Vivian Stewart is living a quiet life in small-town Montana, raising her two children and running her purse design business. But Vivian Stewart has a past, under her real name of Laurel Hodges, her friends and acquaintances don't suspect. Her uncle murdered her stepfather, at her mother's instigation, her brother Virgil spent fourteen years in prison for the crime before being cleared, and joined a prison gang, The Crew, in order to survive. When he quit the gang after getting out, the gang decided to punish him and those he cared about. He has to die, but his sister and her kids, as well as his wife and son, have to die first, so that he'll know about it and suffer.

They've been in hiding under false names ever since. But now one of the craziest, most dangerous members of The Crew, who goes by the nickname Ink, has tracked Vivian/Laurel to Montana.
Vivian has been resisting getting too close to anyone, and especially has resisted her attraction to widowed neighbor and local Sheriff Myles King. But as the evidence accumulates, starting with the apparently senseless murder of a well-liked local realtor, that The Crew is closing in on her again, Vivian realizes she's more attached to these people and this place than she had realized, and decides to stay and fight. Ink and a new recruit, L.J., stalk Vivian, while Vivian makes plans to protect herself and her children, and Sheriff King investigates the murder of realtor Pat Steuben. Vivian's former boyfriend Rex, another ex-Crew member, turns up, her brother Virgil gets involved long-distance from New York, and their mother is murdered in L.A.

Whenever you think the plot has gotten as complicated as it can, Novak ratchets it up a little more. It's exciting, but parts of it fall flat. Some of Vivian's decisions just don't make any sense. The romantic tension amongst Myles, Vivian, and Rex just doesn't feel quite real. And late in the book, Virgil, whose wife is about to give birth any minute, leaves New York to take a risk that's just beyond belief. It's a page turner, and entertaining, but ultimately not very satisfying. A decent read if you don't expect too much of it.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. ( )

This book picks up a few years after Virgil's story. Laurel Hodges (Vivian now) along with her two kids decided to separate from her brother and his wife and WitSec due to The Crew finding them after they had gone into WitSec. She ended up in a small Montana town. It starts off with a murder in the normally peaceful town. Laurel is afraid that The Crew has found her again. Her neighbor is the Sheriff (who is a widower with a teenage daughter) who she had done everything in her power to avoid up to this point. She cannot risk him finding out the truth so she pretends to not be interesting in his advances. To try and find out what he knows about the murder she sabotages her fridge and ask him over.. The interesting thing about this scene is she finally tells him after him asking her again to go out with him that she won’t go out with him but she will have a one night stand with him. He is offended by this and stands firm that he will not have sex with her without them dating first.

Then in what worked so well in the first book for me didnt work so well in this one.. There are so many different plot points which I normally dont mind but the two that were hardest was Rex and Myles. There isnt alot of romance between Miles and Laurel. And what we do get to see and hear about is the doomed but still cares about each other relationship between Laurel and Rex. Rex and Laurel have to many touching moments with each other that I found it hard to root for her and Miles. Laurel was to wrapped up in worrying about Rex (which I was to). Myles was a nice guy and who wouldnt want a nice guy but with him still pining for his dead wife and Laurel always so worried about Rex
there was no connect in my opinion between Laurel and Myles.

The best thing about this book is for sure that Ink and Lyle (the Crew members) wont be back. Ink was such an evil character in both books I wouldnt have minded seeing his death instead of his going back to prison. And it was nice to see that Virgil and Laurel and Rex can now go back to leading normal lives without having to use fake names.
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In seconds is book two in the Bulletproof series by Brenda Novak.

Let me start this review by telling you that I don’t recommend reading this book as a stand –alone but more as a continuation of book one, Inside.

In seconds take place couple of years later after events in Inside. Laurel, Virgil, Payton and Rex have left WitSec after The Crew discovered their whereabouts in Washington. They took the hard decision of disperse to make it harder for the gang members to find them.
Virgil and Peyton move to New York, where they live with their little boy and Payton is pregnant expecting their second child. Laurel has adopted the identity of Vivian Steward and has move to the small town of Pineview, Montana with her kids Mia and Jake. And Rex is moving around finding a place to settle after his breakup with Laurel.

