Atonement

By B.J. Daniels

Just how far are people willing to go to keep their secrets?

Protecting the citizens of Beartooth, Montana, is never an easy job. It's been one year, and Sheriff Dillon Lawson still feels guilty that he couldn't save his twin brother, Ethan. But the biggest test of his bravery comes when Tessa Winters arrives, claiming to be pregnant…with Ethan's baby. At first, Dillon can't decide if this beautiful woman is a con artist or a victim. If Ethan didn't die in that car crash, then where is he–and why is he hiding?

Now, Dillon is prepared to do anything to uncover the truth–anything except admit his growing feelings for Tessa. But with violence threatening, Tessa and Dillon must trust in each other to save not only themselves…but also Tessa's unborn child.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Mar 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781488707667

B.J. Daniels

New York Times and USA Today bestselling authorB.J. Daniels lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, and two springerspaniels. When not writing, she quilts, boats and always has a book or two to read. Contact her at www.bjdaniels.com, on Facebook at B.J. Daniels or through her reader group the B.J.Daniels' Big Sky Darlings, and on twitter at bjdanielsauthor.

Reviews for Atonement

[bookofsecrets · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was in the mood for a cowboy romance, and the blurb for ATONEMENT grabbed my attention. This is the first B.J. Daniels book I’ve read, so I’m jumping into this series late, and I did feel like I was missing parts of the back story.The book starts out strong when the angry and pregnant heroine, Tessa, comes to Montana searching for her baby’s father, Ethan. Instead, she finds his twin brother, Dillon (who she didn’t know about), and Dillon claims that his brother died over a year ago, which Tessa knows couldn’t be possible. Dillon assumes Ethan has gotten himself in big trouble again, and that’s why he’s playing dead, so Dillon and Tessa set out to uncover the mystery and find Ethan.The book switches back and forth between the Tessa/Dillon/Ethan story line and a murder mystery involving the town’s sheriff, Frank, and his girlfriend, Nettie. I’m assuming that Frank & Nettie’s story is being carried over from a previous book. While I was intrigued by their mystery, I thought it detracted from Tessa & Dillon’s story. It wasn’t easy keeping everyone and everything straight, and I felt disconnected.I liked Dillon and Tessa as a couple, and I was rooting for them. With her being pregnant with another man’s baby, theirs was a unique and sweet romance that took time to grow. I did wonder, though, how a smart and strong woman like Tessa could have fallen for a screw up like Ethan. I guess love makes us do crazy things.I think those who have read the previous books in this series will probably like ATONEMENT more than I did, though I enjoyed seeing how both mysteries played out in the end.Source: Review copy from NetGalley

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book with two interesting storylines. The main story is that of Dillon and Tessa. Dillon has been filling in as sheriff while Sheriff Frank Curry has been on a leave of absence. It's been an eventful year and Dillon is still feeling the loss of his twin brother - until a woman shows up claiming to be pregnant with Ethan's baby. Now Dillon wants to know why Ethan is pretending to be dead. Since she didn't know that Ethan had a twin brother, at first Tessa thought Dillon was Ethan. Once that confusion is dealt with both Dillon and Tessa want to find Ethan. As they work together they discover that Ethan had gotten in over his head in a couple of ways and want to find him before he ends up dead for real. Dillon spent a lot of time when he was younger protecting Ethan from their father and getting Ethan out of the trouble he was constantly in. He wants Ethan to have the chance to do the right thing by Tessa. Meanwhile, Tessa is over Ethan, having put up with enough over his disappearance and his theft of her savings. She just wants him to sign over custody of their baby to her so she can move on with her life. Dillon quickly grows attached to Tessa, partly because of the baby she carries but mostly because of the way she makes him feel. But he feels guilty about those feelings because she is his brother's girl. Tessa realizes that Dillon is everything that Ethan is not, but doesn't think Dillon would ever see her as anything other than his niece's mother. I loved the growing relationship between the two of them. Dillon was such a nice guy that I wondered for a little while how long he would go before letting Tessa know how he felt. It wasn't too surprising that Tessa seemed to take more initiative, though Dillon wasn't backward once he realized she really did want him.The mystery that revolves around Ethan, his "death", and the people he got mixed up with was very well done. There were multiple viewpoints from the various players as the danger to Ethan, Dillon and Tessa grew closer. There were a couple very interesting twists as the truth came out about who was after Ethan and why. I loved the final resolution and how Dillon handled it.The second storyline involved Sheriff Frank Curry and his lady friend Nettie. In the previous book Forsaken Frank's ex-wife had attempted to kill both him and Nettie. She got away, and Frank took a leave of absence to try to find her. At the beginning of this one, he has returned to Beartooth having been unable to find her. He is ready to go back to work and pick up his romance with Nettie. Just as things are starting to look up for them, Pam's remains are found on Frank's land and he is suspected of murdering her. Nettie doesn't believe he had anything to do with it and takes it upon herself to do a little investigating of her own. Frank is worried about her safety and tries to convince her to stay out of it, but Nettie is just as stubborn as he is. Her efforts nearly get her killed by a character I never suspected. I loved seeing Frank and Nettie finally get their happy ending after so many years apart.As always, I love the vivid descriptions of the Montana landscape. Sometimes I could swear I felt the cold of the snowstorms or smell the scent of the pines. Someday I will get there to see it for myself.

