Dillon Lawson thought he had buried his twin brother Ethan a year ago. Trying to put aside the guilt because he hadn't been able to save him he's putting his own life back together no longer searching for ATONEMENT. Then he meets a heavily pregnant Tessa Winters who claims that he is the father. She keeps calling him Ethan and she wants her money back and him to sign parental rights papers. It's not possible but something about Tessa touches him. He has to find out the truth because if Ethan is alive why did he fake his own death? What in hell had he gotten himself into this time?

Tessa only wanted to give Ethan a chance to become a father to prove he wasn't the jerk she thought. She never expected to find out that the man she loved; who fathered her baby was one big lie. He never mentioned his bother ... he didn't even give his real name. Worst of all she doesn't want to fall for the twin ... who is everything Ethan pretended to be.

Sheriff Frank Curry had been put on leave since his ex-wife had tried to kill him and Lynette (Nettie) Benton, a woman the sheriff had been in love with since they were both teens. Life had gotten in the way but now he is ready to make things the way they should have been. Then his ex is found dead on his property, with his gun close by. He didn't do it. He wanted her to pay for her crimes in a jail cell for the rest of her life. Who had killed her and why try to frame him?

ATONEMENT is a multifaceted western themed contemporary romance with a lot of twist and turns along the way. The dual storyline could have been confusing but author B.J. Daniels knows how to keep things straight and moving right into a completely unexpected ending. It is really nice to read a first time love and second chance in one storyline. I especially loved Nettie and her role as "private investigator," though she had no training she got lucky and was in the wrong place at the right time to get some really important information. What a woman won't do for the man she loves is certainly answered here ... she would do anything. The back-story of the twins is laid out slowly letting us all see into why Ethan and Dillon are the way they are. There is a lot going on in ATONEMENT but Ms. Daniels is able to keep things going at a steady pace, nothing gets bogged down and the ending is very satisfying. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Book Summary

Just how far are people willing to go to keep their secrets?

Protecting the citizens of Beartooth, Montana, is never an easy job. It's been one year, and Sheriff Dillon Lawson still feels guilty that he couldn't save his twin brother, Ethan. But the biggest test of his bravery comes when Tessa Winters arrives, claiming to be pregnant¦with Ethan's baby. At first, Dillon can't decide if this beautiful woman is a con artist or a victim. If Ethan didn't die in that car crash, then where is he and why is he hiding?

Now, Dillon is prepared to do anything to uncover the truth-anything except admit his growing feelings for Tessa. But with violence threatening, Tessa and Dillon must trust in each other to save not only themselves¦but also Tessa's unborn child.