Laurel/Vivian chose to live in Pineview because of its low criminal rate. She has lived happily for over two years in the little town where nothing happens; she just bought a house and has established her own business designing and selling purses. Laurel/Vivian also has a very interesting and sexy neighbor, Sheriff Myles King and even though she feels attracted to him she has declined all his invitations to go out.
Laurel/Vivian thinks The Crew has forgotten all about her, but when a member of the community is brutally assassinated all her fears come back to haunt her.
Sheriff Myles King is a widower with a thirteen-year-old daughter. Since the dead of his wife three years ago he hasn’t been interested in any woman until Laurel/Vivian moves next door. This mysterious woman attracts him, but all his intents to know her better have been rejected.
Myles is investigating the murder, the first in many years in Pineview. He also notices a difference in Laurel/Vivian’s behavior lately; she seems nervous and a little bit over the edge. He knows she is hiding something, he wants to know her secrets to be able to help her; he wants to be there for her if she allows him. Laurel/Vivian knows this but after everything that had happened to her is very difficult to trust a person and even more a policeman. Also people tent to get hurt when they are close to her and the last thing she wants is to get Myles involve with her troubles. But when she learns Ink, one of her most feared gang members has escaped from jail and is coming for her, her situation turns dire, she doesn’t want to run anymore, she has built a life for her and her kids, because of this she is determined this time to stay and fight. She knows she would needs to give Myles an opportunity if she wants a chance to survive.

I loved Inside, even though it left many things open and unresolved and when I learned In Seconds was coming out I knew I have to read it. I wanted to see Rex and Laurel’s story, I wanted them to have their HEA. To be honest I was a little bit disappointed on the beginning of In Seconds when I learned Laurel’s HEA was with somebody else and not Rex, but after some pages I understood they weren’t good for each other even though there was love. They are better friends than lovers and my kudos to Mrs. Novak for taking this decision and making it clear to us.

Laurel is still the determined, strong and caring woman from Inside. She has done the best possible with her situation and is doing better everyday.
I loved that she doesn’t blame Virgil for anything that has happened, I loved their brother/sister relationship and even through the distance you can feel their love and respect for each other.

Myles was a surprising character, I can say he grew up on me. As I said before I wanted Rex to be with Laurel, but after getting to know Myles better I realized he was the kind of man perfect for Laurel and most important her kids. He is a stable, caring, loving man and also a devoted father. At the end their relationship feel right and real, they are doing things right, without rushing and taking one step at a time.

I loved that we see some of Virgil and Peyton’s life, they have been a family for couple of years now, with one son and another baby on the way. They have a booming business and in general they are doing great. I didn’t like something Virgil does at the end. I can imagine his feelings of impotency in the situation but his solution felt too desperate and irrational considering his wife was almost ready to give birth. I almost couldn’t believe he was doing what he did.

Rex, oh Rex, here is where my heart starts to bleed. I love him and seeing him how he is in this book it really broke my heart. He really loves Laurel and wants what is best for her, even though that is not being with him, he knows he is not good for her. He is a great friend and even though his situation he is a very strong man. I really hope Mrs. Novak gives him the HEA he so much deserves.

Ink is still the same sociopath from Inside, maybe a little bit worse after what happened to him. I really admire Mrs. Novak for making me feel on a trip in the mind of a sociopath every time I was reading Ink’s point of view, even though the feeling was not the best ever *shudders*.

In Seconds is a very fast paced book, packed with action, suspense and very emotional moments. The characters are well developed and the writing is spotless. All in all In Seconds is a great follow up and another great book by Brenda Novak.

If you like romantic suspense this book is for you, but as I said before I don’t recommend to read In Seconds as a stand alone, it should be read after Inside (another great book).
The next book of this series In Close will be available on October 25, 2011. It’s the book of Laurel’s friend Claire and I’m sure planning to read it. ( )

Always a fan of Brenda Novak. I will always recommend this author.

Love being able to continue a story with characters across several novels.

Laurel has had to change her identity twice but finally starts to settle down in a small town. Unexpectedly, her past comes to haunt her.

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2nd in the series. Another great read! ( )