365 books in 365 days Challenge ... Book #294

Tempted by His Target - Jill Sorenson
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Harlequin, 2011
ISBN: 9780373277483












My rating

From the back cover:

"Wanted for the murder of a Mexican drug lord's son, party girl Isabel Sanborn fled to Oaxaca. Now she owes her life to Brandon Knox, a passing tourist who just saved her from a hit man. But Knox is no accidental hero—he's an undercover U.S. marshal assigned to bring Isabel to justice. Instead, wanting to protect her, he joins her on the lam…with cartel goons and corrupt police in hot pursuit! 
And as the danger escalates, sexual tension sizzles. For the first time in his career, Brandon considers jeopardizing his mission to safeguard his target. And though Isabel can elude the authorities,she can't escape her feelings…"


I have been eyeing up this one from the Harlequin ebook store for a while and decided to give it a go.

The hero Brandon is a U.S. Marshall whose newest assignment is to find and escort back to the US fugitive Isabel, the heroine. Isabel has been on the run for two years, from both the US authorities and a dangerous Mexican drug cartel. After spending most of her adult life jumping from party to party, drinking, and doing drugs, all to escape the disappointments in her life, being on the run has enabled her to clean up and reform her ways. Waking up next to the dead son of the cartel leader and having no idea of what happened, caused Isabel to flee in fear, and she has had to grow up a lot in the last two years. Brandon manages to make contact, despite her prickliness, and also gains her trust. However when members of the cartel find her they are forced to flee together. Brandon and Isabel grow close as they try to make their way through Mexico, Isabel begins to trust Brandon enough to tell him her story, and Brandon soon begins to wish he could help her rather than his eventual betrayal.

When I started reading this book I actually didn't like it. The use of a lot of surfer slang kind of put me off (!) and the hero was a little too young for my liking. BUT, I kept with it and ended up really loving it. The suspense in this book is pretty much perfect, there is plenty of edge-of-your-seat action, as well as mystery. The passion between the hero and heroine is intense, it jumps off the pages. The rushed nature of the relationship is very exciting, and reads well. Although I do think the HEA is a little too 'wrapped up', if you know what I mean.

But overall, this is an exciting, fast paced, and emotional book.

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