She’s in desperate need of protection… And trusts only one man.

Vi Reynolds is on the run.

Terrified that her abusive ex-husband will find her and discover she’s had his baby, she’s hiding out in her hometown.

But when she’s reunited with Thomas Hart, her high school sweetheart, Vi’s conflicted. Because, despite the powerful longing they still feel for each other, Thomas is a cop like her ex, and she’s learned she can’t trust the police.

But when the threats her ex has been sending her escalate, Vi must decide whether to run…or trust Thomas to protect her.

Titles in the Bent County Protectors series include:  Vanishing Point* ~ Killer on the Homestead* ~ Fatal Deception* ~ Eyewitness in Danger** ~

(connection to the Carsons & Delaneys world)

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  Vanishing Point
Series:  Bent County Protectors #1 (connection to the Carsons & Delaneys world)
Author:  Nicole Helm
Published:  July 29, 2025
Publisher:  Harlequin Intrigue
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Vanishing Point begins the Bent County Protectors series with Vi and Thomas’ captivatingly intense romance.  I was easily pulled into Vi’s frightening situation from the first pages; she’s on the run from her abusive ex-husband, who happens to be a police officer… a cop who easily got around his abuse of his wife when his entire precinct backed him, instead of helping an abuse victim.  It’s frighteningly easy to understand why she doesn’t trust Thomas, also a cop, even though they were once high school sweethearts.  She has every right to be terrified of her ex, because no matter the distance, the divorce papers, or her hiding… he’s not going to stop searching for her, and he has the official police career to hide his actions behind.

Thomas will do everything in his power to protect Vi and her infant daughter, Magnolia (Mags)… but at some point, she’s going to have to trust him and his friends to believe her, to watch over her, and help her through this.  That is a huge hurdle for Vi to overcome.  Trust once was easy, but now even trusting Thomas, and she does to a certain extent, is asking a lot from a terrified woman who has been beaten down by the man who was supposed to love and protect her… her ex-husband.  Watching Vi slowly, ever so slowly, allowing Thomas and his friends into her space was such an emotional experience.

The villain is disgustingly vile, and got exactly what they deserved, IMO.  If you’ve read any of Ms. Helm’s other series, the Carsons & the Delaneys world, particularly, then you just might recognize some familiar faces.  I had fun running into old “book friends” again.  If you haven’t, that’s not a problem for continuing this series, but it will capture your imagination for other series by this talented storyteller.  Vi and Thomas’ story is well-written, emotional, with edge-of-the-seat danger around almost every turn.  I loved watching their love unfold through patience, understanding, and finally, trust.  I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

I own a Kindle Edition of this title.

If you enjoy this author’s work, please visit our Nicole Helm page for other titles (reviewed here) that you might have missed over time.  On that author page, I also have a link to a page on Ms. Helm’s website that lists the other series in which a particular character has appeared… a huge help, since her worlds are often intertwined in some fashion, especially if I want to go back and read a series that I somehow missed.

#Finishing The Series Challenge 2026 ~ #TBR 26 in ’26 Challenge ~ #Beat the Backlist 2026 ~

 

This title is available at Amazon