Don’t let this book cover fool you; this book is a Romantic Suspense.
Mira Patel has just been fired by her matchmaker, and dumped on a lunch date, and then walked into an attorney’s office for her aunt’s will reading only to see her last relationship who she ghosted is standing there. He’s the attorney. Quite the day for Mira.
Naveen was in love with Mira who he met through their matchmaker, but after taking her to meet his family, she bailed and ghosted him. She is going by a slightly different name now, so he didn’t recognize her name on his schedule. But the feelings came back with a vengeance. And as she left his office, he follows her down, not wanting to end like this, when he walks into a kidnapping. And they drag him along with her.
Mira is hiding. She’s hiding from herself and everyone else in her life. Her father was a crook. And he had no qualms about using his daughters in his scams. Mira was very good at what she did, and while she knew it was wrong, it was kind of thrilling, and her father gave her praise and positive attention so to a little girl, it was fine. Until it wasn’t.
Naveen didn’t know any of this. So when some of it comes out during the kidnapping, he’s blindsided by his attraction to Mira and realizing he never really knew her.
Mira for her part, left him because she was falling for him and didn’t want to drag her life into his happy family. She was realizing that she couldn’t lie about her past forever, and she didn’t want him to know. And once they were sitting in a crappy shack in the middle of the desert outside of Las Vegas, she wanted to talk her way out and try to save Naveen. But his sense of chivalry kept getting in the way. Next thing they know, they’re knocking out an on the take FBI agent, shooting a bad guy, and stealing their car. They know what the kidnappers are after, and the best plan they have is to go find it first. If they can find the necklace her father stole, they can get it to the kidnappers and save themselves…and their families. Mira’s sister has been kidnapped, and there’s someone watching Naveen’s family as well, so neither one of them will be safe until the necklace is found.
What follows next is a combination of a Rom Com and a Romantic Suspense. I wish I could explain it better, but Alisha Rai has mastered the fun and funny Romantic Suspense. I won’t spoil what happens, but imagine if Ocean’s Eleven met True Lies and created a magical baby. That would be Partners In Crime. I hope she writes more like this one, because while I’ve always known she was a great writer, I love this new Funny Romantic Suspense genre she’s writing.
***ARC courtesy of Avon via Netgalley