Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 30, 2015
Genre(s): Mystery/Suspense
Page Count: 204
Reviewed by: Natalie
Heat Level: 3.5 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:
Deacon Reid was born bad to the bone with no intention of changing. A lifetime of law-bending and living on the edge suits him just fine—until his baby sister dies and he finds himself raising her little girl.
Staring down a family history of bad decisions and reaped consequences, Deacon cashes in everything he owns, purchases an auto shop in Half Moon Bay, and takes his niece, Zig, far away from the drug dens and murderous streets they grew up on. Zig deserves a better life than what he had, and Deacon is determined to give it to her.
Lang Harris is stunned when Zig, a little girl in combat boots and a purple tutu, blows into his bookstore, and then he’s left speechless when her uncle, Deacon Reid, walks in hot on her heels. Lang always played it safe, but Deacon tempts him to step over the line… just a little bit.
More than a little bit. And Lang is willing to be tempted.
Unfortunately, Zig isn’t the only bit of chaos dropped into Half Moon Bay. Violence and death strike, leaving Deacon scrambling to fight off a killer before he loses not only Zig but Lang too.
Ahhh! This was my first Rhys Ford book, and I have to say, I totally dug it. I’d read a couple of pre-release reviews on other blogs before I finally took the plunge and pre-ordered it via the DreamSpinner Press website and boy am I glad I did.
The lead character of this tale is Deacon Reid. Badass auto shop owning mechanic Deacon Reid. I loved this guy. He’s an ex-con that got caught up in some scheme buying cheap parts and spent some time in jail for his craptastic decisions. Deacon gets out and finds out his half sister’s kid, Zig, is in foster care because, well, her mom is dead. Zig is the best damn eight-year-old I’ve ever encountered in a story. Foul mouthed, sassy, but still she managed to be adorable.
Zig and Deacon move to Half Moon Bay to start anew. The awkwardness of this guy trying to be a parent to a feisty little girl is so freaking lovable. He has no clue what the heck he’s doing, and she’s scared and traumatized due to all the bad stuff she’s encountered in her young life, but Uncle Deke is her haven. When Deacon and Zig arrive in Half Moon Bay, they hit up a bookstore (YES!!! A BADASS MOTORCYCLE RIDING MECHANIC, WHO’S A BOOKNERD *panties implode*) and we see sparks fly between bookstore owner Lang and Deacon.
I’m going to be completely honest here. Lang is the reason this story wasn’t a perfect read for me. He was what made this a 3.75 read (rounded up to 4). I didn’t find his character appealing. Despite all he endured with his ex, I still couldn’t connect with him. I’m all for opposites attract because an auto mechanic and a bookstore owner are as opposites attract as you can get, but I just didn’t like Lang. I couldn’t commit. He was simply meh.
Overall, this was an entertaining read with some great writing! I’ve already added some of Ms. Ford’s other titles to my TBR pile. You should give FSF’s a whirl if you’re looking for cool characters and a bit of a mystery.
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