I honestly really really REALLY wanted to like this book. It had potential, but noooooo.
This book is the ending to both Lost Texas Hearts and Fortune Hunters (Nathan Manly's sons).
:::SPOILER:::
The first half of this book is alright. Like it's okay. The second half... I get the impression that Dodd seriously did not care. Or RUSHED through the entire book. A couple of things stuck out to me, in no particular order.
1) The part when Gabriel saw the picture of Hannah and said she was HIS dream girl. And then sometime afterwards, Trent AKA Gabriel under the disguise as security for the party, tells Hannah that he was a gang member through one of those phone sessions they have. Dodd specifically mentions that Hannah thought of this boy. This boy with green eyes and such and such. THIS. May be just me, but it seriously gave the impression the two main characters had some sort of history or knowledge of another. But wait, that can't be right. Gabriel was put in foster care, and Hannah's mom finally died when Hannah was 16. By then Hannah could live by herself. So how did the two ever meet? Then WHY did Dodd write these parts?
2) Drugging confessions that had little to no impact. Sometime after the 1st time the two get shot at, Hannah is on pain medication and Gabriel isn't (He's a tough macho man, and what if Hannah gets away again? No way). Hannah confesses to the time of meeting her father unknowingly; she was going over to take care of an ex-Navy person, who just so happened to be her father-and upon arriving and taking care of her father, her father's current wife and daughter was there. And they were mad-thinking this was some ploy set up to see her father. You see, the mother and daughter were able to tell because of the "similar genetics". This is a bit much. Granted, given the proper descriptive storytelling I KNOW Dodd is capable of, it could be extremely traumatic. But the way Dodd DID write this part was completely... Mediocore, discussing the weather monologue. Which prompts Gabriel to tell HIS story of why he screams out from the nightmares. His mother left him on a highway and he screams from the passing cars because he was frightened-he was only 4 years old at that time and he was forcibly removed because he wouldn't budge because his mother told him to stay there. Crappy mother, I know. And YES, Dodd told this in the fashion of "Oh, I just.... It's okay". It's okay. No, it is NOT okay.
3) Sex within MAYBE 4 days of re-meeting but technically with a stranger... But even worst--BOAESS. Blink Of An Eye Sex Scene. SCENE. Now Trent and Hannah don't get to have sex, but he does catch her masturbating on his many sessions of sp-I mean security cameras while after one of their phone conversations. Dodd FINALLY gets to the sex after the one year gap and they get shot. I think it's somewhere between the horrible confession and or possibly before the "Heroine spills all". It's like one of those scenes out of a movie. Now if we wanted to watch a movie, we'd definitely do that, however... This is a book, we're reading, give us MORE. The writing style of "the lights dimmed as he prepared to thoroughly pound her... Etc". Not what Dodd wrote, but you get the gist. It went down like that. I seriously thought the two were going to cuddle only. Show me the SEX, dammit. And this is literally maybe, at most, 4 days of knowing this stranger, who you originally (Hannah did) thought as dangerous, however threw yourself (Hannah did) at because of the gun from afar you saw (1st time they get shot at). And Hannah, you think he's Gabriel. Not Trent Gabriel, but Gabriel.
4) I need to tell you the truth/Hannah spills all. After they have sex 3 times but that really doesnt count because there was hardly one-how could there be three?-sex scene. Cliche, cliche cliche. But worst? Dodd doesnt even bother to write what Hannah says. "She knew she needed to tell him, she TRUSTED him." Cues next scene, taps return twice. Begins new paragraph where SUDDENLY Daniel (confidant/chauffeur/Gabriel-Trent-Whatever-His-Name-Is' right-handed man knows what Hannah said and believes her.
5) Which prompts Gabriel to review the clips of when Hannah 'murdered' Melinda Balfour AKA Nathan Manly's wife/mother to Carrick Manly. Manly stood over the injections that Hannah originally laid out earlier, in the case of extreme should something happen at the party. But Carrick is HIS (Gabriel's) brother. Surely not! Surely SO. Once he thought about it more, the more it seemed to be true. He knew what he must do. /facepalms. Why didnt you do that before, Gabriel? And Gabriel says... He was afraid to believe her because he desperately wanted to believe her/Carrick's his kid brother. /smh
6) Acute realization that YES, this was Trent, how dare he? For some inkling, Hannah decides to google/web surf Carrick. In some of the many links related to Carrick, she finds out that Gabriel is Carrick's half brother. Which then prompts her to figure out that it was Trent, who was Gabriel. Or Gabriel was Trent. Whatever! He'd pay. /shakes fist. Okay, that's fine and all but srsly woman. If you didnt notice it now, how'd you finally figure it out?
7) Osgood? Dunno who he really is but the guy shows up again. This was the last of the Fortune Hunters, so I dont know how Dodd is going to end or quit Osgood. It's kind of... Eh.
This book really had potential, though. I'll say that much.