New Release Review and Giveaway! FRICTION by Sandra Brown

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown comes a gripping story of family ties and forbidden attraction.

A Texas Ranger, relegated to deskwork due to past recklessness, petitions to regain custody of his five-year-old daughter, and his case is assigned to a family court judge who is as attractive as she is ambitious. When a masked gunman barges in during the custody hearing with his sights on the judge, the Ranger reacts instinctually and goes after him. But authorities apprehend the wrong man, and the real gunman remains unknown, at large, and a threat. Will this take-charge lawman jeopardize his chances of custody by going after the would-be assassin? And will this unlikely pair be able to deny the forbidden attraction building between them?

Review:

Sandra Brown does a fantastic job of writing flawed characters that suck you right into their intense, suspense-driven world from the very first page, and Friction is no exception. Crawford Hunt has a tendency to act first, think later–a quality that can be good in law enforcement but also can lead to trouble, and for him it does both. He’s got a self-proclaimed “caveman mentality” and a tendency to go alone and believe he’s always right. But he also is fiercely loyal, fights for justice, and loves his little girl Georgia like no one’s business…

And is a cowboy hat- and boot-wearing Texas Ranger–“tall, blond, and badass” as one character puts it. So, yeah. He had me from the second he stood in the doorway of the pink-on-pink bedroom he’d had set up for his five-year-old daughter in anticipation of her finally moving in with him full-time.

I was a goner.

And so was Judge Holly Spencer, though not quite so quickly–it took her a few hours, at least. 😉

Even though the actions of the book take place over only five days–five days!–so much happens, the plot take so many surprising twists and turns that it feels like a much longer time span. Technically one could look at Crawford and Holly’s relationship and argue it has an element of insta-lust if not insta-love, but it really didn’t feel like it. I totally bought into their relationship 100%, regardless of the time involved. Given what they went through and the relatively slow build-up of their relationship (I know, five days! But somehow it still felt like a slow, steady build-up. I can’t explain it–Sandra Brown has some powerful writing mojo), it felt completely realistic.

Once again Ms. Brown has also done a stellar job with the suspense part of the plot. The main antagonist became clear somewhat early on, though his motivation remained a mystery until he himself revealed it. Suspense stories are all about the surprise twists and turns, and Friction has them in spades. I love going into a Sandra Brown book, knowing that I’m going to be in for one heck of a non-stop ride; Friction definitely did not disappoint.

Friction has earned its place on my keeper shelf for sure–I’ll be reading this one again. And again. And probably again…

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.