GOING TWICE by Sharon Sala

GOING TWICE

(Forces Of Nature)

by Sharon Sala

ARC Review

Published: January 28, 2014, Harlequin MIRA

My rating: 4.5 of 5 ⭐️

It wasn't a complete surprise to FBI agent, Wade Luckett, when after a few years of silence the activities of the infamous "Stormchaser" started up again. When the butchered bodies were found after this last devastating tornado, Wade and the two other members of his investigative team were called in to once again head up the investigation to bring down this elusive serial killer. The unexpected addition of a fourth member to their team is causing some distraction, and not just for the killer. After their painful history, Wade was less than prepared for the impact his ex-wife, FBI agent, Jo Luckett still had on him.

Work had been the only thing that had kept Jo going after suffering through an attack and the resulting tragedy a few years ago. Although guilt and regret at the way she shut herself off after ate away at her, she was determined to focus on her job and not let the fact that she still loved her ex-husband get in the way of them working together. Yet one foot in the door and one minute in his presence and already she had messed things up. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him more than she already had.

With a killer on the loose, both Wade and Jo have to deal with their personal issues sooner than later. Especially when the Stormchaser, rattled by the added 'player' in his chess game, attempts to take out the newest threat. But he has grossly underestimated this newest opponent, who is able to ward him off, forcing him to retreat and plan to finish his task at a later time. 

Jo's addition to the team has proven to be very beneficial to their investigation, but when the threat becomes personal against her, the team rallies to protect her. None more so than Wade, who makes sure he is never far from Jo's side. Spending time together allows them to clear up some deep rooted misunderstandings that seem to have opened a path to new beginnings. But before that can be given any serious consideration, they have a killer to stop.....

****

A fantastic mature, romantic suspense read!!! And I mean mature in the sense that we are not dealing with childish game-playing, or emotional antics the equivalent of high school lunchroom bitchery.... No, I soaked up some 'normal' adult emotional responses and behaviours (other than the serial killer's....clearly!) and felt totally satisfied with the outcome, without reservation!!

Of course, I do have to mention, that although this is part of a series of books, the stories are in principal self-contained. So you will get your HEA, even though you might not get a full conclusion to the suspense portion of the tale....... That part is a 'TO BE CONTINUED' element, and for sure, I will keep my eyes peeled for the next instalment!

As main characters, Jo and Wade make such a tragic pair. From the start you can see where things must have gone off the rails, and it is one of those cases where there really is no blame to lay. Life sucks hard sometimes and coping with what comes along isn't always the easiest and means different things to different people. Blinded by their individual emotions, neither could be open to the other's needs. Now focused on bringing down a killer, they seem to have found that little sliver of common ground that was all that was needed to gain a better perspective on each other. And what a revaluation that turns out to be.

Sharon Sala had been one of my go-to writers, before I started focusing on all forms of romance and limited myself to suspense only. THAT goes to show how incredibly talented she is on both fronts, since both the suspense AND the romantic sides of her writing deserve lots of credit. Although perhaps not as explicit as some of the books I review, the sexual chemistry and heat between the protagonists comes across loud and clear and things steam up pretty well here and there. 

It's funny, how after a few years of not reading her books, I approach Sharon's writing from a different direction and find myself just as engrossed as I have always been. Multi-dimensional, and therefore I highly recommend this book to readers of a variety of genres. Drama, contemporary romance, suspense and action. GOING TWICE has all of that to offer, and then some.....

✨A haunting, sinister yet touching novel of fresh opportunities.✨

**ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin MIRA in return for an honest review.**