Review: Strong Enough by M. Leighton
Strong Enough (Tall, Dark, and Dangerous #1)
by: M. Leighton
Publication Date: Aug. 4, 2015
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Age Group: Adult
Source: Physical copy received via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 304 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars
From the author of the New York Times bestselling Bad Boys novels comes the first in a dark, sexy contemporary trilogy. Is she strong enough to trust the most dangerous man she’s ever met? And is he strong enough to let her?
How would I describe myself? Well, I’m Muse Harper. I’m a twenty-something painter who loves red wine, quirky movies, and men with a fatal flaw. But that was before I met Jasper King. He became my fatal flaw. Eight months ago, I had a choice to make—abandon everything I’ve ever known to protect my family, or stay and risk someone getting hurt. I chose the former. My plan was working just fine until I found out my father had gone missing.
That’s when I met Jasper. A bounty hunter with the eyes of a tiger and the nose of a bloodhound, he was supposed to help me find my father. What I didn’t know was that meeting him was no accident. Hunting people isn’t all that Jasper does. And helping me was only part of his plan. I just wish I’d found out sooner, before my heart got involved. But even then, I don’t know if I’d have done things differently.
Now, I have another choice to make—trust the man that I’m falling in love with and hope that he’ll do the right thing, or run as far away from him as I can get.
How would I describe myself? Well, I’m Muse Harper. I’m a twenty-something painter who loves red wine, quirky movies, and men with a fatal flaw. But that was before I met Jasper King. He became my fatal flaw. Eight months ago, I had a choice to make—abandon everything I’ve ever known to protect my family, or stay and risk someone getting hurt. I chose the former. My plan was working just fine until I found out my father had gone missing.
That’s when I met Jasper. A bounty hunter with the eyes of a tiger and the nose of a bloodhound, he was supposed to help me find my father. What I didn’t know was that meeting him was no accident. Hunting people isn’t all that Jasper does. And helping me was only part of his plan. I just wish I’d found out sooner, before my heart got involved. But even then, I don’t know if I’d have done things differently.
Now, I have another choice to make—trust the man that I’m falling in love with and hope that he’ll do the right thing, or run as far away from him as I can get.
I am all about the romantic suspense lately! It just adds this extra layer that really gets the adrenaline going and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen. Strong Enough jumps right into the fray with Muse hiring a bounty hunter to find her father who has gone MIA. However Jasper King is more than just a simple bounty hunter and has secrets that could potentially destroy her...
I liked the dynamic between Jasper and Muse. They are both clearly attracted to one another, but Jasper has a darkness to him that keeps him from getting too close to anyone. My heart ached for him because as we see in the book's opener, he has had a brutal childhood with memories and scars that will never heal. Even without his past, his job is one that does not allow for anyone to get too close. Always having a target and always being targeted doesn't make for the white picket fence kind of life. Still, Muse manages to weave her way into his life and as hard as he tries to stay away from her, the temptation is too great to pass up. I did feel some sentiments were a bit repetitive, with Muse constantly thinking about how attractive Jasper is and later, how Jasper tells her again and again that he has to walk away from everything that has to do with her. It wasn't something that overly bothered me, but I did feel they were a bit unnecessary in the grand scheme of things.
I really liked the direction the suspense went as Muse's father has a much larger role to play than just a man who didn't call his daughter like he normally does every month. While Strong Enough wraps up Muse and Jasper's story, the bigger storyline of who is behind everything will continue in the next book Tough Enough, which is about another member of Jasper's team, who we meet briefly in this book.
Can I take a minute to mention how giddy I was that we briefly saw Olivia, Cash, and Gavin from Michelle's Bad Boys series? I love when series have little crossovers to keep us up to date on how other characters are doing.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. Jasper and Muse have some pretty intense chemistry and are just an intense couple in their own right. Leighton always does a great job of invoking strong emotions in her readers and this book is no exception. There were some pretty heartbreaking moments along with the sexy, raw ones and she did a great job of laying these characters bare for us. If you are a romantic suspense fan like I am, I would give this one a try.
5 comments
Have I mentioned before that I love the new layout?
ReplyDeleteI have yet to read an M Leighton book but she's a big fave amongst a lot of my romance loving friends. This one sounds great, I love bounty hunters because they always add a layer of suspense to the story and the chemistry sounds fab!
I've only ever read one book by this author, but it didn't work for me. This one sounds more like it would interest me though. I love the sound of the suspense and the chemistry sounds hot. I'll check this one out.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Jess!
They really were an intense couple! I adored the chemistry between them and the suspense the book had. I really loved that! Glad you enjoyed this one as well.
ReplyDeleteLovely review!
It sounds like a good book. I love romance but it's hard (for me) to find a really good romantic suspense. i used to love this sub-genre but nowadays I find most of them predictible.
ReplyDeleteYour review makes me want to read this one
Thanks for it
Ruty @Reading…Dreaming
I am so glad you enjoyed this one! This is such a good series and I loved Tough Enough even more than this one. Have you read the new Bad Boy novellas? We get to see a certain Mr King in those too :). Great review.
ReplyDeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.