Although Crystal Cove seems idyllic, there is a sinister evil that has been lurking beneath the surface for decades and is threatening to raise its ugly head once again in the suspenseful romance novel, The Unexpected Kiss (Kissed by Fate Book 2) by Tamara Ferguson. Dylan Endicott has moved to Crystal Cove to solve a twenty-year-old crime. Working under the guise of a game warden and using an assumed name, Dylan is an undercover agent for the FBI. He is assisting the agency in the investigation of a trafficking ring, and at the same time is seeking out the man who murdered his father. While surveying the region, Dylan encounters Julie, a lifetime resident of Crystal Cove, and instantaneously falls in love with her. Not knowing Julie's mother vanished years before under mysterious circumstances, Dylan unwittingly uncovers her missing person file while investigating. Are the two cases somehow linked? If so, can Dylan expose the criminal element intertwined within the community without endangering Julie?

The Unexpected Kiss (Kissed by Fate Book 2) by Tamara Ferguson is a brilliant and exciting romance novel suffused with passion and suspense. I love a good murder mystery, and although this is a romance, the plot contained enough thrills and chills to hold me enthralled until I reached its stunning conclusion. Mystery, subterfuge, and intrigue artfully thread through the story line with intricate finesse, mingling well with the burgeoning romances. With spicy love-making, sexy characters, mysterious disappearances, and suspicious deaths, this spectacular romance novel will keep you captivated from start to finish. However, due to explicit sex scenes, this is more appropriate for more mature readers.

That Unexpected Kiss is the story of Julie and Dylan, a special education teacher and an FBI agent. Dylan fell in love with Julie pretty much the moment he met her, but circumstances in their geographical locations and a pretty big misunderstanding meant they didn’t end up going on a single date in the beginning. But time has a way of changing things and Tamara Ferguson did a great job of building up that earlier anticipation because you know they’re going to meet and have a good time, but when and how is anybody’s guess! When you add in the mystery of who killed Dylan’s father and the disappearance of Julie’s mother, you have a well rounded story with lots of heart and plenty of suspense.

I have to say that, as enjoyable as That Unexpected Kiss was, it did take a while before I was interested enough to read a few chapters without stopping. But once I was into the story, there was no stopping, no going back. Not at least until after the mystery was solved, the curtain fell and the happy ending commenced. Crystal Rock was a great little small town with plenty of heart and character. The chemistry with Dylan and Julie was a simmering heat that they dealt with, all while handling every other obstacle life threw in their way. Tamara Ferguson really excelled at blending romance and family with the mystery, which meant the book felt like what it was, instead of half romance and half suspense. I was pleasantly surprised by the story of Julie and Dylan, and intrigued by the mystery until the very end. A fun, solid read by a 'new to me' author that I highly recommend.