Cavanaugh Strong - Marie Ferrarella (HRS #1811 - Aug 2014)

Series: Cavanaugh Justice (Book 28)

Aurora's finest are back in action!

Why are too many healthy seniors dying in nursing homes? Vice detective Noelle O'Banyon can't let the mystery go. And though she has no business working a homicide case, the love-shy single mom draws partner Duncan Cavanaugh into her rogue investigation. He's a notorious player she thoroughly disdains -- and the feeling's mutual.

Duncan considers Noelle too straight-laced for his taste. But as they uncover the shocking scandal behind the mysterious deaths, the crime-fighting pair become closer -- and passionately in sync. Now, before a killer stops their bliss, can he and Noelle prevent the next murder in Aurora?

Good story. Noelle and Duncan have been partners for six months and have a good working relationship and friendship. Noelle gives him a hard time about his player/bachelor status as he seldom dates a woman for long. Duncan gives Noelle grief about putting more fun in her life. When she comes to work one day puzzling over the odd deaths of two of her grandmother's friends Duncan encourages her to check into it. It isn't long before they suspect an insurance fraud ring that has escalated into murder for that money.

I enjoyed the developing relationship between Noelle and Duncan. Noelle avoids anything that could look like romance. She has had two fiances, both of whom died before they could marry. She feels that she can't risk another relationship, for fear of something happening to that man. She is attracted to Duncan but fights it for a long time. It was fun seeing her shoot down his flirtatious advances but the heat was still there. She didn't really know what to make of his repeated assurances that as her partner he was there for her on or off the job. I really enjoyed the part where he took Noelle and her family to his brother's wedding and how she got to know more of what kind of person he was. 

Duncan was pretty cute. As a Cavanaugh bachelor, you know he has Cupid's target on his back, but he's sure that he can resist any temptation to settle down. This is why he dates so many different women. But there's something about Noelle that has kept him intrigued ever since they started working together. I really liked the way his Cavanaugh values had him showing her that he was her backup in all things. I loved his confusion over his growing feelings and how he finally decided to stop fighting it. I was a bit disappointed in him at the end, as there seemed to be some important things missing from his proposal.

The mystery itself was good and entirely believable. I really enjoyed seeing the way that Noelle pursued her suspicions. Her surprise at being made lead on the case was true to her personality, as was the boost in confidence it gave her. I liked the way she and Duncan worked together and how their individual strengths combined to make them a great team. The suspense was mainly mental as they worked to find the truth before another senior died. There wasn't much in the way of intense action, even at the final confrontation.

The secondary characters were wonderful, my favorite being Noelle's grandmother Lucy. She was a feisty lady who resisted being thought of as a grandmother as that would make her feel old. She has a really sharp mind and a wicked sense of humor.  She has some really funny moments with Duncan. I also enjoyed seeing her with Duncan's patriarch Seamus at the wedding.  Of course, being a Cavanaugh Justice book, other members of the law enforcement family pop up here and there. It's always fun to see how they are able to support each other in their investigations.

Cavanaugh Undercover - Marie Ferrarella (HRS #1799 - May 2014)

Series: Cavanaugh Justice (Book 27)

Confronting "Ben Cartwright" in a seedy motel room, Detective Tiana Drummond is more than suspicious. A member of the CSI team, she's sure the handsome hunk is connected to the underground ring holding her sister captive. And like him or not, he's her only lead to finding Janie before it's too late.

But Tiana, always distrustful of men, more than likes him. "Cartwright" makes her feel like she's never felt before -- desired, protected…and totally chagrined when she discovers he's undercover cop Brennan Cavanaugh! Teaming up on a dangerous search, they'll have to risk their lives. But keeping their covers isn't as easy as falling in love!

I love the Cavanaugh series and I was so excited when Andrew found another whole branch of the family. As Brennan put it "I've heard of family trees, but this is damn near a family forest." We met Brennan at the end of Cavanaugh Hero when he broke his undercover role to save Andrew Cavanaugh. Because of that move, his bosses at the DEA put him on desk duty, which he hated. At a family gathering where the new batch of Cavanaughs were getting to know the family, Brennan is offered an undercover job by the Chief of Detectives. So he is now trying to get on the inside of a human trafficking ring that is kidnapping young girls.

Tiana is a CSI detective in San Francisco when her younger sister goes missing. She takes a leave of absence to go looking for Janie. Janie is the only family she has after the death of their abusive father. Their lives with her father have made her very distrustful of men, and the smooth operator she finds sets off all kinds of alarms. She's sure he's connected to the ring, but he's unlike any of the criminals she's come into contact with in the past. He's also being very accommodating to her in her own role as a madam looking for workers. She's thankful, but also somewhat suspicious.

