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Sinclair Connection #2
Hot on His Trail
Reporting on the guilty verdict of Nick Taggert’s murder trial is Shea Sinclair’s big break, she just knows it. Making a name for herself will save her from personal interest stories and reporting the weekend weather. Being kidnapped on camera as the convicted murderer makes his escape is going to make her more famous than she’d planned.
Nick is desperate. He’s innocent, but someone did a great job of setting him up for the murder of his neighbor. Wounded, panicked, seeing no other way out, he hits the road with a blasted reporter as his hostage. It’s not long before he tries to let her go. She refuses to leave.
In Nick, Shea sees injustice, as well as a really great story. No way is she walking away from either! All she has to do is prove his innocence and do her best not to fall in love…
Nick is desperate. He’s innocent, but someone did a great job of setting him up for the murder of his neighbor. Wounded, panicked, seeing no other way out, he hits the road with a blasted reporter as his hostage. It’s not long before he tries to let her go. She refuses to leave.
In Nick, Shea sees injustice, as well as a really great story. No way is she walking away from either! All she has to do is prove his innocence and do her best not to fall in love…
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2001
195 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Linda Winstead Jones
184 books377 followersLinda Winstead Jones is the bestselling author of more than eighty romance novels and novellas across several sub-genres. She’s easily distracted (Look! A squirrel!) and writes the stories that speak to her in the moment. Paranormal. Romantic Suspense. Twisted Fairy Tales. Cowboys. Her books are for readers who want to escape from reality for a while, who don’t mind the occasional trip into another world for a laugh, a chill, the occasional heartwarming tear. Where will we go next?
More information can be found at lindawinsteadjones.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, and at www.facebook.com/LindaWinsteadJones or www.facebook.com/LindaHowardLindaJones.
More information can be found at lindawinsteadjones.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, and at www.facebook.com/LindaWinsteadJones or www.facebook.com/LindaHowardLindaJones.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 27, 2011
Hot on His Trail was really good, it's the second book in the Sinclair Connection series.
Shea Sinclair, is known as the weather-girl though she doesn't like the tag, but because of the illness of a colleague she has gotten a chance, so she rushes to the court-house to get the verdict on Nick Taggert, who is convicted of murdering his neighbor.
Inside the court-house Nick is expecting a not guilty verdict, after all he is innocent and he believes in the system but when it comes a guilty, he panics, and attacks the deputy. He can see the life he saw for himself unraveling, he never had a great childhood and all he ever wanted after he served his country was a wife and kid and he thought he was on the way to it. When he sees Shea holding a camera he takes her hostage to escape.
He doesn't have a plan and has been shot in the leg. Shea didn't expect to be kidnapped so she struggles and even tries to escape but Nick tells her he will shoot her. They get talking when Nick tells her that he is innocent and Shea believes him, she considers herself a good judge of character, so when he tries to leave her behind, she says no, he needs her and she who has higher ambition will get a great story out of it.
Shea was extremely fun and resourceful, the way she improvised when the situation called, when she runs across the trooper, her neighbor and her brothers. Shea's parents weren't the most loving but her three older brothers made up for it. She believes in Nick and even looks after him well. Shea just wants a good career but Nick makes her want other things.
Nick, on his part didn't feel very optimistic, he told Shea to go and not act as a willing participant but she didn't. He even behaves rudely and crudely to let her go and tell her that they don't have a future but she doesn't.
I loved the Sinclair siblings as well and Shea was totally awesome.
Rating 4.5
Shea Sinclair, is known as the weather-girl though she doesn't like the tag, but because of the illness of a colleague she has gotten a chance, so she rushes to the court-house to get the verdict on Nick Taggert, who is convicted of murdering his neighbor.
Inside the court-house Nick is expecting a not guilty verdict, after all he is innocent and he believes in the system but when it comes a guilty, he panics, and attacks the deputy. He can see the life he saw for himself unraveling, he never had a great childhood and all he ever wanted after he served his country was a wife and kid and he thought he was on the way to it. When he sees Shea holding a camera he takes her hostage to escape.
He doesn't have a plan and has been shot in the leg. Shea didn't expect to be kidnapped so she struggles and even tries to escape but Nick tells her he will shoot her. They get talking when Nick tells her that he is innocent and Shea believes him, she considers herself a good judge of character, so when he tries to leave her behind, she says no, he needs her and she who has higher ambition will get a great story out of it.
Shea was extremely fun and resourceful, the way she improvised when the situation called, when she runs across the trooper, her neighbor and her brothers. Shea's parents weren't the most loving but her three older brothers made up for it. She believes in Nick and even looks after him well. Shea just wants a good career but Nick makes her want other things.
Nick, on his part didn't feel very optimistic, he told Shea to go and not act as a willing participant but she didn't. He even behaves rudely and crudely to let her go and tell her that they don't have a future but she doesn't.
I loved the Sinclair siblings as well and Shea was totally awesome.
Rating 4.5
July 19, 2018
3.25 stars
July 2, 2011
Nick Taggart certainly didn't expect to hear "Guilty!". After all, he's innocent and innocent men don't go to prison for life. So, when he hears the verdict he reacts without thinking and attacts a deputy, takes his gun and starts to run away. He would've failed if there wasn't a convenient hostage to take - a beautiful reporter Shea Sinclair.
