Echo

Lacie, a kindergarten teacher, has a stalker. She's not sure why she's being targeted or by whom. Each attack or break-in is a little different, but the men all refer to her as "Yoga Girl". They know her every move and she's not sure how. Her father, not willing to lose his only child, hires Pierce Securities to be her bodyguards.

Simon, head of Pierce Securities, doesn't typically take on bodyguard jobs or take lead position in the field. But all of his men are busy with other cases and he senses the urgency in Lacie's dads face. Simon sets up residence in the house across the street from Lacie and is her new classroom assistant, vowing to NOT become emotionally involved in the case. Simon's been there before and almost lost his life in the process.

Lacie quickly realizes Simon isn't a true "assistant". His awkwardness with the kids is adorable! As Lacie and Simon work together in class and to solve the crime, Simon fights his attraction to Lacie. He can't quite seem to let go of his past. Then, his past blasts into his future intent on destroying what he didn't even know he had....Lacie's love.

I loved that Simon's story was finally told! Such a fitting ending to the series. Although this novel can be read as a stand alone, one would definitely benefit from reading the previous novels. I enjoyed Lacie's ability to peel back the layers that make Simon who he is. She's not put off by his gruffness, realizing there's a "why" behind it. The suspense nearly killed me at the end!!! Action packed. I was shocked with the "V" twist as well. I didn't see that coming. I highly recommend this novel! I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

Character Development:
Brilliant! I love Lacie - she’s selfless, infuriatingly so at times, dedicated to her job and those around her without regard for her own well being.
Simon - the man has been somewhat of a mystery up til now, so I’m stoked to get his book! Who isn’t? It’s what we’ve been waiting for, right? What we have seen of him though, has paved the way for the man he is, as we come to learn, so the continuity is brilliant and the character development level is advanced for sure.
I find myself relating to them both for different reasons, and know early in that this’ll be my favorite in this series.
Fans of this series will be pleased to know we get a taste of all the other men and Deena Rae in this one - I enjoyed every second.

Overall:
Off the bat, we’ve got drama, and we can tell it’ll lead to action, with more drama mixed in, so I’m hooked! A fast-paced read, and it’s mildly tainted by the nagging knowledge that this is the last in this glorious series.

This one has some darkness that makes it all more real, that I’m in love with. And at times, we get the POV of the antagonist, which is incredibly fun and somewhat enlightening if you’ve followed this series since Craze.

I’ve looked forward to this book - Simon’s since Book 1 in this series and it did not disappoint, somehow. Overall, 4 stars. Kept me hooked right until the end. Wishing for more of this series.

Cover: Gorgeous.
Fitting.

Formatting:
Beautiful as always. These are really pretty books, both in print and ebooks.

*I won’t comment on the editing/proofing since I primarily read ARCs.

This is book nine in the Pierce Securities series. Simon Pearce has always had a “no sex with the client” rule. He is the last guy to meet his certain/special someone. Lacey is being stalked by a few men. Right?? How does somebody get stalked by more than one guy? I am a sucker for a good stalker book, and this story has a lot of twists and turns! I was gripped all the way to the end! I love this book and I hope it’s not the end of the series!!❤️