In the usual course of things, when I'm reading something to be reviewed, it's a rush. Whether it's good or bad, I read quickly, write the review and move on. So many books, so little time. And one of these days, I will probably come back and read again. But when I put down The Trouble with Charlie by Merry Jones, I went back to the beginning and started over. Why? Because our POV character, Elle, is an unreliable narrator of a unique kind.

Imagine a story that might have been told by Shirley Ardell Mason, the real life character behind the many-personaed character Sybil. That's not to say Elle is Sybil. Elle is definitely just herself. For us, Elle's story begins as her husband dies. Okay, that's not the exact first moment-we meet her reading the obituaries, and then out at a club. But then her soon-to-be-ex dies. Dies on her couch. Dies on her couch with her knife in his back. Dies while they are divorcing but not yet divorced. Dies, leaving an empty space in her life and her memory.

One of the things that is so intriguing about this book is that we are riding along in Elle's head, in such an intimate way. True to the first person form, we don't know what she doesn't know, and we are also riding along as she tried so figure out what is happening. (Trust me—a lot is happening.)

Supporting her in everything with complete faith are her three lifelong friends, each clearly drawn: Susan the baking lawyer, Becky the nightclubbing kindergarten teacher, and Jen the acronym-spouting (rich) housewife. The foursome has been a fixture since their school days; and you may well see your own girlfriends in their faces and hear them in their voices. And did I mention Charlie's ghost? Or maybe ghost? It's so hard to tell…

Yes, one appeal is that Elle has a distinctive voice, but also Merry Jones has a way of giving us Elle's perspective of what happened, even while she's not sure of it herself. Retracing her steps. Rethinking what happened. Integrating new developments. Reassessing past events. Rarely have I ever seen a character with so much back story who talks to us completely in the now. And when I went back to that first chapter to read again, it wasn't to see how the author did it (which the writer in me might do) but to go back to see what happened again. It wasn't clinical or mechanical. I just wanted to ride the suspense roller coaster again but with binoculars on, after I knew what happened. It's a well written book and a fascinating tale. The Trouble with Charlie has won me over, and now I can't wait for the next Merry Jones.

I opened the newest J. A. Jance Ali Reynolds novel, ready to crawl between the covers and become part of the story. As usual with any of J. A. Jance's works, Deadly Stakes, the eighth in the series, grabbed my attention and kept me awake late, late into the night because I could not put the book down. Ali and her family and friends keep me company with each Jance work.

Jance brings back characters from Left for Dead and weaves them into a new mystery. Lynn Martinson, once the dupe of a cyber-sociopath, has “discovered” a new and happier life, she thinks. However, once her new boyfriend’s ex-wife is discovered murdered, the couple become embroiled as suspects.

Lynn’s mother comes to Ali for help, and Ali works to find the solution so the innocents couple can be freed. Along the way she discovers A.J. Sanders, who actually first discovered the body when he tries to retrieve a mysterious box left him by his estranged father. Another body found in the same location ties A.J. and Lynn closer together than they realized.

The touches of romance and family life make the novel more believable than expected. The final scenes with B. and Ali make me want to shout, “Finally!”

Well, done, J.A. You continue to outdo yourself with each manuscript you pen.

I recommend Deadly Stakes for anyone who enjoys good suspense and intrigue. J.A. Jance is at her best, as I say after every Jance novel.

Don't ask me how it took me EIGHTEEN books going supernova for me to notice and read my first Janet Evanovich novel showcasing Stephanie, especially since we have so much in common. I'm at home 99% of the time, writing or with my nose in a book, and rarely pay attention to anything other than my three kids, two dogs and a cat; and she's out and about, chasing trouble as a detective in the bonds biz, constantly up to her neck in intrigue and interesting characters...well, not that we have anything whatsoever in common. But Stephanie is a great character who immediately feels like someone you know, even though she's in a class by herself. Explosive Eighteen has been my introduction to Stephanie Plum.

