Luck of the Draw

B.J. Daniels

HQN Books

May 21, 2019

Blurb: He may get a second chance at his one true love—if someone doesn’t kill her first

When Garrett Sterling leaves for a horseback ride through his family’s sprawling Montana property, he’s expecting a relaxing break from the construction at the Sterling guest ranch. What he gets is something far more sinister. It all happens so fast that it’s hard for Garrett—and the authorities—to sort out the facts. Two things are certain, though: someone is dead and the killer knows there was a witness.

But when the one woman he could never forget emerges as a key suspect in the investigation, Garrett will do anything he can to help clear her name. She’s still keeping secrets from him—that much is clear. But Garrett won’t rest until he uncovers what really happened that day, how she’s involved—and why everything she’s ever told him is a lie.

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SASCHA DARLINGTON’S REVIEW

The beginning of B.J. Daniels’ second installment of The Sterlings Montana, Luck of the Draw, literally opens with a bang when Garrett tries to stop a murder from occurring. The situation is not what he anticipates nor are the players.

While the beginning was exciting, the chapters from Joslyn’s POV drag and are repetitive and this, unfortunately, made the beginning plod along too much for my liking. Add into that the fact that what I initially saw of Joslyn, I didn’t like. As the book goes on we don’t really learn about her and the troubled past she’s had, while there are hints to it. Many people weigh in on her character. (This is, again, a novel told from many POVs, so take that into consideration if you find that not to your liking.) But as a reader, I didn’t come away from the novel thinking that I knew Joslyn, which you would always like in a romantic suspense.

Garrett, on the other hand, is a nice, stand-up guy, even when he does stupid (seemingly romantic) things.

This time around, I did find that the multiple POVs detracted from the story, especially because in instances where it became repetitive. If the reader already knows about something, we don’t need to be re-told because a minor character doesn’t know about it.

For me for the second quarter of the novel, the repetition and the telling, mostly in Joslyn’s chapters, were difficult to take. In romantic suspense and mystery, I like the action to keep going, not get weighed down with exposition.

Regardless, the last half of the book, the action picked up and this reader was swiftly turning pages. Even when I thought everything had been summed up, there was one last, unexpected surprise. So, even if you find the chapter after the initial exciting beginning plodding, keep reading!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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