Good mix of second chance romance and suspense. Lori works for the LAPD as a fingerprint specialist. One day she's startled to find her high school boyfriend there to report his younger sister missing. Cade is told it is too soon to report an adult missing, and his frustration is evident. When Lori suggests that she and Cade check Summer's house for clues, she discovers a disturbing similarity to a crime scene she recently worked.

Dissatisfied with the police response to the things they found, Lori and Cade begin investigating on their own. I was hooked when Lori decided to go undercover to investigate the questionable drug rehab center that linked the two women. The tension ramped up as Lori risked discovery by searching for the missing women, and Cade met with one of Lori's police friends about the drugs they found. The final confrontation had me glued to the pages as they uncovered the truth about the rehab center and its owner. The underground scene was a nail-biter with a close call for Lori and Cade and a just-in-the-nick-of-time rescue. The epilogue filled in some blanks for a satisfying ending.

I liked the rekindling of the relationship between Lori and Cade. They had been high school sweethearts, Cade from a wealthy family and Lori from a poor one. It didn't matter to them, but Cade's family disapproved. When Cade left for college, Lori broke things off, telling him he needed to be free to experience everything. There was another reason also that came out later in the book. When they meet again, it's clear that the sparks between them are still there. I enjoyed seeing them reconnect and realize that the old feelings are still there. Though he respected Lori's abilities, he still felt protective when danger threatened. Lori felt the same protectiveness toward Cade, which led to some of her past choices. There is some angst when she shares her secret, but understanding and forgiveness follow quickly. If they are going to move forward together, Cade has some decisions to make. Those decisions didn't surprise me, as they were hinted at earlier in the book. The epilogue was terrific.

I liked seeing some of the characters from the previous series make appearances in this one. Lori made a brief appearance in that series, and Kyra and Jake appear in this book. I'd like to see more of Jake's partner Billy and his search for his sister.

#netgalley ( )