🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian MCs

📝Tropes/Themes: Romantic Suspense, Witness Protection, Small Town, Femme/Femme, Crime/Murder, First Time, Opposites Attract, Touch Her and Die

I love a good bodyguard romance, and this story definitely had a lot of those same vibes. I mean…a sheriff and the witness she is protecting is pretty dang close. These two were so stinking adorable though. Ava is witty and open and a bit more on the bubbly side. Lou, on the other hand, is a bit of a grump who just wants life to remain the way it is. So when she finds herself in the position of providing protection to this woman who could not be more her opposite, things get off to a bit of a rocky start. But despite the circumstances that brought them together, they begin to develop a friendship - while still very much giving each other a hard time! The banter between these two...so good! And as these women get better acquainted, and Lou starts letting down some of those walls,  sparks start to fly. It takes a while for either of them to do anything about those sparks though. And while this is not by any means the slowest burn I’ve ever read, it’s definitely more of a slow burn.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this story - how much of it would be about the murder Ava witnessed mostly. While both the romance and suspense elements are there throughout the story, this is definitely more of a “romance with a side of suspense” kind of story as opposed to a suspense story with the added element of romance. That being said - buckle up for the end of this story, because that’s when the suspense really starts to take hold. But I’ll leave it there to avoid spoilers. 

I also just love the quaint little town of Cedar Falls and its residents, especially Lou’s mom and the book club ladies. Those women had me cracking up more than once! And the epilogue…just such a unique and perfectly Cedar Falls way to wrap up this story. This was Elle’s debut novel and I’m excited to see what she does next!