Book Review: Silenced

I read this book months ago now, and keep forgetting to post a review!  Oops.  Anyway, here we go!

Synopsis:
Kayden McKenna had always been wary of Jake Westin, never quite trusting him because he seemed to have so many secrets hidden in his past.  But ever since discovering more about who Jake really is, and the pain he's gone through, Kayden has learned to trust him and even feels herself drawn to him more and more.  So when Kayden comes upon a dead body while rock climbing (which turns out to be something more than a tragic accident), she and Jake team up to look for clues.  With Jake's past experience as a police detective, and Kayden's dogged determination to solve the mystery, they make a good team.  But as Jake and Kayden become closer to each other, they also become closer to a killer . . . and is there another sinister figure lurking in the background?

My thoughts:
Silenced is the fourth book in Dani Pettrey's Alaskan Courage series, and it was a fun read.  I've had the opportunity to read three of the four now (just lacking the first one) and I enjoyed continuing the McKenna saga!  This book had plenty of suspense, although I will say that I felt some of the story was a bit more far-fetched than the previous books, and the suspense aspect didn't seem as scary as some of the others.  On the plus side, though, Kayden and Jake are two of my favorite characters thus far.  One thing I really like about Pettrey's characters is that she makes them feel real--plenty of flaws and issues that they're working through.  Kayden (at least in my opinion) is one of the most "real" . . . and although she puts up a tough front, in this book we find out that she's got a softer side underneath.  I enjoyed watching her take down the walls she'd built up against Jake (and her feelings for him) over the years, as their relationship developed.  As always, I really enjoyed the Alaskan setting of the story, and I hope to have the chance to review the next book in the Alaskan Courage series when it's published in a couple months!

**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.**

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