You can run from the past…but you can’t hide from loveWhen private investigator Valerie Parker tails a cheating wife one night, it’s business as usual – until the woman is murdered and the man she’s with becomes the prime suspect. She’s astonished to discover the man’s identity: Alex DeMarco, a man she was once insanely in love with and who shattered her dreams and broke her heart… all in the … heart… all in the same day.
As a cop, Alex feels obligated to offer the stranded woman a ride home. When she ends up dead and Val Parker is the one who places him at the scene of the crime, he knows the grudge she holds may affect her testimony and put him behind bars forever. Then her life is threatened, and soon they’re on the run together, working to clear his name and protect her life. Once again, Alex find himself drawn to this wild, impetuous woman from his past, even as every step they take deeper into the Texas Hill Country may be their last.
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Very enjoyable
A fast paced, nail biter of a story.
Five years ago Valerie Parker and Alex DeMarco met at police academy. Valerie fell hard for Alex from the start. They spent one incredibly passionate night together, but the next morning Alex was gone. Then came the big blow; she was dismissed from police academy that day. Valerie despised Alex ever since, but she never forgot how he made her feel during the time they spent together.
Now, Valerie is working as a private investigator and the woman Valerie is paid to watch is murdered and Alex is the prime suspect. Tensions rise as Alex and Valerie travel across Texas looking for the real murderer before someone else ends up dead.
This is the second in the DeMarco Family series and just as good as the first. If the suspense and passion aren’t enough to pull you in, trying to figure out who the killer is definitely will. I enjoyed this book as much as the first and I will anxiously be waiting for the next one. Even though this is part of a series, there is no cliff hanger and each book can be read as a stand-alone.
I really enjoyed this second book in the DeMarco Family series. This is a re-release that seems to have been nicely updated and refreshed. This story has it all. Suspense, mystery, action, humor and romance all nicely blended together to give us a fun entertaining story. I loved that the traits that drove each other crazy where also the traits that they loved about each other. Alex is a by the book, plan everything out, control freak while Valerie is more of a fly by the seat of your pants, let’s just get it done girl. Polar opposites but they balanced each other out. They keep each other in check while not letting anyone get to lost in their head. Working together to prove Alex’s innocence shows them what a great team they make not only on the job but in life and love as well. A fabulous story I highly recommend.
4.5
I liked it!
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: The DeMarco Family
Standalone
HEA
I look forward to reading more from this author and the next book in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from NetGalley.
Absolutely loved this book and it’s characters. Stanley reminded me of a Barnie Fife. The end was a twist, thought I had it all figured out, but nope.
A PERFECT BLEND OF CHILLING DANGER AND HOT ROMANCE! FIVE BRILLIANT STARS!
OH MY GOSH! This perfect gem of a book landed in my Kindle like a shooting star, brilliantly eclipsing every other book I’ve read this year. I’m not kidding. As a very picky reader and reviewer, I can usually find a flaw or two in every story, but not this time. Not one flaw! I am simply amazed.
What’s so perfect about Wild at Heart? Everything. The compelling plot sucked me in from the very first page and never let go, with tantalizing threads leading to several surprising twists I never saw coming. There’s heart-pounding suspense at every turn, but woven throughout is the growing romance between two deeply wounded people who rise above their past mistakes to grasp a second chance at love.
Alex is a by-the-book cop who hides deep scars beneath his tough facade; Valerie is a feisty private investigator who once shared a night of passion with Alex–right before he destroyed her dream of becoming a cop. When Alex is framed for murder, Valerie’s testimony could convict him. But when the killer targets Valerie, she joins Alex in a desperate search for the real killer. Do they have sex along the way? Oh, yeah! The love scenes are hot, creating delicious layers of steam that add depth and meaning to their relationship without overwhelming the plot.
The book has its share of small-town Texas characters, including a Barney Fife-like deputy sheriff who wants just one chance to be a hero. His bumbling efforts inject a bit of humor into the plot, but when push comes to shove, does he have what it takes to stop a killer?
Okay. That’s enough from me. Grab this book and hang on for a wild ride that will leave you gasping for more. Thankfully, Alex has two gorgeous cop brothers with books of their own; I’m diving into Dave’s story right away, because I am totally in awe of this author’s incredible talent. (I downloaded Wild at Heart during a free promotion, and you know what they say about the best things in life . . . )
I almost forgot to mention that this story is not riddled with the f-word; it’s there a few times, but only when needed. Kudos also for perfect editing and proofreading, and for wrapping this gem in a gorgeous cover. I only wish I had ten stars to give. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Fun to read, action packed and a lovely tale about what can happen when a decent person has been wronged by another decent person and the tables are turned. The offended must rescue the offender. This is also a sweet romance of two people who manage to bungle around and find love.
Wonderful! Loved the characters! Hard to put down!
I gave this a 3 because I liked the ending as for the story, there was a lot of fluff it seamed just to make it a book. So much time was spent telling rather than showing and telling the readers way more than they need to know I started skimming through it. Needing to skim a book because it’s too wordy is not a good thing.
Enjoyed this book and have ordered the next one in the series.
Can a PI and a police detective find love after a one night stand ? Oh yes that One night stand happened years ago when the PI was in the academy with the detective. Fate steps in and lends a hand in mysterious ways sometimes and in this book Alex DeMaraco sees that first hand when he finds himself as the prime suspect in a murder and the person who can help him our is the one person he has never forgotten but never expected to see again. His one night stand PI Valerie Parker. These two work together to discover who is murderer. This is the second book in this series and i can’t wait for more.
Five years ago Alex DeMarco and Valerie Parker had a one-night affair. Valerie fell for him hard, but he was gone the next morning. Alex went on to become a hard working, detective while Valerie was dropped from the academy and went on to become a Private Investigator.
Neither of them have forgotten.
Alex finds himself the prime suspect in the murder of a woman he picked up in a bar. Valerie had been paid to tail a cheating wife. Valerie is astonished to learn that Alex is the man who was with her. When Val places him at the scene of the crime, he knows the anger and hurt she still must hold may affect her testimony that could possible put him behind bars forever.
When Valerie is personally threatened, she and Alex go on the run together… trying to clear his name and protect her at the same time.
Sparks fly .. and its not just the gunshots aimed in their direction.
This is a wild ride full of mystery, suspense, humor, romance and lots of action. The pacing is steady with a surprise here and there. The characters are finely drawn and I really enjoyed how Alex and Valerie relate to each other. It’s an easy read and even though second in a series, easily read as a stand alone.
Many thanks to the author / Tule Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Romantic Suspense. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.