Synopsis:
Falling for his rivals’ little sister could cost him everything…
For Liam Trulane, failure is not an option. He is determined to win a place in Katie Summers’ life before she leaves Independence Falls for good. But first, he needs to make amends for the last time they got down and dirty.
Only problem?
His professional success hinges on striking a deal to buy Katie’s family business. And after Liam’s relationship with their Katie went south years ago, the Summers brothers are more enemy than friend. If both parties agree to set the past aside, they can reach an understanding. But when Katie welcomes him back into her bed, Liam risks everything to make her.
After Liam betrayed her trust, Katie Summers will do anything to keep him from walking away with the family business. She decides to seduce him, knowing that when her brothers find out, they will back off from the deal. And she’ll finally have her revenge. But when her plan spirals out of control, Katie learns that payback may come at too high a price.
My Review:
Caught in the Act is the second book in author Sara Jane Stone’s Independence Falls Series. I loved the first installment, Full Exposure, and was so excited to read Liam and Katie’s story…and oh my, it was all that I had hoped for!
The history between Katie Summers and Liam Trulane is a bit of a sore spot for both of them…although, as it turns out, not for the same reasons.
Liam is Katie’s best friend’s older brother and for one summer after high school graduation they shared a steamy, albeit secret, affair…meeting under the stars and exploring all of the emotions and touches young lovers share. But it all changed when her brothers found out and took the role of concerned siblings a bit too far. That’s when it all ended. That’s when Katie’s heart was broken and when she realized Liam obviously didn’t feel the way she did. In truth she couldn’t have been more wrong and the reasons he gave her up so easily had more to do with him not feeling worthy of her rather than anything else. She’s spent the last seven years trying to forget him…
Fast forward to today, seven years later, and to a chance of a business merger with Katie’s family’s trucking company and the logging company Liam now helps run. Certainly there was no way her brothers, who have hated Liam for seven years, would sell to Moore Timber….or would they? Things have been rough for all of them and this may be a great opportunity for her entire family. It could give her the chance to pursue her dreams of working at an animal sanctuary and leaving Independence Falls. What she’s always dreamed of.
But things get a bit more complicated than they already are when she and Liam start to rekindle the old flame that never truly died out and soon Katie realizes maybe she was wrong about all the reasons Liam broke things off with her seven years earlier. Could he still want her? Would she be giving up her dreams if she stayed in Independence Falls to be with him?
I think one of the things I loved most about Katie and Liam’s story was that they had a back story and their feelings were already there when I started reading. The chemistry was already hot and heavy and just got hotter as the story progressed. Beyond that, seeing a softer side of Liam, especially when it came to Katie, was fantastic. Sorting thorough all of the emotions from the past and clarifying the untrue assumptions brought another layer to Katie and Liam’s relationship that I really enjoyed. Both Katie and Liam are wonderfully developed characters and have multi-faceted personalities with a loyalty to their family and friends that I adore.
Adding to this story was the family business aspect, which is a huge part in both of their lives. My husband works in a 3rd generation family owned business so I totally got the ties both Katie and Liam have to their careers.
Overall this is a great sophomore novel in author Stone’s series and is packed with plenty of heat and emotion with relationships that are strong and ties that run deep. I will continue to look forward to this series and cannot wait to see what’s in store for the Independence Falls crew!
Four Loves
About the author:
After several years on the other side of the publishing industry, Sara Jane Stone bid goodbye to her sales career to pursue her dream–writing romance novels. Sara Jane currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with her very supportive real-life hero, two lively young children and a lazy Burmese cat. Visit her online at www.sarajanestone.com or find her on Facebook or Twitter.
Five Loves
Julie Kenner (aka J. Kenner and J.K. Beck) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over forty novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.