Shea was just filling in for a coworker, the last thing she expected was that Nick would try to run away and take her! In the beginning she was doing her best to get away from him, but when she realizes that he's innocent she changes her mind, he needs help to clear his name. And so the adventure begins.
Nick is a man with a bad childhood who spent most of his life in Spec Ops, all he wants is a family and a house with white picket fence. That really shouldn't be that hard to get. He's attracted to Shea from the beginning, but he tries really hard to make her change her mind, to protect her from herself. He says some hurtful thing to her, but Shea always realizes why he's doing that. I like him a lot.
Shea has grown up with distant parents, but she had her 3 brothers, 3 dangerous brothers (I love Nick's reaction when she tells him). They are overprotective, but they love her, so she puts up with them.
Shea and Nick fall in love slowly, I like the time they spent alone, how they talked to each other, the complete honesty.
The reason for the rating is how the whole suspense plot tied up. Not the identity of the murderer, but how they found out.
I love their HEA, and Shea's brothers are awesome. I look forward to reading their stories.
Rating:
4 stars.
Shea was just filling in for a coworker, the last thing she expected was that Nick would try to run away and take her! In the beginning she was doing her best to get away from him, but when she realizes that he's innocent she changes her mind, he needs help to clear his name. And so the adventure begins.
Nick is a man with a bad childhood who spent most of his life in Spec Ops, all he wants is a family and a house with white picket fence. That really shouldn't be that hard to get. He's attracted to Shea from the beginning, but he tries really hard to make her change her mind, to protect her from herself. He says some hurtful thing to her, but Shea always realizes why he's doing that. I like him a lot.
Shea has grown up with distant parents, but she had her 3 brothers, 3 dangerous brothers (I love Nick's reaction when she tells him). They are overprotective, but they love her, so she puts up with them.
Shea and Nick fall in love slowly, I like the time they spent alone, how they talked to each other, the complete honesty.
The reason for the rating is how the whole suspense plot tied up. Not the identity of the murderer, but how they found out.
I love their HEA, and Shea's brothers are awesome. I look forward to reading their stories.
Rating:
4 stars.
January 9, 2015
Probably 4-1/2 stars. Really enjoyed Shea as a heroine (smart, feisty, stubborn and she doesn't whine) and the supporting characters rocked. Murder mystery was good too. I loved Nick using the nickname "Weathergirl" for her (at first to tick her off). Shea's brothers were hilarious alpha protectors - (loved when Nick thought of them as "the thug, the cowboy and the suit)!
Fav quotes:
Holding his face in her hands, she barely touched her nose to his. “I love you,” she whispered.
“Don’t.” The single word was harsh, but the hand that settled in her hair was tender. Gentle and loving. And she didn’t let that word deter her.
“If we find the murderer tomorrow and you’re cleared, then everything will be fine. If we don’t and you have to run again, I want to run with you.”
“No,” he whispered.
“I would rather live my life on the run with you than live it anywhere else without you.”
“Thank you,” he whispered. “For believing in me when no one else did. For loving me.” And then he knew it was true. He could deny it out loud, but not here. Not now. “For letting me love you back.”
Nick raised his arm to bring Shea’s face close to his. The cops and Norman stayed clear, so no one else was close enough to hear, if he kept his voice low. “More than anything, I wish we could start over,” he whispered. “I can thank you for that, too. After everything that happened, I was ready to give up. I didn’t think there was any way I could bear to start over with nothing again, but if I could start over with you I would. You gave me my life back.” And he would just as soon die if he ended up taking hers. “Open your eyes, Shea,” he commanded softly. “Look at me.”
“You’ll be okay,” he said, smiling. Believing it. She snuggled against his chest.
“Do sleeping pills make you hallucinate?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.”
“I could’ve sworn you said you loved me,” she breathed into his ear. “But that can’t be right. Can it? I’m just…we just…”
“You’re not hallucinating,” he said softly. “I do love you.”
Fav quotes:
Holding his face in her hands, she barely touched her nose to his. “I love you,” she whispered.
“Don’t.” The single word was harsh, but the hand that settled in her hair was tender. Gentle and loving. And she didn’t let that word deter her.
“If we find the murderer tomorrow and you’re cleared, then everything will be fine. If we don’t and you have to run again, I want to run with you.”
“No,” he whispered.
“I would rather live my life on the run with you than live it anywhere else without you.”
“Thank you,” he whispered. “For believing in me when no one else did. For loving me.” And then he knew it was true. He could deny it out loud, but not here. Not now. “For letting me love you back.”
Nick raised his arm to bring Shea’s face close to his. The cops and Norman stayed clear, so no one else was close enough to hear, if he kept his voice low. “More than anything, I wish we could start over,” he whispered. “I can thank you for that, too. After everything that happened, I was ready to give up. I didn’t think there was any way I could bear to start over with nothing again, but if I could start over with you I would. You gave me my life back.” And he would just as soon die if he ended up taking hers. “Open your eyes, Shea,” he commanded softly. “Look at me.”
