And so we come to the end of the Private Justice series. I've read other series by this author and liked them well enough to put her earlier titles on my TBR list. This is one of those titles.

As I predicted early one, each of the 3 PIs found his soulmate in a woman who sought his professional services. I will admit that this series differs from most that have a plot point of a woman being a client and therefore "off limits" for personal relationships by, for the most part, having the man not give in to his desire to move the romantic relationship forward while the woman is a client. Also, the marriages don't happen until in between the novels or at the end of the next novel--which, at least to us readers, makes it seem like they've known each other for a while and dated before jumping into a marriage.

WARNING: SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW. READ ON AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
*****

Kate Marshall lost her husband and her son to an accident, but only her husband's body was recovered. A chance encounter at the mall leads her to believe that her son could still be alive. She turns to a PI to get answers.

I guessed wrong about how Kate's husband had been involved with Greg Sanders, but I was glad the office manager was able to put the pieces together for how the involvement probably happened.

I was glad Diane was strong enough to stand up to what she hoped her future might hold that would be wrecked if she did the right thing. It's hard to return to loneliness when you hoped you'd be getting married and gaining a son (though perhaps she can still be an honorary aunt). ( )

Well then, that was a wild ride! And painful . . .

After reading and loving Vanished by this author, I was excited to finish the series. The characters from Phoenix Inc were such fun, deep characters, and I couldn't wait to read more about them.

I loved Kate. She was such a realistic and relatable character. Her story especially touched my heart. Connor, also, was fantastic. I really enjoyed getting to hear his story. I'm not sure if I like him or Cal better!
Sanders was an amazing and terrible character. Even though he was the villain, because Hannon made him so realistic and relatable, you didn't want him to be the villain. You wanted him to have a happy ending. But unfortunately both Kate and Sanders couldn't have a happy ending, which was sad.

The story was a wild ride from beginning to end, and the romance was really sweet. It was also an intensely emotional story, which I loved even if it did hurt. Sometimes in suspense novels, the heart of the characters gets lost, but not so with this one. The chemistry between the characters, especially the Phoenix Inc characters was so awesome! Nikki and Dev will always crack me up . . . They're great comedic relief.

The ending was so sweet and heartwarming and definitely made me cry.

The reason I docked a star was because the romantic attraction between the characters got a little out of hand for my tastes. While it was very sweet, some of the physical attraction, along with a few mildly inappropriate commentsthoughts made me squirm.

All in all, I really enjoyed this novel! Hannon is a very talented author.

Recommended for ages 17 for romance. As mentioned above, there are a few inappropriate comments and thoughts from the characters that made me cringe. They could have easily been removed . . . Also some mostly-chaste kisses. Also a hefty amount of violence - not overly detailed. Guns, murder, drug abuse and kidnapping are all pretty major parts of the story. ( )

A grieving mother, a mysterious child and a dedicated P.I. who's determined to solve the puzzle.

Private Justice Series Book III

**Possible spoilers**

When I started to get a grasp on where this story was headed, I tried to outguess it on a couple of main plots points. I'm pleased to say I was wrong (aka the story was unpredictable) and that I liked the way it turned out (aka, happy ending).
Kate went from a happily married mom to not in a single afternoon. After 3 years of trying to move on, her new normal is sucker-punched by a chance encounter in the mall. One that neither mall security nor the police are able to help with. Desperate to erase the questions marks persistently shadowing her conscious--and subconscious--Kate reaches out to a private investigator.
Connor is the epitome of the strong, silent type. Meticulous and scrupled, he has his doubts about taking this wild-goose "case," but follows his instincts to trust Kate. And continues following him when they point him towards a really implausible possibility.
Sparks fly, the day is saved, and no one else will probably notice the hint of suggestive material. ( )

Irene Hannon delivers a fantastic suspense novel with Deceived! I was drawn into this read immediately and could not stop until the end. Kate Marshall thinks she has moved on with her life after a tragedy three years ago. She finds fulfillment in her job in a new city and has a routine. Then, she sees a little boy on an escalator at the shopping mall who looks exactly like her son; her son, who was never found after a boating accident on a lake in New York. He turned around and looked at her, too. How could it be? What should she do now? Her sleep won't let her forget his face. The police had shut the case. Would they take her seriously, now? She chooses a private investigator. Will Connor believe her? Will he think she is crazy? Kate must rely on her faith as this is the biggest challenge she has ever faced.

The book flows with intrigue, surprise, and even romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend Deceived by Irene Hannon. It is one of her Private Justice novels.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley for my honest opinion. ( )