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The Coltons of Red Ridge #12
Colton's Fugitive Family (The Coltons of Red Ridge, Book 12)
Will the Groom Killer finally be caught?
It’s time for him to face justice
On the run since her ex-fiancé's murder, Demi Colton risks everything to protect herself – and her newborn son. But now Demi's heart comes under fire when Lucas Gage, a fellow bounty hunter, steps in to prove her innocence. Can they snare the real culprit?
- GenresRomance
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2018
90 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Morey
112 books49 followersTwo-time RITA nominee and Golden Quill winner, Jennifer Morey writes single-title contemporary romance and page-turning romantic suspense. She has a geology degree and has managed export programs in compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) for the aerospace industry. She lives at the feet of the Rocky Mountains in Denver, Colorado, and loves to hear from readers through her website, www.jennifermorey.com or Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 5, 2019
I've never read Jennifer's books before but she did this ending excellently. Getting to meet Demi Colton finally was worth the wait. She was a everything I thought she would be. Having Lucas Gage as her partner made sense. This book is full of suspense and action. It will keep you guessing as to whether things will be solved. The things happening will keep you curious enough to turn the pages to see what will happen next.. I loved seeing everyone in the series at the end of the series Its a great story and the ending is well done. This series and other series in this line prove you can use more than 1 author to do a great series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 1, 2018Miniseries: The Coltons of Red Ridge
June 14, 2022
I've read books 1, 3 and 11 in this series, in which the ongoing plot arc has been the hunt for the Groom Killer. We finally get our answer in book 12, right at the beginning. Demi Colton has been the prime suspect the whole series and has been in hiding. She has been tracked down by rival bounty hunter Lucas Gage, who knows she's innocent. Demi doesn't trust him, thinking he's going to turn her over to the authorities.
Instead, he protects her from the Groom Killer, Devlin Harrington, who keeps popping up in increasingly stupid ways to attack Demi and Lucas. They figure the only way to properly incriminate him, and get Demi completely off the hook, is to find his prints on the guns used to commit the Groom Killer murders. So they set about looking for those guns. It's about as exciting as it sounds. As for me, I couldn't figure out why Devlin was trying to kill Demi when he was supposedly trying to frame her for his murders. It didn't make any sense.
The romance was pretty ho-hum. It's mostly Demi just berating Lucas for not wanting to be in a relationship because he saw what losing his mother did to his father and doesn't want that for himself. Yes, it's the tiresome too-scared-to-love trope, but this conversation just goes round and round in circles, gets repeated endlessly, and never goes anywhere. We're given the reason Lucas is gun shy about love - we don't need it told to us 36 more times! Progress the conversation! When Lucas makes his inevitable turnaround, it carries no weight or believability, because it's so sudden. If his and Demi's conversations had moved beyond Demi reminding him, again and again, "You're afraid to love," I might have bought it.
The only other romance aspect is something to do with Demi realising that she got too riled up about Lucas' teasing of her, and it was only light-hearted, and he wasn't actually being mean to her. I was like, "Huh?" We keep getting told that there has been sexual tension between them for several years, but I just wasn't feeling it!
Character motivations for the hero and heroine are also puzzling. Why does Lucas start getting hot and heavy with Demi before abruptly going, "Nah, sorry."? Why is Demi engaging with multiple of her brothers and sisters, or half brother and half sisters, or cousins, when for 12 books now she's been completely off the grid? She's taking off to all sorts of places in "disguise" (but is recognised by nearly everyone, because she's hanging out with family), leaving her baby with others, when this goes against everything she's done up until this point.
And why is Lucas taking part in police interviews when he's a bounty hunter?!?!?
The suspense was lacking. After 11 books of not knowing who the Groom Killer is, all of sudden we have their identity and it's a case of finding the guns he used and zzzz. As mentioned, I couldn't get my head around why Devlin was trying to kill Demi. He needed her for his alibi! He keeps popping up to shoot at them, or blow up a car or a fence, then dashing off again. It was stupid. By the time he popped up at the police K-9 centre with dozens of officers around without being noticed by them, I was just rolling my eyes going, "Good grief! Could this book get any dumber?"
No, but it certainly got more boring. There's about 50 pages of filler as the Coltons and the Gages settle an old family feud and save the K-9 centre. Then all the protagonists, plus others, from the previous 11 books, show up for a party and a wedding that just goes on and on and on. 12 books in total means more than 24 protagonists all jostling for space and it was just too confusing. I pretty much skim read all of that.