As the story begins, Stephanie is returning from a Hawaiian vacation. She barely makes it home, and arrives to find a cast of motley characters straight out of a noir mob novel chasing after her. There's a mysterious envelope, a photo all these characters are determined to get, a swarm of FBI agents (and one of pseudo FBI agents), a moll, a crazy assassin, and—not to leave out the Bonds Agency Biz—a really big collar and some smaller ones, Stephanie's larger than life side-kick Lula, and Stephanie's family, who is "a little dysfunctional...not like they're dangerous, but at least (they) all sit down, and have dinner together. Plus by Jersey standards, (they) are pretty much normal."

Everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii, and what's with the missing wedding ring on her finger. Everyone from Grandma, Grandma's bowling buddy Annie Hart the love witch with her pink love potion, Stephanie's two love interests Morelli and Ranger, to Stephanie's persistent nemesis Joyce Barnhardt—who may have been compacted along with her car and latest lover—has their own solution to every issue and there are a lot of issues. All I can say is that I read this from start to finish and can verify this is a page turner that won't let you stop reading till you're done. I had no problem following everything, even though this is my introduction. I am planning to find time to read books one through seventeen to be ready for nineteen, which comes out in November.

How does Stephanie circumvent the bad guys, the FBI, the boyfriends, the love witch on Granny's bowling team? What happens with the mysterious stranger, Razzle Dazzle, and Buggy and Lula? Who's the guy in the photo? What's the connection between Brenda and the FBI? I can't say. Every word would be a spoiler--such a conundrum for a book reviewer. Explosive Eighteen is a quirky story told in a lively voice with never a dull moment.

Author Tess Gerritsen is a lovely woman, inside and out. She kindly speaks to those not as well known as she, in fact to those not known well at all. I became a fan before I ever met her, and I’m more of an admirer every day. Of course I grab every one of her new novels I can, especially those about Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles. The other day I saw Rizzoli & Isles: The Silent Girl on special and, of course, bought it. Some may splurge on chocolates, but I splurge on books by my favorite authors.

Although, millions are familiar with Rizzoli and Isles because of the TV series on TBS, I meet and know them through their creator’s words. Tess has a way of showing us her people from the inside out. They become real, and in The Silent Girl, the same is true. We know the struggle Jane has needing to be a homicide detective and a wife and a mother. We see how the relationship between Maura and “Rat” grows from the previous adventure when he, a teenaged boy, saves her life. We feel the terror Jane experiences when she faces certain death. We understand the frustration of a husband who loves his wife yet fears for her every time she goes out into the danger field of her job.

In this novel, I tried to guess who or what the killer is, the thing that severs heads and hands with one swipe of a sword. I traveled the path from a crime in Boston’s Chinatown nineteen years earlier to the present. Tess weaves clues and hints throughout the story, but the twist at the end makes all clear, and perfect.

Rizzoli & Isles: The Silent Girl kept me reading, wondering, and fighting shivers and chills from the first pages to the end.

Ever wonder what you would do if accused of a crime you didn’t commit? What if you happened to be the last person seen with the victim? Even worse is if you are the person who finds the corpse. It is hard to get the police to believe you’re not the killer, especially when you don’t have an alibi. That is the place Bryce Grantham finds himself in Kate Watterson’s newest suspense novel, FROZEN by Tor-Forge books.

Bryce Grantham needs time alone to consider the direction is life is heading after a brutal divorce he never saw coming. His family’s lakeside cabin in rural Wisconsin seems just the ticket, especially considering it is off-season. He bumps into a pretty woman he shares a pizza with that seems like a sign his luck is changing. He gives her a lift home, and hopes to get to know her a little better, but she vanishes leaving a bloody trail behind.

