Being alone is what he wanted… All he needed was her.

Hunter Osborn left his family, his friends, and his job as a park ranger after uncovering a disturbing crime scene. Haunted by nightmares and harrowing memories, Hunter relocated to an isolated property near Triple Creek, Colorado, where he lives alone and keeps his interactions with people to a minimum.

Still, Hunter can spot trouble from a mile away, and when he encounters Jodi Bentley, he knows she’s trouble of the most tempting kind—even more tempting when she moves into the run-down cabin next door. Jodi is tough as nails, sexy as hell—and clearly struggles with her own traumatic past. Hunter tries to keep his distance, but when Jodi’s life is threatened, he can’t help being drawn out of his own darkness and into hers.

Titles in the Osborn Brothers series include — The Dangerous One —♥— The Fearless One —♥—

**Connection to The McKenzies of Ridge Trail series, those titles are — No Holding Back —◊— Stronger Than You Know —◊— Watching Over You —◊—

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  The Dangerous One
Series:  Osborn Brothers #1
Author:  Lori Foster
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Published:  February 21, 2023
Publisher:  HQN (Harlequin)
My Rating:  4.5 stars

When a story has grabbed me by both the throat and the heart before the ending of the first chapter, well, I’m hooked from that point onward.  The Dangerous One begins the Osborn Brothers series with such an intense feeling throughout, like walking on eggshells and hearing those tiny cracks along the way, you just know that the next step is going to be bad… but you take it anyway.

To say that Hunter craves and protects his privacy, his aloneness, would be an understatement.  His home outside of town is remote, with only trees, wildlife, and an unoccupied, rundown building nearby… until recently.  His solitude is about to be seriously invaded by a woman of mystery, one he’s slowly coming to respect, admire, and, yes, fall for.  This newcomer has trouble written all around her, the kind that says back off without a word being spoken.  The thing is, Hunter doesn’t back down from much.  What he’s gone through has made him a loner, but that didn’t make him blind to the danger surrounding a tiny woman covered in sharp thorns or able to simply walk away.

I don’t intend to go into the plot of The Dangerous One for many reasons, but mainly because there were moments when I couldn’t imagine how anyone could have survived physically or mentally after what Hunter and Jodi have been through.  Moments when I was in awe of them and moments when my heart broke for them.  Those are the types of reactions each reader should have the privilege of experiencing firsthand, and I won’t steal them from you.  To know their past and then to slowly discover what they face now is nerve-wracking, intense, and an edge-of-your-seat experience that no reader should be denied feeling.

I can say that I was captivated by their story.  Intense is a word that really doesn’t describe the feeling surrounding almost every page of their story… but it’s as close as I can get.  I loved Jodi; she’s the most prickly, private, attitude-filled heroine I’ve run across in a while.  She kicks butt and takes names as easily as she drives her standup mower over uneven ground without a thought of the danger.  Yet she has moments of vulnerability, of an innocent who has seen too much of the ugly side of people and has a hard time believing in anyone except for a select few she trusts.  If Jodi trusts you, she’ll give her life for you… it’s that profound and that simple.

Now, there is one true hero in this story… Turbo.  A hound with a broken howl, a set pattern of what he wants to do when he wants to do it, and a devotion to anyone willing to give a good belly rub (on his terms).  But he’s also a protector, one no one should turn their backs on if they happen to be threatening his humans.  I adored Turbo, and his scene-stealing moments often had me smiling in the midst of a dangerous situation.

I loved The Dangerous One on so many levels.  Watching two reluctant loners allow someone else into their private lives, eventually into their hearts, while gaining their trust was such an emotional experience.  If you love a well-written story that will break you, heal you, and restore your faith in humanity while watching two perfect for each other lovers fall slowly in love… then have I got a book for you!  Now comes the long wait for Memphis’ story later this year… something to look forward to for sure.  (If only we could get some stories of Jodi’s “family,” the McKenzies, too, I would be in seventh heaven because I’m so curious about their lives as well.) * I cannot believe that I missed the connection until Ms. Foster pointed me in the right direction… there already is a McKenzies of Ridge Trail series (see above for those titles).  I’m gobsmacked that I didn’t catch that!**

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in a variety of formats, including print, audio, or your favorite e-reader