She thinks she needs him, but she doesn't know the secrets he keeps…
Threatened with the publication of naked photographs taken in her law student days, defence attorney Allegra Greenwood enlists the help of former SAS Commander Luke Neilson, unaware of his involvement in her brother's death in Afghanistan.
In a race to stop the photographs appearing on the Internet, Luke battles a hidden enemy, his growing feelings for Allegra, and his conscience, which demands he protect a fallen comrade's sister. As the stakes increase and more sinister motives unfold, Luke not only has to fight to save her career, he has to fight to save her life.
Lee is the author of four crime novels with romantic elements published with Allen and Unwin.
Lee's best-selling Snowy Mountains series Charlotte Pass, Crackenback and Dead Horse Gap were published in 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively. Charlotte Pass won the Australian Romance Readers Association award for Favourite Romantic Suspense in 2020. Lee's latest crime novel Glenrock, published in 2024, is set in Lee's hometown of Newcastle.
Prior to her shift into crime writing, Lee wrote six romantic suspense novels published with Harlequin Australia’s Escape Publishing.
Lee loves connecting with her readers and has appeared on a panel at the Newcastle Writer’s Festival, Lake Macquarie Libraries Write Here! Festival, and the Mount Beauty Writer's Festival. Lee has been a guest speaker at major fundraisers for the Friends of Newcastle University and the Mark Hughes Brain Cancer Foundation. Lee has two grown children and lives in Newcastle with her husband and her Irish Wheaten Terrier, Honey.
Defense Attorney Allegra Greenwood will do all she can to stop nude photos of herself reaching the internet. She had the pictures taken ten years ago in her student years and now they sit in an envelope on her desk marked private. Feeling distressed Allegra knows she must do all she can to put a stop to these photos from reaching the media or the internet otherwise her career will be over.
Allegra hopes that by employing Private Investigator, Luke Neilson a former SAS Commander who had served in Afghanistan the person who sent the photos will be found before her career is destroyed. As Luke tries to find out who is responsible for sending the photographs there is danger looming. Can Luke save Allegra's career as well as keep her safe and out of danger?
This is the first book I've read by Aussie author Lee Christine and it won't be my last. I absolutely loved it. An excellent romantic suspense which I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. Highly recommended
When an old envelope appeared on Defence Attorney Allegra Greenwood’s desk, addressed to her and marked Private, she had no idea her world was about to be rocked to its core. Shaken, she rushed to see Private Investigator, Luke Neilson, a former SAS Commander who had served in Afghanistan around the same time as her brother Martin. Her embarrassment was acute as he viewed the photo inside the envelope; a photo of a naked Allegra which was taken back when she was a student by a boyfriend photographer. Though tastefully done, the publication of the photos would mean the end of her career – hiring Luke to find the person intent on bringing her to her knees was paramount.
As Luke and his two assistants investigated, digging deeply to find the origin of the photos which Allegra had been promised were destroyed, sinister secrets started appearing. But with Luke as her bodyguard, she also discovered the handsome ex-SAS Commander was creating havoc with her senses. Trying to keep her mind busy by working long hours, she found keeping her sanity was proving much harder in more ways than one.
But suddenly the danger was right on top of them! It didn’t seem to matter where she went, she couldn’t escape – would her life ever be the same again? Could Luke discover who was trying to ruin Allegra’s career? Or was there more to it? What were the motives for this sinister and evil plot?
What a brilliant, gripping and intense novel! I loved it! Romantic suspense at its best in my opinion. Lee Christine is an Australian author, and this is her debut novel. I certainly will be watching out for more from this talented lady. The cover picture doesn’t do justice to the contents, and created a wrong impression about the book to me. I’m so glad a couple of friends told me it was excellent – they weren’t wrong! Highly recommended.
In Safe Hands is the first book in the Grace & Poole series by Lee Christine. When Defence Attorney Allegra Greenwood was threatened with the publication of naked photographs of her taken when she was in University, she needed someone to get them back quickly. Luke Neilsen runs a Security and Investigation Company that loss the bid to provide security at Grace & Poole Law firm because of Allegra Greenwood. However, Allegra Greenwood wanted the best, so she barges into Luke Neilsen office to ask for help. The readers of In Safe Hands will continue to follow the twist and turns in Allegra and Luke's romance and the investigation of the missing photos.
In Safe Hands was the first book I had read of Lee Christine and I loved it. I like the way Lee Christine portrayed her characters especially Allegra and Luke. Lee Christine does a great job of entwining her characters throughout In Safe Hands that ensures that I became engaged with the story. I like Lee Christine writing style and the way she describes her settings that make me feel part of the story.
