Next of Kin by Sharon Sala

ARC provided by NetGalley.com

Beth Venable is staying at a friends apartment while her apartment is undergoing repairs for a gas leak when she witness's a murder through the window ~~ never does Beth guess that this will lead to her life spiraling out of her control. 

Beth's reaction to seeing the woman murdered through the window is to call 911 ~~ never guessing that she'd just witnessed Ike Pappas, mob boss, murder his ex wife, or that Ike would have informants in place with the police.  Within hours of Beth going to the station to give her statement, the friend she'd been staying with when she witnessed the murder is dead, and she is secreted away in a safe house...or is she?  It's not long before Beth's safe houses begin to come under attact, and the even the FBI can't keep her safe...so Beth does the only thing she can think of.  She runs, and she calls family.  Family she'd left behind in the hills of Kentucky many years ago, but who she knows she can count on to keep her safe...

Ryal Walker never got over Beth leaving 10 years ago ~ she'd been the love of his life.  And she and her family had just up and left in the middle of the night, no explanation, no letters, no calls, nothing.  And now she was on her way back, and for family's sake, he'd help protect her...

I'm so thrilled to say I loved this book!! 

 I'm a Sala fan from way back, and have to say I've been dissapointed in her last few....but this book brings back that classic something special that Sharon Sala has always been able to infuse into her books....the feeling of love and warmth that you get between Ryal and Beth, even when neither is sure what is between them, that total feeling of family and us against the world....and while you know whodunnit the whole time, you still wonder how she's going to manage wrap it up and still give us that HEA we just know we have to have. 

So get this one on your lists, it's not to be missed!!