Someone Like Her
by Sandra Owens
Series: K2 Team, #2
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Known to the K2 Special Services team as Romeo, ex-Navy SEAL Jake Buchanan has yet to meet a woman he didn't like. There is one though who sets his heart to racing in a way the others don't. She is off-limits, however, and his boss—her brother—has made that crystal clear.
Troubled by a childhood that still haunts her, Maria Kincaid goes searching for a father she's never met—and stumbles into a nightmarish experience. With her life in grave danger, she reaches out to Jake.
Jake, a man who believes he isn't capable of committing to one woman, knows he should stay as far away from Maria as possible. She's in trouble though and he'll just lend a hand, then return to his life as Romeo.
As Jake soon learns, some things are easier said than done.
“We have to find Mouse,” she said, her voice trembling.
If the asshole had found her cat, Jake didn't want Maria to see the result. But he wasn't willing to leave her behind. He grunted and set off down the hallway. Her bedroom door was ajar and the destruction there was the worst. Her bed had been sliced open, the contents of her dresser drawers upended, clothing ripped to shreds. She made a low keening sound, one that Jake feared he would hear in his nightmares. At least there was no mutilated cat.
“Mouse, here kitty, kitty. Come to mommy,” she softly sang.
So fast that Jake almost shot it before he registered what was coming at them, a gray and white ball of fur flew out of the closet and straight at Maria. The drawn out meooows and maaahhhs were accompanied by hisses that Jake took to be a scolding from cat to woman. He didn't really blame the cat. The poor creature must have been scared out of at least three lives when the Devil decided to pay a call. Maria let go of Jake’s belt to wrap her arms around her cat.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. I should’ve come back and got you.”
Did he really just hear her say that? He turned to tell her what he thought about her returning alone, knowing Fortunada had her address. Her face was buried in the cat’s neck and the damned thing rested its paw on Maria’s cheek, his green feline eyes locked lovingly on her as he chatted away. The reprimand died on Jake’s lips.
“Stay here while I check the bathroom,” he said and left them to their reunion. He made a full sweep of the-one bedroom apartment, and as he took in the destruction of all that she owned, his rage grew. This was a warning from Fortunada to Maria. Jake longed for just ten minutes with the man, no guns or knives, just bare fists.
He took out his cell and called Detective Nolan. When he finished reporting the break-in, he returned to the bedroom. Maria sat on the floor, her cat still cuddled in her arms.
Her gaze swept the room, then she looked up at him. “I can’t live here, not even when this is over.”
“No, I don’t suppose you can,” he said, sitting on the floor next to her. Without warning, Maria pressed against him and sobbed. Jake tried hard not to notice the way her breasts bounced over his chest as she cried. It didn't work. He noticed. He was a very bad man.
Another great book in the K2 Series! Where the first book focused on Logan Kincaid, the founder of K2, this book focuses on his sister Maria, who we met in the first book when she was entering law school. Although I don’t think you need to read the first book in this series before picking this one up, there is some background information about Logan and Maria’s family that will add additional depth to the story – again, this can be read as a standalone, but having the background was a nice addition to this read.
I just love these types of storylines – you have the little sister of the boss/best friend who has been deemed off-limits. You also have a bit of an age difference – not much, but just enough to throw in some situations where worldly experience, real or perceived, or lack thereof, comes in to play. And you have two people who have been dancing around an attraction to one another for some time – of course in Jake’s case, the threat of death that Maria’s big brother Logan has thrown out has been a great incentive for him to keep his hands to himself!
Maria was my kind of heroine. She knows when to ask for help, she doesn’t make stupid decisions that put others in danger, and she stands up for herself when she has to. Although she has put herself in a very dangerous situation, to her credit it wasn’t intentional and she reached out for help right away. It was fun watching her spar with Jake and try to get him to see past that “off limits” sign she was wearing.
Jake was a great hero. He’s certainly lived up to his “Romeo” nickname, but lately he’s having a hard time enjoying the “Romeo” lifestyle. Of course he knows Maria is off-limits, and not just because her brother has threatened him with death if he goes near her, but also because she deserves more than he can offer her. Of course he can’t deny Maria his help, even if he knows it may cost him his job, and watching him fight that attraction to her made for some fun scenes.“Jesus, I’ve died and gone straight to hell,” he muttered.
“And your punishment is a pissy woman and her evil cat?”
His lips twitched, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Don’t forget beautiful. A beautiful, off-limits pissy woman and her evil cat.”
She could live with that. The he thought her beautiful part, anyway, but she was going to have to do something about the off-limits part of the equation, and she knew exactly where that one came from. Her brother was going to get a piece of her mind for putting his nose in her love life. When she got up the nerve to face him, that is.
In addition to Maria being in danger and following her and Jake’s story, we also get to catch up with Logan and a very pregnant Dani. One of the things I love about this series is the strong family connection between Logan and Maria, and now seeing how that has expanded to include Dani as well. As over-protective as he is, he also wants Maria to be happy and I love the scenes between them as Maria struggles with everything that is happening and her relationship with Jake. I also loved watching Dani keep Logan in line – I love those strong females!The frown on his face dissolved, and he shook his head. “No, it’s not you, it’s me. I can’t stop thinking about your breasts and it’s pissing me off.” His eyes did a rapid blinking thing. “Hell. Tell me I didn't just say that.”
This was a really great read that I would recommend to everyone! I can’t wait for more books in this series – the rest of the K2 team has a great cast of characters that I’m sure have some great stories waiting to be told!
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
Book 1: Crazy For Her
Monday, January 12
Tuesday, January 13
Wednesday, January 14
Thursday, January 15
Friday, January 16
Thanks for posting today :) BPICP
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