Switchback by Catherine Anderson

A KIDNAPPED CHILD. A DEADLY ENEMY.

 

Bud Mac Phearson's job is to protect Mallory Christiani and her young daughter, Emily—not to get personally involved with either. But after Emily disappears and the trail leads directly to a well-known crime boss, Mac can't refuse the beautiful single mother's pleas for help. With assassins hot on their trail and danger around every corner, the tentative partners race to find the missing key needed for the ransom…even as they try to fight the attraction blooming between them. But when Mac trades his own life for Emily's, Mallory must risk it all to save the man she's come to love…

 

Title: Switchback | Author: Catherine Anderson | Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue | Genre: Romantic Suspense| Source: MLM Media Relations | Rating: 4

I could not put this book down. The romance was light but the suspense had me hooked.

 

Mac has been tasked with the job of hiding Mallory and her daughter Emily. When Emily is kidnapped from her friend’s house, Mac and Mallory now find themselves running from hitmen and searching for a key Lucetti, a Seattle crime-lord, is demanding for ransom. Even though Mac has his reasons for not wanting to get close to Mallory, he soon finds himself becoming attracted to her.

 

Mac was hero who would stop at nothing to protect Mallory and save her daughter. Mallory kept it together and I love it when heroine faces dangers and doesn’t flip her lid.

 

Mac and Mallory was an interesting pair. Growing up, he was the poor boy from the wrong side of town and she was from a wealthy family. They both had preconceived notions of each other, Mac more so than Mallory, so they were expecting each other to act in certain ways and were surprised when they didn’t. I love it when characters surprise each other.

 

The romance between Mac and Mallory takes a backseat as the suspense is front and center, which, when reading romantic suspense, is something that I’ve come to expect. While they were attracted to each other, the book starts off with tension that stems from a mixture of wariness and preformed opinions. It’s only once they find themselves relying on each other that they finally allow themselves to act on their attraction. Mac and Mallory were like chalk and cheese yet they were so good together.

 

The suspense aspect had me on the edge of my seat. While I figured it out early on, I was still holding my breath as Mac and Mallory searched for the package and raced to save Emily.

 

So, this is a reissue. Originally released in 1990, Switchback is slightly dated with the use of typewriters, payphones, slang, pop culture references, and I could practically feel the shoulder pads in Mallory’s blazers but it made for an interesting read without affecting the flow of the plot.

 

 

Overall, Switchback had me on the edge of my seat. While the romance took a backseat, the suspense and danger kept me riveted.

What’s the last romantic suspense novel

 that had you on the edge of your seat?