“You’ll be okay,” he said, smiling. Believing it. She snuggled against his chest.
“Do sleeping pills make you hallucinate?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.”
“I could’ve sworn you said you loved me,” she breathed into his ear. “But that can’t be right. Can it? I’m just…we just…”
“You’re not hallucinating,” he said softly. “I do love you.”
June 18, 2024
Good read. He is accused of murder and while in court he does the unthinkable and kidnaps a television reporter who happens to be there. He is now on the run with a captive and needs to prove he is innocent. She fears him at first but at the end she helps him and between the two and some close friends they set a trap. A guess the moral of this story to me would be - don't judge a book by its cover. Those who look like criminals may be innocent while those who look loving are caring may well be the murderer.
November 20, 2025
Great story!
I figured Shea & Nick would end up together eventually but the road to their HEA was rocky. Shea, a weathergirl finally getting her chance for a real story, is kidnapped by an escaped murderer, right on the steps of the courthouse! The story follows their zany but serious quest to find the real killer of Nick's neighbor. With Shea's 3 protective brothers hot on her trail, trying to protect their sister, the fun never stops. Well written and a fun story. I can't wait to read the next story in the series.
I figured Shea & Nick would end up together eventually but the road to their HEA was rocky. Shea, a weathergirl finally getting her chance for a real story, is kidnapped by an escaped murderer, right on the steps of the courthouse! The story follows their zany but serious quest to find the real killer of Nick's neighbor. With Shea's 3 protective brothers hot on her trail, trying to protect their sister, the fun never stops. Well written and a fun story. I can't wait to read the next story in the series.
November 14, 2023
When Shea is covering a murder trial, her first big break, she ends up being taken hostage by the defendant who has just been found guilty. She comes to believe that he is innocent and is determined to help him prove it. They go on the run. The books follows them evading the law in their attempts to prove him innocent. It was an entertaining read with suspense and a romance.
December 5, 2025
Hot on His Tail
This is a good whodunnit with romance thrown in.
Nick has just been convicted of murder and is being taken back to jail.
He escapes to prove his innocence and grabs reporter Shea as a human shield.Chaos ensues.
This is a good whodunnit with romance thrown in.
Nick has just been convicted of murder and is being taken back to jail.
He escapes to prove his innocence and grabs reporter Shea as a human shield.Chaos ensues.
June 10, 2016
3.5. One of the better ones actually.
Honestly, I would have rebelled. Our h has 3 older brothers, one a US marshal, one a PI...and one a rodeo clown (guess he did rebel in a way). Her brothers have essentially ran every boyfriend off she's ever dated. She's mid 20s and has pretty much given up. Apparently this absolute lack of a personal life hasn't set off warning bells with them (or you know, given them a clue).
Whatever the case, she's kidnapped by the H, who was framed for murder. The detectives handling the case did the bare minimum - there were things about someone that should have raised a lot of suspicion. A few hours later, he's ready to let her go (he never had any intention of keeping her). She refuses, because he's wounded and she...what, I dunno. At some point though she did begin believing his innocence.
She takes him to her aunt/uncle's house in another state where he recuperates. Eventually they get busy, because as she puts it, she doesn't need any more brothers. After approximately a week, they leave, and he kicks her out of the car not far from her apartment. She tells the cops he's headed to Montana (this took place in Alabama), sneaks off from brothers and...
Eventually they do manage to trigger the killer to make a move, where the person is arrested. Charges are dropped, brothers deliver him to aunt/uncle's house to meet her - and reluctantly leave them alone, etc.
I think...my biggest issue was the brothers' essentially KOing any sort of personal life for her, and her going along with it. Well, and the H's repeated attempts to push her away "for her own good" or some other such BS.
Honestly, I would have rebelled. Our h has 3 older brothers, one a US marshal, one a PI...and one a rodeo clown (guess he did rebel in a way). Her brothers have essentially ran every boyfriend off she's ever dated. She's mid 20s and has pretty much given up. Apparently this absolute lack of a personal life hasn't set off warning bells with them (or you know, given them a clue).
Whatever the case, she's kidnapped by the H, who was framed for murder. The detectives handling the case did the bare minimum - there were things about someone that should have raised a lot of suspicion. A few hours later, he's ready to let her go (he never had any intention of keeping her). She refuses, because he's wounded and she...what, I dunno. At some point though she did begin believing his innocence.
She takes him to her aunt/uncle's house in another state where he recuperates. Eventually they get busy, because as she puts it, she doesn't need any more brothers. After approximately a week, they leave, and he kicks her out of the car not far from her apartment. She tells the cops he's headed to Montana (this took place in Alabama), sneaks off from brothers and...
Eventually they do manage to trigger the killer to make a move, where the person is arrested. Charges are dropped, brothers deliver him to aunt/uncle's house to meet her - and reluctantly leave them alone, etc.
I think...my biggest issue was the brothers' essentially KOing any sort of personal life for her, and her going along with it. Well, and the H's repeated attempts to push her away "for her own good" or some other such BS.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews