Tattooed as Trouble by J.L. Hammer Series: Vegas Vixens #3
Published by Entangled: Select Suspense
Publication Date: February 8th 2016
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy Online: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ Kobo
Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.
For Raegan “Rae” Storm, the trouble in her life is as permanent as the tattoo stamped on her shoulder. After witnessing a double murder, she becomes the target of a bloodthirsty mafia and enters the Witness Protection Program in exchange for her testimony. With her life on the line, the last thing she expects is to lose her heart to the mysterious, handsome Quinn Bronson, the U.S. Marshal protecting her.
Driven by honor and his commitment to his job, Bronson rescues Rae from threats time and time again, but fighting off hit men is easier than ignoring his attraction for the one woman he should never desire: the witness. As danger presses in on Bronson and Rae, neither knows whom they can trust, and their forbidden love could be what destroys them.
Review
U.S. Marshal Quinn Bronson is dedicated to his job and prides himself on being an honorable man, which is why he can put aside his less than charitable feelings for his current charge and focus on protecting her. But Quinn is about to get a crash course in honor and nothing will ever be the same again.
An ill-advised attempt to help her brother leads to Rae Storm witnessing a double murder and makes her the target of a vengeful mafia. The only choice she has of staying alive is going into Witness Protection but she is not expecting to fall for the man tasked with keeping her safe.
TATTOOED AS TROUBLE begins with action and the intensity keeps increasing from page to page. Rae has had to live with the stigma of being the child of law-breaking hippies who caused the death of a law enforcement officer, regardless of the fact that she didn’t share in her parents’s beliefs and the fall-out from witnessing the double murders is just one more thing to contend with. Quinn may be just what she needs but unless he can get past his issues, they don’t have a chance of making something of what they feel for each other, especially because there is a leak within the Marshals’ Service and Rae’s life is on the line.
The author put together two seemingly mismatched characters and used the danger and suspense surrounding them to show that what they stood for when it counted was what mattered, not their pasts. I disliked Quinn and his judgmental self very much in the beginning, but his concern for Rae and the chances he took to keep her safe won me over. Rae had been dealt a bad hand in life, but she never let it get her down.
I really enjoyed the writing and the story. It’s an action-packed combo of suspense and romance. This is the first book I’ve read from Ms. Hammer and I’ve had the previous two books in the series in my library for a while but now that I’ve read and enjoyed this book, it’s time to go back to the beginning of the series.
Excerpt
He leaned his elbows on the table, his expression serious.
“Never assume anything’s safe. Break the program’s rules, or trust the wrong person, and you’re dead.”
Her throat moved visibly several times before she swallowed. “Okay.”
“And don’t ever forget to use your code name any time you identify yourself.”
“Code name?”
“Orchid.”
She rested her chin on her open palm and appeared to be thinking things over. Bronson glanced at his watch, surprised he still had four hours and forty minutes left out of his six-hour shift of guarding her. Inwardly, he groaned.
“Orchid doesn’t sound very tough. Can I pick another one?”
“No.”
“How about Xena? Now that’s tough.” She gave a curt nod as if it were decided.
“I picked Orchid myself and that’s what it’s going to be.”
The name had just come to him last night. His mother loved orchids, and the elegant flowers on their kitchen table had brightened up the rather drab atmosphere of his childhood house.
“You think I’m comparable to a fragile, high maintenance flower?”
Why did a woman always think the worst? “It’s an elegant, lovely flower.” He realized what he’d said and snapped his mouth shut.
“Bronson, you really think that?” she whispered.
He shoved to his feet, mentally kicking himself. Why the hell had he said that? Next he’d be reciting poetry. “If you ever have to call you must state this first when identifying yourself: ‘The orchids bloomed late last spring.’”
Her features twisted in an odd expression. “That’s strange. Couldn’t I say something that didn’t make me sound like a spy?”
“You’re not a spy, so stop worrying about it.”
She snapped her fingers. “Maybe I could say ‘I want to get a price on that blue two-door Toyota.’”
His brows furrowed, his patience wearing thin. “No.”
“Okay, actually this code would be better, because girls do it all the time: ‘Can you turn off my curling iron? I accidently left it plugged in.’”
He leveled her a hard stare. “No, it stays ‘The orchids bloomed late last spring.’ Now stop being difficult and repeat it.”
She lifted her hands in the air. “Whatever you say. The orchids bloomed last…late last spring.”
He strode across the kitchen and paused at the doorway.
“By the way you’re right…orchids are definitely high maintenance.”
About J.L. Hammer
J.L. Hammer is a California girl and enjoys living in her small mountain town with her husband and two children. She is a member of the International Thriller Writers and the Romance Writers of America. When she isn't writing or lost in the pages of a good book, she loves traveling, listening to country music, or just enjoying a nice glass of wine. Visit J.L. online to discover her exciting novels.
Leave a Reply