Anything But Mine (Hearts of the South) [Paperback]

Autry Holton local public defender has been assigned to defend Jeff Schaefer. He was a deputy with the sheriff's department, and had everyone fooled before he allegedly killed Amy Gillabeaux, Sharon Ingler, and Vontressa King. Not to mention the attempted murder charges filed by Tick Calvert and his wife Caitlin. She wholeheartedly believed that Jeff was guilty, but she had to take the case, as it was her job. It didn't seem to matter to anyone because she was now the town pariah. At least the people that really loved her understood - her father and Tick her childhood friend, even understood. The one person she really needed to understand didn't.

Stanton Reed is the sheriff in town, and he and Autry had been lovers until four months ago. He had told her it was over because of her job interfering with his, and the fact she was defending a monster, but he had been pulling away from her before that. Stan couldn't get more deeply involved with her because he had made a mess of the one relationship he had tried to maintain. He had an ex-wife and two sons that he never saw. He didn't even know his own kids.

Autry was still in love with Stan, and it still hurt beyond belief that they were over because what he didn't know was that she was pregnant with his child. She really wished he would want their baby, but she knew he didn't want any more children. When Autry finds herself the obsession of a stalker, she has to rely on Stan to protect her. It is then that he finds out about the pregnancy. At first Stan is hesitant to get attached to their daughter because of his past failures, but as he spends more time with Autry he is drawn to them both. As the stalkers actions escalate, they find themselves also having to deal with a viscous deadly attack on the courthouse that results in multiple casualties. Autry and Stanton have insurmountable odds to overcome if they want to be together.

This is such a well-written book. Every story in this series is good, but this one is excellent. I was drawn into the story in the first couple of pages and couldn't tear myself away for a minute. Autry and Stan are superb characters with heart. I was also glad that Tick and Caitlin played such a large role even though their story had already been told in one of the previous books. I will warn you to grab a couple of kleenex because I found myself in tears more than once.

Autry Holton local public defender has been assigned to defend Jeff Schaefer. He was a deputy with the sheriff's department, and had everyone fooled before he allegedly killed Amy Gillabeaux, Sharon Ingler, and Vontressa King. Not to mention the attempted murder charges filed by Tick Calvert and his wife Caitlin. She wholeheartedly believed that Jeff was guilty, but she had to take the case, as it was her job. It didn't seem to matter to anyone because she was now the town pariah. At least the people that really loved her understood - her father and Tick her childhood friend, even understood. The one person she really needed to understand didn't.

Stanton Reed is the sheriff in town, and he and Autry had been lovers until four months ago. He had told her it was over because of her job interfering with his, and the fact she was defending a monster, but he had been pulling away from her before that. Stan couldn't get more deeply involved with her because he had made a mess of the one relationship he had tried to maintain. He had an ex-wife and two sons that he never saw. He didn't even know his own kids.

Autry was still in love with Stan, and it still hurt beyond belief that they were over because what he didn't know was that she was pregnant with his child. She really wished he would want their baby, but she knew he didn't want any more children. When Autry finds herself the obsession of a stalker, she has to rely on Stan to protect her. It is then that he finds out about the pregnancy. At first Stan is hesitant to get attached to their daughter because of his past failures, but as he spends more time with Autry he is drawn to them both. As the stalkers actions escalate, Stan struggles to protect those he loves. Autry and Stanton have insurmountable odds to overcome if they want to be together.

This is such a well-written book. Every story in this series is good, but this one is excellent. I was drawn into the story in the first couple of pages and couldn't tear myself away for a minute. Autry and Stan are superb characters with heart. I was also glad that Tick and Caitlin played such a large role even though their story had already been told in one of the previous books. I will warn you to grab a couple of kleenex because I found myself in tears more than once.

The book summary reads like a fairly traditional romance. Autry Holton, DA with a heart of gold, is asked to defend a serial killer, putting her life in danger both from her defendant and a stalker. Stanton Reed is the sheriff and Autry's ex-lover, put in the unenviable position of trying to defend her while at the same time hating that she's defending a guy he's helping put away. And Autry's pregnant, a complication Stanton never expected or wanted, given his lack of success raising two boys from a previous marriage. But after the shock, Stanton discovers the baby is not quite as unwanted as he'd believed...

There were a few elements I didn't like about this book. As someone who hasn't read the previous books, I was occasionally confused by past events that weren't fully explained. The beginning was abrupt; we're dropped into the middle of some fairly significant action without knowing what is going on or who is involved. Some of the actions of the main characters were inexplicable. The hero and heroine, after having seemingly insurmountable and irreconcilable differences, decide to not only move in together for the heroine's protection but also give their relationship another chance with little discussion and no real thought.

So. That out of the way, let's talk about what was entirely and completely right about this book. Consistent plot may not be the author's strong suit, but emotion certainly is. There were times I had to put my phone down and stop reading because I was crying in public...and today was the second time I've read the book. I felt for these people. I wanted to hang out with these people, and party with these people, and comfort these people all over the course of the book. I felt like I understood these people. I knew why Stanton had issues. I understood what Autry wanted out of the relationship. I desperately wanted these two to work things out, even though sometimes I wanted to throttle them for refusing to talk.

And even though, as I've mentioned, the plot didn't always make sense, it was also a pretty riveting book. At least three distinct times events happened that really and truly shocked me, but in retrospect I could see where the author was building exactly what happened. It was intricate and clever and anything but predictable.

So while the book isn't perfect, it is very VERY good, especially if you want to read a book that'll reach out and grab you and put you through the emotional wringer...and then leave you disappointed that it's over. As for me, I'm off to track down some of the other books in the series!