The Fixer Games People Play

"Wren" is a "fixer" who turned childhood trauma into a lucrative career. Pretending to be Wren's second in command instead of the man himself helps get the jobs done. But, when intrepid cold-case investigator Emery starts honing in on his true identity, trying to expose him to help find answers to a case she's been desperate to solve since she was a teenager, Wren finds himself losing both his secret and his heart. I enjoyed this tale of romantic suspense (the mystery itself was pretty easy to guess, but who cares) and enjoyed the cat and mouse game between Wren and Emery. I loved Emery's backstory and her career. She was a cool heroine, but made me a bit mad at the end. The final drama at the end of the story came suddenly and resolved too quickly for my personal taste. Wren is an unusual hero who is quite awkward in social situations, but also killer in bed. He takes things very literally. He is very blunt, but in a way that seems more like he doesn't understand sarcasm or word play. I think the author was using characteristics of Asperger's or Autism but without really labeling it, which I didn't quite pick up on until I read a negative review about the book written by a person who self-identified as autistic. Once I had that in my brain, it was a little easier to see, but also a bit problematic? I can't really comment much more than that, but wish the author had done a bit more to address this head on. There is also a problematic scene where Wren knocks Emery out to "protect her" and basically kidnaps her to an airplane. It was a scene that was really ridiculous and out of place with the rest of the book which was basically consensual and sexy. That said I found a lot to enjoy in the story and will be reading more HelenKay Dimon!