Detective Ellie Macintosh believes she has a serial killer on her hands. Women have been disappearing in her small town for the last eighteen months. No bodies make it hard to follow a trail, even harder to finger a suspect. A newcomer arrives up in town, and suddenly another woman disappears. Ellie wants to believe that Bryce is the clean-cut computer consultant he presents himself to be, but her job makes her suspicious, especially when he stumbles across the body of one of the missing women.

Ellie may be willing to give Bryce a chance, even willing to listen to his story, but not everyone is. Most of the townspeople, even the other deputies have their doubts about the stranger. They are starting to have their doubts about Ellie too. Is she able to do her job effectively before the killer strikes again?

Frozen is a fast-paced suspense novel that plays on several levels including the mounting attraction between an investigating officer and a possible suspect, a clever killer, and aggravated law enforcers who are willing to grasp at any straw all against a chilly backdrop of a harsh Wisconsin winter. A good, strong read that kept me on edge until the last page. I highly recommend for its page turning tension, clever plot twists and tight writing

Monty Python used to open with the words, “Now For Something Completely Different.” It almost seems that Virna DePaul’s paranormal Para-Ops series should have that stenciled across every book. It is not a sweet romantic tale of thwarted love between the species, nor does it involve sparkling vampires, what the series does have is hard hitting action, clever plot twists, and major heat. The third book in the series is CHOSEN BY SIN.

Dex Hunt is a were beast without family ties after being ejected from the pack as a youngster by his grandfather. This early cruelty stays with him, hounding him, begging for revenge, which he may find soon. Currently, he’s busy with a Para-Ops teams ran under the jurisdiction of the FBI to investigate shape shifter on shape shifter killings. It doesn’t make sense. Could it be a plot to destroy the fragile peace between the species?

Jesamina Martin knows almost 100 percent that Dex Hunt is the one. As a specially trained doctor and vampire, she needs blood to determine if Dex is the one the prophecies mention. If so he may be able to save her adopted people the Draci, who only live thirty years. Getting close to him, and convincing him to give a blood sample might be a problem. She doesn’t expect her heart and body to immediately be awaken by his very essence. It can only end badly, especially when he finds out that she is working for the man he hates the most.

CHOSEN BY SIN is a fast paced paranormal suspense where nothing is at it seems. The Otherborn, as the non-human species are called are both the bad, and the good guys, but then are so are the humans. Everyone holds secrets that they refused to share; secrets that could be fatal. The fate of earth hangs in the balance as the Para-Ops team tries to discover who is behind the shape-shifter killings and the raising of evil spirits.
The Other are not comic book characters, but fully fleshed out individuals with complicated motivations, fears, and needs. The chemistry between Dex and Jesamine is the hottest I’ve seen in both paranormal and normal. Their resistance to each is real and for all the right reasons. CHOSEN BY SIN makes the unbelievable, well, believable. The characters come alive.

CHOSEN BY SIN is book three of the Para-Ops series. I would recommend you read CHOSEN BY SIN, but also grab CHOSEN BY FATE, and CHOSEN BY BLOOD too.

I expect very novel by J. A. Jance to be exciting and intriguing. The series about Ali Reynolds is becoming my favorite of Jance’s four, and her newest, Left for Dead, grabbed my attention and kept it throughout from beginning to end. As I’ve said before, having an “older” protagonist who lives life to the fullest appeals to me as a woman and as a reader.

Jance makes the plot believable and probable. She weaves in modern issues such as online predators and stalkers, economic problems that cause cuts in law enforcement and living conditions for those who must work for a living. I will have to admit I do skip any sexual details, but that’s my personal taste.

Ali comes to the aid of another friend, one who helped her years before while they attended the Arizona Police Academy. Now Jose Reyes struggles for his life after being ambushed, at first considered a victim but then a part of the illegal drug world. The legal system puts Reyes and his pregnant wife on the list of drug dealers. Ali doesn’t believe the charges and fights to prove her friend and his wife innocent as well as the unidentified young woman Sister Anselm protects. Ali, Sister Anselm and Sheriff Renteria fight to find truth and justice, despite pressure from above to stop digging into the cases.

