Review: The Sapphire Affair (Jewel, #1) by Lauren Blakely

Bounty hunter Jake Harlowe knows how to track a criminal. So when a group of swindled shareholders hires him to trail their former CEO, Jake expects a quick trip to the Cayman Islands to close another case. Until a devastatingly beautiful woman gets in the way.

Steph Anderson is visiting the Caymans for a rock climbing and dive trip—or so she tells Jake. She’s really trying to find out whether or not her stepfather embezzled money from his company. The last thing Steph needs is the distraction of a sexy, charming man whose kisses drive her wild.

Soon, the pair discover they’re after the same target—and millions in jewels. While Jake can’t be certain Steph isn’t working for her stepfather, and Steph can’t be certain Jake isn’t after the diamonds for himself, they can agree the heat between them is intense, and neither can deny the passion for long.

But the morning after, Steph discovers that she just might have slept with the enemy, and now she’ll have to outwit him to get everything she needs…

Going into this story I first had to remind myself that Lauren Blakely provides an abundance of detail before her stories take off full throttle racing to the finish line. Although the details are important, they at times slow down the story but have no fear it's not long before you're drawn into the mystery. 

Jake Harlowe has a very interesting profession, he is a retrieval expert. He hunts down precious objects and returns them to their rightful owner. He has taken on a job to retrieve stolen money. Eli Thompson, allegedly, had been skimming off the top leaving his partner minus ten million dollars. Now it's up to Jake to find the money and return it back to where it belongs.

Steph Anderson has recovered from the attack on her business by her ex freeloading boyfriend. She's back on track booking tours. She decides while working in the Caymans she would visit her ex-stepfather, the man who had divorced her mother and kept everything.

A coincidental meeting finds Jake and Steph pairing up to find the missing money. They both struggle with trust because they been swindled in their previous relationships. As the investigation moves forward so does the heat. Their attraction keeps pulling them together and there's no fighting it. What happens at the end changes everything. It's a holy doozy of a cliffhanger. 

The story is intriguing, I really enjoyed the mystery and the budding romance. Jake is the man of the hour, supporting his family, fighting against evil doers. Steph is fighting her way back and moving her business forward. They both have the same motive, to right the wrong done by one man, Eli Thompson. This is part one of two and it leaves open a multitude of unanswered questions.Up next The Sapphire Heist. 5 Stars!