Loved the intrigue and protectiveness of family and if the loved ones! Wished the ending had been stronger and had closure.

This is one of those books that started out a little rough for me but the more I read, the more I got invested in the characters and their plight. By the end, I was hooked. It helps that there are 4 adorable children that you can't help but fall for and one K9 dog who needed a bit of healing. Jules is risking everything for her 4 siblings and all she needs to do is keep a low profile. It's kind of laughable how she catches the attention of a cop her first day at work. Theo is immediately suspicious of Jules and knows she's hiding something. His instincts tells him that she is on the run but the more he's around her and her siblings, the less he cares. You do have to suspend belief in a few places, but I liked these characters enough that I didn't really care that it wasn't realistic for Theo to ignore his cop instincts with Jules. It was heartwarming what Jules was doing for her brothers and sisters and I melted every time Theo interacted with these kids. The fact that he was grumpy and very standoffish made his tender care more sigh worthy. This is a slow burn romance with a suspenseful plot. Some violence but not graphic. The kids suffered abuse and you learn enough to know why Jules steps up to help them. ARC provided by NetGalley.