Stop At Nothing by Kate SeRine
Series: Protect and Serve, #1
Romantic Suspense
Kensington
November 3, 2015

Reviewed by Tori

Kyle Dawson is a renegade FBI agent with a huge chip on his shoulder due to his infamous last name and his father. Kyle opted to become a FBI agent instead of going into local law enforcement like his father and brothers widening an already expansive gulf between them. When a case of his goes belly up due to his flagrant disregard for the rules, his boss sends him to another field office with the advice to shape up as this is his last chance. His new assignment is his hometown which brings him back in touch with his family and Abby Morrow.

Kyle and Abby had an explosive summer affair till Abby abruptly ended it and left Kyle heartbroken. Abby, a forensic investigator who works for Kyle’s father, finds herself facing trouble of her own when a freelance assignment becomes a life and death matter when her sister is kidnapped. Already caught between a rock and a hard place, she is both shocked and relieved when Kyle comes back into her life.

Kyle vows he will do anything to save Abby and her sister. As Kyle and Abby investigate further, they discover their respective and separate cases are actually connected in a highly complicated human trafficking ring. A dangerous cat and mouse game begins with Kyle and Abby fighting against their reignited passion and an organization who’ll stop at nothing to ensure no one discovers their secrets.

I am a huge fan of Kate SeRine’s Transplant Tales and was excited to see her newest release.  Stop At Nothing us on a suspense filled journey of lost love, second chances, and murder when a disgraced FBI agent is sent back home to face his demons-one of them being the woman he loved then lost. Two separate cases clash as Kyle Dawson and Abby Morrow discover they have much more in common then a past romance. Well written with an appealing cast of characters; the story bubbles with some interesting twists and turns. I would like to add there is a novella-Torn- that comes before this that introduces the Dawson family (I have not read it). You can find it in the The Way of the Warrior, an eight author anthology published in May 2015. All author and publisher proceeds are dedicated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

While I liked the book overall, it wasn’t as engrossing as I thought it would be. The beginning is extremely promising and starts off with a bang. A witty and sardonic Kyle entertains readers as he accepts his punishment and  integrates himself back with his family and Abby. SeRine uses Kyle’s fall from grace and subsequent return to blow open the door on the case he was working on. I enjoyed the easy way in which he comports himself and the fact that while he offers no apologies for his actions, he knows he has issues that need resolving.  Abby is just as feisty and I admired her strength and intelligence as she uses her skills to search for her sister and the man behind her freelance case.

The mystery is intriguing in premise and offers some action and suspense, building up to what looks to be an exciting ride, only to gradually fizzle out as the romance overtakes it and quickly regulates it to a subplot. More narrative than description occurs with a third-party being the one to keep us in the loop rather than the protagonists who are investigating.

I had some issues with the romance. It’s a strong part of the storyline, the base on which the story is built. The physical aspects of Kyle and Abby’s romance engage rather quickly, far more quickly than I would have thought considering how they broke up. When we learn the real reason why Abby let Kyle go, I was disappointed. That is not a favorite plotline of mine. It never executes believable for me and I ended up questioning the heroine’s true motives.

As I stated earlier, the cast of characters is appealing in their individualism and dynamics. I enjoyed getting to know Kyle and Abby’s family and seeing the clues as to what is in store for them in future books. There were times I felt like we fell into the middle of the series rather than the beginning as we are told of things happening with an air of expectation that we should already know all this. Perhaps this is where the novella comes into play. I must say one character in particular was extremely interesting figure as he was the only one whose motives reminded fluid. Plus, his strange sense of honor had me laughing. I do hope we see him again.

Even with my misgivings, I think the potential is here for a well rounded romantic suspense series as it all the necessary ingredients. It just needs a little more mixing.

RATING: C

Prior Kate SeRine Reviews

Recent Review
Just Talking ABout Books
Bea’s Book Nook
Pop Kitty Book Reviews

Goodreads I Author Website I Series List

Kindle I Nook