The readers of In Safe Hands will learn about how to be a security and investigating officer. Also, the readers of In Safe Hands will see the importance to be careful of what you do when you are young because it can have consequences for you when you get older.
Voy a ser muy breve. Tendrías que obviar todas las incongruencias de la trama, a una heroína que (voy a ser generosa) roza ser TSTL y un romance de esos en los que uno y otro no son lo suficientemente buenos para el otro, o merecen algo mejor, o algo por el estilo. Muy flojo. Con un montón de clichés y muy predecible.
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I will be brief. You should have to overlook the incongruities, a heroine who is borderline TSTL (and I´m being generous here) and a romance that is one of those where he and she are not good enough for the other, or the other deserve better than they, or something like that. A weak plot with a ton of clichés and so predictable
Allegra Greenwood is a high profile criminal lawyer in Sydney but a decision she made ten years ago is coming back to haunt her. When she was still a law student and struggling to make ends meet, Allegra posed naked for her photographer boyfriend with view to using the artistic shots as a way to make money. In the end, she changed her mind. Her boyfriend swore to destroy the files and Allegra keeps her prints in a locked safe.
But now someone has sent her a print of one of these naked photos and Allegra knows that if the photos were released to the media or internet, she would lose her job at the high profile firm she works for. So she employs private investigator and former SAS man Luke Neilson to track down who is doing this to her and where exactly they got the photos from.
Allegra overlooked Luke’s firm for the security job at her work because of a simple kiss that occurred between them but now she needs the best in the business. Luke’s conscience demands that he take the case and protect Allegra – there’s no demand for money so this doesn’t look to be a simple blackmail case, it seems much sinister than that. And after what went down in Afghanistan when he was in charge of Allegra’s younger brother, he feels that he owes it to her because it was his mistake that took her brother from her. But Allegra doesn’t know of his connection to her deceased brother and when she finds out it’s definitely going to put an end to the attraction that simmers between them.
In Safe Hands is one of the five debut titles from Harlequin Australia’s new digital first imprint, Escape Publishing. It’s the second title I’ve read so far and I have to say, this one was utterly fabulous. Romantic suspense is quite a favourite of mine and this one ticks all the boxes. Allegra is a strong woman, a criminal lawyer who is not afraid to defend notorious underworld figures in the pursuit of a fair trial. She’s known as an ice queen in the press and has a blog devoted to her exploits run by admiring law students. She’s good at her job but she has very little in the way of family and seemingly, few friends, especially close ones. When she receives a print of a photo she had taken ten years ago by bike courier, she knows that this is not something to be taken lightly at all.
Luke is a former SAS man, an elite soldier turned private investigator who runs a small but highly efficient team and gets the cream of the crop when it comes to jobs. He feels like he owes Allegra and it doesn’t take him very long at all to deduce that this a real threat towards not only the security of Allegra’s career, but also her life.
The chemistry fairly sizzles between Luke and Allegra, jumping off the page (or Kindle, as the case may be). I loved the fact that Allegra was mostly willing to listen to Luke’s advice and did not object to him installing cameras to catch people hanging around, accompanying her places and even staying over because too often the heroine in a novel is way too “Oh I’ll be okay, I just want to be alone” and is then nearly raped/murdered/etc when it may have been avoided by just having a brain and following instructions. That’s one of my pet hates in suspense novels (and also, YA) and I’m pleased to see that Allegra continued going to work, going to court and living her life but also took precautions to ensure her safety thanks to Luke and was quite vigilant.
The pacing in In Safe Hands is flawless, the author building suspense by slowly having the perpetrator attempt to infiltrate each corner of Allegra’s life with a new photo and a sneaky underhanded note to go along with it to warn her that soon, everything she holds dear to her will be lost. It becomes so obvious that this is a sinister escalation that will culminate in an attack on Allegra’s person, if Luke cannot prevent it in time. I have to say I did guess the culprit although I did also have several dilly-dallying back and forth moments about is-it-or-is-it-not-this-person as the author made me doubt my choice.
This is a fabulous debut novel, expertly thought out and skilfully written with a passionate pair of main characters that both have hidden depths. They work so well with each other but they work equally well as individuals, which is something I love to see in a novel that has strong romantic elements. We get a chance to see Allegra doing her work, functioning in the court room even with the threat hanging over her head and we get to see Luke putting his investigative and protection skills to good use. I’m sure Lee Christine has a very promising career as a novelist and I’m definitely looking forward to her next release!
Allegra Greenwood, defence attorney, made the possible mistake when she was twenty one of having naked images taken of herself, eight years on, they are coming back to haunt her.