[b.j.o. · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4 "The Good Twin" Stars for the story and 3.5 stars for the narration.Atonement is like two romantic suspense titles wrapped up in one. For those of you who have been following the Beartooth Montana Series, you will be familiar with both of the heroes. While it is possible to read this as a stand-alone title, given the intricate interconnections of the various characters, particularly as it relates to the suspense, I suggest that you read or listen to this series in chronological order.The main story revolves around Under Sheriff Dillon Lawson (the good twin) and his identical brother, Ethan, who he believes passed away a year earlier. That is until Tessa Winters arrives in town claiming to be carrying Ethan's baby. Dillon doesn't know what to make of this news, and Tessa is convinced that Dillon is actually Ethan but just assuming the identity of his brother to avoid her. Of course, this leads to a tumultuous beginning, but little by little the pair begins to uncover one incredible suspense-filled web. All the while, as the credibility and good-will of the other begins to become undeniable, the couple begins a journey towards finding out the truth and determining whether their fate includes a HEA.The secondary story, is actually one that is more directly carried over from the prior books and involves Sheriff Frank Curry, his ex-wife Pam, and his new love interest, Nettie Benton. Sheriff Curry inadvertently finds himself on the wrong side of the law and Frank and Nettie will be racing against the clock to prove his innocence all the while testing their romantic resolve for one another.Rounding out the action and suspense filled plot is Graham Winton's narration. Mr. Winton is a natural to perform this romantic western. Producing an authentic and appropriate tone setting accent for this Montana based romance, Mr. Winton does a great job of bringing both Dillon and Frank to life. While his female characters are a little less gender authentic, he also produces a sufficiently nuanced pitch for these characters to allow for easy differentiation between the female and male cast. The one area where I had a little more trouble was in telling apart the characters of a similar age and gender. For example, there are a few scenes where there is another male character of the same age as Dillon, and I had more difficulty distinguishing between the two characters. However, this was only a minor detraction, and Mr. Winton's attention to the scene being enacted and general tone of the characters leads to an overall slightly above average performance.All in all, if you enjoy a good romantic suspense title--especially with a small-town Western feel--then I recommend that you give the Beartooth Montana Series a try. Moreover, for those of you that are already enjoying this series, then I highly recommend Atonement.Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

[rhonda1111 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4 starsIn Atonement has two story lines, One is dealing with the Sheriff and his ex-wife that has been in all four books of Beartooth, Montana. The other deals with Dillon Lawson and his dead twin brother. Also Tessa and her pregnant baby. The plot was good and kept you wanting to know what happens next.Full of Drama, action, suspense and mystery. I enjoyed reading Atonement. Also clean read.The setting was Beartooth, Montana and surrounding states.I liked the characters. I would think it be hard to love brothers especially twins. Dillon is a hard working honest man. He is acting Sheriff and his own small ranch. Ethan is the opposite of Dillon. In fact he is dishonest and died a year ago.Tessa Winters is eight month pregnant and she has found Ethan the father of her baby. She wants the money he stole from her and sign his rights away to the baby. She can't believe she fell for Ethan lies. Now she and the baby could be in danger.Their are a lot of characters that are new. Their is also others that we have met in Beartooth Montana. The Sheriff Frank who is wanted for murdering his ex-wife. Nettie the grocery store owner who has loved Frank for years.Their are a few murders that happen in the book both in story lines.I will read more books by B.J. Daniels in the future.I was given this ebook to read and asked in return to give honest review of it by Netgalley and Harlequin.publication: February 25th 2014 by Harlequin HQN 384 pages ISBN 9780373778461

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Tessa comes into town. The first thing she does is head over to Dillon and Ethan's ranch. Tessa is about to give birth to Ethan's baby any day. All she wants is for Ethan to sign his rights away. Dillon realizes that Tessa may have been one of the last people to see Ethan alive. He does not plan to let Tessa out of his sight until he learns the truth about Ethan's death. It has been quite some time since I have read a book by this author. I enjoyed reading this book. I like westerns. Atonement is book four in the Beartooth, Montana series. You don't have to have read the prior three novels. However it did feel a little disconnected like the characters and the current events that they were facing had happened in a prior book. So I this did not help some in the department of me getting to really know the characters and sharing a bond with them. In addition, in the beginning I thought that Dillon came off as very uncaring and rough. So I did not see him as the romantic love interest for Tessa. As the story progressed I did warm up to Dillon. Plus, it was easy to see him and Tessa together as I felt like I did not know who Ethan was. Other than a rambler. I more tended to like Tessa. She was strong-willed.

[thehistorychic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read for Review (NetGalley)Overall Rating: 3.50Story Rating: 3.25Character Rating: 3.75First Thought when Finished: Atonment by B.J. Daniels would have made 2 great full length novels but there was a little too much going on for one!Story Thoughts: Atonment was really 2 stories in one: One for Dillon/Tessa and one for the Sheriff. The problem was that I felt both would have made great full length novels on their own. I felt more could have been explored with Dillon/Ethan. I also would have liked a little more of Tessa/Dillon, their love story was a little rushed. I would have been happy with more about the Sheriff (though that might have been tackled in the previous books but I have not read them). I did love the pacing and writing. I guess I just wanted more of both stories which is what left me wanting...Character Thoughts: I thought Dillon was a fascinating character. He wasn't too perfect but he was a great character study in good, solid men! Tessa was a great match for Dillon on paper but I would have liked to know more about her. Together they made for a good love story that I would have loved a little more of.Final Thoughts: Despite wanting more from the stories, I still enjoyed Atonement! It was a great read for suspense fans.