I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Undercover Heat by Anna J. Stewart Series: Colton 911: Chicago #3
Published by Harlequin Romantic Suspense on March 1, 2021
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When her life is upended
A detective goes undercover to save it…
After tragedy strikes, chef Tatum Colton buries herself in her job. Detective Cruz Medina soon rocks her world once again, claiming criminals are using her restaurant as a front for nefarious activities. Cruz needs Tatum’s help to go undercover as her sous-chef, putting them both in the line of fire. But when things get hot in and out of the kitchen, can Cruz protect Tatum and their growing bond?
An exhilarating continuation of the Colton 911: Chicago series! With book three, Anna J. Stewart picks up the Colton reins as the search for answers continues in UNDERCOVER HEAT. This story revolves around an undercover op at Tatum’s restaurant and has a solid, exciting story of it’s own outside of the family mystery. Unfortunately the continuity timeline doesn’t hold up in this book and a couple of glaring discrepancies had me distractedly flipping back to book one to prove to myself I wasn’t remembering incorrectly. In book one, Cruz is brought into the storyline at a family dinner with Tatum before the murders occur but in this book he isn’t even introduced to Tatum until weeks after the deaths. Also in the first book, Cruz is currently partnered with Sean’s former partner Harry but in this book he mentions Harry, but is most recently partnered with Johnny. The overall book was a solid storyline, but my enjoyment was definitely skewed following up the inaccurate match ups. Better as a stand alone than as part of the series for this reason.
Tatum is a sympathetic character. She’s struggling with the death of her family, yet not letting her restaurant suffer during her distraction. I liked her gumption and her good heart.
Cruz is an attention grabbing character. He’s determined to get to the bottom of this case he’s working on and is willing to put himself out on whatever limb he has to in order to bring the bad guys down.
I recommend this series to anyone who likes an intense storyline with solid family relationships and friendships being a core back bone of the series.