It would appear Allegra has a stalker, a psychological blackmailer she can’t shake.
The images were all very tastefully and professionally taken by her ex boyfriend, photographer, Chris Noble. Just ask former SAS Commander Luke Neilson, he and his company are now on Allegra’s payroll. The only problem, Luke was also dead Trooper Martin Greenwood’s Commanding Officer in Afghanistan, Allegra’s brother.
Allegra needs to know the details surrounding her brother’s death.
Nobody will tell her.
Luke is any girl’s dream of an intelligent, muscled up saviour who is more than good at his job. Luke is a very desirable man.
Close fitting jeans hugged muscular thighs, while a Led Zeppelin tee-shirt, Harley Davidson jacket and designer stubble completed the picture.
Allegra is an intelligent, but understandably scared, female lead who does think smartly in a bad situation. When Luke's not around, she thinks well when confronted with her stalker. Better than I would. When Luke is around, I think I would find it hard to think at all. He does ooze manliness. A very smexi Aussie male character. A very believable ex SAS Commander.
I did admittedly pick the villain of this tale. I think more than the usual suspects need to be planted into the story line to make it harder for the reader. It didn’t matter to me as the suspense along the way was intense. I really felt like I was next to Allegra when she was being stalked or attacked. I did get that 3D feeling of being in the moment.
I felt the fear.
I loved the back drop of Sydney. I lived there for three and a half years so it brought back memories.
This is a great suspense romance with intelligent characters.
This is my second read from Escape Publishing the imprint of Harlequin Australia. Digital reads only. Another wonderful new Australian author.
Allegra Greenwood, defence attorney, made the possible mistake when she was twenty one of having naked images taken of herself, eight years on, they are coming back to haunt her.
It would appear Allegra has a stalker, a psychological blackmailer she can’t shake.
The images were all very tastefully and professionally taken by her ex boyfriend, photographer, Chris Noble. Just ask former SAS Commander Luke Neilson, he and his company are now on Allegra’s payroll. The only problem, Luke was also dead Trooper Martin Greenwood’s Commanding Officer in Afghanistan, Allegra’s brother.
Allegra needs to know the details surrounding her brother’s death.
Nobody will tell her.
Luke is any girl’s dream of an intelligent, muscled up saviour who is more than good at his job. Luke is a very desirable man.
Close fitting jeans hugged muscular thighs, while a Led Zeppelin tee-shirt, Harley Davidson jacket and designer stubble completed the picture.
Allegra is an intelligent, but understandably scared, female lead who does think smartly in a bad situation. When Luke's not around, she thinks well when confronted with her stalker. Better than I would. When Luke is around, I think I would find it hard to think at all. He does ooze manliness. A very smexi Aussie male character. A very believable ex SAS Commander.
I did admittedly pick the villain of this tale. I think more than the usual suspects need to be planted into the story line to make it harder for the reader. It didn’t matter to me as the suspense along the way was intense. I really felt like I was next to Allegra when she was being stalked or attacked. I did get that 3D feeling of being in the moment.
I felt the fear.
I loved the back drop of Sydney. I lived there for three and a half years so it brought back memories.
This is a great suspense romance with intelligent characters.
This is my second read from Escape Publishing the imprint of Harlequin Australia. Digital reads only. Another wonderful new Australian author.
I found this book by accident, as I am just now discovering how much I like romantic suspense. I was totally sucked in by the plot (which moves at a blistering pace), the characters (who I found myself completely sympathizing with), and the climax/resolution to the tale. This is one I'll definitely be rereading!
Awkward at places, and rather predictable with the heroine bordering TSTL flying off the handle when a particular revelation is made, then changing her mind later. All along, I had high hopes that she'd be different, but the last few pages proved me (unfortunately) wrong.
I'm new to romantic suspense. If you are In Safe Hands is a great place to start. Modern, sophisticated and realistic. Warning: It might spoil you for others in the genre.
Good weekend reading fun. Lots of great sexy schwizzle... It's the first Lee Christine book I've read, and I've got In Safe Arms to look forward to next.
I really enjoyed this book by Lee Christine, she hooked me in from the first page. Lee has an easy writing style, and I wanted to keep reading even when it was time to turn off the light and go to sleep. There was just the right amount of intrigue and tension in the story. The love affair between Ally and Luke sizzles on the page, the sexual tension tangible. This is the first book of Lee Christine's I have read, but it won't be the last by any means.
Good story with some really likable characters. I enjoyed the pace, and the drama. There was some relationship angst, but it was handled well and not drawn out. A good book, I'll have to try a few more by this author!