I have to give this novel a ten for interest, excitement, characters, and plot. Well done.

I recommend Left for Dead for anyone who enjoys good suspense and intrigue. J.A. Jance is at her best, as I say after every Jance novel.

Out of all the genres of fiction I’ve had the pleasure of reading (and others not so much); I find that the most prominent form of escapism usually lies in military based fiction. Perhaps because I find it inherently more tangible than say, riding a mythical beast the size of sperm whale around a small town while people cower in fear armed with pitchforks. Perhaps because general forms of entertainment, film, TV, and the news, portray the military through a strange sort of aspirational filter.

I mean, who doesn’t want to be a one-man/woman army trawling through a war zone with an arsenal of weapons that would cause a small terrorist cell to turn green with envy?
Now that I’ve finished sharing, on to Paul Garrison’s take on Robert Ludlum’s The Janson Command, where we’re back with Paul ‘The Machine’ Janson, a protagonist from one of Ludlum’s earlier books, The Janson Directive.

Garrison has been effectively passed the ‘torch’ with the characters of Janson and his protégé Jesse Kincaid, two highly trained operatives skilled in finding effective ways to maim an individual with nothing more than a gnarled twig. After dealing with dead government officials in the previous installment, his private business endeavor is still thriving, setting up what is essentially a half-way house for various military outcasts and pariahs.

After Janson recruits a wheelchair bound former operative, Doug Case, who snags himself a job in a shady company that dabbles in oil exploration, Janson and Kincaid are hired to rescue a doctor who’s been captured by rebels after a ship ambush. Events take a turn for the worse and Janson and company are embroiled with West African freedom fighters, corporations and other private contractors.

From the setup we can see that Garrison’s extension of ‘The Machine’s’ escapades align with one of the tenants in Ludlum’s work, one man and his team battling against powerful forces who have political and governmental assets at their fingertips.

We also have the generally considered evil antagonists who are willing to execute their actions without thought to general populace. Before the book’s over we’re treated to several heated exchanges where various characters wax lyrical about the economy and government with so many acronyms it’s like someone took a shotgun to a can of alphabet soup.

For someone who has a tentative grasp of weapons and technology there’s a torrent of information down to the minutia that would cause your average Luddite to run back to their shack and cower in the corner. Others may find the kind of technological ‘word porn’ off putting but it’s expected in all military fiction and Garrison’s certainly done his homework when it comes to weapons, ship, vehicular and aviation specifications.

We’re treated to a story that takes us to myriad locales from the fictional Isle de Foree near the Gulf of Guinea to Britain and Singapore, no doubt accruing so many air miles in the process he could fly his team first class to the moon.

As this is the second outing for Janson, newcomers to him or Ludlum in general may find the protagonists’ back story and development somewhat lacking but any lengthy flashback or exposition would slow the frantic pace of the book. We also meet a few characters from the previous book who lend him a helping hand, whether it’s acquiring information or rocket propelled grenades. Both Janson and Kincaid get embroiled in a fair few scrapes; combat spanning from tense jungle warfare to frantic intercity brawls.

Garrison’s previous works lie with military/mystery fiction so this certainly isn’t uncharted territory. I’ve found with Ludlum’s work that the protagonists in his books act as more of a conduit to convey the motives, thinking, and reasoning of the antagonists, corporations’, and government, attempting to give insight to the ‘why’ of it all.

The Janson Command stays faithful to Ludlum’s earlier work, not only in the series but in its issues, concepts and literary execution. So, If you like your action fast paced, antagonists you wouldn’t want to baby-sit a loved one, married with shifty corporations then this book should keep you turning the page.

Reviewed by Pete Ingham?© January 2012 Pete Ingham

Winner of the Daphne du Maurier award for excellence in mystery and suspense, Ann Charles's debut novel, Nearly Departed in Deadwood will keep you glued to your chair even if you have to go to the bathroom.

