The plot for this book is fantastic! Are there more out there like this? Let me know in the comments, because I think I found my new catnip. Undercover heroes (or heroines)!
Alice was set to marry a man who was killed in a police chase on the way to the wedding. Her fiance turned out to be the Secret Admirer-a serial killer of women who looked like her. And she had no idea. The FBI however, doesn’t buy that. They believe the Secret Admirer had a partner, and since some of the “mementos” that he kept were in her house, they think she was that partner. A year later, she’s trying to rebuild her life, and has isolated herself from everyone. Her hunky neighbor Zander has been helping her fix some of the problems her cabin keeps having, and he’s making her rethink her lonely life.
Zander is an FBI agent who is supposed to get close to her and prove that she was working with the Secret Admirer killer. All those things going wrong with her cabin? Sabotaged by the FBI so he can pose as a helpful handy neighbor. But as he gets to know Alice, he not only believes she’s innocent, but he’s starting to fall for her. She finally accepts a date with him, and it goes so well she runs to his cabin afterwards to let him know she’s ready for more. She’s tired of hiding and she’s ready to live again.
But there’s another murder and it’s suspiciously similar to the Secret Admirer killings. Soon Zander realizes that she’s no longer a suspect in his eyes, but now a victim. And when someone breaks into her home and trashes her room, he blows his cover and calls his team in.
Alice is furious, and hurt, and furious some more. Zander’s partner thinks she knows more than she says, and doesn’t want to admit that she could be a victim. And Zander? He never thought about what would happen if Alice knew he’d lied to her, and he’s finding that it hurts. The betrayal in her eyes has him wanting to fix everything. He wants to start over with her, but she’s obviously not having it. I love how this was handled, and I love that she was mad at him. I think a lot of times, the betrayal is forgiven too quickly (for my taste) and I get that the story has to move along, but come on, she can be mad for more than one page! This one had her salty for a while, and I loved that.
This was a novella, but I really think this would have been an amazing full-length book. I love LOVE the betrayal trope, and Zander totally betrayed Alice, so this is totally my catnip. But I wanted more. So, give me more, mention some in the comments, or on twitter if you follow me there. I’m all in for the undercover trope now.
