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Isolated
Threat by
Nicole Helm continues the "Badlands Cops" series.
As the series progresses, so does the storyline, with each
book better than the previous one. This is not to say the
first is not spellbound and riveting.
Isolated Threat brings to life Brady Wyatt who agrees
to help Cecilia Mills Knight rescue a child. Her good friend
had postpartum depression, and after a suicide attempt, the
state agency plans on taking her baby Mak away. The mother
is afraid that the father, Elijah, would get custody, which
has to be prevented at all costs. He is a member of the notorious
horrific gang, Sons of the Badlands, and is attempting to
become its leader. Like his suspected father, Ace Wyatt, Elijah
is a murderer, sociopath, and uses fear as a tool. Now both
Brady and Cecilia decide to protect the child by running away
with him. But that is actually a ruse since the baby is left
with Grandma Pauline and the rest of the Wyatt/Knight family.
The hope is that Elijah will be led away from the child as
he chases down Cecilia and Brady.
Helm noted, "Before this series, I never wrote about
children. I wanted to increase the tension, so I added the
children component; yet, I tried not to put them in immediate
peril. Romantic suspense involves a theme of protection, whether
the hero is protecting the heroine, vice versa, or a protection
of animals or children. Brady is that type of hero: very honorable,
calm, and smart, a by the book kind of guy."
To make matters worse, Brady has sworn off getting serious
with any Knight girl. Yet, there is definitely a chemistry
between him and Cecilia, and now they will be living together
on the run. He still remembers that December night when she
made a move and gave him an intimate kiss. But now he tries
to be all business and interacts with her cop to cop. He is
working for the county, while she is an Indian tribal officer.
The intensity increases not only regarding the danger but
also regarding their relationship.
“When
I developed the characters, I did not think that Brady and
Cecilia would be a couple. They are different on the outside,
but similar on the inside. There was this moment in the story
where they realized how similar they actually were. I think
both were surprised by the attraction. At first, they tried
to avoid each other with their contentious edgy banter. They
did not want to get involved with each other as their siblings
had.”
This book no longer has the enemy of Ace Wyatt, but he does
appear in the background as his sons try to overcome what
this demon did to them as a child. The actual quest leaves
the brothers going after true bad guys with the help of a
Knight sister. Through their journey, true love is found.
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