This Spring, I have the pleasure of joy to be reading a select sequencing of stories writ by the lovely Ms Anna J. Stewart – of whom, I first became introduced to whilst reading the #BlackwellBrothers series via Harlequin Heartwarming! Whilst continuing to get to know her further through her guest appearances on @SatBookChat (the Saturday chat I’ve hosted since 2014 celebrating Romance, Women’s Fiction & Feminist Lit). You’ll find me reading selections from her Romantic Suspense stories for Harlequin as well as her wicked lovely series ‘Butterfly Harbour’ which is a celebration of family, community and new beginnings!
Hence why I’m calling this special featured showcase of reviews:
Celebrating Spring whilst reading the stories of Anna J. Stewart!
Acquired Book By: Whilst speaking with Ms Stewart about being a guest on @SatBookChat in the New Year of 2021 – as this conversation we shared was in late 2020 – I realised there was a whole series of stories by her I haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading! The first series which charmed my heart was Butterfly Harbour – which we happily discussed during #SatBookChat in January, 2021. She mentioned to me she also writes for Harlequin’s Romantic Suspense line and I was quite curious about those stories as I regularly read their Love Inspired Suspense novels. The key difference between the two is that Love Inspired is their faith-based imprint and the Romantic Suspense stories are Contemporary and mainstream. I tend to be a hybrid reader of both mainstream and faith-based markets which is why I agreed to reading 3x of her Romantic Suspense releases.
This is one of two reviews which features the Coltons – a very large series of novels spilt over different mini-series and settings throughout the Romantic Suspense line of novels by Harlequin Books. The two stories I am reading are rooted inside the Colton 911: Chicago series and The Coltons of Roaring Springs – both of which were discussed today (27 March, 2021) during #SatBookChat to celebrate the March 2021 release for “Undercover Heat” which is the third novel in the Colton 911: Chicago series.
I received a complimentary copy of “Colton on the Run” direct from the author Anna J. Stewart in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
a notation about reading Harlequin Romantic suspense novels:
My first Contemporary Romantic Suspense novel by Ms Stewart also marked my first time reading their non-Love Inspired imprint of Suspense novels. I began with the series Honour Bound which ‘Gone in the Night’ and ‘Guarding His Midnight Witness’ are attached too. I held off reading the latter to await my interlibrary loan for ‘Gone in the Night’ which blessedly has finally arrived! (eek!) Thereby, I’ll be featuring those novels next – however, whilst I had that particular series on hold I decided to pick up ‘Undercover Heat’ and today’s featured novel ‘Colton on the Run’!!
Let me share with you a few reasons why ‘Undercover Heat’ became such a wicked #unputdownable read for me and why I believe ANY reader who loves both police procedural novels and second chance romances will fall in LOVE with Tatum and Cruz:
Guilt and remorse can wreck a guy – which is why I felt sympathetic to Cruz’s internal struggles in being Tatum as she was giving him a reason to question everything in his life. From the choices he was making about his personal life to the choices he was making about how he was able to function after the losses he’s sustained; the one thing he never seemed to give himself was the freedom to live. He was constantly awash with memory and trauma to where it was hard for Cruz to separate the past and the present. Something Stewart did a smashing job at showing as she built his character inside and out. She painted in the rougher bits of his personality with a rock solid passion for law and justice whilst tempering it with family and the compassions of a bloke who cares about his community. In essence, Cruz was a complicated character with a past which was trying to overtake his future.
Tatum on the other hand was raised to rise through her adversities and to seek a way to stabalise her present without forsaking the future. You could see the differences in their personalities almost immediately as for Tatum, her love of cooking and feeding people outweighed the hurt of her own losses. She wanted to move forward as a mark of honour rather than to avoid what she loved most in life. For her, moving forward meant a way of giving peace to her heart and a way of finding a way to continue to celebrate the persons she had lost. Whereas I felt Cruz wanted to punish himself for things he needed to forgive himself for rather than carry on the load of anguish he was supporting on his shoulders.
