{ Zapata by Harper McDavid - TLC Book Tours }

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing (September 25, 2019)

When engineer Avery McAndrews is offered a last-minute assignment to the rough and tumble border town of Zapata, Texas, she doesn’t think twice. Used to pushing past stereotypes, she’s sure this project will earn the long-awaited promotion.

Instead, she’s thrown in the crossfire between warring drug cartels and soon discovers that her captor, Javier Ramos, is more than just a power hungry drug lord. He’s crazy.

As lead attorney for the cartel, it’s Alejandro DeLeon’s job to manage Javier. But this time, Javier’s cruelty reaches epic proportions, and Alejandro finds himself wanting to risk everything to save Avery.

Running for their lives with Mexico’s underworld at their heels, Avery and Alejandro discover unintended and intensifying emotions, feelings neither sought and neither seem prepared to control…

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About Harper McDavid

As a child, Harper McDavid watched her mother ride the rollercoaster of writing books, swearing she’d never do it herself. But some things are just hardwired, and luckily for Harper the world has moved on beyond typewriters and ten-pound manuscripts.

Harper’s gritty romantic suspense incorporates her own background in science and engineering and work experience along the border. The result is a collection of brainy hard hat-wearing heroines that occasionally swap out their coveralls for the little black dress.

Harper is the mother of three daughters and lives in the foothills of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a fat cat. Her free time is spent traveling the world in search of that next story and perusing her local library for funny book covers.

Find out more about Harper at her website, and connect with her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.


My thoughts:
I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book, the whole drug cartel subject is not something I'm particularly interested in.  But, I live in Texas and the book takes place in Zapata, Texas, so that caught my attention.

It's always fun to read a book that is set in your State.

I was worried that the drug element would completely overtake the story, but was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the story.

Yes you are completely thrown into a world of drugs, arms, and danger, but you are also privvy to a budding romance that you can't help but root for.

Avery is not used to the crazy dangerous world near the Mexico border, and she is not one to focus on the negatives.  When she's offered a job in Zapata, a border town that is known for drug cartel wars, she thinks she can handle it.  After all, she is just there to do a job as an engineer.

But things quickly take a turn when she is kidnapped by the crazy cartel drug lord, Javier.  Not only is he a no holds barred, dangerous drug lord, but he seems to be off his rocker. 

Avery finds herself in a scary, complicated situation.

In comes her Knight in shining armor, none other than Javiers own attorney, Alejandro.

When Alejandro meets Avery, the urge to protect her is more powerful than his own fear of safety.

I loved the pacing, loved the blossoming romance and the craziness of the drug cartels thrown into the mix.  For a debut novel, Harper did amazingly well.  I think her Border Series is sure to be a success.

Thank you to TLC Tours and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.