Tracey West and her three adorable children live in constant fear. Whilst their abuser, ex-husband to Tracey and father to her children, is now in jail for spousal and child abuse, the family no longer trusts men. Tracey is unknowingly teaching her children to be afraid of all men, believing she is teaching them to be cautious. It is not until her best friend points this out to her that she even becomes aware of the true nature of her actions. When Tavist Darke appears on her doorstep one day, she does not trust him and attempts to keep her distance from him. As her only neighbor, Tavist should be someone she can be friends with and turn to for a helping hand. But her fear of men, particularly strangers, means that she wants to keep herself isolated from them and so she refuses Tavist’s offer of help. Of course, just because Tracey tells him that his help is not necessary, doesn’t mean Tavist isn’t going to help her – whether she wants him to or not.

Tavist Darke withdrew from life for several years, grieving for his dead mate and pup. Drawn back into the land of the living when he realizes there are people and werewolves who need help, he is known for helping damsels in distress and others who are in difficulty. This is how he received his nickname, Underdog, from his beloved adopted family. The loss of his mate and pup was the second family life torn away from him. As a pup himself, his parents also died. Unofficially adopted by the Montgomery family after the loss of his parents, he loves them as if they were his blood family, and they love him in the same manner - as son, brother, cousin and so on. To a great extent, Tavist is now fully engaged in life again, though he still grieves for his loss. Not expecting to find another mate, he is rather surprised when first meeting Tracey, recognizing her instantly as his mate. Whilst this was unexpected by him, he is calm and accepting of this. Returning the next day with some friends to fix her porch, he remains, at first, unaware of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband – until he and his friends overhear a conversation, thanks to their lupine hearing, and find out the true extent of Tracey and her children’s abuse. Knowing this, he determines to court Tracey slowly, with gentle and fleeting touches here and there to start. He turns up at her house every day, using yard work as an excuse to spend time with her and her children. He develops close, loving relationships with Tracey’s children – and Tracey herself, as she begins to trust him and realize that she is safe with him, that he will protect her. And when Tracey’s ex-husband breaks out of jail, along with several other dangerous felons, Tracey and Tavist’s love for each other is demonstrated via the way they protect and defend each other, along with the support and protection provided from Tavist’s family. But with revenge on his mind, a plan and several dangerous convicts, Tracey’s ex-husband will not be easy to defeat. With his end goal being Tracey, Tavist and her daughter’s deaths, the whole Montgomery family needs to close its ranks to protect what’s theirs. Will they succeed? Or would a more accurate questions be, will this werewolf family be able to prevent themselves from tearing out the throat of the man who caused Tracey, who they now consider one of their own, so much pain?

A Family Portrait is the third installment in JJ Massa’s Montgomery Family Series. It successfully draws the reader into the tale, allowing the reader to feel what the characters are feeling. Ms. Massa’s belief that all romances require a conflict to be resolved shines through in this story, where Tavist has to grapple with Tracey’s intense fear of men, and her highly volatile and dangerous gun toting ex-husband. The suspense in this story is gradually increased; I felt as though my heart were in a vise, and all the while I was routing for Tracey, Travis and kin to conquer the evil that has dogged Tracey for many years. Make no mistake, this story puts the reader through their paces. I experienced joy when the characters overcame the obstacles in their path to love, felt fear along with Tracey at the news of her ex-husband’s escape from prison, was angered at the disregard shown toward Tracey and her daughter by her scheming, abusive ex-husband, and so much more besides. With its erotic sex scenes, suspense-filled action and a brilliant family that bands together when the going gets tough, A Family Portrait is a must read. I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the family’s tales. JJ Massa has taken the delicate social issue of domestic abuse and crafted a successful tale where the damage caused by the abuse can be repaired through the love of a good partner. My hat’s off to you, Ms. Massa!

Reviewed by: Elizabeth