5 Wine Glass #Review of Hero's Return by B.J. Daniels

 

Title: Hero’s Return
Series: The Montana Cahills
Author: B.J. Daniels
Format: Kindle, 384 pages
Published: 1 April 2018 by HQN Books
ISBN: ASIN: B0746N1DDY
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

The prodigal Cahill is back—and ready to confess

Tucker Cahill disappeared from Gilt Edge, Montana, hoping to escape a secret that has haunted him for nineteen years. Then, when a young woman’s remains are found in the creek near his family’s ranch, he has no choice but to face his demons. The truth that sent him running years ago could take away his freedom now.

Kate Rothschild came to town looking for vengeance—and Tucker Cahill. What she finds is a tortured and irresistible man who’s more than meets the eye. Caught up in the past, they are drawn deeper into a twisted game that’s not over yet. And the consequences could prove fatal for them both… 

Linda's Thoughts:

He’d never doubted he would return – he just hadn’t expected it to take nineteen years.

No one writes western romantic suspense like B.J. Daniels. She proves it once again with Hero’s Return, the latest installment in her Montana Cahills’ series chronicling Tucker Cahill’s return home after going AWOL nineteen years ago when he was seventeen. No one has heard from or of him since - until human skeletal remains of a young woman are unearthed aside a creek near his family’s ranch. Tucker hears the news and returns home to face the music. He stops first at the Sheriff’s office to fill his brother in on what transpired almost two decades before when he last saw Madeline. Tucker believes that its Madeline’s bones which have been found. He then goes out to where the bones were discovered and finds someone else looking at the scene. She runs when she spots him. A chase ensues….

Hero’s Return is the fifth book in the series if you count the digital novella, Cowboy’s Reckoning, published earlier this year. That said, it absolutely works well as a standalone read, if that is your preference.

The story primarily features two brilliantly written characters, Tucker and Kate. Kate is an investigative reporter who is also in Gilt Edge due to Madeline. I liked them both though I was torn between wishing them to uncover the truth while wanting them to stay safe and leave the sleuthing to the Sheriff. Truly, I envisioned shaking shake Kate a few times as she wouldn’t stop doggedly pursuing the truth about the old crime even as she placed them both in deadly situations. Tucker’s protectiveness was clearly evident as, despite his misgivings, he insisted on accompanying Kate in these endeavors. Please know that while readers are aware that the hero and heroine are having sex, the action is behind closed doors.

The Gilt Edge, Montana setting is the perfect backdrop. Fans of the series will enjoy catching up with previous favorite characters that all make appearances. Oh my! There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes in Gilt Edge! In addition, there’s an interwoven developing secondary mystery with another lovely romance.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Hero’s Return:

If whoever had been working with her thought they could blackmail him… He hoped they would try.
He wasn’t that teenager they’d tricked all those years ago. This cowboy was more than ready for them now.
--- 

“Anyway,” he said, his gaze lifting to hers. “We’re a team, right?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “That’s us, one of the great detective couples. Like Nick and Nora.”
He mugged a face. “More like Bonnie and Clyde.”
“Emma Peel and John Steed.”
Tucker laughed. “Shaggy and Scooby Doo.”
--- 

He breathed in the mesmerizing scent, knowing that if he touched her, if he turned her to face him, if he looked into those bottomless green eyes, he would be lost forever.

Hero’s Return is a page-turning suspenseful whodunit teeming with betrayals, twists and turns and sexual tension with a dash of humor. The intricate plot grabs you from the very first page and doesn’t loosen its grip until the last. The pacing is perfect, the writing is genius and the ending is thrilling. I can’t wait to return to Gilt Edge with B.J. as two Cahill brothers remain unattached. If you enjoy western romantic suspense, I highly recommend that you pick up Hero’s Return!



Suggested Reading Order: 
Renegade’s Pride (Book #1)
Outlaw’s Honor (Book #2)
Cowboy’s Reckoning (Book #2.5) - a novella, digital only
Cowboy’s Legacy (Book #3)
Hero’s Return
Cowboy’s Redemption - coming May, 2018!