The Cowboy and the CEO (Silhouette Special Edition #1846) Book

I'm a great Nora Roberts fan and this book is a lot in her style. To be totally honest I haven't expected from this book to actually enjoy it so much. It suited perfectly one of my challenges, so I gave it a chance. And I'm so glad I did!

Sabrina survived the terrorist attack on a hotel she was working in in Italy. Looking for some peace and to close up some personal matters, she comes back to her family tea plantation in a small south town Swannsea, South Carolina. Zach is a war hero hunted by the memories of his last battle which ended with death of many of his friends. He comes back to Swannsea after leaving army in disgrace. But the sleepy southern town is not a peaceful paradise anymore, the bodies of the victims of the serial killer and rapist are found with a thrilling frequency. Noone is safe.

I really like the main characters, Sabrina and Zach. They are both tortured by their past memories and suffer from PTSD. But fortunately their characters are not built only around their mental problems. They are full-dimensional and interesting creatures that are easy to like. It's lovely that Zach who is otherwise a tough bedass, has this soft spot and a poetic facet. This is where I feel some resemblance to Nora Roberts stories, in a definitely good way. And also in some very well created secondary characters, like Titania and Nate or the other friends of Zach who have their own books I can't wait to read.

The suspense part is probably not the most innovative or even eventful. But it is good enough to keep your interest. The identity of the serial killer is not totally obvious but the fans of the genre won't be surprised in this department. But you can go over it easily. Especially when you include some other suspense traces.

The really great thing about this book that is definitely worth to mention is the well described atmosphere of the small southern city. Cozy mysteries or southern vibes are usually not my thing but there is definitely something eerily about it. And JoAnn Ross does great in convening this ambience.

I feel like I will read the other books in this series somewhen soon.