Not only has Charles won the du Maurier, her novel has sky-rocketed to the top of the list of mysteries by women on Amazon.

Even the very first sentence, "The first time I came to Deadwood, I got shot in the ass," rivets your attention.

Early on, she introduces the concern Violet Parker has about missing little girls in Deadwood and the likeness in appearance to her own daughter. Suspicious characters quickly parade across the printed page. Notables like Old Man Harvey, handsome Wolfgang Hessler, and sultry D.R. Nyce, and raunchy Ray scream out for Sherlock Holmes' magnifying glass.

The play-off between Violet and her twins, Adelynn and Layne, bring near comic relief, which actually heightens the tension as clues pile up for the reader's inspection.

Embarrassed by her daughter's efforts to get her hooked-up, Violet finds herself attracted to two of her clients, even though it violates her Golden Rule of Business, 'Don't Date the Clients'.

Who then, are The Nearly Departed in Deadwood?

©Norman W. Wilson, PhD

I opened Fatal Error by J. A. Jance ready for an interesting and suspenseful read. I wasn’t disappointed. Jance’s Ali Reynolds novel drew me in quickly as I read about Reynolds’ newest mystery. Having an “older” protagonist who lives life to the fullest appeals to me as a woman and as a reader.

Jance smoothly leads the reader along all the different threads of the plot until they finally meet at the end, tied into a neat bow, even if a few bodies may be left along the road side. The novel begins with the over-forty Ali competing with much younger cadets at the Arizona Police Academy. She wants to “better” herself for her job with the Yavapi Country Sheriff’s Department at the suggestion of the sheriff, only to discover she no longer has a position due to funding cuts. While at the academy, a former friend hunts her down to appeal for help in finding her never-met fiancé. When Ali agrees to have the security company that does her computer checks do a background check on the missing man, the intrigue begins.

Murder and mayhem follow as the fiancé is discovered to be an online predator who flirts and uses lonely women until he decides they become boring. However, he has a secret that leads to his death, leaving a score of betrayed women as suspects and Ali’s friend at the top of the list.

This novel would have rated a 10 on my enjoyment and reading scale if I hadn’t found a timeline broken and misplaced during the book. In chapter 20, we read about something burning, but after twenty more chapters with much happening, the details of the “burning in the middle of the night” are presented, which causes readers to back track some. This glitch is a minor problem, and other readers may not notice.

I recommend Fatal Error for anyone who enjoys good suspense and intrigue. J.A. Jance is at her best.

Since J.A. Jance is one of my favorite authors, opening a new novel by her is like opening a gift. I never know for sure what lies inside the cover, but I know I’ll enjoy it.

Queen of the Night continues the Walker family saga with bits and pieces of Native American lore scattered throughout. Two cases intersect and mingle as Dr. Lani Walker and Dan Pardee, part of a border patrol unit called the Shadow Wolves, work to protect a young girl. The child is the only witness to the monster who murdered her mother and three others.

The second case is the investigation by Lani’s adoptive father, retired detective Brandon Walker, of a cold case, the unsolved murder of an Arizona State University coed. In the midst of the two mysteries, Walker’s wife relives visits of a dead man, the man who tortured and nearly killed her, then previously trained another criminal to finish the job of destroying her and her family.

As usual, Jance doesn’t have just one plot, one simple story to tell. She joins the past and present and the lives of different people to weave her spell. Even though in her thrillers she sometimes includes some graphic terror, she keeps me reading more, wanting the novel never to end. Her characters live and breath on the page. I feel I know Lani, her mother Diana Ladd, Brandon, and the newcomers, Dan and the small girl Angie.

One thread I find throughout Queen of the Night, other than Jance’s underlying sense of Native America, is her understanding of families and the special connection of family members who indeed love each other.

I can hardly wait to open J.A. Jance’s next novel.

Are you ready for a suspense story not about a perfect beauty or an analytical detective? How about people doing regular jobs with a few twists? Quirky townspeople, including a grandma who serves as a sexual surrogate, helpful former felons, lecherous coach and a missing student who may have ties with the Mafia. Best of all, an impulsive Special Ed teacher named Allegra, who acts before she thinks. An unexpected crime spree in the small town pairs Allegra with smart mouth detective Sloan in The Rock and Roll Queen of Bedlam.

Allegra stumbles back into town after a horrible divorce. Grateful to be able to bunk with her aunt and grandma, she is willing to do the rock and roll music shows at the local nursing homes - even though the last trip bought her a walking cast for her foot. Not sexy by a long shot. Right now she needs to be major sexy since she has a line on the last eligible bachelor in town, but then all hell breaks loose. Blame it on caring too much.

Sloan can’t wait to see the bossy blonde who seems to have the other detectives jumping by screaming something about false arrest. She is something from her red enraged face to her walking cast. As she stomps out of the police station, he expects never to see her again, but that is before she calls and demands her underwear returned. His only option is to make a home visit that just might involve pie, if he’s lucky.

The mystery is afoot with the disappearance of Allegra’s student, Sara. With the help of her lovelorn nephew, Nick, they are on the trail of the mysterious Sara with the help of her former students who have more than a nodding acquaintance with the criminal element. The only problem is that Sloan wants to butt in and take over, just like a detective

The chemistry between Sloan and Allegra is mesmerizing. Add to the story a criminal element, a missing girl, an angry boyfriend, and shady foster parents—you've got a page-turner. Allegra finds herself in predicaments that are reminiscent of Lucy Ricardo if she were living in the 21st century. Secondary characters add to the zaniness of the story while moving the plot of the story forward. They do exactly what they are supposed to do while taking nothing away from Sloan and Allegra.

The Rock and Roll Queen of Bedlam is the best book I’ve read this year and I have read a lot of books already. I am giving Marilee Brothers’ book a perfect 10. In the seven years I’ve been reviewing books, I have only given four other books, a 10. I highly recommend this book, no matter what type of genre you like. An incredible fun read, you’ll laugh out loud. I guarantee it.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© October 2010

Mary Downing Hahn's Deep and Dark and Dangerous cover intrigued me with this girl in a watery shadow. This book is available on the Scholastic school order forms.

Ali discovers some family secrets the summer she spends with her aunt and cousin in the cabin on the lake in Maine. Ali's mother is deathly afraid of water and hasn't been to the cabin since she was a young girl. She also suffers from chronic depression and lets a life-changing event consume her. When Ali finds the torn photograph with her mother and aunt, she starts inquiring as to who is missing from the picture. Ali's mother goes into a deeper depression and does everything she can to keep Ali from finding out the secrets that she has held for so long. Then, Aunt Dulcie and her daughter, Emma, show up to whisk Ali away for the summer. Dulcie needs to do some artwork for an upcoming show and needs a babysitter for her 4 almost 5-year-old daughter. Ali is the perfect age to help out so that Aunt Dulcie can attempt to work.

Upon arriving to the cabin on the lake in Maine, Ali and Emma begin a trip of discovery. The photograph keeps haunting Ali. Events spiral out of control and the next thing you know, Ali is finding out the biggest family secret of all.

With this dark cover, the girl in the water, and a title like Deep and Dark and Dangerous, one cannot not want to read this book. I found this book hard to put down and had to read it until I knew all the details. This is very well written for a book geared for the younger side of the Young Adult market. The only problem I did have with the book was that all the characters seemed to have the same type of voice in that a 5-year-old spoke as well as an adult and a teenager had similar wordings that the adult characters in the book had. Other than that, I recommend Deep and Dark and Dangerous for the tween group of readers who like a little suspenseful reading.

