Beth's Absolution: A small town, opposites attract, suspense novel

by Maria Secoy

A woman raised by a gang of outlaw bikers falls in love with a sheriff. What can possibly go wrong?

Beth may have been raised by her father’s motorcycle club, but she’s not a child anymore. She’s ready to make her own choices and live her own life, but leaving the club is easier said than done. Setting up a new storage space in Twisted Willow may be just the opportunity she’s looking for. Unfortunately, club problems follow her, and the sexy man she met her first night in town turns out to be the local sheriff. Beth moved to Twisted Willow hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she’s forced to assess her loyalties and make choices that will put lives at risk.

Sheriff Doug Riley enjoys his rural community. He knows everyone, has slept with half of them, and understands how things work here. Sure, he’s fighting an endless opioid problem with nothing more than shiny new vehicles, but Twisted Willow is his home. It’s worth the fight. He’s got friends here, even if he has resigned himself to never finding the one to share his life. Then Beth walks into the bar, and Doug’s life gets flipped upside down.

This steamy, opposites attract, romantic suspense novel features a strong woman intent on breaking free of her upbringing and creating her own future. It's for readers who don't mind an over-protective man falling in love with a woman who refuses to follow orders. Check the copyright page for warnings. Set in the community of Twisted Willow, this standalone story comes with an HEA despite all the challenges along the way.

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2023

Reviews

[Victoria Hamel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up the Kindle version of this book and read it over about three days. It's a fast-paced read of less than 250 pages, which is nice for when you want a book you can read in a day or a weekend. This isn't the first book in the series, but it works well as a stand-alone, and you can go back and read more if you like the people and town in this one.

For those of you who enjoy Motorcycle Club books, this book has that. It's a romantic suspense, so it's pretty non-stop. The male main character is Doug, and I have to say I don't recall reading a book with a male main character named Doug! I appreciated that in this book our leads communicate well and there isn't a bunch of drama created because of miscommunication.

Four Stars from me. Motorcycle Club books aren't my thing so this book was a stretch read for me, if you love MC books, add it to your TBR for sure!

CW- discussion of drug overdoses

[Googly55 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something was just off/awkward about this book/these characters.

Quotes from the H- “She smiled and laughed with him, and a whole cloud of mosquitos took flight inside his gut, buzzing around in circles and tickling him from the inside out.”🤨

“You know I’ve slept with most of the women in this area—at least the ones close to my age, anyway.”🤢

And I guess H cheats on his fiancé was featured as the heroine of a previous book in this series? Ick.

[Rita Scanga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful love story with lots to say about what family is in reality.

Surprising in it's realism, this story is a parable about defining family, and about the importance of ethics over merely following the law. A wonderful, life and love affirming story, it makes a very satisfying read.

[B. Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Ms. Secoy and it won't be my last book. I really enjoyed this story!!!