Tempted by a Touch by Kris Rafferty – a Review

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Description:
People keep dying around Harper MacLain. Try as she might, she can’t stop bad things from happening to those she loves. When her closely guarded secret lands her in the middle of her ex-boyfriend’s investigation, she’s in over her head. She hates that Detective Lucas Sullivan is in her life again, tempting her to fall back into bad habits…and his bed.

When Harper left him, Lucas tried not to care, burying himself in his job instead. Then Harper became the job. Now they’re on the run, and all he can think about is keeping her safe…and his hands off her. Lucas knows she’s the key to solving his case, if he can keep them alive long enough to do it. And that’s the trick…because falling in love can kill you.

Review:

Tempted by a Touch begins with Detective Lucas Sullivan pulling into Harper MacLain’s driveway to take her to the station to talk to a dirty cop who is in custody and has requested a meeting with her.  Seeing her for the first time in a long time has the same effect on him as it always has, which isn’t a good thing right now. 

The last person Harper MacLain wants to spend any time with is Lucas.  She has agreed to the meeting at the station and it just happens to be Lucas’case.  They argue for a few minutes over him not wanting her to go (all the while needing her to) and her upset because her brother’s been kept out of the loop.  Once those things are settled, they head downtown and arrive at the station. The meeting is tense to say the least, but what happens after the meeting is over sets into motion a series of events that will have both she and Lucas questioning everything and everyone…..including each other.  Not knowing whom to trust, they both make mistakes in the name of trying to keep everyone safe, only to have one thing after another blow up in their faces;  sometimes literally. 

I really liked Tempted by a Touch, although, I feel like I would have probably loved it if I’d read the first book in the series, which I highly recommend.  With that said, the story was very good.  The lines blur between what I referred to as The Good, The Bad and The Gray…….  Harper has a secret that she has been keeping and she’s afraid once that’s out, her brother, nor Lucas, will look at her the same way.  She is very loyal, stubborn and brave.  She also has a little streak of naivete, which was a little surprising due to the fact she grew up in a family of cops, but that only endears her more to the reader.  Lucas’father was a cop as well, but it made him a little jaded towards balancing a family and being a career officer.  One thing is for certain, he is willing to give it all up to be with Harper and keep her safe.  If only she’d quit running head on into trouble…  The bad are just that: bad.  Then comes the gray and that’s where things get very interesting.  The supporting characters in this were very well written.  One minute you think this guy may be bad, but then they enter the gray zone and aren’t really bad. Written with very colorful characters, Tempted by a Touch is a suspenseful story with a good energy building up to the end where things are finally righted.  BUT THE VERY END?!?!  If that is not representative of whom the next book is about, I’ll be so disappointed.  I definitely am looking forward to the next installment, but not before I go back and read the first in the series to fill in a few blanks.  Well done, Kris Rafferty!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher