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Badge of Honor #1
Mysterious Abduction
She'll never give up on finding her baby.
And neither will the sheriff of Whistler.
For five years, Cora Reeves has searched for her baby, who went missing in a fire--a baby she swears is still out there. When the private investigator sniffing out clues ends up dead, Sheriff Jacob Maverick's on the cold case. As old evidence takes on new meaning, Jacob is deperate to ensure Cora's safety. Especially once he realizes how far someone is willing to go to keep her from learning the truth behind what really happened that fateful day...
And neither will the sheriff of Whistler.
For five years, Cora Reeves has searched for her baby, who went missing in a fire--a baby she swears is still out there. When the private investigator sniffing out clues ends up dead, Sheriff Jacob Maverick's on the cold case. As old evidence takes on new meaning, Jacob is deperate to ensure Cora's safety. Especially once he realizes how far someone is willing to go to keep her from learning the truth behind what really happened that fateful day...
248 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 18, 2020
221 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Rita Herron
322 books942 followersUSA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn’t think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job.
With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.
For more on. Rita and her titles, visit her at www.ritaherron.com. You can also find her on www.Facebook/ritaherron.com and Twitter.com/ritaherron.
With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.
For more on. Rita and her titles, visit her at www.ritaherron.com. You can also find her on www.Facebook/ritaherron.com and Twitter.com/ritaherron.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 20, 2024
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Overall
🔪I love these suspense romance reads and have been reading more and more. So I’m gonna break them down differently from my other reviews.
I don’t want to give any spoilers away so you can go into it it blind and enjoy all the twists and turns❤️.
Ratings 0-5 Star Scale
😮Mystery/Suspense-
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really wasn’t 💯 who do it till the end
Kept me intrigued.
I can say that I really hated her ex and his actions after their baby was taken. I mean what a douche.
I am interested in the overall story arc of who started the fire that killed the H dad and I will read the brothers books.
In the end the lengths the bad guy went through to get what they wanted made want to see them punished so harshly.
❤️🔥Romance/Chemistry-
3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked the romance
We get one fast but tasteful sexy times❤️
I thought these two had a good connection I would have liked even more. And I definitely liked how their HFN was.
❤️I love that we got a sex scene- this is romantic suspense! We need intimate scenes for sure.
‼️I DID NOT LIKE that the H says he loved her for the last few years… then why didn’t he try to pursue her or spend time w her. And was the H w OW in that time? Cause iit seemed like maybe he was.
When the h says she wasn’t w OM since her divorce (5yrs) then the H could have clarified that he hadn’t been w OW in that time cause he “loved” her but he didn’t say anything and he had a condoms ready.
I hate when authors do this. I would rather he didn’t live her that whole time then. Or at f he did that we got clarity if he was celibate.
I mean they were not together and they were both grieving so it wasn’t a good time. But to say LOVE then at least let the readers know.
🚹Hero-
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked him a lot
He was a good man with a strong sense of right and wrong. He was compassionate and good for the h.
I do believe he was interested in the h for years and we know he didn’t date. He didn’t give off manwhore vibes at all. But I do wish we had clarity about his sexual status w OW while he was wanting the h.
But overall he was a good man and I liked him a lot.
🚺Heroine-
3⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked how she never gave up hope and looking for her daughter. I do think she could have made some better choices in those 5 yrs. And her POV was sad and depressing at times but overall she was a sweet woman who had some really bad things happen to her. I think her ex was one of her worst choices and I wonder what drew them together in the first place cause I don’t think they were a good fit.
⚠️Safety-
Overall safe
Condoms and one sex scene -which I like
Kidnapping
Child abduction
Adoption
Infidelity- talks of -not between h and H
🎧Audiobook Narration-
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good! male narrator he did a great job with voices and emotions and had an easy voice to listen to.