This novel is definitely for anyone who gets caught inside the movement of a service at any restaurant they dine as Stewart has created such a lively environment for us to explore! From how the staff interacts with each other to how they put the food out the kitchen; all those details you ache to know about whenever your eating out is included. Whilst it also gives you the strong impression that all kitchens big or small should operate on the efficiency and expedited scale as True! (big smiles) However, its not without its hidden dangers and bouts of suspenseful shock which make you itch to turn the pages! Especially when Stewart conceived of the idea for the refrigerator scene – she definitely knew how to stop your pulse for a few beats!
There is something wickedly brilliant about how a character can be surprised by her mother and Aunt! I loved how Stewart placed Tatum in a situation which tested both her patience and her sense of humour – especially considering how humourous Cruz felt the situation was for them both. Her Mum and Aunt ware good-natured and truly care about Tatum but to say they have tact and respect for her privacy is asking a bit too much from them! Laughs. I felt it was all in good folly but the reaction of Tatum put it all in a different kind of perspective because I think she likes to keep this part of her life separate from the eyes of her family; at least until she’s ready herself to share the details and that in of itself is what I felt ribbed her the most from the intrusion.
The scene where Tatum is fondly remembering her father whilst surprising Cruz with an unexpected foodie experience was one of my top favourite scenes. There was such a stirring of heart and emotions in this scene – where you could see Tatum in a different ray of light than the one she presents to her colleagues and for Cruz, I felt it was humbling for him to realise why she had brought him to that place on that particular night. Tatum was definitely her father’s daughter – she wanted to nurse the emotional wounds she couldn’t fix any other way with a meal which would warm the soul and then soothe the heart. There is something to be said for that kind of nurturing instinct and I loved how the scene played out.
From this moment in the story until the very last page, I was completely glued to the pages!! I loved how Stewart kept this centred on Tatum and Cruz; how she pulled us emotionally through the hurdles of an undercover investigation and how even at the end – I wasn’t sure I was prepared to see how this would conclude! Tatum and Cruz were both put through the ringer for different reasons – each of them, putting their personal and professional lives on the edge of what they felt they could handle in order to secure the truth. And, even then, I am not sure either of them were ready for what was revealled! It was one highly suspenseful romantic story which leaves you aching for more by Stewart! I’m not sure if this storyline can become revisited in a future installment of this particular series, but I’d love to know what ‘came next’ for Tatum and Cruz after this part of their story concluded.
The scenes with January (Tatum’s sister) were well timed as well. Tatum had a very close relationship with her family as much as Cruz did himself with his and it was great to have those extra moments hugging close to their families during quieter moments in the story itself. Most of this novel is set at such a high octane pace of delivery, you barely get to rest on the joys as their arriving into the scenes because something ’round the corner’ is going to be affecting the well-being of the characters you feel so close to as if they were already in your life!
The dizzying effect of unravelling the plot right alongside Stewart was brilliant on the part of how tightly she wound the suspenseful mystery behind the restaurant and of whom she put into position to have the great effect on the reader once the truth let out! I was beyond captivated by the plot and the persons she ferreted out at the end. It is definitely the kind of police procedural you hope to find and one that you love afterwards for having read. The ending of course was a complete nail-biter and I loved reading it because it was such a fitting conclusion to the story!! Definitely an #unputdownable read!!
-quoted from my review of Undercover Heat
The next reviews you’ll see from me will be for “Gone in the Night” and “Guarding His Midnight Witness” before I move into reading the Butterfly Harbour series by Ms Stewart! I decided to push forward those readings in order to read the Romantic Suspense ones back to back especially after my ILL request came in so quickly! Those will be peppering through my featured reviews during #WyrdAndWonder wherein you’ll find 31 days of Fantasy being happily showcased, discussed and championed on Jorie Loves A Story! Plus, of course, a few other genres as well – as I had some scheduled blog tours as well running in the foreground of the event, too!
Colton on the Run
Subtitle: The Coltons of Roaring Springs
by Ms Anna J. Stewart
Source: Direct from Author
Where is Skye Colton?
One woman’s disappearance rocks Roaring Springs
When he finds a half-dead woman stranded in his barn, rancher Leo Slattery feels his blood run cold. Though she can’t remember who she is, she insists someone is trying to kill her. With his strong protective streak, Leo brings her into the fold and helps her heal. As they begin to solve the mystery of Jane Doe’s identity, a would-be killer works to eliminate her—forever.