This was so much fun to read. I loved the initial interactions between Tiana and Brennan. Each is suspicious of the other one. Brennan thinks she's too classy to be what she says she is, but he's willing to keep her close and use her to further his attempts to find the missing girls. Tiana finds him a bit too personally appealing to her, and doesn't understand why he seems to be slipping past her barriers. I liked the way that she trusts him enough to take his advice on the meeting she has with the trafficker, but still has reservations about him.

It gets really good when she decides it's in her best interests to turn him over to the cops. He tries to tell her he's undercover, but she doesn't believe him.  I loved the scene where she actually took him to the police station. Once everything is sorted out, I liked the way that they joined forces for real. They have a nearly seamless way of working together that gets them a lot of very useful information. Things are also heating up for them on a personal level. Brennan sees the way she guards herself, and wants to show her that it's possible for her to have much more happiness than she allows herself. She brings out feelings in him that he hadn't expected to feel quite yet. For Tiana, Brennan is unlike any man she's ever known before. He is protective of her but he also respects her abilities. The passion she feels for him she plans to enjoy for as long as it lasts, even though she doesn't expect anything long term.

I loved the culmination as they found "Mr. Big". Both Brennan and Tiana did a great job of thinking on their feet. I really enjoyed Brennan's recruiting of his brother and sister as backup and the fun family dynamics among them, even as they are always available for support of each other. The excitement of their search kept me turning the pages until everything was resolved. Brennan's timely appearance at the crucial moment also gave another little piece of information about him that explained more about the man he is.

Of course, I loved the epilogue as it takes place at another Cavanaugh family event. I always enjoy the reactions of people new to the family, and Tiana is no different. Her reaction to the Cavanaugh track record is great, especially with what Brennan has to say. 

Cavanaugh Hero - Marie Ferrarella (HRS #1788 - Feb 2014)

Series: Cavanaugh Justice (Book 26)

A serial cop killer has Aurora's police force up in arms. And when the former chief gets hit, it becomes personal for Detective Declan Cavanaugh and his beautiful new partner, Charley Randolph.

Charley first took notice of the sexy, devil-may-care detective at the academy. Now she has no desire to get involved with a fellow officer. But as the bodies pile up and the threats grow more ominous, Charley must trust Declan not to reveal her true reason for working the case. Racing against the clock draws them closer--their forbidden attraction is as impossible to deny as the grave danger they're in.

Very good book.  I really liked both Declan and Charley.  The serial killer started the killing spree by shooting Charley's half brother.  She was the one who found him and was determined to be involved in finding the killer. She knew she'd be shut out if anyone knew Matt was her brother, so she kept that information to herself.  Declan was the detective assigned to the case and agreed to see if she could help.  Both had noticed the other when they were at the police academy years earlier.  Declan had been a chick magnet and had no trouble taking advantage of it.  He was interested in Charley but thought she was married so he left her alone.  Charley had also noticed him but had no intention of getting involved with anyone.  She pretended to be married so the guys would keep their distance.  Seeing Declan again brought back the same feelings but she still didn't want to get involved.  

I loved the way that Declan and Charley interacted with each other.  I think they were fairly comfortable with each other from the beginning because they had known each other before.  Once Declan found out that Charley was single he was certainly more interested in her, but he did try to restrain himself at the beginning.  I loved seeing his protectiveness come out as he tried to keep her from overworking on the case.  The more he got to know her the more he realized he was different than anyone else he had been with.  Charley was wary of Declan at first because of what she remembered of him, but soon saw the difference in him.  I loved seeing her stand up to him when he tried to shield her from things but also give in when she knew he was right.  She had never had family other than her brother so she was intrigued by the closeness of the Cavanaugh family.  I loved her surprise at the way the whole family just made her part of them, and how moved she was by their appearance at her brother's funeral.  The ending was intense with the confrontation with the killer and made both Declan and Charley realize what their true feelings were.

The suspense of the story was very good as Charley and Declan tried to figure out who the killer was.  There was definitely a lot of frustration as more officers were killed and there were no clues.  I could feel the tension after Andrew was shot and they finally got a break.  There was a very interesting twist to the identity of the shooter that I really didn't see coming.  

As always, the Cavanaugh family get togethers are fun.  I enjoy seeing previous characters and what is happening with them now.  I loved Charley's reaction to them.  One of the best things is how they are always there to support each other and the people they care about.  When Andrew was shot, once again most of the family ended up at the hospital, driving the nurses nuts as usual.  I loved her comment "You all should just get your own hospital."