Hi, everyone!
Today I am very excited to be posting on the Harlequin February 2020 Series Blog Tour. My Feature Post and Book Review is for Debra Webb’s new Intrigue – WITNESS PROTECTION WIDOW.
Below you will find a short author Q&A, a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book and an about the author blurb. Enjoy!
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Debra Webb Author Q&A
1. Did you always want to write for Harlequin?
A: From the moment I read my first Harlequin Intrigue novel, I knew I wanted to write them!
2. Share your favorite memory of reading a Harlequin romance
A: I write romantic suspense so sometimes something light is a great way to relax. My fav memory is of laughing out loud while reading a Stephanie Bond Harlequin romance!
3. What is a recent book you have read that you would recommend?
A: In The Dark by Loreth Anne White
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Book Description
Can the witness protection program keep her identity secret?
After Allison James finally escapes her marriage to a monster, she becomes the star witness in the case against her deceased husband’s powerful crime family.
Now it’s up to US Marshal Jaxson Stevens, Ali’s ex-boyfriend, to keep the WITSEC widow safe. But as the danger escalates and sparks fly, will Jax be able to help Ali escape her ruthless in-laws.
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
WITNESS PROTECTION WIDOW (Winchester, Tennessee Book #5) by Debra Webb is the February 2020 Harlequin Intrigue romantic suspense second chance romance and since it is written by Debra Webb, I knew I would be getting a great story even in this shorter format. I was NOT disappointed. Though this book is part of the Winchester, Tennessee series, it can easily be read as a standalone.
Allison James Armone has been trapped for several years in an abusive marriage to the son of the head of the Armone crime family. She has been planning and waiting for her chance to escape. At the weekly meeting between father and son, Allison witnesses the father shoot the son and kill him.
She makes her escape and becomes the star witness in the case against her father-in-law. When the US Marshall guarding Allison (aka Alice Stewart) is involved in an accident, he calls on one of his best friends in the Marshalls to fill in. It is only a few days until the trial and Ali’s life is at stake.
US Marshall Jaxon Stevens cannot believe his assignment is his young foolish mistake in love. Can Jaxon convince Ali he wants and deserves a second chance even as he works to keep her alive to testify?
Ali is a great heroine. After everything she has been through, she refuses to back down and wants to testify no matter the danger to herself. She made a mistake that cost her, but she has come out on the other side and is strong and determined. I also liked that her main concern is for Jaxon’s safety and not her own. Jaxon is a strong alpha protective hero, but he also must come around to understand how Ali got caught up in her marriage and to understand his own feelings about wanting her back even though he left her before for his career. There are a lot of emotions and misunderstandings to get through in this book even as physical danger is just around the corner. My only concern is Ms. Webb never revealed who changed their travel plans and set them on the run from the bad guys. Other than that, this is a fast-paced story that intertwines the suspense and the romance perfectly.
I love sitting down with a Harlequin Intrigue and an author I enjoy because I know I can be entertained with a romantic suspense that engrosses me in the story and is a quicker read than a full-sized novel. I recommend this second chance romantic suspense.
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Excerpt
She shivered. The fire had gone out. She kept on her jacket while she added logs to the fireplace and kindling to get it started. Within a couple of minutes, the fire was going. She’d had a fireplace as a kid, so relearning her way around this one hadn’t been so bad. She went back to the kitchen and turned on the kettle for tea.
Bob growled low in his throat and stared toward the front door.
She froze. Her phone was in her hip pocket. Her gun was still in her waistband at the small of her back. This was something else Marshal Holloway had insisted upon. He’d taught her how to use a handgun. They’d held many target practices right behind this cabin.
A creak beyond the front door warned that someone was on the porch. She eased across the room and went to the special peephole that had been installed. There was one on each side of the cabin, allowing for views all the way around. A man stood on the porch. He was the typical local cowboy. Jeans and boots. Hat in his hands. Big truck in the drive. Just like Marshal Holloway.
But she did not know this man.
“Alice Stewart, if you’re in there, it’s okay for you to open the door. I’m Sheriff Colt Tanner. Branch sent me.”
Her heart thudding, she held perfectly still. Branch would never send someone to her without letting her know first. If for some reason he couldn’t tell her in advance, they had a protocol for these situations.
She reached back, fingers curled about the butt of her weapon. Bob moved stealthily toward the door.
“I know you’re concerned about opening the door to a stranger, but you need to trust me. Branch has been in an accident, and he’s in the hospital undergoing surgery right now. No matter that his injuries were serious, he refused to go into surgery until he spoke to me and I assured him I would look after you, ma’am.”
Worry joined the mixture of fear and dread churning inside her. She hoped Branch wasn’t hurt too badly. He had a wife and a daughter.
She opened her mouth to ask about his condition, but then she snapped it shut. The man at her door had not said the code word.
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About the Author
DEBRA WEBB is the award winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 150 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama.
Visit Debra at www.DebraWebb.com