Places to find the book:
Heat Factor for Romance
ISBN: 9781488041433
Also by this author: Undercover Heat, Gone in the Night, Recipe for Redemption, Guarding His Midnight Witness, Her Island Homecoming
Published by Harlequin Romantic Suspense
on 3rd September, 2019
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 288
NOTE: As your reading this story, you can tell the characters would have preferred this not to be a slow burning romance – as they knew how they felt about each other quite early-on, however, it didn’t fit within the constructs of the story given the circumstances. This romance has even more ‘heat’ inside it than ‘Undercover Heat’ and definitely has more heat in it than most of the romances I regularly read by Harlequin because this series and imprint is different than the others I read – especially for content inclusions. Thereby if you’re new to this imprint just know this is writ more like a traditional Contemporary or Historical Romance.
The Coltons of Roaring Springs series:
Colton Cowboy Standoff by Marie Ferrarella (book one)
Colton Under Fire by Cindy Dees (book two)
Colton’s Convenient Bride by Jennifer Morey (book three)
Colton’s Secret Bodyguard by Jane Godman (book four)
A Colton Target by Beverly Long (book five)
Colton’s Covert Baby by Lara Lacombe (book six)
Colton’s Mistaken Identity by Geri Krotow (book seven)
The Colton Sheriff by Addison Fox (book eight)
Colton on the Run by Anna J. Stewart (book nine)
? *there are more titles in this series!* ?
View the full sequence of the series via Fantastic Fiction!
Published by: Harlequin Romantic Suspense (@HarlequinBooks) | imprint of Harlequin
Converse via: #ContemporaryRomance, #RomanticSuspense
as well as the series tag: #ColtonsOfRoaringSprings
on the author’s note:
I loved gaining some keen insight into Ms Stewart’s journey into becoming a Harlequin author whilst she also shared how much she loved their imprints ahead of publishing with them, too! I have quite the long history of reading Harlequin novels myself – including the Mira imprint and several others of the Romance imprints as well. I’ve found I’ve cycled through different imprint ‘moods’ with Harlequin over the years – from my twenties to my forties, and now I’ve come to appreciate Harlequin Heartwarming and Love Inspired Suspense as my top mainstays – however, sometimes I’m smitten by others. I still ache over the loss of the Love Inspired Historicals imprint but currently, it’s Stewart’s Romantic Contemporary Suspense stories which have me wholly enthused for reading a bit more edgy Rom Suspense right now!
I’m not sure if I will go full throttle into this imprint’s line of stories – as I prefer the calmer waters of reading LI: Suspense – where I can have all the action without all the extras inclusive of this imprint – as sometimes, despite my willingness to read Suspense & Thrillers, I’m still a Cosy kind of gal! Or to put it another way – despite having a rapt appetite for Mysteries, most of the ones I watch these days are on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and/or are part of the series I love binge watching most: Agatha Raisin, My Life is Murder, Magnum PI (ie. Perdita Weeks) and The Equalizer (ie. Queen Latifah). I had to give up watching the NCIS franchises due to the heavier levels of violence and the intensity of those series – in many regards, NCIS: LA broke me because they just went too far and the same thing happened with NCIS: NOLA.
I know very little about the Colton’s… except for what I’ve recently read about Tatum Colton – however, one thing I already surmised – this is the kind of family who refuses to accept the status quo and always, ALWAYS finds a way to FIGHT through their adversities and seek a better tomorrow. In that one regard, I was HOOKED – day one with this family and seeing how they continue to give me a wicked good read!! Ergo, I was looking forward to seeing what ‘happened’ after I read the opening scenes of Colton on the Run because brace yourself – it doesn’t let you breathe as you turn the pages to see what is going to happen next! Best way to start, eh!?
my review of colton on the run:
Colton isn’t just on the run for her life – she’s also incredibly brave as she runs towards something she can’t yet know will be safety or further danger! Stewart places us right at the height of her flight to freedom – as all we know at this point, is she was taken against her will, trapped in a shed and by sheer will of strength on her own resources found a way to ‘escape’! But escape to where is the question of the hour! She’s running as if she is being pursued and yet, the only thing she has as company is fear and the anxieties of what she knew the moment she found a way to cut herself free of the bindings of rope.
It is set to a high layer of intensity – the start of this novel – as you can tell this woman has suffered amnesia – even without the author telling you she has because of how its been conveyed. You also know there is a good reason for her to fear people and to fight the unconscious state of mind that seeks to claim her even as she’s running towards something better than where she left. The strength you celebrate in her as you read her flight and also, the curious ways in which you want to know more – about how she came to be in this predicament and how of course, she can truly be ‘free’ of what happened to her as there is a question mark on all of it right now!
Leo’s story is a sad reminder about how quickly life can change through death and how in our grief and remorse for those we’ve lost; there is a beautiful celebration of their lives still be seen through our memories. Leo’s grandparents sounded like the salts of the earth, people who worked hard and lived incredible lives through being self-sufficient and able to live off the work they could find off the land they owned. I loved how Stewart introduced them to us and how Leo in his own way, was struggling to find an anchour now in their absence. It is hard to step back into a place you’ve considered ‘home’ and find everything about that place altered through the losses you’ve sustained. You had to give him credit for attempting to re-align his heart and mind at their farm and to find a path forward without them there.
Leo had such a positive vibe about him – as soon as you knew he was going to find her and potentially be the person who could intervene on her behalf, the more you wanted to read the story! His instincts were bang-on brilliant for a man who had just stumbled across a woman who was suffering through unknown traumas. He was able to see past the obvious and be a reassuring voice out of the darkness, which is what Skye needed in that moment. Combined with his gentle nature and the protectiveness of his dog Ollie – I felt Skye had found a place where she could not only heal enough to recover from her injuries but truly found a place where a person could find a way to live again.
I have a soft spot for cowboys and ranches – there is something about the land and the ways in which you can be self-sufficient whilst having such a beautiful spread to live on which gives me a lot of readerly joy to be reading. Colton on the Run takes place on a wicked large ranch – where Leo is still developing his ideas for how he wants to use both the land and the resources on it. He is undertaking a bit of Renaissance of sorts on the ranch, which is the perfect backdrop for Skye’s story – even though, at this point in the story we only know her as ‘Jane’ as her memories are still erased. Leo and Ollie offer the companionship she needs and the ranch itself is a challenge in of its own due to how much work is required everyday. It gave her a bit of purpose and a way to step through her fears whilst at the back of her days with Leo, Stewart is threading in what is causing her the most to fear and how threats are never fully removed until you deal with them head-on.
I admit, there is a dark and sinister plot behind what happened to Skye – even without a lot of the details, Stewart gives you just ‘enough’ to realise you don’t want Skye to go back through that door! You want her to stay safe and permanently away from her captor – yet, how to do that when she doesn’t remember who it was who took her? That was what Stewart was going to show us and I, for one, was willing to ‘let go’ of that side of the plot and just tuck close to Leo, Skye and Ollie on the ranch! They were emerging as quite the trio and watching them find pace with each other and find a mutual way of living was entertaining enough without the larger threat looming in the distance.
Leo is a smart man and he knew how to get information without having to compromise his agreement with Skye about the process he would use to get it. The interesting bit of course is what is happening outside of their shared experiences together. The larger plot behind her disappearance and how her disappearance is having a larger effect on her sister, Phoebe. Stewart wrote those revelations accurately to what twins would experience – at least from Phoebe’s standpoint as for most of the story, Skye is living her life through the lens of ‘Jane’ the name Leo gave her and without the fuller scope of her own memories as living a life as ‘Skye’. I’ve known twins in the past and whenever I see twins in fiction, my memories of how twins act and talk to each other always plays a happy part in understanding twins in stories.
I fell hard for the relationship being built between Leo and Skye – especially before her previous life started to re-appear in the timeline of their time together on the ranch. You have this wonderful vacuum of time and space to be with them outside of the world round them where you truly get o know them and to see how their starting to come together as a couple even before anything is decided between them on that level of commitment. Leo’s ranch like their relationship is a work in progress throughout the story – and despite hearing about Gwen and Lacey, they sadly never made an appearance. The Colton’s themselves felt a bit distant to me except for Phoebe who like Skye instantly leaves an impression! I know this is one story inside a larger series, which is why the Coltons felt further afield from me but Stewart gives you a few inklings of insight into who they are even if their part of the story is not as important to know right now as to be rooted into the threads of where Leo, Skye, Ollie and Trapper found their lives merging together.
Blessedly the direction of the suspense behind Skye’s disappearance didn’t go the way I feared it might have gone. There were many moments where I wasn’t sure if I could handle what happened to Skye as there was a moment of uncertainty about why she was taken and ultimately what had fuelled that abduction. The ending resolutions were fitting to the suspense Stewart built for us but I also felt were more realistically compelling than anything I worried about discovering. It was highlighting a humbling truth about what small and large communities are dealing with on a national level and how difficult it is to put a stop to what is going on behind the scenes of our lives.
My favourite part though of course in the ending is Phoebe’s intervention and how sometimes the worst things you worry about aren’t worth allowing to fester into a conclusion you can’t live with in the long term. Overall, this is a wonderfully compelling Romantic Suspense novel with a lot of full-on psychological suspense percolating in the background. Thankfully, despite the flashbacks on Skye’s memories and what happened to her before she met Leo – Stewart made choices in both content and scene descriptions which made this an enjoyable read rather than one that pushed me too far to enjoy. This is definitely for readers who regularly read missing person stories and lost identity suspense novels – the cuttingly realistic vibe Stewart provides throughout Colton on the Run will leave you engaged until the very last page!
Equality in Lit:
Multicultural Romance
This is a multicultural romantic suspense novel (Leo is African-American and Skye Colton is Caucasian) and I am so thankful I had the chance to read it! I love reading different kinds of romances and considering how many biracial couples and multicultural couples are in my community, I oft have wondered why there hasn’t been a stronger presence of their stories in romantic fiction. I love seeing everyone represented in fiction and everyone having their story told.
Similarly to why I hope there will be more foster and adoptive families in fiction in the future, as not all families are biologically brought together. There is an increase in showcasing those kinds of families – especially through Harlequin Heartwarming’s imprint but overall, I am hoping it catches on in other genres and/or other publishers who are producing Romantic stories for Romance readers.
Equal representation: LGBTQ+
Gwen who helps Leo on the ranch (she is a Vet Assistant by training) was on a honeymoon with Lacey when we first came to know Leo and his ranch. I loved how organic her relationship with Lacey was introduced and how this novel doesn’t overly try to be diverse and equal with its representations; rather, Stewart wrote a very honest novel about life and love. I love seeing writers celebrate diversity and inclusively encompassing all persons into their novels without it feeling forced or required.
on the contemporary romantic suspense styling of anna j. stewart:
Stewart talked about how Leo’s grandparents were tethered to each other which is something I could personally relate to as my maternal grandparents always claimed they were joined at the hip which is another way of putting it. My paternal grandparents though passed on within eight hours of each other vs the three year gap of my maternal grandparents. It is interesting how sometimes when one spouse passes on, the other follows shortly thereafter. I know my maternal grandmother missed her husband and I always hoped he re-found him in the next life as those two were meant to stay together. It is one of the most beautiful and short passages in a novel about life, death and the curiously strong connections husbands and wives can feel for each other. I loved how she developed this internal insight into Leo’s past but also shared such an important moment of his grandparents legacy and how special it was they had such a strong love and marriage to bolster his own understanding about love and commitment.
This novel has a lot of lovely secondary characters – from Trapper, the travelling man in the Roaring Springs community who moves from ranch to ranch picking up work and living on the land he finds employment was a delightful character. He reminded me so much of characters like him I happily saw in films or tv series (ie. of Western or Mountain stories). He has a kind heart but a smart mind – where he understands more than he lets on and despite living an unconventional life, he is also clued into more than what people realise about the ‘regular world’. Miss D at the local diner provides plenty of flavouring for the towne and for the traditional diner experience you’re hoping to find in this community, too! I personally love seeking out diners and dives on my travels – they have the best canopy of local vibes and more than anything have the best food! Stewart always writes a well-rounded story wherein you are equally attached to the secondary characters as much as you are her leading heroes and heroines!
Ooh! I had forgotten to mention, I’ve been reading her stories with the lovely bookmark she sent me awhile ago – it might have been with the Return of the Blackwell Brothers novel – as I can’t remember which book it was first enclosed inside but I love using it whenever I am soaking into one of her stories. It’s one of those long bookmarks and has a glossy finish which means its easy to slip in and out of the novels!! I am truly blessed whenever an author sends me a bookmark as I am forever in need of them! I tend to read different stories at different intervals of time and thereby, you can guess how many books have bookmarks stuffed into them on any given day or week! Ha!
readers who gravitate towards the same stories to read.
This review will be cross-posted to LibraryThing.
We happily discussed the components of this novel and “Colton on the Run” as these are two novels within the larger network of mini-series and stories attached to the Colton family. It is an ongoing sequence of stories and series within the Harlequin Romantic Suspense line. Similar to how I can sometimes read stories out of sequence for Harlequin Heartwarming and/or Love Inspired Suspense – I was able to attach myself into “Undercover Heat” without having read the first two novels of the series – which I fully credit to how Ms Stewart approached writing her installment. As I loved how she wrote her first novel in the Blackwell Brothers series – marking my first foray into reading multiple author series with Harlequin Books and finding that I LOVE how their written!
I originally wanted this review to be featured before our chat with the author or the day of the chat, however, I came down with my first migraine of Spring shortly after the chat concluded and realised I needed a bit more time to finish writing down my thoughts on behalf of the story. The archives for the #SatBookChat featuring this discussion will be completed before my 8th Blogoversary on the 31st of March, 2021.
This review is part of my #CrimeFicFridays showcases:
This review for #CrimeFicFridays is part of my featured selections of reviews & stories which align directly with my passion for reading Mysteries, Suspense & Thriller novels; wherein this is one part of a two-part series of reviews for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. The first novel I featured by Harlequin Romantic Suspense was “Undercover Heat”! I wanted to read and review these stories close together given the fact both stories feature Coltons and are part of a wicked engrossing series by the publisher. Now, that the Coltons have had their day to shine – I’ll be featuring my last reviews for this imprint next week – wherein “Gone in the Night” and “Guarding His Midnight Witness” will be the featured stories!
whilst courtesy of the author:
About Ms Anna J. Stewart
USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J. Stewart writes sweet to sexy romance for Harlequin's Heartwarming and Romantic Suspense lines as well as ARC Manor. Early obsessions with Star Wars, Star Trek, and Wonder Woman set her on the path to creating fun, funny, and family-centric romances with happily ever afters for her independent heroines and the men who love them.
A former RWA Golden Heart nominee, Anna’s books have finaled in the Daphne DuMaurier and National Reader’s Choice awards. Her sweet romance RECIPE FOR REDEMPTION was recently turned into a holiday movie for UPtv (A CHRISTMAS RECIPE FOR ROMANCE) which aired during the 2019 holiday season.
Since her first novella with Harlequin in 2014, Anna has written and published more than forty romances in multiple sub-genres. Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural and Jason Momoa addiction and two slightly nutty cats named Rosie and Sherlock. When she's not writing, you can find her cooking and baking, binge-watching classic TV and cooking shows, attending fan conventions, or heading to the movies.
You can read more about Anna, her books, and the writing workshops she offers on her website linked in this biography.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Undercover Heat” and “Colton on the Run”; as well as the covers for the Honour Bound series “Gone in the Night” and “Guarding His Midnight Witness”; synopsis for “Colton on the Run” as well as the author’s photograph and biography were all provided by Anna J. Stewart and are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. LibraryThing banner provided by librarything.com and used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #CrimeFicFridays, #SatBookChat badge, Celebrating Spring reading Anna J. Stewart stories banner and the comment box badge.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2021.
I am a social reader | I tweet my reading life:
"For readers who read missing person stories and lost identity suspense novels – the cuttingly realistic vibe Stewart provides throughout Colton on the Run will leave you engaged until the very last page!"
📖💜https://t.co/AD5hVk79hS#RomanticSuspense #Romance #bookreview pic.twitter.com/J288ahGNEp
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) April 26, 2021
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