An intriguing suspense full of action and romance.

This book is the definition of intrigue - the plans to do something illicit or detrimental to someone.

Jessica Delaney has not had an easy life. She was pushed around from foster home to foster home for most of her life. She was happy when he finally landed a job as an accountant. What she didn't know is the company she worked for was owned by a mob boss. After trying to secretly gather information for the FBI her friend and co-worker is killed by the man thinking she was the traitor. She was put into Witness Protection until the trial. But when it ended in a mistrial she was then put into Witness Security where the first of many attempts on her life were made.

Ryan Jackson the U.S. Marshal assigned to protect Jessica didn't like her from what he had read. He assumed she had been in bed with the mob and was only here because things got to scary after the death of her friend. His feelings are made even worse when 4 U.S. Marshals who were his friend died trying to protect her. But Ryan is an honorable man who would never let his feelings get in the way of protecting a witness.

After more attempts on Jessica's life these two have to go on the run through the mountains to escape many assassins. Its through this trek that the two come to learn about the other and realize that maybe there first impressions of each other was wrong.

There are lots of suspenseful movements through out this book and Jessica and Ryan are both character you come to love and root for during the book. ( )

Very good book with plenty of action and suspense, making it very hard to put down. Jessica has been in Witness Protection for a year as she prepares for and then testifies against her former boss. Unfortunately, his trial ends up in a mistrial, putting her in further danger, and sending her into Witness Security with a new name and location. Ryan is one of the marshals assigned to protect her, and the only one to survive an explosion the last day of the trial. When she is relocated yet again, Ryan is with her for added protection until she is settled. He's not happy about it as he considers her just slightly less of a criminal than her boss, since she was his accountant for years. Jessica isn't any too fond of him either, as she can see his contempt for her.

When someone tries to kill them both the first night in the new location, Ryan realizes there must be a leak in the program. He takes Jessica on the run in the mountains as he tries to protect her from those who are after them. As they make their way through the woods, he is impressed by her determination. He also finds himself attracted to her in spite of what he believes she has done. Ryan's feelings start to change as he learns more about her and what really happened. His protectiveness becomes more than just part of his job.

Jessica's early life was spent going from one foster home to the next, teaching her to depend only on herself. The accounting job she got right out of college was a good one, until she discovered that there were some shady things going on. It took awhile but she was able to get evidence to the FBI, but not until she saw her best friend murdered. She's fine with going into WitSec, but dealing with the judgmental Ryan isn't pleasant. When he saves her life again and they have to go on the run, she is forced to trust him.

I loved the interactions between them as they made their way through the mountains. Ryan is used to being obeyed without question and is frustrated by Jessica's constant questioning of him. Jessica is an intelligent woman and refuses to put up with being left out of the loop. I loved seeing the attraction between them develop in spite of their resistance. I also liked seeing them getting to know each other and discovering that their initial judgments may not have been entirely accurate. Ryan slowly lets go of his distrust, but is still resisting his feelings toward her. He knows she'll be going back into hiding and he can't go with her without giving up everything important to him. I liked seeing Jessica get Ryan to open up to her about things that happened in his past. She also saw how important his family is to him which only made her care more about him. I loved seeing her stand up to him when she thought he was disregarding something important. Her growing feelings for him cause her to make a few reckless decisions in an attempt to help him, but they turn out ok. By the time the end of the book comes she knows she loves him, but doesn't expect him to give up everything for someone like her. I really liked the ending.

The suspense and action itself was fantastic. Ryan's determination to keep Jessica safe is solid. He is also set on finding out who it is that has been leaking the information that has put them in danger. It seems like they just can't get ahead of it. There were several twists and turns to get them to safety and finding out who the bad guy was. I did figure it out before the end, but it was still very well done. The final confrontation was intense, but also had a couple light moments in it. ( )

Lena Diaz is becoming a must read for me. This is the third book I've read by Lena, and it may be my favorite. (I loved the other two as well). The Marshal's Witness was action packed and full of danger and suspense. There literally isn't a slow moment in the book. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down.
Jessica--"Jessie" is a very relatable heroine. I enjoyed that she is a self-proclaimed "nerd" and is a strong heroine. She provides the right amount of challenge for Ryan. She fights for what she wants. And what can I say about Ryan except he's a hero you swoon over. I believe the word "chiseled" was used to describe him. Beyond being gorgeous, he's also honorable, loyal, and loving. The romance was perfectly pitched. I really enjoyed the page turning quality of this super fast paced suspense. The plot twists were strong and satisfying.
Would highly recommend for those that love romantic suspense. ( )

In Diaz’s romantic suspense novel, U.S. Marshall Ryan Jackson breaks protocol by taking a protected witness on the run. Jessica Delaney had testified against a crime boss nearly putting him away for life. Ryan doesn’t trust her—she had worked for the mob—but it was his sworn duty to protect her at any cost. It soon becomes clear there’s a mole working in the Witness Protection Program and Ryan is determined to identify the culprit who keeps leaking her new identity. As they strive to stay ahead of killers in pursuit, the net tightens around them and they must work together to defeat the darkness and hope they don’t lose themselves in the process.

Fast-paced, action-packed, hard to put down thriller. ( )