The last book in a mini-series is a chance to wrap everything with a bit of excitement and drama. This was a snore! The romantic conflict never escalated and the villain's motivations made no sense.
Instead, he protects her from the Groom Killer, Devlin Harrington, who keeps popping up in increasingly stupid ways to attack Demi and Lucas. They figure the only way to properly incriminate him, and get Demi completely off the hook, is to find his prints on the guns used to commit the Groom Killer murders. So they set about looking for those guns. It's about as exciting as it sounds. As for me, I couldn't figure out why Devlin was trying to kill Demi when he was supposedly trying to frame her for his murders. It didn't make any sense.
The romance was pretty ho-hum. It's mostly Demi just berating Lucas for not wanting to be in a relationship because he saw what losing his mother did to his father and doesn't want that for himself. Yes, it's the tiresome too-scared-to-love trope, but this conversation just goes round and round in circles, gets repeated endlessly, and never goes anywhere. We're given the reason Lucas is gun shy about love - we don't need it told to us 36 more times! Progress the conversation! When Lucas makes his inevitable turnaround, it carries no weight or believability, because it's so sudden. If his and Demi's conversations had moved beyond Demi reminding him, again and again, "You're afraid to love," I might have bought it.
The only other romance aspect is something to do with Demi realising that she got too riled up about Lucas' teasing of her, and it was only light-hearted, and he wasn't actually being mean to her. I was like, "Huh?" We keep getting told that there has been sexual tension between them for several years, but I just wasn't feeling it!
Character motivations for the hero and heroine are also puzzling. Why does Lucas start getting hot and heavy with Demi before abruptly going, "Nah, sorry."? Why is Demi engaging with multiple of her brothers and sisters, or half brother and half sisters, or cousins, when for 12 books now she's been completely off the grid? She's taking off to all sorts of places in "disguise" (but is recognised by nearly everyone, because she's hanging out with family), leaving her baby with others, when this goes against everything she's done up until this point.
And why is Lucas taking part in police interviews when he's a bounty hunter?!?!?
The suspense was lacking. After 11 books of not knowing who the Groom Killer is, all of sudden we have their identity and it's a case of finding the guns he used and zzzz. As mentioned, I couldn't get my head around why Devlin was trying to kill Demi. He needed her for his alibi! He keeps popping up to shoot at them, or blow up a car or a fence, then dashing off again. It was stupid. By the time he popped up at the police K-9 centre with dozens of officers around without being noticed by them, I was just rolling my eyes going, "Good grief! Could this book get any dumber?"
No, but it certainly got more boring. There's about 50 pages of filler as the Coltons and the Gages settle an old family feud and save the K-9 centre. Then all the protagonists, plus others, from the previous 11 books, show up for a party and a wedding that just goes on and on and on. 12 books in total means more than 24 protagonists all jostling for space and it was just too confusing. I pretty much skim read all of that.
The last book in a mini-series is a chance to wrap everything with a bit of excitement and drama. This was a snore! The romantic conflict never escalated and the villain's motivations made no sense.
December 6, 2018
There have been countless twists all throughout the Coltons of Red Ridge miniseries, and in the concluding story, all remaining questions are answered in a compelling manner. Jennifer Morey interweaves past revealed information with her own inventive circumstances to bring new developments in the life of Demi Colton, the woman that some think is the Groom Killer. As each chapter was read, my fear of what could possibly happen next kept increasing as unanticipated peril could turn up at any time. The romantic aspects in the story are equally intriguing, because what would ultimately occur between the couple was never certain until all emotions are explored. COLTON’S FUGITIVE FAMILY is riveting with suspense, while genuinely sincere feelings pulled me into the lives of the main characters.
When Demi Colton was first accused of murdering the man to whom she was once engaged, she fled and hoped to find proof that would clear her name. Since she is a bounty hunter, finding clues about people is her specialty. Sadly, a whole year has gone by, and the actual killer still has not been found. The only bright spot in her life over the period is the fact her son was born, and she will do anything to keep him safe. Though living in a remote area should have kept her hidden, a bounty hunter for the Red Ridge Police Department locates her. While Lucas Gage wants her to believe in him, Demi feels she cannot rely on anyone but herself.
Numerous emotions can be found in COLTON’S FUGITIVE FAMILY, where each sentiment is expressed with convincingness. I always felt the characters in the story were realistic because of their reactions to whatever was taking place. Feelings were always very clear, and this helped me to connect to Demi and Lucas. She worries about keeping her son unharmed while trying to find evidence about the real killer. Her knowledge from being a bounty hunter comes in handy, and I enjoyed seeing what method she would use in each situation. Lucas works for the local police, but his feelings for Demi have him siding with her instead of always following the rules. They have quite a few issues to work on, and I found many of their conversations to be enlightening.
All the pertinent details pertaining to the ongoing murder investigations were gradually revealed, and I was stunned by some of the more surprising facts. How different people were involved was expertly conceived. Ms. Morey also brought in many couples from past stories in the miniseries, and it was great seeing how their relationships had progressed. I was definitely satisfied with how all situations were resolved. Rating - 4.5 Stars
When Demi Colton was first accused of murdering the man to whom she was once engaged, she fled and hoped to find proof that would clear her name. Since she is a bounty hunter, finding clues about people is her specialty. Sadly, a whole year has gone by, and the actual killer still has not been found. The only bright spot in her life over the period is the fact her son was born, and she will do anything to keep him safe. Though living in a remote area should have kept her hidden, a bounty hunter for the Red Ridge Police Department locates her. While Lucas Gage wants her to believe in him, Demi feels she cannot rely on anyone but herself.
Numerous emotions can be found in COLTON’S FUGITIVE FAMILY, where each sentiment is expressed with convincingness. I always felt the characters in the story were realistic because of their reactions to whatever was taking place. Feelings were always very clear, and this helped me to connect to Demi and Lucas. She worries about keeping her son unharmed while trying to find evidence about the real killer. Her knowledge from being a bounty hunter comes in handy, and I enjoyed seeing what method she would use in each situation. Lucas works for the local police, but his feelings for Demi have him siding with her instead of always following the rules. They have quite a few issues to work on, and I found many of their conversations to be enlightening.
All the pertinent details pertaining to the ongoing murder investigations were gradually revealed, and I was stunned by some of the more surprising facts. How different people were involved was expertly conceived. Ms. Morey also brought in many couples from past stories in the miniseries, and it was great seeing how their relationships had progressed. I was definitely satisfied with how all situations were resolved. Rating - 4.5 Stars
June 3, 2019
There were 12 books in the entire series and they still manage to rush the ending! The character arcs for the murderer wasn't well developed and it faltered. Considering the Devlin character in one of the books earlier where he was dating Gemma Colton was a self serving rich smug guy but definitely not a murderer type who consorts with drug dealers and gun runners. His character didn't have any passion let alone a stalkerish one for Hayley. There were way too many plot holes even in this book with Devlin showing up in the wrong places, Demi having successfully evaded the police just throwing caution to the wind and showing up in recognizable disguises in public and involving her brother etc., that goes against her character evolution in the entire series. The worst plot point was the rushed wedding between Demi and Lucas the guy who doesn't believe in love or marriage. They didn't fall in love and considering how they were both shy of relationships, the characters didn't come together or grow into a relationship to even warrant a wedding and HEA. The last book of the series was the worst one I read with some mud hastily thrown to cover some major pot or should I say plot holes.
March 3, 2023
I’d been enjoying this series and really looking forward to this book. As the story that wraps everything up I will admit to finding it surprisingly disappointing. There were some interesting surprises along the way, but the plot itself just seemed to drag. There were too many instances when the murderer escaped capture - he was an amateur up against trained officers. Also, the romance between Lucas and Demi never seemed to gain momentum. The resolution of their conflicted feelings about one another was very abrupt and I can’t say that I’m convinced that Lucas had a true change of heart about love and marriage.
January 1, 2019
An excellent end to 'The Colton's of Red Ridge' series which has followed the investigation into a serial killer known as the Groom Killer. This book nicely rounded out the series, and it was nice to have all the characters from the previous 11 books come together at the end of the series.
January 1, 2019
Nothing over exciting but kept me interested
September 22, 2019
Wow
I really had a good time reading this one.Mystery,suspense,suspense and a whole lot of action.I couldn't put this book down.Next book please.
I really had a good time reading this one.Mystery,suspense,suspense and a whole lot of action.I couldn't put this book down.Next book please.
April 7, 2019
A good ending to the series. A few plot quirks, but that's what happens when 5+ writers write a series together...
An overblown ending, but fun and quirky.
An overblown ending, but fun and quirky.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews