When your life turns out to be a lie but also at risk, who to trust?

Synopsis

The first rule of undercover work—don’t get attached…

Pilot Elise Hughes left the family business in the Florida Keys and now flies the rich and powerful to and from the Rocky Mountains. When she has to execute a by-the-book emergency landing, it’s no big deal. But being stranded in a small town with her handsome new colleague is something else entirely.

Obsessed with getting justice for his murdered father, undercover FBI agent Eric Erickson believes retribution is finally within reach. Until things get complicated. And dangerous. And he’s forced to face a few too many realities—including Elise’s connection to a well-known crime boss.

After Elise is kidnapped by the same man who took Eric’s father, he has a choice to make—find Elise or exact revenge. Meanwhile she has a choice of her own—trust the dangerous family she never knew she had or the man who’s been lying to her from the start.

My review

Elise Hughes is a pilot flying off the rich and powerful people to and from the Rocky Mountains. While there is a clear difference between her and the clients, with a few of the clients she get better along than with others.
What she didn’t take in account is that for her latest flight, she is paired up with Eric Erickson. And there is just something about Eric that is just…
But when the pilots have to execute an emergency landing in a small town, and having them stranded there, together with their clients, Elise learns some ugly truths, also involving her.
Because not only is Elise kidnapped for her being related to a dangerous family, but also Eric is seeking out revenge for his father that has been murdered, by exactly the same people who kidnapped Elise. And now the pair of them have to make some important choices: can Elise trust the family who she just found, with all their baggage? Or will she trust Eric, who lied to her from the start, but also being the person that ignites something in her? And what will Eric do? Execute his plans for revenge and bring down Elise’s family? Or find the woman he cannot get out of his mind?

I have to admit, I don’t like flying, I have never dreamed of being a pilot or just anything involving being high up in the sky. But I for sure have the respect for people who made that their jobs. And being a pilot isn’t easy, and seeing how Elise managed to become exactly that, while it’s still seen as a ‘manly’ job, well she had my admiration from the start!

At the start of the book, there is a lot we don’t know about Elise. Well, to be honest, Elise doesn’t know herself yet… But what we know from her, saddened me. Because she discovered that her father, the man she idolised, wasn’t as great as she always thought he was.
And it also broke something between her and her siblings, as her brothers seem to have posthumously forgiven him, but Elise just cannot…

But even if as a reader it isn’t a complete surprise, Elise’s true background is a shocking one. She never could have imagined what secrets have been being kept from her, only when it’s too late.
Now, I don’t know how I would react in her situation, but I liked her for standing her ground, fighting back and even trying to figure out an escape plan.

And she is lucky to have an ally, in the shape of Eric Erickson, even if initially they just don’t seem to get along…

Beside the name of the character, which was a bit a too easy choice (until further on we discover the truth about this too), Eric is everything I expected from this type of character.
Yes, he is on a revenge mission, but he doesn’t cross a line, or has a lack of the rules. As an FBI agent, he knows that things need to be done the right way, or no way.

But what I liked the most about Eric, was how he can shift his focus. Because while initially his only focus is on revenge, with this growing between him and Elise, he realizes that the woman he is starting to fall for is more important than getting even.

It also needs to be said, it was a bit difficult to “accept” in a way everything that was happening, as there for sure is A LOT. But I also believe that it’s purely to blame that my world and Elise’s and Eric’s are just so far from each other. I know that there is some serious bad sh*t in the world, but I have been living in a rather “clean” one, if you understand what I am saying? I have never encounter just a snippet of the character’s world, so in a way I am blissfully unaware of it 😊.

I for sure enjoyed reading this first book from a new author. It has suspense, danger, but also romance in it. We see characters grow, mature and understand the way of the world. And with that understanding comes also learning to prioritize what truly matters.
And as this is the first chapter of a series, I cannot wait to discover what else the author has in store for us!