Review of If You Only Knew by Dixie Lee Brown

[Barbara Ann RS]

This is the second novel in the Trust No One series that I’ve read, and just like with When I Find You, Brown keeps her readers engaged. The plot is suspenseful and has some eyebrow-raising revelations that add unexpected twists to keep the story from being predictable. In the midst of the danger, the hero and heroine struggle to rekindle their stalled relationship, which has never really progressed beyond friendship althoughtheir feelings for each other run much deeper.

If You Only Knew features Rayna and Ty, two members of Joe Reynold’s team of mercenaries who do contract work for U.S. governmental agencies. The prologue opens with Rayna explaining to Ty that she’s leaving the team and him behind to pursue a different career and lifestyle.  She’s afraid of how emotionally attached she’s become to Ty, and, after the death of her brother who was also in this same line of work, she doesn’t think she would be able to handle the pain of losing someone else she loved. Unfortunately, Rayna gets pulled back into Ty’s life after she is abducted by a Russian Mobster, an enemy from Ty’s past, with unfinished business to settle. 

Although this novel can be read as a standalone, I wish that I had read All or Nothing, before I began this book because I felt that, perhaps, I had missed important details on how the death of Rayna’s brother truly impacted her life since her grief seems to still hold her back from living a fulfilling life. I especially enjoy romances where the couple is in the early stages of their relationship, experiencing the excitement and anticipation of getting to know each other and when the sexual tension is the most intense, but I didn’t get to witness that with Rayna and Ty since the story opens with their breakup.  

Despite missing the newness of Rayna and Ty’s romance, I appreciated the existing level of chemistry and sexual tension between them as their relationship becomes more intimate. Rayna and Ty do have one explicit, sizzling love scene that is also sweet because their union is based upon more than just lust. It’s obvious they are in love since readers get their alternating viewpoints in the narration, but after a while, it became frustrating to watch them go through a lot of unnecessary angst because they aren’t open and honest about their feelings and insecurities.

When Andre Komarov abducts Rayna as a means of blackmail, Ty and the rest of the team come to her rescue, and Ty must deal with his unresolved connection to this ruthless criminal.

Even though Ty worries he may lose Rayna once his secrets are revealed, he is still determined to protect her until Andre is no longer a threat. Much of the action is focused on rescuing Rayna from multiple kidnappings which eventually becomes overkill. However, the climactic final showdown between Ty and Andre is great and kept me riveted the entire time. 

Rayna and Ty are surrounded by a great cast of characters. Ty’s former partner, Nate is one of my favorite, and based on the events in this book, I think his character may continue to play a role in the series. Brown also lays the foundation for a potential love story between Nate and another member of Joe’s team, which I hope will be featured in a future installment. The heroes from the previous books, Joe and Walker, continue to play prominent roles in the series, and I like being able to stay connected to these characters.

 I do plan to backtrack and read the first book so I can fully experience the entirety of this series, yet, I also think readers can still enjoy If You Only Knew without having read the previous novels.