Colton’s Last Stand by Karen Whiddon is book number twelve in the Harlequin series The Colton’s of Mustang Valley.
FBI Agent Fiona Evans is undercover at the Affirmative Alliance Group property. She is there to investigate Micheline Anderson, the founder of AAG. Micheline is suspected of some nefarious acts. It’s known that she scams people out of their money but is savvy enough to bilk them but provide services like seminars and motivational talks that she scams people into paying a lot of money for. Word is though that she has something really major planned, thus Fiona’s undercover job.
While at AAG Fiona meets Madeline’s “son” Jake Anderson. She knows he isn’t really Micheline’s son but he doesn’t. Fiona is instructed by Micheline to cozy-up to Jake in order to keep him on site. Madeline got Jake to visit by telling him she has some rare deadly form of cancer. Fiona is pretty sure that’s a lie but she needs to stay consistent in her role and act accepting of everything AAG espouses. When Jake arrives at the compound Fiona is surprised to find herself attracted to him. There’s no time for that now though. She can’t be distracted from her job.
Jake Anderson left his home twenty-three years ago at age seventeen. He couldn’t stand living with Micheline any longer. He knew she really didn’t care for him and wasn’t quite sure why he was at the AAG site now. Sure she told him she was dying from cancer but he didn’t believe her. She was nothing but a bag of lies. One good thing , meeting Fiona Evans did make the trip worthwhile. She is one beautiful woman and he was instantly attracted to her. He wanted to get to know her better and get her away from this cult. Yes, AAG is nothing but a cult. He didn’t know what kind of scam Micheline was up to but he wanted no part of it. Meeting Fiona made him reassess his decision to only stay a day. He needed more time with Fiona.
This is the grand finale. Author Karen Whiddon did a great job tying up all the loose ends, with a little repetition, yet provided a satisfying end to the story arc. There’s plenty of action to keep the reader’s attention. I really liked that Fiona and Jake ended up being honest with each other. They had to overcome some serious danger before their Happily Ever After. I’d recommend this Harlequin series to readers who enjoy romantic suspense.
Book Info:
Publication: June 1st 2020 | Harlequin Romantic Suspense | The Coltons of Mustang Valley Book 12
They’re both living a lie
But the passion between them is real
Undercover FBI agent Fiona Evans is determined to bring down a deadly cult. But the cult leader’s estranged son, Jake Anderson, warns her that she’s in danger of being targeted. Jake can’t believe he’s attracted to someone who could fall for his mother’s scam—until he suspects that Fiona is not what she seems. Then he discovers his secret ties to the Colton family… Can he trust anyone? Can he trust himself when the enemy chases them down?
Patricia B.
Harlequin’s Suspense and Intrigue lines have been favorites since I first discovered them. I have caught some of the many off shots of the original Colton series.I have not yet read this series, but it sounds like it will be as enjoyable as the rest. The topic is certainly pertinent with the many people who are being taken advantage of by scammers. It is so difficult to convince them they are being taken advantage of.