Title: ECHO
Series: Pierce Securities #9
Author: Anne Conley
Publish Date: 03.26.2018
Publisher: Anne Conley
Category /Genre: Contemporary Romance
Recommended for: 18+ due to sexual content
Grammar/editing: book received as an
unedited ARC / errors excused
Received from: Anne Conley (as an ARC gifted copy)
Goodreads link: Echo
Date completed:
03.31.2018
Description from the publisher:
One attack in her home is enough to
make Lacie Hill freak out, but a second is enough to make her check out. Lacie
was happy with her solitary life—kindergarten teacher, weekly girls’ nights
out, and a father she’s close to. When she’s targeted for sick games with
unknown players, she forces herself to act normally and hope everything will go
away. You know, ostrich impersonation. The police are doing everything they can
to help. Nothing left for her to do, right?Wrong.
When Lacie’s father hires Pierce Securities to help her, the only person not working a job would be the boss man, Simon— a control freak who loves his rules. He’s trying to find his sister’s stalker while keeping his micromanaging eyes on all the guys in the office. He has policies in place for reasons. For safety. For professionalism.
For his heart.
But will Lacie’s case be an echo of his past? Or will he be able to protect her and love her at the same time, breaking all his hard and fast rules?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ECHO is the ninth book in the Pierce
Securities series. Each stands on its
own, but it is definitely better to read all and in the order of release.
Grabbed my attention from the first
page and never let go!
Time after time, we’ve listened to
Simon tell his men not to give in to romance on a job… and one by one they have
done exactly that. Each has found his
true love while protecting them from the bad guys. Simon would never break his own rule,
right? He must have a reason for that
rule, right? Oh boy, does he! It’s heartbreaking and chilling. Then he meets Lacie and it is inevitable that
he will find that all rules are meant to be broken at some time.
Lacie is a sweetheart. She is exactly what you think of when you
think kindergarten teacher – sweet, kind, tolerant, but also firm and yet resilient. There was no way that Simon could resist her. Thank God, because she is so perfect for him.
It is always sad to say good-bye to
a series, but these men of Pierce Securities have already shown up in some of
the other series, so I’m sure it’s not the last we’ve heard from them. Until next our paths cross, safe journeys, my
friends!
Note: while I was given this book as a gifted ARC,
my opinions are my own and are given freely.
The Pierce Securities series:
1.
Craze
2.
Wire
3.
Click
4.
Grab
4.5
Redemption for Misty
5.
Murmur
6.
Bond
7.
Seek
9.
Echo
Also
from Anne Conley:
·
Mae Day
The Book Bitches series:
The Book Bitches companions:
The Four Winds series:
Stories
of Serendipity Series:
2.
Dream On
3.
Chef's Delight
4.
Hot Mess
5.
Falling for Him
6.
Gambling on Love
7.
My Mistake
8.
Wrecked
Moonrising
Series (with KS Haigwood):
“Who do you think is behind this?
Have you made any parents angry at school?” He kept his voice soft, so as not
to startle her in the silence of the Jeep.
She shook her head, still leaning
against the glass as a weary sigh left her mouth. “No. My parents, for the most
part, are welfare families living paycheck to paycheck. They don’t have the
time to orchestrate something like this.” He hated the defeat in her voice.
“Anybody who would want to harm
you?” His grip whitened on the steering wheel at the idea.
Tears filling her eyes, Lacie shook
her head again. “I’m a nice person. I’m one of those awful people who tries to
please everyone. I can’t imagine making someone angry enough to do this.”
Her words rang true and begged the
question, “Are you in love with Trent?” Love could be the only misguided reason
she would allow him to make her safety take a backseat to his career. He was a
grade-A douchebag, and Simon had wanted to pummel the man for leaving her tonight.
Lacie straightened in her seat and
turned toward him. “No, I’m not in love with Trent. I don’t even know what we
are anymore. He certainly doesn’t seem to care a fig for me.”
“Then why are you still with him?”
He was treading some dangerous waters here. The lines between professional and
personal were blurring with this line of questioning, but he had to know. “Does
he have something on you?”
She thought about his question and a
soft laugh escaped her as he turned down her street. “I don’t like the
confrontation of breakups. It’s so sad. I hate that I can’t just say what needs
to be said to him. It’s obvious there’s someone else, and I don’t even care.”
They were silent as he pulled into
her driveway and got out of the Jeep. Walking her up to the door, Simon
couldn’t stop from reaching out and touching the small of her back. It was
warm, her spine hard against the surrounding soft flesh. The urge to run his
hands across her bare skin was overwhelming.
If he reached up just a few inches,
he could get a fistful of her hair, test its softness.
“Thank you for bringing me home. I
appreciate it.” At her door, she turned.
“Let me in.” Simon’s voice was
grittier than he intended. Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline and he realized
what he’d just said. Backtracking, he clarified, “Let me look around, make sure
it’s safe.” The words were a reminder to him of his purpose.
Lacie nodded, and he saw the
disappointment in her eyes before she unlocked the door and opened it.
He was slammed with sensations. Her
house was awash with color and textures—soft, gauzy curtains, plush pillows,
purples, greens, reds, blues, the thickest rug he’d ever felt beneath his feet.
It was whimsical, colorful, homey, just like Lacie.
Her house smelled floral and sweet with
the remnants of whatever she’d made for supper.
Simon turned on lights as he walked
from room to room checking doors, windows, closets, and behind shower curtains,
with Lacie following behind him.
He was going out of his mind. Every
place he didn’t find a bad guy hiding was one more place they were alone
together. One more place he could lose himself in her.
All control gone.
He was already going under.
Back at her door, his rounds
finished, Simon turned to Lacie, her wide, brown eyes so trusting. She was so
fucking pure, he could hardly stand it. Words failed him. He meant to say
reassuring things, like “All good here” or “It’s safe,” but they lodged in his
throat.
Could he do it? The others had
followed their hearts and found happiness. Was it possible for him to do it
too? He had no idea if this was even his heart talking. It had been months
since he’d had sex.
Emotion roiled through his veins, a
fierce sense of protectiveness warring with white-hot lust. His body hummed
with the battle raging inside him.
Unable to help himself, Simon
reached out to touch her hair, rubbing a lock between his fingers. In response,
Lacie’s breathing grew ragged, drawing his attention to the shadow of cleavage
between her breasts. But her body stiffened, which happened a lot around him,
he’d noticed. Dragging his eyes up, he saw the pulse in her neck pounding. She
licked her lips, and his eyes settled there.
Better than getting lost in those
eyes again.
Simon took a step toward her,
tugging the tendril of hair—softer than satin—behind her ear. He couldn’t leave
it, though, so he tangled his hand in her tresses, cradling her head. She
leaned into him, her body still stiff, hands at her sides.
What was he doing? Lacie waited,
watching him carefully, her eyes darting around his face, from his lips to his
eyes, back to his lips. He lowered his head, his mouth within a hair’s breadth
of hers, inhaling her scent, looking for something wrong, some reason he could
turn his back on her.
But she was fucking perfect. Lacie
had him ensnared in her web and wasn’t letting him loose. And right now, he
didn’t want loose.
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