RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars
WANTED BY THE MARSHAL (American Armor Book One) by Ryshia Kennie is a new Harlequin Intrigue romantic suspense by a new to me author. This is the first book in the American Armor series featuring a US Marshal sent to watch over the sole survivor of a serial killer.
Kiera Connell is a nurse practitioner who loves her job at the Prairie Seniors’ Care Home in Cheyenne Wyoming. She is on her own, but she views the seniors as her family. One night as she is walking home after work she is abducted.
Kiera escapes and is able to direct police to where she was kept. The police arrest Eric Solomon and discover he is the serial killer the FBI has been looking for. The only problem is, Kiera heard two voices, but without evidence, the authorities just believe it is PTSD and they have their man. The FBI is afraid Kiera may take off before the trial, so she is to be watched by US Marshals.
US Marshal Travis Johnson is assigned to lead Kiera’s case. Travis’ job is to keep watch over her until she appears in court. As Travis gets to know Kiera and strange phone calls occur, he begins to believe her about there being two abductors against all the physical evidence. When Travis is attacked, they move to a safe house, but will it be enough? As the threat to Kiera escalates, Travis and Kiera find their attraction does the same.
I loved the suspense plot with the idea of a second abductor that there is no physical evidence of and the authorities are skeptical of the witness’ memory. It was a good twist that kept the suspense growing. Kiera is a strong heroine who is determined to stand up for herself, while also having a very kind and loving heart towards her patients and Travis. I did not feel a strong enough attraction for the romance to jump to sex scenes. I felt the trope of the bodyguard falling for his charge was written well for the shortness of the story, but I did not like when Travis left Kiera alone for the plot points of bad things happening to her. For me, it was not believable since his main job was to protect her and it felt forced. Overall, it was just an O.K. romantic suspense read for me.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
