Reparation: A Small Town Romantic Suspense Novel (Vigilante Justice, #4)

JUSTICE COMES TO JUSTICE!!!
Title: Reparation
Series: Vigilante Justice
Author: Kristen Harte (Ellis Leigh)
Designation: Book 4 of Series, Short Novella(Approx 80 pages), NO CLiffhanger, Not Recommended As A Standalone

Oh my! I loved, loved, loved Reparation, the highly anticipated fourth release of Kristan Harte’s compelling Vigilante Justice series and the much-awaited continuation of Alder and Shye’s story from Payback, the first book of the series. And it’s official, I’m still hopelessly hooked! The Vigilante Justice series may be the launch of Harte’s career in the contemporary romantic suspense genre, but this isn’t her first rodeo. For readers who may not be aware, Kristin Harte is the alter ego of USA Today bestselling paranormal romance author Ellis Leigh and half of the contemporary romance dynamic duo known as London Hale. It’s no big secret and neither is the fact that I’m a huge fan and have followed her career for years. I’m a hopeless romance junkie who can’t resist a good tearjerker, and romantic suspense is my all-time favorite contemporary subgenre, but I’m also somewhat of a rom-spense snob, meaning I’m pretty darn selective with the authors I choose to read. If you’ve read any of Harte’s previous work, you may already know she’s a gifted storyteller and skilled wordslinger who excels at creating sensual storylines set in vividly depicted worlds populated with larger-than-life characters, and heroes who always walk a very narrow line between right and wrong, and that certainly holds true in both her paranormal and contemporary works. But one thing you may not know is each and every story contains a piece of her heart and soul. It’s not something she claims or takes credit for, but it is something you can feel when you’ve read as many of her books as I have, and I’ve read them all – every single one. Am I biased because I’m a fan? Maybe, but I’m also honest. I purchase her books with my own hard earned money and would never be anything other than truthful in my reviews. Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion and this is mine, completely unsolicited, Reparation is a heartachingly beautiful love story you won’t be able to stop reading until you reach the final page, and most certainly one that will be remembered long after the final word is read. I snickered, snorted, sniffled, snuffled, sighed, sobbed, and screamed in anger through the entire story and LOVED every single second! I was a complete basket case by the time I finished.! lol… But all jokes aside, there’s nothing I enjoy more than heart-wrenching stories about protective, honorable heroes walking a very narrow line between right and wrong, and sometimes good and evil, occasionally becoming men who find themselves having to do very bad things to protect the people they love, and Kristin Harte totally ripped my heart right out of my chest with this one! But, as usual, I digress when talking about the books and authors I love, so let’s talk details!