I listened on Scribd
🥰Overall Enjoyment-
I liked this it kept me intrigued and I will definitely read the next one. Romance was good but I could have used more. I like sex scenes in my romance and romantic suspense so I’m glad we had that here.
🔪I love these suspense romance reads and have been reading more and more. So I’m gonna break them down differently from my other reviews.
I don’t want to give any spoilers away so you can go into it it blind and enjoy all the twists and turns❤️.
Ratings 0-5 Star Scale
😮Mystery/Suspense-
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really wasn’t 💯 who do it till the end
Kept me intrigued.
I can say that I really hated her ex and his actions after their baby was taken. I mean what a douche.
I am interested in the overall story arc of who started the fire that killed the H dad and I will read the brothers books.
In the end the lengths the bad guy went through to get what they wanted made want to see them punished so harshly.
❤️🔥Romance/Chemistry-
3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked the romance
We get one fast but tasteful sexy times❤️
I thought these two had a good connection I would have liked even more. And I definitely liked how their HFN was.
❤️I love that we got a sex scene- this is romantic suspense! We need intimate scenes for sure.
‼️I DID NOT LIKE that the H says he loved her for the last few years… then why didn’t he try to pursue her or spend time w her. And was the H w OW in that time? Cause iit seemed like maybe he was.
When the h says she wasn’t w OM since her divorce (5yrs) then the H could have clarified that he hadn’t been w OW in that time cause he “loved” her but he didn’t say anything and he had a condoms ready.
I hate when authors do this. I would rather he didn’t live her that whole time then. Or at f he did that we got clarity if he was celibate.
I mean they were not together and they were both grieving so it wasn’t a good time. But to say LOVE then at least let the readers know.
🚹Hero-
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked him a lot
He was a good man with a strong sense of right and wrong. He was compassionate and good for the h.
I do believe he was interested in the h for years and we know he didn’t date. He didn’t give off manwhore vibes at all. But I do wish we had clarity about his sexual status w OW while he was wanting the h.
But overall he was a good man and I liked him a lot.
🚺Heroine-
3⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked how she never gave up hope and looking for her daughter. I do think she could have made some better choices in those 5 yrs. And her POV was sad and depressing at times but overall she was a sweet woman who had some really bad things happen to her. I think her ex was one of her worst choices and I wonder what drew them together in the first place cause I don’t think they were a good fit.
⚠️Safety-
Overall safe
Condoms and one sex scene -which I like
Kidnapping
Child abduction
Adoption
Infidelity- talks of -not between h and H
🎧Audiobook Narration-
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good! male narrator he did a great job with voices and emotions and had an easy voice to listen to.
I listened on Scribd
🥰Overall Enjoyment-
I liked this it kept me intrigued and I will definitely read the next one. Romance was good but I could have used more. I like sex scenes in my romance and romantic suspense so I’m glad we had that here.
January 13, 2021
I genuinely love the Harlequin Intrigue series because it offers a good mystery in a limited number of pages. As a result, the story moves along quickly and it becomes an enjoyably quick read. This book delivered on all of that. The story was compelling right off the bat: a kidnapped baby and a mother who felt driven to continue the search five years later. A slew of bullets follow her own personal investigation and leads her to join forces with the sexy Sheriff Maverick to follow the trail. There is a romance in this and some exciting twists that kept me turning the pages. There are only two things I would change to make it even better.
The random sex scene comes out of the blue and dominates too many paragraphs to pointless description. This space could have been better utilized with another fun plot twist that added to the Intrigue mystery. The second would be the overuse of the word "taunted" which happened more times than I could count. The word came up so many times that I started to take notice and it made me wonder if something else could have been used to describe that specific moment. They were "taunted" a lot by everything. It had an extremely abrupt ending but everything was wrapped up nicely. All in all, though the jump to the romance felt a little rushed, it was a good book that would entertain any reader. I would definitely read more of this author's work in the future.
The random sex scene comes out of the blue and dominates too many paragraphs to pointless description. This space could have been better utilized with another fun plot twist that added to the Intrigue mystery. The second would be the overuse of the word "taunted" which happened more times than I could count. The word came up so many times that I started to take notice and it made me wonder if something else could have been used to describe that specific moment. They were "taunted" a lot by everything. It had an extremely abrupt ending but everything was wrapped up nicely. All in all, though the jump to the romance felt a little rushed, it was a good book that would entertain any reader. I would definitely read more of this author's work in the future.
October 15, 2023
Well written and interesting police investigation/suspense with a touch of romance. 3.5 stars.
December 29, 2021
Cora Reeves' baby was kidnapped as an infant during an arson attack at a hospital five years earlier. Cora has never given up on baby Alice, even when everybody else, including her ex-husband, has. Cora hires a private detective to help her. Five years later, when the private detective is murdered, Sheriff Jacob Maverick is on the case, and suspects it's because the private detective got too close to the truth about Cora's baby. Feelings ignite between Cora and Jacob as they search for the truth.
Fairly decent romantic suspense category entry. As characters, Cora and Jacob felt a little flat, and their romance didn't exactly set the pages on fire. But the plot was good. Just when I thought this was too predictable and obvious, it delivered some plot twists that kept me on my seat, and the last 100 pages or so were quite suspenseful and exciting. Because this is part of a mini-series, be aware before going in that the subplot of Jacob's father's death in the hospital fire is not resolved.
Fairly decent romantic suspense category entry. As characters, Cora and Jacob felt a little flat, and their romance didn't exactly set the pages on fire. But the plot was good. Just when I thought this was too predictable and obvious, it delivered some plot twists that kept me on my seat, and the last 100 pages or so were quite suspenseful and exciting. Because this is part of a mini-series, be aware before going in that the subplot of Jacob's father's death in the hospital fire is not resolved.
Read
March 2, 2020Categories
Mystery & Detective, Thriller, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
A Badge of Honor Mystery (Book #1)
Mystery & Detective, Thriller, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
A Badge of Honor Mystery (Book #1)
March 18, 2024
Great story line but the extensive sex scene was not needed
I found the story intriguing and could hardly put it down until I got about 2/3's through the book and found about four pages of an explicit, detailed sex scene (which I skipped over). This added nothing to the story! If it wasn't that I wanted to read the ending, I would have stopped the book entirely and given it a one star rating. I would like to know why the author would feel pressured to add this scene. It was obvious that it did not go with the flow of the story.
Until I found the sex scene, I had decided to become a fan of Rita Herron, give her a five star rating, and buy her books for future enjoyment. Not now.
I found the story intriguing and could hardly put it down until I got about 2/3's through the book and found about four pages of an explicit, detailed sex scene (which I skipped over). This added nothing to the story! If it wasn't that I wanted to read the ending, I would have stopped the book entirely and given it a one star rating. I would like to know why the author would feel pressured to add this scene. It was obvious that it did not go with the flow of the story.
Until I found the sex scene, I had decided to become a fan of Rita Herron, give her a five star rating, and buy her books for future enjoyment. Not now.
July 31, 2020
This being my first Harlequin read ever I went in with a few preconceived notions, and I was wrong to do so. The author, Rita Herron does nothing to reinvent the wheel here, but I would have been utterly shocked if she had! With that being said I had a great couple hours reading this book.
A mother and father having their baby abducted shortly after birth is a nightmare idea and this book does a great job conveying the range of emotions the parents would feel.
I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. I will be picking up a few more Harlequins over the next few months!
A mother and father having their baby abducted shortly after birth is a nightmare idea and this book does a great job conveying the range of emotions the parents would feel.
I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. I will be picking up a few more Harlequins over the next few months!
September 30, 2025
2.5 stars rounded up. I stumbled across this audiobook while looking for something light & easy after a very emotional previous listen.
