A Steele Ridge spin off series--woot!

I love that Maggie Kingston's story is first--she's a female sheriff! And her cousin Reed's main competition for the family record on his training center's absolutely insane obstacle course! (She spends the entire novel trying to beat his time, but I'm not going to tell you if she makes it. You've got to read it yourself to find out. :D) Jay is the perfect match for her--she's the only woman on the planet who will call him on his crazy, and he's the only guy that can make her see that yes, sometimes she does go a little too far when she thinks she and only she knows the *right* way to get things fixed. (Okay, her mom and another cousin helped her here too. But it's Jay that made her reconsider in the first place.) Together they're just awesome--and his inner fixation with her handcuffs made me LOL. Every. Time.

The suspense part of the plot was solid--even though, looking back I can see that there were some clues to who the bad guy was, I still didn't suspect until we found out for sure. I loved that Ms. Giordano had Maggie use cutting edge technology to find out who was behind it all, too--very timely!

Since this is the first in this spin-off series, you could absolutely start your Steel Ridge binge-read here. Many (most? maybe even all? I lost track) of the original series characters at least get a mention here, and several play a role in the story, but you don't have to have read their books to enjoy this one. A word of warning, though--chances are that seeing them all interact here (I. Love. This. Family!) will increase your TBR dramatically. Not that this is a problem...and hey, it will give you something to do until the next series book comes out :)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )

Craving Heat by Adrienne Giordano
First in a spin-off of the Steele Ridge multi-author series. Can be read as a stand-alone. Romantic suspense. Great chemistry with this couple.
Sheriff Maggie is in charge of the town of Steele Ridge. She’s strong, independent and dedicated to her job. She’s just a little infatuated with the hot stud of a football player Jayson Tucker. Maybe a little dalliance, heck, some hot sex is just what’s needed while he’s in town.

This is the author that drew me to the first series. Engaging. High speed action and energy. No dull spots. A couple where both are alphas but they work through the issues. Sexy and charismatic. Family closeness is key to the series and brings satisfaction in them working together to resolution while supporting each other. And with this author just a touch of humor.
Loved it.

Excerpt:
“Is that where the camera caught the guy?”
Maggie nodded. “Reid keeps emergency supplies in there.”
A good idea, but seeing the perfection of this land, even after the shooting this morning, Jay couldn’t wrap his mind around it being anything but peaceful. “It’s amazing up here.”
“This morning aside, there’s sanctuary here. I try to hike every weekend.”
Every weekend? Did that mean… Forget asking around about her dating habits. She’d given him the opening he’d walk right through. “Who do you hike with?”
Was he fishing? You bet. Pathetic? You bet. Did he care?
Not a lick.
“Usually, I’m alone.”
Could there be a more perfect answer? Not in this lifetime. “That’s a shame.”
Even if did make him happy.”
Excerpt From Craving Heat by Adrienne Giordano
This material may be protected by copyright. ( )

Craving Heat by Adrienne Giordano
The Kingstons #1

Maggie is sheriff of her town and does a great job though she has always had a secret dream of more. Jayson has worked hard to achieve success as a quarterback in the NFL. Both have responsibility and do well in their jobs but sometimes giving everything to your job means you may not have much of a private life. Jayson finds himself suddenly on the outside looking in, relying on his agent for a safe haven and meeting Maggie and a family like none he has ever been around…a loving, caring, there-for-one-another family that he truly admires. His sister running into trouble while he is dealing with issues of his own makes for more complications as Maggie and he sizzle with attraction for one another. With two dominant take-charge alphas in a couple it is not always easy but finding a way to a HEA is on the table as they fight the bad guys, thwart death and find more than romance together.

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars ( )