Deadly Addiction by Kristine Cayne

Deadly Addiction, the second book in Kristine Cayne’s Deadly Vices series isn’t what we typically find in the romantic suspense genre. In addition to being a fast paced, emotional story, it’s intriguing, thought provoking, and unique. Oh, and definitely very sexy.

A proud people. A nation divided.

Rémi Whitedeer, police officer turned substance-abuse counselor, dreams of restoring order to his tribe. Violence and crime are rampant throughout the unpoliced Iroquois reserve, and a civil war is brewing between the Guardians, a militant traditionalist group, and other tribal factions. As the mixed-race cousin of the Guardians’ leader, Rémi is caught in a no-man’s land—several groups lay claim to him, but all want him to deny his white blood.

A maverick cop on an anti-drug crusade.

When she infiltrated the Vipers to take down the leader of the outlaw biker gang responsible for her brother’s death, police sergeant Alyssa Morgan got her man. But her superiors think she went too far. Her disregard for protocol and her ends-justify-the-means ethics have branded her an unreliable maverick. To salvage her career, she accepts an assignment to set up a squad of native provincial officers on a reserve.

A radical sovereigntist bent on freeing a nation.

Decades of government oppression threaten the existence of the Iroquois Nation. But one man, Chaz Whitedeer, is determined to save his people no matter what the price, even if it means delving into the shadowy world of organized crime.

When Rémi and Alyssa uncover the Guardians’ drug-fueled scheme to fund their fight for true autonomy—a scheme involving the Vipers—Rémi must choose between loyalty to family and tribe or his growing love for Alyssa.

Can Rémi and Alyssa leave everything behind—even their very identities—for a future together?

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, Deadly Obsession, and had fallen hard for Nic Lamoureux's half-breed friend, Rémi Whitedeer. When Ms. Cayne assured me that Rémi would be getting his own story, I was more than a little excited, and to find out his was up next... well, suffice it to say the wait was agonizing, but well worth it!

At first I was a bit concerned that this would be a 'message' story, but in the end I was quite impressed by the way the sensitive, potentially volatile subject of First Nations autonomy and sovereignty was handled. Too often I feel like authors use their stories to try and sway readers to their way of thinking without bothering to provide all the facts so we can form our own opinions. Fortunately, that's not the feeling I got while reading this book. Truth is, the way Ms. Cayne presented this story, with fact infused fiction, made me want to learn more about the events mentioned in the book. And, in addition to the political issues, we also read about the alarming growth rate of drug and alcohol addiction on Native lands. Now, it might sound like a dry read, but make no mistake about it, Deadly Addiction is anything but. There's just enough detail to keep things interesting, but not so much that it bogs down the story.

As I said, I was totally drawn to Rémi before even beginning this book. He's such a complicated man, and yet at the very heart of him, so down to earth. So grounded. I loved how he fell so hard for Alyssa that he was willing to do whatever he had to go, give up whatever he had to give up, to be with her. The romance is a solid, major part of the story, and helped keep the story moving. The sexual attraction and chemistry was clear from the start and in the end, despite the odds, Alyssa and Rémi got the happily ever after they were so deserving of.

4.5/5 stars

My thanks to the author, Kristine Cayne, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kristine Cayne will be visiting the Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group (on Goodreads) on August 4th and 5th. She'll be chatting, answering a questions and giving away a couple of her books. Please stop by and say hello! Click here to check it out:  Getting to Know Kristine Cayne