I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This review isn't going to be long. I'm not a huge fan of a review rehashing the entire plot and spoiling it for everyone.

I enjoyed this book. I laughed out loud, and cried. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

Stop! If you haven't read the first book in the series, go read it NOW, I mean it, you will not be disappointed and then come back and read this one. I picked this one up immediately after finishing the first one, "Dead Girl Running" and read this in one sitting. This one has Kellen coming to grips with the realization of the missing year in her memory and during that year she evidently had a baby! She doesn't know how to be a mother and doesn't think she can so she does what she does best and runs, or at least starts off on a mission to try and figure out what to do with herself. First she visits her Aunt which doesn't go well and then she ends up in Virtue Falls and working in the soup kitchen at the request of the sheriff. So many life changing and altering and reaffirming events to help set her on the path she needs to be. Will it be the right one?

Definitely enjoying this series!!

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I believe this is part of a series. It reads just ok as a stand alone. I had a lot of questions that weren't answered but I think they were in a separate book. So it was a little confusing. It leads into another book and just sort of ends. No real conclusion. It is interesting and a short read. Crazy plot I give it 3.5 stars.

A short story that helps to understand that Kellen Adams does have moments of being happy and relaxed, if only for a few seconds at a time! Waiting for the next book to be released is going to be difficult!

Kellen Adams remembers little of the months leading up to the head injury that left her in a coma seven years ago, although some of her memories have been returning. At the end of the first novel in the Cape Charade series, Kellen met her daughter for the first time, born while Kellen was in a coma. Now Kellen is struggling with sudden motherhood. Slowly recovering from the injuries she sustained fighting that book’s bad guys, Kellen is trying to accept her daughter and the family she had left behind when her daughter was conceived.

Kellen’s aunt, mother to the real Kellen – whose identity Kellen (Cecilia) stole after her death – is in a care facility, suffering from dementia. Kellen decides to visit her, and explain what really happened to her and her cousin. The visit doesn’t go well, and Kellen/Cecilia can't bring herself to face her daughter and the man she once loved – her daughter’s father who changed careers to embrace single parenthood. Instead, she drives to Virtue Falls to meet up with her friend who is the Sheriff there.

At her friend’s suggestion, Kellen checks into the only hotel with a room available and, the next day, starts volunteering at the town’s food bank. There she meets up with a diverse group of volunteers and people in need of help, all of whom give her perspective on her problems, even as Kellen/Cecilia finds ways to help these folks in return. .

I greatly enjoyed this short story. It packed a lot of story in a few pages. I particularly appreciated that while there are no easy answers to the problems of those using the food bank, some of them do get their lives on track.

What a great novella about Kellen as she tries to find the year missing from her life. It really gives you a lead in to the next story which I will be reading next.


** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review**

This is a great little read while waiting for the next book in the series. It gives some filler, about Kellan (Cecilia) Adams and her uncertainty about being a mother to Rae. Kellan pays a visit to her Aunt Cora Rae, who took her in. Cara Rae is in a care facility, but when she sees Kellan, it doesn't go well, and Kellan flees. She ends up in Virtue Falls and after talking to Sheriff Kateria Kwinault finds herself volunteering for the local food bank. Turns out to be the best medicine that Kellan needs.

I love this series! I, highly recommend it!

I received an eBook from NetGalley via Harlequin-Romance in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fantastic action packed short story. I can wait for the next installment for these characters. Rae by far is my favorite character. She is a happy and joy filled little girl. Highly recommend reading this short story. There is still so much to learn about these characters, I can not wait to learn what happens next.

Good Short Story
For those of us enjoying the Cape Charade series, this is a good bridge between the latest two novels. The story explores Kellen a little more and sets up for her travels to live with Max and her daughter. Kellen confronts her past in visits with her Aunt and learns a little more about life working in a soup kitchen. I don’t want to give it all away but this was a very good short story and I generally dislike them. Can’t wait for the next in this series.

This is a novella that would be numbered 1.5 in this series. I have read the first book in this series and really enjoyed it. This novella was very good too but as a novella always is, way too short. I am waiting on book 3 and will grab it as soon as I can. This author does a great job of writing mysteries that grab you from page one

Families and Other Enemies is a short intro novella into the series about Kellen Adams. Kellen is a survivor- a survivor of an abusive husband, a survivor of the armed services, a survivor of long term coma, and a survivor of the streets. Kellen is tough as nails but struggling to adapt to her life after waking up from a coma to discover that she has a child she does not remember. Running from her family and her past, Kellen must come to terms with who she is and learn to be a mother to her little girl. Suspenseful with great world building, the story moves along swiftly, creating a great introduction to Kellen that leaves the reader's hands itching to get a hold of the first full length novel in the series. Families and Other Enemies is a fast, attention grabbing read that will leave you coming back for more. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going! The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

"I still don’t remember, but I know what happened now. I had a baby, and that changes everything."

