Book Review: Strong Enough (Tall, Dark, and Dangerous #1) by M. Leighton

Strong Enough

Tall, Dark, and Dangerous, #1
by M. Leighton

Release Date:
August 4th, 2015

Publisher:
Berkley

Source:
Publisher

eARC received in exchange of honest review

Synopsis:

Is she strong enough to trust the most dangerous man she’s ever met? And is he strong enough to let her? 

How would I describe myself? Well, I’m Muse Harper. I’m a twenty-something painter who loves red wine, quirky movies, and men with a fatal flaw. But that was before I met Jasper King. He became my fatal flaw. Eight months ago, I had a choice to make—abandon everything I’ve ever known to protect my family, or stay and risk someone getting hurt. I chose the former. My plan was working just fine until I found out my father had gone missing. 

That’s when I met Jasper. A bounty hunter with the eyes of a tiger and the nose of a bloodhound, he was supposed to help me find my father. What I didn’t know was that meeting him was no accident. Hunting people isn’t all that Jasper does. And helping me was only part of his plan. I just wish I’d found out sooner, before my heart got involved. But even then, I don’t know if I’d have done things differently. 

Now, I have another choice to make—trust the man that I’m falling in love with and hope that he’ll do the right thing, or run as far away from him as I can get.

Purchase Links:

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Tall, Dark, and Dangerous Series on Goodreads:

My Thoughts:

Strong Enough is the first book in M. Leighton's new Tall, Dark, and Dangerous Series.  As you know, I am a big fan of M. Leighton's stories, and am always excited to read her books.  Strong Enough had intrigue, secrets, suspense, action, and passion.  It had a flair to it that reminded me of the Sin Brothers Series by Rebecca Zanetti, minus the paranormal aspect.  Fans of romantic suspense should check out this new series!

M. Leighton hooks her readers with a dark, disturbing, and emotional prologue.  It sets the stage as a way to better get to know and understand the male lead, Jasper King.  The female lead, Muse Harper, hires Jasper, a bounty hunter to find her missing father.  Muse and her father, "The Colonel" are extremely close and exchange a phone call only once a month, due to the fact that her father is in danger.  Muse doesn't know all of the details, but her father never misses their monthly phone call, and so Muse knows that something is wrong.  Muse and Jasper embark on a journey together in order to find her father.    

This is the type of story that is shrouded in mystery, and we as readers get little pieces of the puzzle from the beginning to the end of the story, at which time all will be revealed.  Along the way, we get to know two very different main characters.  Muse is very open, trusting, sweet, talkative, optimistic, and a little bit naive.  She's had bad luck with men, and is looking for someone that will love her enough to never let her go.  Jasper is quiet, intense, keeps to himself, is very closed off, shields his thoughts, and is always in control of his emotions.  However, we see an interesting change take place in Jasper, as Muse slowly makes him feel things he's never felt before, want a life that he never imagined he could have, and slowly share an emotional intimacy with another person for the first time.

Jasper is a very complex, multi-layered character.  Your heart will hurt for him, and you will pull for him to find happiness.  Muse is very likable.  She has a very good heart, and I immediately loved her character.  There is always a sensual undercurrent between Muse and Jasper.  The craving and hunger they have for one another is a living, and breathing, visceral reality.  However, it was the deep emotional layers in the story that had me mesmerized by this couple's butterfly inducing connection.  Also, add in spine-tingling suspense, action, a complex mystery to solve, and you are delivered an outstanding story.         

My Rating:

I give, Strong Enough, by M. Leighton 4 Compelling, Beautiful Broken Man, Erotic Intoxication, Covert Danger Filled Stars!  I'm looking forward to continuing this series!  

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding wild horses, skiing the slopes of Aspen or scuba diving with a hot rock star, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

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