Reparation is a riveting, edgy, fast-paced, somewhat dark, standalone novella filled to the brim with pulse-pounding danger, edge-of-your-seat adventure, heart-pounding action, spine-tingling suspense, heart-wrenching angst, intense drama, explosive passion, tug-at-your-heartstrings romance, and, of course, steamy dreamy sex. After all, this is a Kristin Harte/Ellis Leigh story and anyone who has read her work in the past already knows Leigh pens some of the dirtiest talking alpha heroes and the dreamiest sex scenes ever! This book is the shortest of all the books so far, with approximately 80 pages of story, but it packs one heck of a punch, probably the darkest we’ve seen to date in the series. The narrative is beautifully written in the first person with a single perspective from the hero himself, Alder Kennard, finally giving fans the satisfaction we’ve been clamoring for since the happy-for-now ending of his and Shye’s story in Payback, the first book of the series. The dialogue is smart, snappy, gritty, sometimes humorous, exceptionally well executed, and flows effortlessly. Harte/Leigh’s stories move at lightning speeds yet are always comfortable and easy to follow with no unnecessary fluff or filler. But without a doubt, my favorite element of every Harte/Leigh story is the cast of intriguing characters. Don’t get me wrong; I think all the components of a book are important: setting, plot, conflict, resolution, along with overall craftsmanship including title, cover, formatting, execution, and editing, but without engaging, relatable protagonists complemented by a cast of entertaining ensemble players, there is no story. In my humble opinion, Kristin Harte/Ellis Leigh writes the most unapologetically protective, possessive, passionate, and fearless heroes and heroines I’ve ever read. And Alder and Shye are no exception!! The premise for the Vigilante Justice Series is based upon the Kennard family, a tightknit group of four brothers, Alder, Bishop, twins Finn and Elijah, and one sister Lainie, from the fictional town of Justice, Colorado, but also includes their friends and members of their tight-knit group of protectors. And let’s not forget about Rex, Gage’s canine partner! Rex may be a mixed breed, but he’s a real sweetheart as well as an extremely intelligent, loyal mutt! My kind of dog! Who doesn’t love a story with a loyal pet as one of the characters? In Reparation, we return to Alder Kennard and Shye Anderson’s story, the two characters who began the series in Payback. I’ve been reading Harte/Leigh’s work since she began her career, long enough to know when she isn’t finished with a couple or a story, and I knew she was nowhere near done with Alder and Shye. Alder was a man with a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, an entire town to look after, a woman to protect, and everyone looked to him for answers. And it was all important, but fulfilling his promise to keep Shye safe was his number one priority. Some stories are born from a single character and written around him or her which, according to Harte’s comments at the end of Book 1, is the case with Alder Kennard in Payback, a fact for which I’ll be forever grateful since it gave us the Vigilante Justice series. Alder is an unforgettable character, one who will restore your faith in love, make you believe anything is possible, that the good guys will win against evil, and will remain in your heart long after the final page is read. And what do I even say about Shye? I fell in love with sweet, inexperienced, young Shye Anderson instantly in the first book. I related to Shye’s character on an extremely personal level and have the physical as well as emotional scars to prove it. My heart literally ached for this young woman. Alder and Shye are such flawed characters and so different, yet they complement each other perfectly. The interaction between them is nothing short of magical. The love and devotion shine brightly between these two characters, and their passion literally explodes from the pages.

Did I like this story? No, I LOVED it! I was glued to my seat from the first page to the last, completely captivated, white-knuckling my reader with my heart fluttering wildly in my chest as the pages flew as quickly as the time, and adored every single minute! Would I recommend it? You bet, and I am but only for adult readers since it does contain explicit language, violence, and sex. And Alder Kennard is still a real charmer who knows how to talk sweet and dirty to his woman! *swoon* This book could probably be read as a standalone and does NOT end with a cliffhanger, but I recommend, at least, reading Payback, Book 1 of the series before Reparation. Also, there is still an underlying interconnected conflict that will be resolved as the series progresses. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! Just as soon as she releases her next book! I can hardly wait for Book 5, Penance. And finally, was I entertained? Completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read! Well done, Kristin Harte! Well done, indeed!

Five years ago, Alder Kennard returned to his hometown of Justice to take over the family’s floundering sawmill and lumber business after spending fourteen years as a Green Beret. Justice, Colorado is a very small community with no money for police or fire departments. Alder, his family, and friends are the police and fire departments. Of the 348 residents, 90% depend on the Kennard Mill for their livelihood. As the oldest Kennard sibling, Alder sees himself as not only responsible for his family and their business, but also the safety and welfare of every single citizen in Justice, but especially Shye Anderson. He’s watched her from afar for three long years and finally has the woman of his dreams living in his home, sleeping in his bed, filling his heart with love and hope for the future. His life is almost perfect, the operative word being almost. He wants his beautiful Shye locked down and tied to him forever, till death do them part, as in husband and wife. But first, he needs to fulfill the promise he made to keep Shye safe and to do that he needs to remove the threat, the threat being her immoral, degenerate stepbrother Pistol aka Colt, the enforcer for the Soul Suckers MC. Alder may not have been there to stop Pistol from abusing Shye years ago when her father died but he could, at least, give her peace of mind now and he would – no matter what it takes. But to secure Shye’s future and ensure her happiness, Alder will have to risk everything, including his life. It’s time for justice to come to Justice and time for this former Green Beret to seek reparation for the woman he loves. Who will live and who will die? We’ll see!