I think this one is probably a 3.5 
 Rafe Vargas didn't intend to stay in Newton, Iowa any longer than it took to clean out his grandfather's house and sell it. That was before he met Annie White. Annie has been inexplicably drawn back to her former hometown. She's still haunted by events that changed her life fifteen years ago, but she can't help but feel tied to the place that caused her such trama, and she's back to sort through the past. But the danger connected to Annie's past is back with a vengeance and isn't content to stay hidden. 
 The story started out pretty strong. I really liked the set-up of figuring out the mysteries in Annie's past and how they relate to things going on in Newton in the present. 
 I, at first, liked the attraction between Rafe and Annie, but his alpha possessiveness tendency took over way too quickly and too strongly for my tastes. And Annie, for all her posturing on understand just what kind of man Rafe is, and not allowing herself to get entangled with a man who just wants to be a "hero", she didn't really put up much of a fight. 
 In fact, Annie didn't put up much of a fight about anything and I really wanted her to. I wanted her to be a little stronger. The fact that she survived the horrors that she has and is still a functioning human speaks volumes to the inner strength she possesses, but she quickly falls into the category of someone who seems like they want to be "saved". There's not necessarily anything wrong with that by any means, but when she's initially set up to seem so headstrong, and then loses it, I felt like there was a big disconnect somewhere. 
 There were a couple other aspects of the story that I felt were an interesting set-up and in the end just didn't pan out. I don't want to say too much in order to avoid spoilers, but suffice it to say, these instances kind of left me scratching my head at the end wondering why they were even included. What was the point? 
 Not surprisingly, since the series as a whole will revolve around them, I think the highlight of the book for me, was the relationship between Rafe and the rest of ARES security. These are five men who have been through the horrors of war and managed to survive. They are not merely friends, they are brothers. Each of them brings something to the table, and their fierce loyalty to one another was great. Each man's past is hinted at (or outright given to reader), and I can't wait to see who's story is next. 
 Despite some of the aspects to this story that I couldn't really get on board with, I still like the set up of the series, and this will not deter me from reading future books. 
 *ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.