A desperate woman on the run, Shelby Wyatt arrives in Las Vegas, hoping to find refuge from deadly family secrets and the vengeful killer stalking her amid the glamour and glitter of America's entertainment capital. Original.
Trying to hide from the killer who is following her, Shelby Wyatt ducks into the Golden Phoenix Casino. Shelby sits down at a slot machine where she can see the doorway, slowly feeding quarters into the machine so she doesn't draw attention. Suddenly lights are flashing, her machine is showing that she a won $25,000 jackpot, and everyone is staring at her. Shelby runs deep into the casino before the man spots her. Casino Manager Aaron Montana watches the security footage which shows Shelby is now hiding in one of the hotel rooms. When he confronts her, she is terrified that he will turn her into the police. But Aaron knows she is running away from something and offers to help her.
Shelby is a street-smart heroine who doesn't trust very many people. She isn't willing to tell Aaron what she is running from, but she realizes that she has a better of chance of coming out of this alive if she allows him to help her. Aaron has a soft spot for people in need of help. He tries to show Shelby that she can trust him with whatever trouble she is in.
I enjoyed this romantic suspense book. While Aaron was trying to protect Shelby, his best friend Detective Mike Delano was working on the murder case that Shelby witnessed. I just wish Shelby hadn't waited so long to tell her secrets. At the end of the book when I learned the identity of the person who hired the hitman, I was very surprised. My rating: 4 Stars.
The description listed here in Goodreads is ridiculously wrong. The book was set in the small Nevada town of Outpost, far from the glittering lights of Las Vegas.
I really enjoyed the book and liked the slow boiling romance between Aaron and Shelby. It was nice to read a book with a protective hero where the heroine was perfectly capable and used to protecting herself. Both characters had interesting backstories and they seemed to fit together very well as a couple.
he book opens with the heroine winning a jackpot in Vegas, and giving it away to a guy who happens to be walking past. She doesn't want the attention because somebody's trying to kill her. The hero owns the casino and hotel, and has a thing about saving people, especially women. He recognizes the heroine's fear and wants to help her. But the heroine doesn't trust his altruism. She's more used to depending on herself. This is a well-written fast paced romantic suspense with interesting characters. The heroine has quite a past, and it helps her and the hero figure out who committed the murder she's suspected of. Good read.
High Stakes - Poor Justine Dare Shelby Wyatt has arrived in the glittering, glamorous world of Las Vegas as a desperate woman on the run-a woman with secrets, a woman hiding in the electric shadows of a neon nightmare. And only one man can save her...