“Hit and Run” by Lori Matthews

Hit and Run

Lori Matthews
Wild Coyote Press (2020)
ISBN 9781734450576
Reviewed by Jill Rey for Reader Views (11/2020)

“Hit and Run” continues to star the swoon-worthy Callahan brothers, with this third book shining the spotlight on the final sibling, Gage Callahan.  Almost as irresistible as the Callahan men, are the sights author Lori Matthews sets them against in this series finale. 

Tracking down Drake’s hacker, Dani, has been anything but smooth sailing for Gage Callahan. So, when he finally finds her, he expects a warmer welcome, he is trying to save her life after all.  Dani’s cold shoulder only gets cooler as Gage forces her on a cruise ship, the only way out of Alaska on short notice given the impending storm, but how is Gage to know Dani is paralyzingly scared of water.  The intensity only ratchets up from there as the two become forcefully entangled in each other’s lives and hearts.

The problem with a great series is that you never want the story to end, each book is cherished that much more as you drive toward the finish line.  It is for that reason I delayed reading this book for so long, because turning the final page in “Hit and Run” meant the Callahan Security Series was really ending.  The second problem with a magnificent series is that each successive book is constantly being compared to the last.  For instance, book one, “Break and Enter,” got the fire going, starting this series off hot!  Book two, “Smash and Grab,” brought us comfort in Matthews’ writing as we were transported to a tropical island with more of the swoony Callahan men.  So, book three almost begins to feel like a letdown in comparison as we forego the European and tropical vacations for an Alaskan cruise ship. 

However, book three successfully continues to showcase Matthews’ passionate love scenes, albeit with a more forced chemistry than we are used to – blame it on Dani’s fear of water and the added “nerdiness” of the characters portrayed.  The writing also felt more rushed as the villains were right on their heels the whole book, seemingly one step ahead of Gage the whole time.  But, “Hit and Run” continues to pack the punch we’ve become accustomed to with Matthews’ writing. 

“Hit and Run,” as well as the entire Callahan Security Series, stands above the pack as one of the more unique, engaging and engrossing romantic suspense trilogies out there.  Each book reading successfully as a standalone or as an all-encompassing series, just be warned, while “Hit and Run” brings with it the end of the Callahan Security era, it will also leave you mourning the loss of an amazing cast of characters and thrills.