At the end of Dead Girl Running,the first book in the Cape Charade series, Kellen Adams received life-changing news, she had a baby seven years ago. Yes, this is news to her. As this series has revealed, Kellen has suffered memory loss. Well, she still cannot remember, but facts are facts. Max, the man she fell in love with after escaping her brutal husband is indeed the father of a little girl who is most definitely her daughter.

In this book, Families and Other Enemies, Kellen is now faced with this new truth in her life. A challenge to be sure. Needing to work things out, she takes off, and meets with someone from her past, and this gives her the time needed to sort out her future. Kellen takes on a new job and this brings her into contact with people she just has to help.

This brief novella sets the stage for the next book in the series, What Doesn't Kill Her. The previous books in this series are Hard to Kill and Dead Girl Running. The next books in the series are Hidden Truths and Strangers She Knows, both set for release later in 2019.

Many thanks to HQN Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Families and Other Enemies by Christina Dodd is a 2019 HQN Books publication.

For those following along with the series, this short story follows Kellen, (Cecilia), as she struggles to come to terms with the shocking discoveries she made regarding the ‘missing year’ of her life.
Life altering developments have her traveling to Virtue Falls, where she meets up with one of my favorite characters from the VF series, Kateri Kwinault. How cool is that?

Kellen does some serious soul searching about her life, faces down her fears about the future, and is finally willing to stop running, and do the right thing for her family. Helping her come to these realizations is a sixteen- year old girl and war veteran, one of which needs stability, while the other one seeks redemption and forgiveness. Their struggles help Kellen find the strength to face her new normal.

I had a feeling this series was going to be great and so far, it has been everything I hoped it would. This short story has helped keep me mollified while I impatiently await the next full- length installment. Plus, it gave me a little more thought provoking character analysis, as well. This book does give readers a brief re-cap of book one, while also telling a compelling and emotional story, while setting the stage for book two.

If you haven’t read the first book in the series- why not? You still have time to catch up before ‘What Doesn’t Kill Her’ is released at the end of this month. Yes, this is a romantic suspense series, but fans of fast paced thrillers with a unique storyline can enjoy this series as well. So, what are you waiting for? ( )