Atonement (The McIntire County Series Book 1) by Winter Austin – Review by Heidi Sturgess

Atonement by Winter Austin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First off i just want to say thank you to Austin for broaching a subject that many either shy away from or that is taboo to other PTSD is a very real thing ! I salute you for “ going there” secondly thank to all those who go to war to keep me and mine safe 🙏 I honour you and your families and your sacrifice ❣️
Another thing that got me is Cando and others like him , what happens to service dogs ?

Nicolette Rivers aka Nic , first female sniper , now retired from the marines is working as a deputy in Mctinre county and we meet her having to the unimaginable but the necessary, she has to a man to save his wife and children , she manages one but not the other and most of the townsfolk are questioning her and giving her a hard time but she followed orders …. People are dying by their own hand and something is amiss , my worries was that she’d be next ! She’s vulnerable with the ghosts that chase her and theses people that are dying by their own hand aren’t doing it by choice they’re being assisted! Twisted I know ! Someone had a god complex and is dumbed “The priest “

Due to Nic being involved in a fatal shooting and investigation / debrief has to take and Detective Con O Hanlan , our Irish Yumminess joins the story , trust me to find a little spark 🔥 but what can I say I’m a sucker for the accent 🤣🫣 anyhoo back to the task at hand ….

Nic and hee spitter ended up getting romantically involved and after a specific incident he took his life and she found him and it hones for me because I lost my mum to suicide so my heart just aches for Nic and having to carry on after is very hard and this new case is a massive trigger for her and I’m so grateful to Con for being there for her !

I’ll just say this expect the unexpected, what seems to be obvious isn’t and just as I thought I I knew who “ Tbe priest “ was I’d be left in the dust again , you’re kept on your toes 😉

There were other elements that added to this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read , Con’s family own the local pub so there’s that element which is warm and inviting , it’s home if you like , Cando, the German shepherd , adopted by Con after his retirement from the military ( thank you for your service 🐾❣️) and while he follows order he has a soft spot for Nic that’s for sure and again I’m floored at the compassion of animals , there’s romance yes and it’s enough to take the edge off the tension of this read ….there’s family drama as well , as I said a little bit of everything thing and expect the unexpected 😉

Looking forward to more of Winter’s writing it’s almost fictional non fiction if that makes sense ….

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