Kellen Adams has fought battles, saved lives and earned the respect of her colleagues and the love of her friends. But now can she triumph against the greatest challenge of her life—her family?

A witty short story that will keep you reading until you've finished! It will be a quick read so pick this one up and give it a go! There is one book before this one that I still have to read, but I thought it did well as a stand-alone too.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #FamiliesAndOtherEnemies
Pub Date: 01 Jan 2019

Families and Other Enemies by Christina Dodd is a 2019 HQN Books publication.

For those following along with the series, this short story follows Kellen, (Cecilia), as she struggles to come to terms with the shocking discoveries she made regarding the ‘missing year’ of her life.
Life altering developments have her traveling to Virtue Falls, where she meets up with one of my favorite characters from the VF series, Kateri Kwinault. How cool is that?

Kellen does some serious soul searching about her life, faces down her fears about the future, and is finally willing to stop running, and do the right thing for her family. Helping her come to these realizations is a sixteen- year old girl and war veteran, one of which needs stability, while the other one seeks redemption and forgiveness. Their struggles help Kellen find the strength to face her new normal.

I had a feeling this series was going to be great and so far, it has been everything I hoped it would. This short story has helped keep me mollified while I impatiently await the next full- length installment. Plus, it gave me a little more thought provoking character analysis, as well. This book does give readers a brief re-cap of book one, while also telling a compelling and emotional story, while setting the stage for book two.

If you haven’t read the first book in the series- why not? You still have time to catch up before ‘What Doesn’t Kill Her’ is released at the end of this month. Yes, this is a romantic suspense series, but fans of fast paced thrillers with a unique storyline can enjoy this series as well. So, what are you waiting for?

4.5 stars

A novella in the Cape Charade series that gives a little more history to Kellen/Cecilia. I have enjoyed everything I've read by Christina Dodd - can't wait for the next novel!

This short- very short- novella has tickled my interest enough that even though I did not read the first book, I'm looking forward to reading the second. Dodd seems to have laid out the facts and her plot: Kellen isn't really Kellen, she's Christina. Christina's ex-husband meant to kill her but he got Kellen instead so Christina took on Kellen's persona. That's getting harder to maintain, however. I admit to being a bit confused but this is well written and it's got a nice sense of danger lurking at the margins. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

Her abusive ex-husband killed Kellen. He meant to kill her…his wife, Cecelia, but as the cousins looked so much alike, he killed Kellen by mistake. Now Cecelia has become Kellen, retired Captain Kellen Adams, former marine. There is time missing from her memory, but she knows she had a baby who is now seven-years old. Kellen had been managing the Yearning Sands Resort, but now must face her past in order to accept her future. A thoroughly intriguing novella from Ms. Dodd. I had not read the previous Cape Charade books, but now they are at the top of my “to be read” list. Kellen is a wounded soul, but she is a fighter who will try to make amends and will not quit. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

The protagonist is Kellen Adams. Or is it Cecilia Adams? The book keeps you on your toes and is a very easy read. Easy, but Families and Other Enemies one I had to finish. I loved the characters within the story. There were soft moments woven within. Who do you root for?
If you are looking for a novel you can finish in a day or so and has real depth and mystery this will be perfect.
Thanks for allowing me to read Families and Other Enemies, it was a pleasure.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC

This is a short novella between book one and two in the Cape Charade series. Christina Dodd has masterfully created a story line and characters that just, flat out, refuse to be ignored. In this installment the reader is given an introspective glimpse into Kellen’s conflict regarding her recent discoveries. We are also allowed to witness some isolated interactions with tertiary characters, which combined, definitely helps the reader develop a rapport with Kellen’s character leading into the next book. Easy 5 stars.

This is a short novella that connects the first book's storyline with the next one. Kellen Adams still has memory loss but on the bright side she gains a daughter whom she never knew about and a lover who she wouldn't mind rekindling the relationship with. If she can only remember! This one is set in Virtue Falls (which is also another series by the same author) and it puts perspective in how Kellan ends up dealing with her current situation. Its a nice way of connecting the ending of the last book and the beginning of the next one.