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Simon Baptiste's latest SG-5 mission just went south in a major way. It seems like a good time to take care of some business back home in Louisiana. Simon knows it ain't going to be pretty. He's got old enemies in Bayou Allain who won't exactly roll out the red carpet. But Simon's first night back is more than he bargained for. Not only has the homestead gone to hell in a hand basket, but there's a half-naked woman hiding inside it-a woman whose face Simon knows all too well. It's Michelina Ferrer, the sultry spokesmodel for her family's Ferrer fragrance empire-and Simon's been staring at her picture on a billboard outside his Manhattan apartment for weeks...
Micky Ferrer came down to Bayou Allain looking for her old college friend, only to discover that Lisa Landry has been missing for days. As soon as Micky starts asking questions, someone runs her car off the road. She's hiding out in the old Baptiste place when Simon shows up-and he's the hottest thing she's laid eyes on since she got to town. Simon agrees that something strange is going on and that Lisa's disappearance may be tied to it. As he and Micky search for answers, the sweltering heat makes it hard to keep their heads straight or their hands off each other...even as they unravel the small-town secrets that some people are willing to kill for...

279 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

77 people are currently reading
195 people want to read

About the author

Alison Kent

129 books643 followers
I often read of or hear about authors who knew they were meant to tell stories from the time they left the crib. Me? I didn't decide what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was thirty years old - and then sold my first book at thirty-four. Still, it was obvious that I always knew I was going places.

Like so many other authors, I was a voracious reader from day one, devouring everything from Nancy Drew to My Friend Flicka, which I remember sitting hovered over the heater vent in the kitchen floor to read while my father made his coffee.

I moved on to my mother's Phyllis Whitney, Dorothy Eden, and Mary Stewart gothics before discovering my first true romances written by Lucy Walker and set in the Australian Outback. And then, at last, when I was 18 I found 'The Flame and the Flower'. (My son almost spent his life as Brandon because of that, but I spared him and named him Casey instead!)

Why write romance? Because love stories have always been a major part of the books I've loved. Father Ralph and Meggie Cleary. (I did name my daughter Megan after reading The Thorn Birds! Do you see a trend here?) The aforementioned Brandon Birmingham and Heather Simmons. Wolf Mackenzie and Mary Potter.

Even more so, it's because I love writing romance heroes. The men who sweep both heroines and readers off their feet - not to mention their authors, too!

I've spent several years happily writing action adventure romance for Kensington Brava along with hot and sexy series romances for Harlequin Blaze. Now I'm thrilled to be a launch author for Vows.

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5 stars
66 (34%)
4 stars
68 (35%)
3 stars
47 (24%)
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Holly.
1,767 reviews88 followers
April 2, 2009
Fast paced, adventure packed novel. I zipped right through. Strong dialogue and good character depth for the page time they got. Overall I was impressed. Especially with the ending. I like that it was more a HFN than a HEA, considering the time frame of the romance.
Profile Image for Dawn Myers.
1,301 reviews2 followers
July 1, 2018
I kind of like this Smithson Group Companion #3 book. There was suspense, mystery and hot sex. There was one twist that some will not see coming, but I had that figured out, from the start. I was okay with that. The mystery part was the fun part for me and trying to figure things out. Some I figured others I didn't. I've liked Simon since being introduced to him in previous Smithson Series Books. His story is a little different than other Smithson guys. He was in trouble before the Army and did not necessarily need rescuing afterwards. He still had a lot of baggage just like the others. I loved Micky from the start she is smart, independent, loyal and feisty. Yes, she is running from somethings instead of facing head on, yet she also knows how to take care of herself, that is what I liked most about her. Once she gets her head straight she takes care of business. When Simon and Micky get together it's pretty hot. My biggest complaint is it got confusing in parts but by the end everything was clear. In my opinion you need to read the other Smithson Series to help with the backstory, but some of the other books are hard to read. I read this on Kindle Unlimited.
Profile Image for Susan.
2,477 reviews13 followers
August 31, 2017
Very good

This book has great colorful characters, wonderful suspense, various forms of romance woven through, and a colorful location. The story moved at a good pace for me. Very enjoyable.
19 reviews
September 17, 2025
I did not have high expectations for this book but shockingly enough I actually enjoyed it! Loved the characters and how fast the book moved definitely kept my attention and will likely read the continuation of King’s story.
Profile Image for Larisa Edwards.
161 reviews7 followers
September 14, 2017
What a ride

This story is full of twists and turns. Exhilarating adventure with awesome characters. Totally in love with this series, don't want it to end.
2,968 reviews10 followers
December 4, 2019
Got it all

This story has it all. Drama. Kidnapping .pain. Betrayal. Death. And a lot of history. One man can make so much drama. Yet thinks he can't be touched. But he will be.
Profile Image for Linda Anderson.
522 reviews8 followers
December 15, 2019
Loved

Loved the book,characters,and the mystery.It was a great read.Interesting enough to make me disregard everything else and just finish the book!
Profile Image for Cat.
497 reviews
February 14, 2020
While the story was original the characters never worked for me. Maybe if you had read the previous books this one would work for you. Simon seems too distant and I could never understand his character. The ending was predictable.
Profile Image for Barbara ★.
3,510 reviews288 followers
July 16, 2016
I haven't read a book in this series since 2009 and now I'm wondering WTH not. I've loved every book I had read so why the delay. No idea but I'll be hunting up the few I missed and catching up for sure.

Simon Baptiste comes from a tiny Louisiana Bayou town that he did his best to get the hell away from. He left things simmer for 20 years and is finally going back to set things right so he can return to his life without his past dragging him down. He immediately meets cover girl Michelina "Micky" Ferrer and being the nice guy that he is, takes up her cause to find her missing BFF. Of course other things are going to get in the way, like what's been bothering Simon for 20 years and the bad guy in town.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Simon and Micky fall in love and hope to hell one of the books I haven't picked up yet will give me King and Chell's story.
Profile Image for Glenda.
742 reviews2 followers
October 12, 2020
Fast paced and action filled. I liked Simon and Mickey and was glad family issues were settled. I kind of knew who was behind things, but not why. The why was definitely a different twist of things.
Profile Image for Curly.
206 reviews1 follower
February 27, 2015
OMG!You just have to love Simon. After "Deep breath" and "Beyond a shadow"
I couldn't wait for Simon to have his story.Can't say I'm disappointed.Loved it!
348 reviews3 followers
October 21, 2015
excellent story! good pace, good characters, good action. this is a really fun read, and the bad guy "gets it"! yeah!
Profile Image for Christine.
10.8k reviews33 followers
April 10, 2017
Arc review For honest review. The store has a lot of mystery to it. lots of characters and a love story very good.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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