Review: Unleashed

Unleashed by Diana Palmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads.
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Review in Portuguese and English

Ler os livros da autora é como fazer visita a velhos amigos. Sempre descobrimos novidades sobre a vida deles e temos um pequeno insight sobre o HEA deles.
Nessa história temos um crime a ser resolvido, um criminoso em busca de vingança e um antigo amor voltando.
Nossa heroína é virgem, traumatizada por abuso sofrido, trabalhadora e com grandes princípios morais. Ela cuida do meio irmão menor de idade com grande dificuldade, mas muito amor.
Nosso herói é mal humorado e ainda apaixonado pela ex noiva do melhor amigo dele, que foi assassinado.
Como sempre... temos peito cabeludo, descrição de seios, beijos roubados e sessão de amassos, heroína corando, ciúmes, família maléfica, grandes amigos e personagens de livros anteriores com pequenas participações. Todas características dos livros da autora que agradarão aos fãs.
Os personagens secundários são todos muito bons e ajudam muito no desenvolvimento da história.
Eu penso que faltou explorar mais o romance entre os heróis e a interferência da outra mulher poderia causar mais drama. A autora concentrou mais na investigação policial do que no romance. Mas penso que foi uma leitura ok, afinal sou fã e eu não poderia perder uma nova história da série.

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Reading the author's books is like visiting old friends. We always find out about their lives and have a little insight into their HEA.
In this story we have a crime to be solved, a criminal looking for revenge and an old love coming back.
Our heroine is a virgin, traumatized by abuse suffered, hardworking and with great moral principles. She cares for the half younger brother with great difficulty, but much love.
Our hero is grumpy and still in love with the ex-girlfriend of his best friend, who was murdered.
As always...We have hairy chest, description of breasts, stolen kisses and make out session, blushing heroine, jealousy, evil family, great friends and characters from previous books with small appearances. All features of the author's books that will appeal to fans.
The secondary characters are all very good and they help a lot in the development of the story.
I think she failed to further explore the romance between the heroes and the other woman's interference could cause more drama. The author focused more on the police investigation than on the love story. But I think it was an ok reading, after all I'm a fan and I could not miss a new story in the series.

He was gorgeous: tall, narrow hipped, with powerful long legs and broad shoulders.

He had dark brown hair and liquid black eyes.

She was gun-shy after the beating Morris had given her.

He’d been in love with his best friend’s fiancée. His best friend, Mike Johns, had been a police officer over in Houston. He was shot to death in an attempted bank robbery, along with his mother.

Grace Charles, Mike’s fiancée, had mourned him long and hard. Banks had comforted her and would have loved to take Mike’s place, except that Grace suddenly enrolled with a missionary society and went to South America.

“Grace is coming to San Antonio for some training sessions with that missionary society she works for. Look out!”

Grace was the love of his life. She’d been engaged to his best friend, Mike Johns, a police officer in Houston, where Colter had also worked at the time. When Mike was killed in a bank holdup, Grace went a little crazy and signed on with a missionary society to go to South America. They never told anyone, least of all Mike, but there had been an unexpected passionate kiss between them before Mike died.

“Clancey’s not a woman. She’s just a kid,” he replied. “And please don’t tell me that you’re Facebook friends with her, too,” he said. “Clancey isn’t on social media,”

She missed Cal. He was the best boss any woman could have asked for, polite and grateful for the work she did, full of praise and encouragement.

Regardless of her brother’s irritation with his clerk, Brenda liked her very much. It was a shame that Colter was still hung up on Grace. If only she could think of some way to make him notice Clancey!

“I’ve never thought about kids. Well, I did once, before Grace went off on a mission to South America.” His face was drawn and sad. “After the one she worked for in Africa.”

Grace was coming home. He had to keep that in mind. Clancey was too young, too burdened, too everything.

There was Grace Charles in the background, on her way to San Antonio soon. He hadn’t seen her in years. But he’d grieved for her, ached for her, wanted her more than life. So why was he staring at Clancey?

“Life is all lessons,” he whispered as his tall head bent. His lips touched hers, softly, slowly, with a sensuous brushing motion that made her mouth follow his helplessly as he began to increase the contact.

He bit at her full lower lip, not enough to hurt. “Open your mouth.” “Wh...what?” she whispered, shocked.

“This is a mistake,” he managed gruffly. She nodded. “It’s a terrible mistake,” she whispered, lifting her face. “Please do it again...?” His mouth settled back on hers.

“I’m nine years older than you. We work together. Grace is coming home soon.” He began reciting all the reasons he should never have touched Clancey.

Her eyes sketched his hard face. She knew how he felt about Grace. She couldn’t fight a ghost. Not that she wasn’t tempted. But she had too much baggage to get involved with a lawman who was working, unknowingly, on a cold case that concerned her.

Clancey felt as if her world had suddenly fallen apart. Morris was coming home, and Colter Banks’s true love was in his arms. She thought she might strangle on her own misery.

He was crazy about Grace. She’d seen his face when they embraced. It had wounded her. He was still involved with the woman, after all the years she’d been away. Clancey had hoped...

He pursed his lips. “Imagine if I’d hired one of them and Grace had come down here to see me. My, my.”

Banks came in on time, but he wasn’t alone. He had Grace with him. He was almost glowing. She’d agreed to let him take her down to the ranch. He’d taken a day off—a very unusual thing for him—to do it.

Grace put her hand around his arm and smiled up at him and he forgot everything.

She loved guns and cattle, and Grace thought both were unacceptable. He’d never been so depressed. It showed, too.

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