Suspects and Scales
by Maz Maddox
My rating:
Volume 3 of Stallion Ridge
Tags: Western Fantasy Shifters
Posted in Book Reviews on December 28, 2020
Note: This third book of the series is a direct sequel to the second, so if you haven’t read the previous book, be prepared for spoilers.
As you’ll know from the cliff-hang-ey ending of Claw Marks and Card Games, Deputy Cody has just found his friend Wade murdered. Who would kill the gentle Iara (merman)? That’s what Cody is determined to find out, but things get complicated when Wade’s mother shows up, with her devoted assassin in tow. The “Widow”, called Quellin, stays behind to investigate the murder as well, but things quickly get complicated as the two begin to have feelings for each other.
This fast-paced third book in the series offers up a few more surprises as well as the steamiest romance so far. The sparks fly almost from the start between the headstrong young deputy and the world weary assassin. Cody has appeared in all the books so far, and he’s had a pretty tough time. He was badly injured in the shoot-out at the end of the first installment, then recovering in the second and forming a close friendship with Wade, only to find the pretty merman murdered in the closing scene of the story.
Although he’s clearly not led a sheltered life, Cody is not very experienced in the affairs of the heart. He falls under the spell of Quellin easily enough without really thinking of the consequences. It’s easy enough to imagine Cody as the ideal of a young cowboy: blond hair, blue eyes, long and lean body. Over the course of the three books, we’ve gotten to know his personality quite well too, making him a very believable character.
Quellin is a bit more mysterious character, who just first appears in this book. He’s painted as a deadly person you don’t want to mess with, but with a rather cheeky attitude to life that belies his rather morbid profession. He’s definitely a bit more worldly than Cody, and knows the huge risk he’s taking in getting involved with the younger man, but like Cody, Quellin seems irresistibly drawn to the deputy.
“Suspects and Scales” is available from Amazon.