Romantic suspense is a genre that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me—I tend to want one or the other, but not both in one book. The mystery part was compelling, the romance was meh, and I found the narrator almost unbearable. So I stuck it out just to see how it ended. Onto the next.
Romantic suspense is a genre that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me—I tend to want one or the other, but not both in one book. The mystery part was compelling, the romance was meh, and I found the narrator almost unbearable. So I stuck it out just to see how it ended. Onto the next.
January 3, 2023
Hope
The plot is exciting and the characters are fairly well developed. My problem is there are simply too many coincidences that lasted for five years. The police, the FBI would not just let some of the events and persons of interest be pretty much ignored for five years. Still, I enjoyed the story.
The plot is exciting and the characters are fairly well developed. My problem is there are simply too many coincidences that lasted for five years. The police, the FBI would not just let some of the events and persons of interest be pretty much ignored for five years. Still, I enjoyed the story.
February 22, 2021
The culprit was quite evident early on, even if I had a doubt about the ex husband. The love story is correct and progresses smoothly. However I didn't like what happened in the end to the woman who'd raised the little girl all these years.
July 23, 2021
Great read
I enjoyed this story. The story begins with a baby being kidnapped from a hospital. The mother searched for her for 5 years and finally found her. A lot of twists and turns to find her. You really didn't know until the end. Great read.
I enjoyed this story. The story begins with a baby being kidnapped from a hospital. The mother searched for her for 5 years and finally found her. A lot of twists and turns to find her. You really didn't know until the end. Great read.
April 17, 2020
GOOD PLOT TWISTS
The book on a whole was very good, but it seemed to say that you women must have children to be complete.
The book on a whole was very good, but it seemed to say that you women must have children to be complete.
February 7, 2022
3,5 stars
August 23, 2022
Good for a quick read, but predictable.
February 1, 2024
Loved it! Read it in one day!
March 12, 2024
After reading the first book in the series I think the next ones will be great. Love the story and the characters. Like the twist interns to
December 31, 2024
Corny. Melodramatic. Full of cliches. His blood ran cold, his blood froze, his body hardened. 🤣🙄
October 20, 2025
Not great. Ended up skimming and skipping a lot.
December 29, 2023
** 256 pages I listen to this book A great book and a great reader
March 10, 2020
Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf
Mysterious Abduction begins the Badge of Honor Mystery series with a story that is so intense and almost painful to read as we are thrust into the world that Cora now lives in every single minute as she searches for her kidnapped daughter. Jacob lost his father in that same hospital fire and has vowed to Cora that he will find little Alice, but the clues are few and their questions remain unanswered – until murder brought everything to the forefront once again.
I am a mother, and I cannot imagine the absolute pain, fear, sadness, the panic of my child being snatched from me. I cannot. Yet I lived every moment of Cora’s terror and sadness right alongside her in this story. I think there are readers who may find Cora’s depiction as over the top yet… I’ve never had my child stolen moments after her birth, I’ve never had to wonder if she was happy, in a loving home, safe or if she was being abused, harmed or even still alive… so over the top doesn’t come into this equation, it really cannot for until I’ve walked in a mother like Cora’s shoes I’ll never know how I would react. Constant terror doesn’t even come close to what I think I’d feel, but you be the judge of her reactions for yourself.
The romance between Jacob and Cora is underplayed, it’s there, developing and acted upon but the main focus is finding Alice and the murder of the private investigator who was close to finding answers. There are enough secondary characters to make Mysterious Abduction interesting as we sort through clues and actions. I had my suspect picked out, and even though I was right there was still so much more to this story than taking down the villain. This story is intensely emotional on so many levels, the story flowed smoothly, the characters believable even in the nastiness and vileness of some. I was held captive in this world from beginning to end – and with enough hints and possibilities for the coming stories, I can say that I’m definitely hooked on this series and will follow it until the final word. If you love a good, intense, emotional mystery that will hold your attention and not let go, then Mysterious Abduction should be on your reading radar.
I own a Kindle edition of this story.
