Echo: Pierce Securities Book 9, Anne Conley

If Simon Pierce can't get control of his personal demons he just might fail not only himself, but the woman he can't live without.  There's more at stake than his carefully ordered life and rules.  Lacie, Bonnie, and his entire team are at stake if they can't connect the dots and finally put Jonas out of commission.  Simon will have to prove to himself that love can open the doors to trust, that history won't repeat itself if he lets Lacie into more than just his bed, and that there's no force on Earth that will keep him from solving this case and protecting them all.

Lacie Hill is being haunted by multiple people.  When her father witnesses one of the men accosting her he hires Pierce Securities to watch out for her.  Lacie isn't stupid, for which I was impressed and glad for, so when Simon shows up she can tell something is up and is grateful for the protection once the truth comes out.  She also isn't one to run scared either, so she does her best to live her life as she would if the threat weren't there.  But being tugged to and fro by Simon's hot/cold reactions to their chemistry she's left confused, vulnerable, and then when the stalking gets worse, she's becoming increasingly frustrated and scared.  There's a lot that weighs on her and Simon is actually making things worse.  I admire her inner strength and her ability to compartmentalize is useful, wise, and a healthy coping mechanism.  She goes a bit far sometimes, but for the most part I think she's smart and resourceful.

Simon Pierce, on the other hand, for all his control, rules, and rigidity, is running scared.  Scared of his past coming back in the form of another woman, scared of his feelings, scared of failure, scared of his enemies.  While it's not apparent on the outside, when we get the full story about his background and his frustration concerning the team members' relationships with their clients it becomes obvious that his vulnerability pervades everything he thinks and does.  I do like Simon.  I think his vulnerability is something that makes him attractive, someone worth healing and loving.  And Lacie is the perfect partner for him in that regard.  What I don't particularly enjoy is his priggish attitude at times.  The way he treats Lacie in the beginning gives me hope, the way he treats her after he realizes he's attracted to her crushes it.  There's something about Simon that bothered me in this story that I wasn't expecting and I can't even put my finger on it.  He vacillated a bit too much for me and his treatment of Lacie was disappointing more often than not.

But together, when Lacie wasn't willing to put up with Simon's retreat and confronted him, they became so much more.  Lacie's inner strength drew out Simon's and I loved where they ended up.  Each of them had strengths and weaknesses that made them ideal partners for one another.

The drama of this story brings the case against Jonas to a close.  Finally!  Each confrontation without truly being a confrontation was really good at ramping up the tension.  Connections were all over the place but missing one piece, just one thing that would bring it all together.  The final confrontation was big, emotional, and harrowing.  The interrogation was disturbing and actually quite perfect to finally get the answers into a little of Jonas' twisted, sick mind.  Answers.  That's really what this novel offered more than any of the others.  We finally see where everything was heading, the why's of all the trauma and drama, and the reality of what they were all facing.  At last we see it all.  Including the happiness.  Having their barbecue at Ryan's place was the right way to bring it all together.  Food, family, hopeful announcements, Simon's softer side, and most of all, happiness and peace.

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