Secret Alibi

Colton 911: Chicago #11

by Beth Cornelison

She'd sworn him to secrecy
But some secrets can kill…

When Valerie Yates and Nash Colton reunite, they don't expect that their love could reawaken old demons. Soon after Valerie confesses a devastating truth, Nash is arrested for murder. She's determined to prove his innocence, but doing so means uncovering even more heartbreak and betrayal. Can the former lovers find their second chance…and capture a killer tracking Nash's every move?

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance

281 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2021

About the author

Beth Cornelison started writing stories as a child when she penned a tale about the adventures of her cat, Ajax. She received her bachelor's degree in Public Relations from the University of Georgia and after working in public relations for a little more than a year, she moved with her husband from Tennessee to Louisiana, where she decided to pursue her love of writing fiction.

Since that time, she has written many more stories of adventure and romantic suspense and has won numerous honors for her work including the coveted Golden Heart prize for unpublished authors awarded by Romance Writers of America.

Beth is active on the board of directors for the North Louisiana Storytellers and Authors of Romance (NOLA STARS) in Shreveport, LA and stays involved with her sons Boy Scout pack and her church. For fun, she loves reading, traveling, playing Pokeno once a month with friends and spending down-time with her family.

She writes from her home in Louisiana, where she lives with her husband, one son, and three cats who think they are people. Beth loves to hear from her readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 52505, Shreveport, LA 71135-2505 or visit her website at www.bethcornelison.com"

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good combination of second chance romance and suspense. Valerie is the niece of Rick Yates, husband of Vita Colton, and stepfather/step-uncle to the younger Coltons. With a dysfunctional family of her own, Rick made sure Valerie spent most summers with him and his family. Spending time with a "normal" family and having good friends in them made it easier to bear the rest of the year. As Valerie got older, one particular Colton became more special than the others. By the time she was in high school, she and Nash had quite the secret romance going on. But after the summer she was eighteen, something happened that pulled them apart, with their separation exacerbated by Valerie's mother's hatred for the Coltons. Heartbroken, Valerie cut herself off from the Coltons for fifteen years until she learned of Myles's son being kidnapped (Desperate Ransom). Determined to support them, she drove from Ohio to Chicago but dreaded seeing Nash.

The book starts with a slight overlap between the previous book and this one. Nash is shocked when he catches a glimpse of Valerie, but his mind is on his nephew's kidnapping. We see him confront his Uncle Axel about not volunteering to contribute to the boy's ransom (his grandson!). As we've seen in earlier books, Axel doesn't care about anything that doesn't affect him personally, and this was no different. I could feel Nash's frustration, anger, and disgust as he tried to get Axel to help. He lost his temper and said some things that would come back to bite him.

When he got home, Valerie was there waiting for him. She needs to clear the air between them to reduce the awkwardness as she rejoins the family. I felt for both of them as they discovered that each had different memories of the events that pulled them apart. Though initially angry at what they see as the other's lies, eventually, they realize that they had been manipulated. Their confrontation stirred up feelings they thought were long gone, and the sparks of antagonism turned into flames of passion. Fearful of the effect on her mother, Valerie insists that any rekindling of their romance remains secret. A decision that would have consequences further along in the book.

Nash is the lead suspect when Axel turns up dead, mainly when the murder weapon is found in his car. Because he's a man of his word, Nash does not provide the alibi that could clear him immediately. I wanted to shake Valerie for her hesitation in doing the right thing. Though she eventually comes through, Nash has already been cleared through his brother Damon's efforts. But it also leaves questions they have no answers to. Who set Nash up and why? And when Nash is attacked in his own home, is it related to Axel's death? Or is it one more attack on a Colton in months of similar attacks on his siblings and cousins? I was glued to the pages as the investigation, and the attacks on Nash continued. Also mixed up in the whole mess is the lawsuit Nash's grandmother has brought against the other Colton family, claiming she and her sons are the rightful heirs. An unexpected revelation led to the identification of the person behind the attacks on Nash. The final confrontation was a nail-biter but solved that threat against Nash.

I enjoyed seeing the rekindling of the relationship between Nash and Valerie. Though the attraction between them is as strong as ever, both are wary of trusting each other and risking more heartbreak. I liked how they talked to each other and promised there would be no more secrets between them. I especially enjoyed seeing their protectiveness toward each other as the attacks escalated. Unfortunately, trust is not easily repaired, and both Nash and Valerie have moments of doubt. I ached for both of them at the end when Valerie had one big secret she unwillingly kept from Nash. While the hurt was understandable, I wanted to shake Nash for his stubborn refusal to listen to Valerie's explanation. I loved the ending and seeing her confront him with the truth. I liked that they renewed their promise of honesty between them and hoped that their trust was fully restored. The epilogue is excellent and brings the book full circle.

With one book left in the series, there are still questions that need to be answered. Will Carin's lawsuit succeed? Who was behind little Jackson's kidnapping? And who murdered Axel Colton? That's a lot to cover in one book, and I can't wait for the answers.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, OK...

The "secret alibi" portion of the story is already moot at 40% or so, but the reason *why* Nash needed an alibi isn't resolved yet at the end.

We don't find out the identity of the kidnapper from the last book ( Colton 911: Desperate Ransom ) yet, either, even though Jackson is still kidnapped for the first 25% of this book.

So clearly the emphasis for this series is on the "romantic" portion of the genre type, whereas the "suspense" is there to...keep people reading the series, I guess? Nash, the hero of this book, is (probably? maybe? We can't be sure, because he was being framed for a crime for at least part of the book, and that crime hasn't been solved yet though he's been cleared) no longer in danger at the end, so that bit of suspense is hopefully resolved, but so many other questions remain. Even the romance here isn't terribly satisfying, since Nash and Val's lack of faith and trust in each other keeps things pretty shaky almost up to the very end--it was all very two steps forward, three steps back throughout.

The next book in the series ( Under Suspicion ) is supposed to be the finale, so fingers crossed all of these loose threads are finally satisfactorily tied up...I'm not holding my breath, though.

Rating: 3 stars / C

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series. I have read them all. I was a little confused in this book that talk about what happened in the last book with Myles and Faith. It seemed as though all things seemed we’re all cleared up....seems as it wasn’t as this book says otherwise. At least That’s the way it read in this book. A lot of authors have written this series, and most of the time it flowed really well. But as I said the last book with Myles and Faith I thought all was good with the situation at hand.

Anyways we have Valerie Yates who has been away for awhile. She’s back and confronts Nash Colton with some truths she’s been keeping. The more she’s there some things start happening, and soon Nash is being framed. When it comes to light who is behind one of the attacks on him Nash wants Valerie to make a decision.

I have never read this author before, and I might be checking her other books out.

[Alivia Baxmann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Valerie certainly makes choices. Nash has anger problems. They both seem to assume that the other has made the “wrong” decision without getting clarity. Like if you don’t know why someone did something maybe don’t start yelling at them?? Idk for 2 thirty year olds they really don’t seem to have a handle on how their emotions affect people. Like I could forgive it if they were both still teenagers for the whole book. They’re supposed to have grown in their time apart, but the second they are within 10 feet of each other they just regress to kids again.

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Sagas, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
Colton 911: Chicago (Book #11)