Mysterious Abduction begins the Badge of Honor Mystery series with a story that is so intense and almost painful to read as we are thrust into the world that Cora now lives in every single minute as she searches for her kidnapped daughter. Jacob lost his father in that same hospital fire and has vowed to Cora that he will find little Alice, but the clues are few and their questions remain unanswered – until murder brought everything to the forefront once again.
I am a mother, and I cannot imagine the absolute pain, fear, sadness, the panic of my child being snatched from me. I cannot. Yet I lived every moment of Cora’s terror and sadness right alongside her in this story. I think there are readers who may find Cora’s depiction as over the top yet… I’ve never had my child stolen moments after her birth, I’ve never had to wonder if she was happy, in a loving home, safe or if she was being abused, harmed or even still alive… so over the top doesn’t come into this equation, it really cannot for until I’ve walked in a mother like Cora’s shoes I’ll never know how I would react. Constant terror doesn’t even come close to what I think I’d feel, but you be the judge of her reactions for yourself.
The romance between Jacob and Cora is underplayed, it’s there, developing and acted upon but the main focus is finding Alice and the murder of the private investigator who was close to finding answers. There are enough secondary characters to make Mysterious Abduction interesting as we sort through clues and actions. I had my suspect picked out, and even though I was right there was still so much more to this story than taking down the villain. This story is intensely emotional on so many levels, the story flowed smoothly, the characters believable even in the nastiness and vileness of some. I was held captive in this world from beginning to end – and with enough hints and possibilities for the coming stories, I can say that I’m definitely hooked on this series and will follow it until the final word. If you love a good, intense, emotional mystery that will hold your attention and not let go, then Mysterious Abduction should be on your reading radar.
I own a Kindle edition of this story.
July 29, 2020
What would you do if your newborn baby was stolen, leaving your arms empty and your heart bereft? In this title in the Badge of Honor series, that's what Cora Reeves has confronted for the past 5 years. When the PI she hired to find her daughter is killed, she turns to Sheriff Jacob Maverick whose own father died in the fire at the hospital that was the scene of the baby's abduction. He vows to help Cora, even though the case seems cold.
As the two of them work together, they slowly begin to uncover clues, but Cora can't believe that her ex-husband might be involved. And when she realizes that one of her kindergarten students may actually be her daughter, she is hopeful. But the question her therapist has asked her isn't one she can answer: what will she do if her daughter is part of a happy home?
As the two of them work together, they slowly begin to uncover clues, but Cora can't believe that her ex-husband might be involved. And when she realizes that one of her kindergarten students may actually be her daughter, she is hopeful. But the question her therapist has asked her isn't one she can answer: what will she do if her daughter is part of a happy home?
April 21, 2020
This one didn't do it for me, unfortunately. The first 25% was good and then everything fell apart. If you're looking for intrigue, you won't find much of it here. The premise was good but the writing gave it all away way too quickly. The author didn't seem to know the difference between a bullet casing and a bullet fragment either. It was extremely frustrating. If you're looking for romance, you won't find much of that either. There was nothing until 60% of the book and then it was forced for the rest of it.
If you like a story about a lost child and a mother's unwavering devotion to finding her, then you'll appreciate this story for that. If you're looking for a heavy intrigue or complicated mystery storyline, you won't find that here.
If you like a story about a lost child and a mother's unwavering devotion to finding her, then you'll appreciate this story for that. If you're looking for a heavy intrigue or complicated mystery storyline, you won't find that here.
February 29, 2020
Great read for a snowy day. Could not put it down.
Read
March 2, 2020Categories
Mystery & Detective, Thriller, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
A Badge of Honor Mystery (Book #1)
Mystery & Detective, Thriller, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
A Badge of Honor Mystery (Book #1)
March 12, 2020
A kidnapped baby, a determined mother...even after 5yrs...and a sheriff who never gave up. Good story...action and some ‘ex drama’.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews