Sweet romance with a bit of heat and hovering suspense just waiting for the shoe to drop. When ex-boxer and gym owner Aaron Colton gets a phone call from his mom, he knows something is seriously wrong. A broken hip and an unwilling stint in rehab have Nicole Colton ready to go home while Aaron and his brothers lobby for a live-in nurse. I thoroughly enjoyed the negotiations between Nicole and her sons as her independence ran up against their protectiveness. I loved when they agreed for Nicole to hire one of the physical therapists from rehab.

Felicia works part-time as a PT while trying to keep a low profile. Making ends meet is always a challenge, and she's thrilled when Nicole offers her the position. Excellent pay, including a place to stay, gives her the security she hasn't had in several years. I loved the rapport between Felicia and Nicole, both as therapist and patient and as friends. Nicole's nurturing personality fills a hole in Felicia's life that she's had for as long as she can remember.

I laughed out loud when super-protective Aaron showed up to check up on the therapist his mom hired. Instead of the middle-aged Brunhilde type he expected, Aaron faced a young woman whose beauty left him speechless. Immediately suspicious, he gets a bit intense in his questions for her. Felicia handles him well but is wary, thanks to her past. Aaron suspects she's hiding something and is determined to figure it out. To do that, he makes frequent visits to his mother's house, more and more fascinated by what he sees.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Aaron and Felicia. As Aaron begins to suspect that she's on the run from an abuser, his protectiveness is aroused. Felicia's wariness fades as she learns more about Aaron and realizes that he's one of the good guys. There are some sweet scenes of them together, from teaching her self-defense to taking Felicia on her very first picnic. I especially enjoyed seeing Aaron take her out to dinner at his cousin Tatum's restaurant, True (Undercover Heat).

But as Felicia and Aaron grow closer, she also feels as though she's being watched. I ached for Felicia and her feeling of impending doom. When it becomes evident that her ex has found her, Felicia fears for Nicole's safety and runs rather than bringing danger to her friend. I was glued to the pages as Felicia's past caught up with her, and Aaron desperately tried to find her. I loved watching Felicia use what she learned from Aaron and even more when Aaron delivered the final blow. Though the suspense was low-key until the end, it sure made up for it with an intense confrontation. I loved seeing Aaron and Felicia come together at the end, ready to face the future without her past hanging over her head.

The storyline pays a little bit of attention to the lawsuit running through the second half of the series. In a previous book, we learned that Aaron's father is suing the other Colton family for part of the company after the murders of their fathers. Some of the family dynamics behind it come out during Aaron's visit to his father and conversation with his grandmother. The grandmother is not a nice person and is good at manipulating her selfish and weak-minded son. I look forward to seeing how this works out. ( )