Good book. The beginning of this story takes place concurrently with the previous book, Shot Through the Heart. Sabrina and Holden are assigned to track down a hitman, one in Nebraska and one in Wyoming. Sabrina doesn't want to go to Nebraska, so they flip a coin to see who goes where. Fate clearly has a hand in the decision, as their lives would turn out quite differently had the toss gone the other way.

Sabrina successfully tracks her quarry to a hiking trail in the Tetons and plans to use fake police credentials to apprehend him. Instead, she lands in the middle of a search and rescue operation with the hitman as the apparent victim. When she attempts to use her police ID to take custody of him, SAR ranger Connor calls her out on the deception and refuses to cooperate. While Connor and Sabrina argue, the uninjured hitman makes his escape. Neither will give up their position, and both set out after the missing man.

Sabrina is an excellent operative who is stubborn, fiery, smart-mouthed, and has a chip on her shoulder regarding her past. If it hadn't been for an injury, she could have been one of the first female Navy SEALs, and she is still bitter about it. So when she encounters Connor, an ex-SEAL, she doesn't react well. Connor left the SEALs under a cloud, accused of something he didn't do. He and his rescue dog live off the grid, where he can do his rescue thing without dealing with the rest of the world.

The action picks up here and continues to build throughout the book. Connor and Sabrina clash over who has the greater right to their quarry. Their antagonism turns to teamwork as they race to escape an avalanche, then prepare to continue their search. There is a lot of walking involved, which gives them plenty of time to talk about their pursuit, who the hitman's target is, and their backgrounds. Dodging gunfire sends their thoughts down a different path as they finally realize that Connor is the target. Twists and turns led to near-death injuries and a final confrontation that had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Connor and Sabrina. Their initial antagonism is strong, but underneath it is a simmering attraction that neither wants to acknowledge. It was fun to watch them push back at each other as they fought their attraction until it finally got too hard to resist. I loved Connor's protectiveness even though he was the one in the hitman's crosshairs. They clash over Sabrina's role as protector but eventually come to a tentative balance of power between them. I loved their shock as each realized that their feelings had grown and changed. The ending was terrific, with an unexpected twist involving Connor.

I liked catching up with some of the previous North Star characters as they stepped up to help Sabrina and Connor. I'm especially curious about Shay and if something is going on between her and Granger. Hopefully, she will get a story of her own. ( )