RE-READ Feb 2014 cause I just need a Joe fix 
 At Peace is book two in The Burg Series and my favorite one in the series so far. Book five (Frankie & Benny) is expected summer 2014 with great expectations! I have read At Peace three times now and since I haven't reviewed this one yet, I figure it's a good time for a re-read and review. 
 Sometimes a book just speaks to you, and for whatever reason you are drawn to it over and over again. At Peace is one of those books for me. Maybe it's the vulnerability of Vi and her naivete on the dating/flirting world. See, she's a widow, once married to a cop whom she met in high school; she has never been with anyone else. Ever. Vi has just moved to a new town trying to escape the madman who is responsible for murdering her husband and who now has a romantic obsession with her. 
 Things are going pretty good until she meets her neighbor Joe, a security expert, who is rarely home. It's when Vi is woken in the middle of the night to blaring music and a crazy celebrity trying to get her seduction on next door that she comes face to face with him. The sight of Violet in her nighty, a ratty old men's robe, and wellies will change Joe forever. 
 It's not a simple sweet story. Joe really is an ass and rips Vi apart more than once. Yes, we are dealing with a strong alpha man with a troubled and unhappy past, but it's watching Vi take hit after hit and still she keeps getting up. Her strength is something that she really doesn't see in herself but is proven over and over. 
 Joe is a good man at heart, and when his light bulb moment hits, he may be too late to fix things. Vi has been spending time with a local cop, and he stirs memories and feelings of security and stability - something she has craved and missed. 
 Then, tragedy hits and her world is altered yet again. The last twenty five percent of this book is amazing! It's action-packed, heart racing, and I could not turn the pages fast enough. This is also when Frankie and Benny are introduced and I am instantly in love with the idea of their story. Even after so many reads, I am still breathless when Frankie says she has had enough. 
 The epilogue is perfection and her description of that house makes me want to head straight to the coast. 
 What else can I say, guys? This one just spoke to me. There have been three books written by Kristen Ashley that have done that to me. The other two were Golden Dynasty and Creed. 
 5 Stars 
 T~