Always a Lawman (Blue River Ranch, 1)

There’s nothing like a good who done it to keep me turning the pages and second guessing every character I meet. Add romance to that and I’m a goner. And if you add the fact that it’s written by Delores Fossen, I’m over the moon! I swear the woman could write instructions for opening a cereal box and I’d be riveted. No one writes like her. So when I saw that this was the start of a new series, I was anxious to get in on the awesomeness from the start. WOW!
Ten years ago, a crime occurred in Sheriff Gabriel Beckett’s small town. A crime that took away his parents and changed his life forever. Now the memories are being stirred back up with the return of Jodi Canton, the woman who barely escaped death at the hands of a killer. A killer Gabriel put away ten years ago but that Jodi believes is innocent. Her father. She’s back to bring out the real killer. But her return brings out a whole slew of new threats. And old feelings between Gabriel and Jodi too. She already lost her heart to Gabriel Beckett over ten years ago. Can she trust him now with her life?
This story has it all. Pulse pounding action, complex characters with believable conflicts with one another, and a cast of characters who could be the villain threatening the heroes’ lives and chance for a future. It starts with a bang and never lets up, leaving you wondering till the final pages how it will all come out. Through it all, Delores Fossen seamlessly blends romance and suspense. As the danger escalates, so does the attraction. And when all that heat and danger is left to simmer for ten years, the result can be explosive!
I’m hooked with this first book. The tragedy from ten years ago didn’t just affect Gabriel and Jodi, but their siblings as well. I’m hoping I’ll get to read more of their stories. If you want a read that’s twisting, fascinating, steamy, and suspenseful, you can’t go wrong with this one. A Book Obsessed Chicks Review Team Selection

I enjoyed this second chance, intriguing romance. I bought this at a local library sale and I voluntarily chose to review this. I've given this a 4.5* rating. This is not for the under 18 readers. This contains a lot of violence and the main characters had a lot of trauma in their lives. I didn't get who the attacker was till the end. This was a bit scary till the end. I'm on to my next.

No pages was missing from the book

It was a good book & in great condition

Another one of Fossen's great written suspense stories with a somewhat surprise ending.

read it was an excellent book love all her books thank you

Exciting start to the new series. Nearly non-stop attacks, multiple suspects, and a simmering attraction kept me glued to the pages from start to finish.

Ten years after the murder of his parents, Gabriel is the sheriff of Blue River. He isn't very happy to find Jodi, the daughter of the man convicted of those murders, at the scene of that crime, and where she had also nearly lost her life. He's even less happy to discover that she is receiving threats and has made herself a target to try to draw the attacker out. Both of them get quite a shock when they find a knife like the one used in her attack and a dead body in his parents' old house. Having a masked man shoot at them just adds to the tension.

I liked Jodi a lot. She is independent, determined, but also vulnerable. The attack that nearly killed her continues to affect her. She has learned to protect herself so that she can keep herself safe. She is determined to discover the truth of what happened that night and clear her father's name. She is also haunted as much by what she doesn't remember of that night as by what she does remember. If she can find out who it was, maybe she can finally move on with her life.

I also really liked Gabriel. He is honorable, protective, and has his own regrets from that night. Ten years ago he had turned away the young Jodi who had shown up at his place with seduction on her mind. In his opinion she was too young, so he turned her down and sent her away even though he wanted her too. Now that she's back, he is determined to keep her safe.

The suspense is fantastic. Jodi's actions have stirred up a veritable hornet's nest. There is attack after attack on Jodi; attempts to silence her before she can fully remember and expose the person who tried to kill her. With each attack, someone different rose to the top of the list of suspects. Is it Hector, who was there to pick up the pieces after Jodi's attack? Or her uncle August, who doesn't think she's trying hard enough to clear her father's name? Or her ex-boyfriend Russell, who claims that his association with her has put him and his family in danger? Through most of the book I couldn't decide who I thought was the actual culprit. The final confrontation was intense as the bad guy had Gabriel and Jodi cornered. The resolution was heart-pounding as Jodi faced her attacker and came out on top this time. Though the mystery of who tried to kill Jodi is solved, there is doubt now over whether her father is truly the one who killed Gabriel's parents. I can't wait for the next book to see what new information is revealed.

I loved the development of Jodi and Gabriel's relationship. Jodi had thought that in the intervening years her crush on Gabriel had diminished. She was not very happy to realize that her feelings for him were as strong as ever. Gabriel also wasn't happy to feel that same attraction that he had found so hard to resist before. I loved seeing the strength and determination that Jodi had developed. It was great fun to see her stand up to Gabriel's attempts to keep her out of the line of fire. His protectiveness was sweet, but it sure did frustrate Jodi. I also liked his sensitivity to her wariness about being touched. I loved seeing them finally realize that they were meant to be together. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in later books.

Enjoyable reading

Delores Fossen welcomes readers to Blue River Ranch, a new miniseries of romantic suspense. Always a Lawman is immediately engaging and sends readers through a whirlwind of danger and suspense.

Jodi Canton goes back to the place where all her troubles started. One tragic night 10 years ago she was attacked and Gabriel Beckett's parents were murdered. Jodi couldn't remember who attacked her, but all signs pointed to her father who has been in jail ever since. Jodi's back now to prove her father's innocence and to draw out the real killer. Returning to the crime scene as bait is the start of the end. From that moment, a series of events proves that someone is trying to kill her and suspects from the original investigation are once again under the light of suspicion. Gabriel, now Sheriff, wants to keep Jodi out of harm's way while catching the culprit.

For a quick read, this story is very involved. Someone is trying to cover their tracks by making those closest to Jodi seem suspicious. Fossen creates a tangled web that Jodi is eager to bash through despite her lingering anxiety. The attack deeply affected Jodi and it shows in her interactions with others and the course her life took. I appreciate how real the characters seem as they deal with the twists and turns of the investigation.

Romance in the middle of an intriguing mystery is the best kind of story. It doesn't hurt that our hero is a cowboy cop and our heroine is just as strong. If you loved B.J. Daniels' Dark Horse or Linda Lael Miller's Forever a Hero, you'll thoroughly enjoy Always a Lawman!
*ARC provided in consideration for review*