Above the Law by Carsen TaiteAbove the Law by Carsen Taite is a romantic suspense and the second book in her Lone Star Law series. While it continues the story that began in Lay Down the Law, the romance follows a totally different couple. Plus, it explains what happens in book 1 enough that you could probably read this as a standalone.

Dale Nelson is a DEA agent who’s working on a task force that’s trying to take down the drug cartel that murdered her wife. The last thing she needs is an investigative reporter who’s in town to do a puff piece on the DEA and one of their public programs.

Lindsay Ryan is used to covering hard-hitting stories out in the field. She reluctantly agrees to do the DEA piece in Dallas as a favour, deciding it’s not the worst thing to grab a little downtime now that she’s back from Afghanistan. She quickly works out that there’s more at play than a simple “turn in your drugs” program and is determined to find the real story.

Dale isn’t inclined to engage with Lindsay, even when she’s appointed as the liaison for the story, but their time together fuels a powerful chemistry. Can Dale open her heart to love again? And can their hearts survive the real story of what’s going on in Dallas?

The Characters

Dale first showed up in Law Down the Law as the gruff agent who’s shot while checking out a warehouse with Peyton. I wasn’t sure what to make of her in that story, so I was intrigued when I found out that she has her own book. Carsen Taite did not disappoint, because I totally fell for Dale! She’s still kind of gruff and no-nonsense, but with a tender side and I loved seeing her open her heart to Lindsay.

Lindsay is as strong as Dale (I do so love reading about competence, and both of them have that in spades), and she’s also brilliant and driven in her career. She has her own arc that I enjoyed and I’m looking forward to seeing more of her in the rest of the series.

The Writing Style

This is a romantic suspense like many of Taite’s other books, and while the romance is definitely there, I’d say this one is a little more weighted towards the suspense side of things. The overarching story of the series totally had me hooked, with information being revealed at a perfect pace, and like I mentioned, the book catches you up enough that you could read this as a standalone (although I enjoyed Lay Down the Law so much that I recommend both).

The Narration

Above the Law has a different narrator than Lay Down the Law, with L.W. Salinas stepping in. Although the first narrator was fine, I’m glad Bold Strokes Books brought in Salinas, because she’s a better fit for the characters and overall tone of the book. She brings everything to life in a way that had me finding excuses to listen as often as possible.

The Pros

The story totally grabbed me and I’ve already jumped into listening to the next one!

The Cons

The relationship development felt a little rushed and I would have liked to see a little more of how Dale and Lindsay grew to feel so much for each other.

The Conclusion

Romantic suspense fans should jump on this book and the whole Lone Star Law series. Carsen Taite created an immersive world and I’m enjoying every minute I spend in it.

Excerpt from Above the Law by Carsen Taite

After scanning a dozen articles, Lindsey leaned back in her chair. So, now Special Agent Nelson was assigned to show her around town and educate her on the agency’s drug Take-Back Initiative? Could there be any assignment more toothless than that?

She flashed back to her first look at Dale yesterday—jeans, boots, a tight black T-shirt, badge and gun on her belt, her unruly dark waves sticking out all over. She hadn’t tried to hide her distaste at being assigned as a liaison to her crew. If the agency was set on redeeming their reputation with PR about public outreach, Dale wasn’t buying the script. Something else was going on with Agent Nelson, and Lindsey was convinced whatever it was had to be the hook for this story.

A knock at the door jerked her out of her musings. She moved her laptop to make room for her huge breakfast, but when she swung open the door, instead of a room service waiter, Dale stood framed in the threshold, looking almost exactly the same as she had the day before. Lindsey stood stock-still for a second while she tried to process what was happening. Had they made an appointment and she’d forgotten about it? No, she was meticulous about details, and she hadn’t even had a chance to give Dale her number before Dale ditched her at the DEA office.

“Are you going to invite me in?”

Lindsey snapped out of her reverie and looked down at her clothes. Dale caught her looking and said, “At least you aren’t in your pajamas.”

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Series

Lone Star Law series

Lay Down the Law

Above the Law

Letter of the Law

Outside the Law

Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781626395589
  • Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
  • Audiobook Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Inc
  • Narrator: L.W. Salinas
  • Carsen Taite online

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