She’s the only one who can help an old crush… And the baby who appeared on his doorstep. When Amber Kent’s old friend navy SEAL Rylan Anderson suddenly becomes the guardian of a baby, he turns to her for help. But then the baby’s nearly abducted in Amber’s care and it’s clear the situation is more complicated than it seems. Can they discover the truth behind the baby’s identity…before she’s … identity…before she’s gone for good?
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It’s not easy being the only girl in a family with five overprotective older brothers to deal with. Even now, as an adult, Amber Kent likes to show her independence. So when she gets a phone call from Rylan Anderson asking for help she agrees. Rylan had been her brother Will’s best friend until something happened in their teens to destroy that friendship. Amber isn’t going to let that stop her from helping Rylan. Rylan joined the Navy after high school and became a SEAL. He’s back in Jacobstown again needing help with a baby and Amber finds herself still attracted to him. Helping him with baby Brooklyn means lots of together time which makes the attraction hard to fight. A beautiful baby girl was dropped off to Rylan and he has no clue how to take care of a baby. Who is this baby? Where’s her mother? Is Rylan her father?
Rylan Anderson is back in Jacobstown after leaving the Navy. He purchased a fixer-upper house where he plans to figure out what to do now. When a man drops off a baby girl and a diaper bag then runs away Rylan knows he is in trouble. He knows nothing about taking care of a baby. That’s why he calls Amber Kent. When someone tries to abduct baby Brooklyn while Amber is out for a walk with the baby Rylan knows he has to protect them both. The mystery deepens but Rylan is determined to find answers.
What She Knew by Barb Han is book #5 in the author’s Rushing Creek Crimes Spree series. This story features the youngerst sibling in the Kent family, Amber Kent and her brother Will’s one-time best friend Rylan Anderson. I always enjoy reading the best friend’s sister trope. Even though Amber’s brother Will and Rylan are estranged this still fits the trope for me. Amber doesn’t know what happened to end Will and Rylan’s friendship but that doesn’t stop her from helping. This is an incidental part of the storyline as the baby and the people trying to snatch the baby is front and center. This author does a great job building the suspense in this story and all the action will keep readers turning the pages. The overall arc in this series, the Jacobstown Hacker continues in this book with the Hacker escalting. That being said, I fthink this can be read as a stand-alone and enjoyed.
What She Knew by Barb Han, was a very fast read for me. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Rylan and Amber. Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres and this one didnt disappoint. Hopefully there will be more books in the series and we can revisit this family. I would certainly recommend it to others.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and Harlequin, and this is my fair and honest review.
What She Knew was a fast read with great characters. The intrigue didn’t quite get there for me, though. It started out well, but somewhere in the middle, it fell apart with the author telling me the answers more than just letting them be revealed naturally through dialogue and time. In fact, one whole part of the mystery was never answered at the end. I’m somewhat sure there’s another book coming and that’s why, but it was frustrating to finish the book and have that left unknown.
The romance, however, was spot on. I loved the second chance story between Amber and Rylan, complicated by Rylan’s baby girl he didn’t know he had. Amber’s family was wonderful and I definitely wish I had read the first 4 of this series to know their secrets and stories, but you can read What She Knew as a stand-alone with no problems.
Though I wish the intrigue had held up through the whole of the book, I did love the relationship building between Amber, Rylan, and the secrets that were revealed about them both. If you love a fast-paced second chance romance with a little bit of mystery thrown in to keep things interesting, you’ll love What She Knew!