Review – In Seconds by Brenda Novak

I loved the first Bulletproof book by Novak and when I saw the 2nd come up on NetGalley, I knew I would have to read this book. There was so much story left to tell between Laurel, Pretty Boy, Virgil and Peyton. And while I was a little disappointed that Pretty Boy and Laurel did not end up together, I really liked this story!

We pick up a few years later in the story, and Laurel has moved to small town Montana where she is finally getting the pieces of her life back together. She has her own business, a house, good friends and a sexy sheriff as the next door neighbor. She hopes that everything with The Crew is done and over, but when a local is murdered, Laurel fears for the worst.

Myles only knows his sexy next door neighbor as Vivian, but he wants to know so much more about her. He has been asking her out for months, but she always says no. When trouble comes to town, Vivian starts acting weird and Myles sticks closer to her side than ever before. As The Crew closes in on Laurel and her kids, she will do just about anything to protect them, even so far as to be willing to take them on before they can take her out.

The timeline was initially a little confusing to me, as was the name change of Vivian from Laurel. It took me a little to get back into the flow of the story, but once I did… Holy. Cow. I love that Novak’s writing is so explosive and sexy and the suspense is scary and real. I absolutely love it. The moments with Ink were frightening and could be a case-study for narcissistic sociopaths. There is nothing glossed over or sugar coated there, and as twisted as it was, I loved it. I loved that Novak pushed the boundaries and at times had me cursing my nook.

Like I said before, I was so disappointed that Laurel and Pretty Boy didn’t end up together. I liked them together, I thought they would be good together. In the first couple chapters I was still rooting for them, but it quickly became apparent to me that they were better apart, and watching their friendship grow was pretty great, especially the moments when Pretty Boy would get jealous over Myles.

I really liked Myles overall. I thought he was a great alpha hero who also had such a capacity for emotion as well. From the very beginning the reader is aware of how tender and loving he was to his first wife who died of cancer. There was never a doubt in my mind that he could love with all his heart, and how strong of a character that made him. Every reaction to Laurel was perfect and real.

The alternate plot lines with Virgil and Peyton were at times frustrating. I was upset with the way that Virgil handled things with The Crew. Him running off all half-cocked by himself while his pregnant wife sat at home just didn’t feel in character for him. It was a little weird to read. But, thankfully it worked at solving all their problems. I also hope that we get to see some kind of resolution to the story with Pretty Boy. I felt as if we were left hanging a little on his story.

All in all, I was very happy with In Seconds. The characters were real and full of emotion, the suspense was in full force and I was kept on the edge of my seat. Although there were a few rough patches for me, I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

I give In Seconds a B+