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Return to Ravesville #1
Hidden Witness
Their marriage was fake. How he felt about her was anything but…
Detective Chase Hollister knows the perils of protecting a witness. He's got the bullet wound to prove it. But getting shot is nothing compared to his next assignment: fake marriage. Gorgeous fake wife. Living together 24/7 in a fake house. All to protect witness Raney Taylor from a very real assassin. As Chase and his new "wife" set up house, he realizes there's something very genuine about his smoldering attraction to Raney. Then her safety is threatened and his every protective fiber goes on alert. Suddenly, although their wedding may have been a sham, Chase knows there's nothing fake about his feelings for this witness…
Detective Chase Hollister knows the perils of protecting a witness. He's got the bullet wound to prove it. But getting shot is nothing compared to his next assignment: fake marriage. Gorgeous fake wife. Living together 24/7 in a fake house. All to protect witness Raney Taylor from a very real assassin. As Chase and his new "wife" set up house, he realizes there's something very genuine about his smoldering attraction to Raney. Then her safety is threatened and his every protective fiber goes on alert. Suddenly, although their wedding may have been a sham, Chase knows there's nothing fake about his feelings for this witness…
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 20, 2015
22 people are currently reading
484 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 22, 2016
This was a hard one to rate. The romance between the couple was fantastic. I would give it 5 stars for that part. The suspense, however, was lacking. There was far more emphases on fixing up the hero's house and the small town the couple was in. There was a great suspense scene at the end - which made up for things a bit - but not enough for me. So, suspense would be 2 stars. If you are looking for a book more focused on the romance between the couple than on the mystery/suspense aspect, then I would pick this one up. However, if you are looking for a thrilling ride - skip this one. You'll be disappointed.
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September 2, 2016Great story but not much of a ending. Found it totally lacking, we never find out if his co-workers survived the crash among other things. #coyer
October 23, 2018
Chase is still trying to recover from a gunshot wound but when he's called in to offer protection for a witness he's ready to jump in and protect Raney. After recently learning of his step-father's death Chase knows that the best place to hide is his childhood home. But recovery from physical wounds is not the only thing Chase needs to do, he needs time to recover from his emotional wounds as well. Raney wants to do the right thing and help in the prosecution of a killer but becoming a protected witness is not all it's cracked up to be. She appreciates the little bit of freedom she gets at Chase's childhood home but danger seems to be lurking behind every corner. And the fact that they have to fight their attraction doesn't help, either. I really enjoyed the connection between Chase and Raney and the little bit of danger helps to move the story along. Excited to continue this series!
March 30, 2023
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it was actually a pretty good book. Ha! No, seriously, I was craving some bodice-ripping, bare chested Viking, steamy romance, but I couldn’t find one so I snagged a few of these more contemporary Harlequins from a sale at my library. I gave it a go, sexy bodyguard needs to protect sexy witness so that she can testify. Though the steamy scenes were underwhelming, the storyline was actually pretty good. I am serious, there was some real suspense that gave me chills, and excitement and danger! I liked the chemistry of the characters. I find it annoying when it’s the love/hate/misunderstanding/do they love each or not cliche. I liked how their relationship developed, and the excitement and danger. It was good storytelling. I might just be reading a few more of the Intrigue ones! Ha!
February 19, 2019
I really enjoyed this book.
Raney's location in the witness protection program is compromised. The Chief of Police wants her close by to testify at the trial, and with the death of Chase's stepfather, they have the perfect cover. A fake wedding and an inherited house.
I like that Chase, while struggling with the job versus his response to Raney, doesn't do the angsty "I made a mistake, I can't do that again" dance. Once he's made his decision, he stands by it. The suspense kept me reading and the straightforward way in which the characters interacted rang true with their characterization. Just the right amount of steam to go along with this type of story, and enough hints at the stories to come in the series to make me want to move on to the next book.
Raney's location in the witness protection program is compromised. The Chief of Police wants her close by to testify at the trial, and with the death of Chase's stepfather, they have the perfect cover. A fake wedding and an inherited house.
I like that Chase, while struggling with the job versus his response to Raney, doesn't do the angsty "I made a mistake, I can't do that again" dance. Once he's made his decision, he stands by it. The suspense kept me reading and the straightforward way in which the characters interacted rang true with their characterization. Just the right amount of steam to go along with this type of story, and enough hints at the stories to come in the series to make me want to move on to the next book.
November 17, 2019
Good read, lousy ending to a great read. Ending was rushed and did not tie up loose end.
December 1, 2015
I'm not a big reader of category romance, but I bought this book for two big reasons:
#1 - I was taking a holiday vacation, and nothing makes for better travel reading than the short, light category romance.
#2 - This book features one of my favorite things - the fake marriage. Even better, the fake marriage that allows law enforcement to stay close to protect the heroine from assassination. My favorite crazysauce.
It satisfied exactly what I needed it to do. It was distracting but not challenging enough to be a bad vacation choice. There was a fun suspense plot, some decent character development given the book's size, and some good chemistry. Although, to my dismay, all the spicy bits were fade-to-black.
It's not super memorable, and I don't think I'll be reading book two, featuring the battered wife and hero's brother. But it made for great vacation reading!
#1 - I was taking a holiday vacation, and nothing makes for better travel reading than the short, light category romance.
