Combining action and comedy is always a recipe for success, and while I didn’t know what I was getting into when I picked up Harper’s Treasure, I knew it would be a wild ride. I was right.

There’s nothing like an adventure on the high seas when treasure is at stake, so when bounty hunter Jolene Caldwell finds an old treasure map hidden behind a painting of the ship of the infamous pirate Blackbeard, she sets sail. When her vengeful former business partner, and former lover, Hunter finds out, he decides to beat her to it – but not without using his powerful sexual magnetism to tag along with Jo.

Reluctantly resisting his advances, Jo and her sole employee, identity-challenged Kelly, are forced to team up with an obnoxious marine biologist, Jackson ‘Jack’ Harper, in order to navigate the treacherous Bimini Islands in search of the treasure.

En route to the treasure, Jack is anxious to shed his geeky image and transform into a sexy adventurer; Kelly tries to find his true identity; and Jolene tries to forget Hunter, the treacherous bastard who broke her heart when he sold out his morals. With the help of one another, each might achieve their hearts’ desire.

It took me a while to work out that Jack was supposed to be the hero. He’s a really arrogant ass, to be honest, and he behaves like a bona fide jerk in his efforts to shake his previous nerdy identity. He’s terribly inconsistent, though; one minute he blushes beet-red at the sight of Jo and her hot body, the next he is sleazily, brazenly rude to her. Frankly, I don’t find him a particularly attractive hero, however good he is at navigating the Bimini Islands, and I tend to embark on reading a romance novel determined to fall in love with the hero.

I suspect that the author was aiming for a Han Solo/Princess Leia-style pairing, but it just didn’t sit right that Jolene accepted his condescending attitude and constant leering. At least Leia stood up to Han when he was a jerk, and that was part of the spark of the relationship.

Despite my character-related quibbles, I did find the story itself a real page-turner. Harper’s Treasure is an entertaining, rollicking ride through pirate infested waters and newfound romance at sea.

Reviewed By Melinda Stanners
© September 2005