have a love story for the ages!
Anne has a reputation for a bite worse than her resting bit@# face. She’s cold, and doesn’t participate with Lane and her girl crew despite Lane trying to include her every time they go out.
Deputy Richard Smith Jr is an excellent cop, head football coach for the Imminence Iron Eagles team, and an all around great guy. He wants to go out with Anne, but she keeps pushing him away.
Once Anne and Smitty finally hook up there’s no stopping them, except maybe Anne’s secret. And when Smitty gets half the story will he lose his mind before Anne can fill him in on what’s really happened?
Smitty and Anne really touched my heart. Everything from fear to tears, and laughter for the entire Bounty County crew and the way they look after each other. Thank you Maren for writing a story that shows what domestic violence can be like, and that some of us really do find our happy ending.