#2 - This book features one of my favorite things - the fake marriage. Even better, the fake marriage that allows law enforcement to stay close to protect the heroine from assassination. My favorite crazysauce.
It satisfied exactly what I needed it to do. It was distracting but not challenging enough to be a bad vacation choice. There was a fun suspense plot, some decent character development given the book's size, and some good chemistry. Although, to my dismay, all the spicy bits were fade-to-black.
It's not super memorable, and I don't think I'll be reading book two, featuring the battered wife and hero's brother. But it made for great vacation reading!
August 5, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. Chase is a detective. What better way to protect Raney, than to marry her? Raney is a Key witness in a big case. Chase, and the Police department will do whatever they have to, To keep her alive, and get her to trail. Chase, and Raney feel hard for one another in a sweet kinda way.
Chase took Raney to his childhood home. He needed to paint it, to get it ready to sale. The argument over paint colors was funny. I really enjoyed the banter back and forth. You could tell the two was having fun together while working on the house.
I'm giving the book a 3 because I felt it just ended. Chase was keeping her alive to get her to trail, but the book cut off before the trial date. Other than that it was a really good book.
Chase took Raney to his childhood home. He needed to paint it, to get it ready to sale. The argument over paint colors was funny. I really enjoyed the banter back and forth. You could tell the two was having fun together while working on the house.
I'm giving the book a 3 because I felt it just ended. Chase was keeping her alive to get her to trail, but the book cut off before the trial date. Other than that it was a really good book.
December 21, 2015
Keeping her safe endangers his heart.
Detective Chase Hollister is experienced at providing witness protection. Posing as a newlywed while getting his late step-father’s house ready for sale sounds like a win-win. But soon after he starts the assignment he knows he’s in trouble.
Raney, a kidnapping survivor, is scheduled to testify against a rich and powerful criminal--if the police can keep her alive until the trial next month.
Ms. Long uses the setting of a small Missouri town and the personal histories of her characters to advantage. I read this book in a hurry, because it was difficult to put down.
Detective Chase Hollister is experienced at providing witness protection. Posing as a newlywed while getting his late step-father’s house ready for sale sounds like a win-win. But soon after he starts the assignment he knows he’s in trouble.
Raney, a kidnapping survivor, is scheduled to testify against a rich and powerful criminal--if the police can keep her alive until the trial next month.
Ms. Long uses the setting of a small Missouri town and the personal histories of her characters to advantage. I read this book in a hurry, because it was difficult to put down.
June 15, 2016
Chase is a detective..His assignment to watch over Raney is one he really isn't looking forward to..he is going to have to act like their married plus go back to his childhood home that has no good memories for him! He and Raney fake the marriage and head to Ravesville to hide out in his childhood home where he was beat and took beatings from his stepdad...They are enjoying their time and enjoying each others company while he works on the house..But danger comes calling. They are trying to escape it and do when Chase kills a couple men than Raney does...She is in hiding from a mad man that held her captive but she escaped..Chase is trying to keep her alive to help testify again the man....
October 20, 2015
I had the unique opportunity for an advance copy of the book. When I started, I could hardly put the book down and was often caught by my hubby up late at night reading because I was anxious to learn what was happening next! I have read many books by this author and the suspense that the author added to this book was amazing! Ms. Long was great at creating the mental picture so you could "see the scene" in your mind!
June 22, 2016
I love the two main characters and the use of the fake marriage trope to get them together. The suspense portion was, however, lacking in this book. One conflict was introduced with the jealous ex-girlfriend and a possibly bad cop, but before they could tie that one together, something completely different happens. Then. It. Just. Ends. I hate that. Rushed the ending and didn't tie up loose ends. This author has the talent to have done better.
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January 12, 2016"The chemistry between the characters is steamy from the start, and it just smolders from there. With all the right elements, Long’s new series looks to be headed in the right direction" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).
Miniseries: Return to Ravesville
Miniseries: Return to Ravesville
December 7, 2015
It was a surprisingly different kind of romantic intrigue book, I liked the characters and they were well developed in the short amount of pages. This book was more about the romance between the main characters rather than the overall mystery. I like fake wedding stories and Lorraine and Chase did not disappoint.
November 7, 2015
Good book but had abrupt ending. I was kind of hoping for an epilogue or atleast reading about the trial. There wasn't any suspense or action. The book was more about romance between the two characters.
November 14, 2015
Loved that I got this from the author it is in a series that is called Return to Ravesville. It was a home run for me as it included suspense,romance and mystery! I was reading and turning the pages so quick as I knew that I had another book in this series and I just loved it.
January 2, 2025
Standard Harlequin, but with some deeper moments. Enough that I'd like to read the other books.
Reread November 2024 and, while some parts I did remember, I thought I hadn't finished the book. Above assessment stands.
Reread November 2024 and, while some parts I did remember, I thought I hadn't finished the book. Above assessment stands.
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January 12, 2016received 4 stars @ RT Book Reviews
Miniseries: Return to Ravesville
Miniseries: Return to Ravesville
November 9, 2015
This was a great read with suspense and the smart, witty dialogue that Long is known for! I'm looking forward to the next book in this seriesI
December 4, 2015
I really enjoyed this book! It was a great mystery with Romance, Which are my favorite kind of stories!
October 8, 2017
Awesome Series!! A must read for Romance-Suspense Fans!!!
June 22, 2016
Quick, easy read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews