Good book that kept me guessing to the end. Alaina is a lawyer who, along with her two sisters, has inherited a house in the tiny town of Calais, Louisiana. She and her sisters were separated and sent away by their stepfather after their mother died. The stepfather has recently died, and the terms of their mother's will state that each girl must live in the house for two weeks before they can inherit. Alaina had just been passed over for a promised promotion at work and decided to take those two weeks to reevaluate her future.

Carter is the sheriff of Calais and, as a favor to a family friend, agreed to supervise Alaina's adherence to the terms of the will. As a cop, the last thing he wants to do is babysit a big city defense lawyer. He's none too happy when his first glimpse of Alaina triggers an unwelcome attraction. But when strange things happen, he's determined to keep her safe.

The suspense of this story kept me hooked from start to finish. Strange sounds, evidence that someone has been in the house with her, topped off by a possible ghost, have Alaina and Carter on edge. Then, they learn that trouble may have followed her from Baton Rouge. This story had multiple twists, sometimes with more questions than answers, as they tried to identify the culprit. The building tension kept me glued to the pages with a surprising conclusion. Though the immediate mystery was solved, some unanswered questions remain for the following books in the series.

I enjoyed watching the development of Alaina and Carter's relationship. Neither was looking for it, but the sparks between them were undeniable. Carter is a good guy who takes his job seriously. Despite the professional antipathy between cops and defense lawyers, he finds it easy to connect with Alaina. He is protective while still respecting her abilities and independence. Alaina is strong and independent, but she isn't stupid. I liked that she didn't take unnecessary risks. Carter and Alaina grew closer as they worked together to identify the threat, but initially, they weren't looking at a future together. But when the final confrontation was over, they realized they didn't want to be apart.

I'm curious now to read the other books and see how the series turns out. ( )

Review for all three books in this series: all three books were a fast and enjoyable read. The series plotline was well done, the plotline for each book was a bit contrived at times. All in all a nice series.
Rating: 7/10 ( )

In Deleon’s romantic suspense novel, after years of working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan chucks the city life and returns to Mystere Parish where he takes on the role of sheriff. His assignment: make sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two consecutive weeks to comply with her mother’s will. To Carter, this is a joke. But it doesn’t take long for his laughter to die as he realizes the currently unemployed attorney has gained a stalker. As the assailant turns Alaina’s family mansion into an unsafe haven, Carter must face his own demons. At the top of that list: his unprofessional attraction to Alaina.

A fast-paced, exceptional debut to the Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance series. ( )

3 STARS

I kept debating on how to rank this book. I finally decided 3 stars which might be unfair. I was left with two many questions that guilty party did not seem to fit. Now it is the start to a trilogy so maybe the answers will fit better when all three books are together. I guess I will have to see.

I really like Jana's mudbug series of books so I will want to read the next two books and see if they all fit together better.
Alaina has not been to her family home since she was seven and her mother died. Her stepfather sent her to one relative and her sisters to different relatives. She lost her mom and sisters at one time plus her home.
Alaina got passed over to make partner in her law firm because she won a case. The defendant then went out and murdered a little girl. (I thought defense attorneys were supposed to win) So she quit. That is when she got the letter from a lawyer stating that her stepfather had died and for her to receive the family money and home each of her sisters had to live in the house for two weeks.

Her stepfather never really left the mansion. Their is a care taker who is really old and can't climb the stairs. The estate is not in good condition.

Alaina plans to decide if she wants to continue being a lawyer or what does she want to do now. She wants to see her sisters.

Carter is the Sheriff and he is asked to check on Alaina each day for the two weeks. If she takes off even for one day the count as to start over. Carter thinks he sees someone in one of the upper floors but their is no evidence of anybody. He does not feel right about things at the mansion.

Someone is playing with Alaina and it is getting dangerous for her to stay alone in the house. So Carter plans to stay with her to protect her.
There is plenty of mystery surrounding Alaina and her family home. Lots of enemies who might want her harmed. There is a couple of love scenes that I skimmed over. I would say that this book is not meant to be read by itself but part of a series. There is a ghost.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it in return by Netgalley.
publication: July 23rd 2013 by Harlequin Intrigue 288 pages ISBN:0373747624 ( )