Read Your Writes Book Reviews: 5 Star Review ~ ALMOST FOREVER by Kathy Clark

Almost Forever (Austin Heroes, #2)

by: Kathy Clark

Series: Austin Heroes

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: July 26, 2016

Source: Loveswept via NetGalley

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A cold case leads to blazing-hot temptation in this novel of romantic suspense from bestselling author Kathy Clark. For readers of Nora Roberts and Karen Robards, Almost Forever pairs a rugged lawman with a woman who may just be a murderer.

Justin Archer is a Texas Ranger through and through, a loyal man devoted to the dangerous job he loves. But when the grisly discovery of a skeleton in a local vineyard turns an old missing-persons case into a vicious homicide, Justin finds that the toughest challenge of his professional career will be keeping his hands off his chief suspect: the dead man’s beautiful, young trophy wife. Did Lori Roberts kill for vast material gain? The only thing Justin knows for sure is that their chemistry is instantaneous—and overpowering.

Lori worked hard to build a new life for herself and her daughter. She turned her husband’s struggling vineyard into a thriving enterprise, and now she stands to lose it all over something that happened eight years ago. Justin could lock her up and throw away the key, but Lori desperately wants to trust him. More than that, she wants to let him into her wounded heart. Because Lori’s been running from the past for a long time . . . and she’s ready to start living for the future.

REVIEW

Almost Forever is the second book in Kathy Clark’s Austin Heroes series which centers around three Texas brothers that are in law enforcement and their pot-smoking, hippie grandmother. Although it is a series and I have read the previous book, After Love, this book does work as a standalone. For this installment, the story is about Justin Archer who is the oldest of the three siblings. He is a genuine Texas Ranger with an impressive clearance record. He also has done a great job of keeping things professional and not letting a pretty woman affect his job up until now. When he meets winery owner Lori Roberts, everything changes for both of them. Unfortunately, she is both beautiful and a suspect in the murder of her husband whose body is discovered after being missing for 8 years.

From the moment Justin meets Lori, he is smitten and can’t understand why he is reacting that way. They have an instant emotional and physical reaction that they fail to deny. In fact, they end up having a careless tryst early into the investigation that instantly changes Justin’s role in the investigation. Justin and Lori end up teaming up to find out who the real murderer is while intensifying their relationship. The list of suspects is long since Lori’s former husband was a womanizer and a spoiled rich kid. There are several times where someone tries to kill Lori and Justin does everything he can to protect her. Justin’s family also gets involved and I could appreciate how they all came together like the strong family that they are. I was truly surprised when I found out what really happened to the victim and there’s a twist that I didn’t see coming.

Almost Forever was a good continuation from the first book in terms of allowing the reader to get to know even more about the Archer family and their roots. I was also impressed by how strong a woman Lori was. She is an astute businesswoman and a great mother. The book was filled with good role models without being unrealistic. The suspense was good without being too intense and the sex was scorching hot. I look forward to reading the next book, Another Chance, and getting to know more about the third brother.

**Received a copy from Random House ~ Loveswept in exchange for an honest unbiased opinion.**

Rating: 5