CONCEAL by Danielle Pays is a full-length standalone romantic suspense novel with no cliffhanger and a happily-ever-after. This book features these familiar faces: Jackson, Catherine, Ben Pryce (Hulk), Gretchen, and Mark. If you are looking for a second chance romance, then be sure to consider Conceal!
In this book, we have Cody. His current employer is sending him to a college campus where he will offer protective services to an employee. This employee has been apparently receiving threats after an unpopular budget cut occurred. Cody is hesitant about this job because 1) it's close to his hometown, and 2) he was supposed to attend this very college with Lucy. Really he doesn't want to risk running into her. So go figure, when he is at an event with his assignment, he spots Lucy in the background. A short while later Cody finds out that Lucy used to be married to the guy that Cody is now protecting. After talking with Joseph (his assignment), Cody immediately knows this guy isn't telling the complete truth. There is more to the story and he's determined to figure out what it is. And now, whatever it is Joseph is doing, is about to affect Lucy. Cody definitely won't let that happen. She may not be happy to see him, but he will protect her no matter what.
Okay, I know, that was a really brief description of the book. Here's the thing though, there are a lot of characters in this book, and then there is the who-dun-it aspect of the story. It's a lot. Then there's the relationship between Lucy and Cody, there's that little tidbit that Lucy's dad dropped, there's the fact that Cody is about to take another mission that will take him out of the US for a month. Plus What exactly is happening at that food pantry that clearly isn't a food pantry! If you're looking for a quick and easy read that is also a page turner, then I recommend reading Conceal by Danielle Pays. Small town romances are some of my favorites, and when you add in the suspense element, it just ramps up my enjoyment every single time. So it's of no surprise that I enjoyed this book so much. Love the setting, enjoyed the characters, and that storyline had me hooked. Let me just say one more thing...if you think you know who is behind everything that's happening, you may be surprised in the end. I was going through each character, trying to figure out their MO, and what their role was in all of this. At the end of the story, I was a bit surprised by who was revealed. That's all I'm saying.
You may be thinking, "Laura, you didn't even mention the relationship between Lucy and Cody". You're right, I didn't. It was the standard second chance romance situation, but with a class difference. Lucy had every right to be upset about what happened all those years ago. But she didn't know the full story. She didn't know what Cody had to deal with, and what he had lost. The decision he made to leave wasn't an easy one. That decision was made out of necessity. Never in a million years did he want to hurt her. It's just his financial situation was at the complete opposite end of hers. So things she was able to do, and afford, such as college, wasn't something within his financial means. The military offered that to him. So when Cody explained this to her, all these years later, it was as though she still struggled to comprehend what it was he was saying. She couldn't understand that he might have been embarrassed about everything. Plus, as we learn in the book, there is even more to Cody's story than what he initially knew. There were forces working against him. So no, I didn't mention their story, as their love story didn't really stick out to me. What stuck out to me was the suspense, and the mystery. That drove the story. It was the main feature, and the relationship was just a bonus.
Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts about Conceal. If you're a fan of romantic suspense I hope you'll consider giving this book a read.
Laura
