Watch Your Back - Karen Rose

Baltimore Homicide Detective Stevie Mazzetti has suffered losses no woman should have to endure. And, despite it all, she’s still a fighter. When she learns that her ex-partner might have miscarried justice, she’s determined to put the past to rights, even when she becomes a target.It’s former Marine Clay Maynard’s job to see the risk in every situation, but he doesn’t have to look hard to find the danger surrounding Stevie. Since the minute he first saw her, Clay has wanted to protect the wounded officer, and he started loving her not long after that. So when Stevie attracts the attention of a vicious psychopath, Clay will do whatever it takes to keep her alive. That is, if he can stay ahead of a killer with everything to lose—and something terrifying to hide...

Keeping up with Karen Rose's books I was quite happy when I grabbed this one as Clay and Stevie's story is one we have been waiting for since reading about them a few books behind. Although some of her books can be read as stand alones that is definitely not the case here as this story wraps up the plot line started several books ago.

There's a lot going on in this story and it would be unfair to reduce it to the romance bit. The truth is that there is an engaging mystery to solve. The story features a lot of already known characters but we also see the appearance of several new ones and at times it even gets confusing trying to get who's who and what are they planning.

There also plenty of suspense as not all is what it seems. I really liked how Rose brought the events from the past to connect them with what was going on with Stevie's life. It never feels over the top or reality stretching. We know from the beginning that Stevie is bent on making up for Silas's wrongs but things are way bigger than I thought.

Two things annoyed me though. Yes Silas was a bad guy but he, and a lot of other people it seems, did what they did because their loved ones had been threatened. Considering Stevie's love for Cordelia would she really have acted differently had the little girl been threatened? Not that she shouldn't have protected Cordy better at times and that he shouldn't be condemned but it was too much at times. And by the way did his wife and little girl survived the last book? The other this is that Stevie is just too damn stubborn in what concerns Clay. The poor guy was so obviously a good guy and right for her and she kept fighting her own feelings in the name of God knows what.

Well, have said that it was a pretty good story and I look forward to the next one.

Grade: 4,5/5