Reviewed By Elysabeth Eldering
© January 2010

Often people aren’t what they seem. Nancy Appleby is determined to unmask the rapist who is hiding in the sleepy college town and attacking co-eds. There are only three problems: conflicting reports on what the attacker looks like, confusion over the behavior of the attacker, and the timing of the attacks. Nothing seems to make sense. When Nancy’s favorite aunt, the president of Blackthorn College, asks for her help. Nancy the cop becomes Nancy Crane the student in Amanda Burns’ suspenseful novel, The Unmasking.

Nancy Appleby can’t imagine not being a cop. She was born into a family of cops. Her dad was a cop and so are her two brothers, even her ex-husband. Police work is what she does best. It makes sense to help her favorite aunt when a series of rapes threatens to undermine the small college. It has been a while since she has been in school, but how hard can it be? What she doesn’t count on is Professor Matt Bayfield, an attractive, arrogant man and possible suspect.

Matt Bayfield can’t help noticing the dark-eyed beauty lounging in the back of his class and regarding him with the same intensity a cat does a sparrow. Not the typical co-ed. He tries to ignore her. After all she’s a student, but those eyes, those lips keep coming back to him. If that isn’t enough, she corners him to chat. The woman is intelligent—a shocker that, combined with her appearance, makes him wary. He has strict boundaries he doesn’t cross, plus he won’t be in town long enough to start up a relationship.

The killer is immersed in Bayfield’s lectures on Celtic culture. In fact, he sees himself as purveyor of Celtic ritual on the holy days. His rituals include kidnapping an appropriate Celtic maiden to help her ascend to the goddess level with his help. Few are worthy in this town and the highest holy day is drawing near. Only an auburn haired beauty who hangs out at the local watering hole interests him.

As far as I'm concerned, the chemistry between Bayfield and Nancy is a little lackluster. It races forward then stalls out like a Ford Pinto. The Unmasking is a relatively short book so the action should move the book along quicker than it does. There are very few secondary characters, which is fitting regarding the short length. It is a fairly interesting read despite its issues. The Unmasking is worth the time and I would recommend it. It is a suspenseful tale with a twist of romance and a touch of Celtic folklore.
Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© Feb 2010

What do you enjoy more from a romantic suspense: heart pounding twists and turns or the smoldering love scenes? I am hard pressed to choose, but luckily with this read I didn’t have to dwell on the thought much. Lise Fuller's Guardian Angel delivers pages full of both!

Business has gone horribly wrong for Marie Taylor. Her business partner is dead and his associates are coming after her. Having no one to turn to and not trusting the law, Marie Taylor finds herself on the run. Needing somewhere to hide, she lands in small town Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Marie takes a job as a waitress at the Chuck Wagon, the local dinner. It's here that she comes face to face with Jake, accidentally spilling coffee into his lap. Although, the erotic tension coming off the two is heating things up far more than the coffee.

Jake Colder, county sheriff in Bridger Valley has been alone for years. He’d slaked his lust a few times with a couple of women here and there, but hasn’t let anyone into his life since his wife left him and his son. Then he meets clumsy, cautious Marie at the local diner and knows she needs help and a place to stay. He also knows something is wrong. Against his better judgment, Jake offers her a place to stay in exchange for housekeeping and babysitting.

As Marie moves into the ranch and into Jake's heart, she can't help but think of the life she might have been able to have with him if her circumstances were different. Jake knows she is running from something, but is determined to have her. He can't overlook the raw need that is between the two of them. Trouble’s about to catch up with Marie, and Jake is the only one who will be able to help. Will he lock her behind his closed doors or behind bars when the truth comes to surface?

I love a good romantic suspense novel. However, lately, it seems the main characters lack good chemistry or the plot is just missing that extra punch. Guardian Angel delivers both sizzling heat from the protagonists and an intriguing plot that had me on edge. If you are looking for a good romantic suspense, be sure to grab a copy of Lise Fuller's brilliant work… just don't forget your glass of ice water!

Reviewed By Pam
© October 2009