Inspirational Romantic Suspense - Purple Knot

Welcome, Raquel! I'm so sorry I didn't have you stop by sooner! I really loved your story but somehow let it slip through the proverbial cracks without mention.

So I hope you don't mind if I share it with others!

Blurb:

A killer strikes. A love rekindled. A life-altering choice.

When her best friend, is murdered, Reyna Cruz doesn’t believe the police have the whole story. An investigator by trade, she has the talent to track Summer’s killer, but when clues lead to a family connection and a vicious gang, she suddenly becomes the hunted. At the end of her rope, Reyna must decide to trust the God she believes abandoned her.

Wanting justice for his sister’s murder, lawyer Jimmy Corbeau agrees to help Reyna—even though she’s his ex-fiancé, and their break-up devastated him. Romance is reawakened, but so are memories of their tragic undoing. Jimmy must decide if he will fight for a future with Reyna or allow their past to derail the investigation and his second chance at love.

When the investigation goes awry and Summer’s infant daughter is kidnapped, Reyna must put her life on the line. Will Jimmy and Reyna survive the desperate measures it takes to recover his niece, catch a killer, and secure a happily-ever-after for them all?

Excerpt:

“Summer has a fat lip, and I’ll bet her wrist is sprained. Talk some sense into her. Tell her to go and visit you for a while.”

“I already tried that. Did they book Parker?”

“I made sure they did.”

I could tell he was looking at Summer by the way he emphasized his words.

“You coming up here, Rain?”

“Probably not.”

“Why not?”

“Why not, Jimmy? Are you serious?”

I said it a little too loudly. My hands shook, and I fought for control.

“I can’t go and see her face all bruised up and be able to make out Parker’s fist print. I just can’t. Do you know how many times I’ve had to read her pain medication bottle for her because her eyes were swollen shut?”

“Rain—”

“I can’t do this any more. I’m tired of trying to save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.”

I was angry. At Parker for being who he was, at Summer for being a victim, and at myself…for thinking that way.

Jimmy was silent.

I looked at my phone to be sure I was still connected.

“You probably have to go, so I’ll give the phone back to Summer.”

I could tell he was mad. Jimmy never gave up on anything...ever. I had disappointed him. I could hear it in his voice.

“Jimmy, I’m still here for her. I just can’t run out there every time she lets him hurt her.”

“It’s not a ‘letting’ thing, Rain. Do you really think that?”

I hesitated. I didn’t want to fight with Jimmy, but then again, I did believe that.

“Jimmy, on some level, at some point, she needs to stop letting him do this to her by leaving. I have places for her to stay. I have money. I’ve even researched OB/Gyn doctors here. But she needs to take the first step, and she won’t. Short of dragging her here by the feet, I don’t know what more I can do.”

How's that for a bit of a teaser? Don't you just want to dive right in! I did, and boy, did I love it!

5 star review

I just love well written romantic suspense and this certainly falls into that category. Not only is the story suspenseful, but what a fabulous job Ms. Byrnes does of making us feel what Reyna feels, starting with the helplessness of watching someone who isn’t willing to be helped. Emotions run rampant as Reyna is put in an impossible position by her best friend’s choices. The choices she has to make in response leave her exposed to dangers she is totally unaware of until it’s nearly too late. Toss an ex-fiancé into the mix and you have a powder keg of emotion ready to blow with a fuse already burning.

Well done, Ms. Byrnes. You kept me on the edge of my seat through it all, not knowing whodunit until the end, and the twists of the relationship between Jimmy and Reyna were heartwarming, and heartbreaking in turns.

I loved it!