JoAnn Ross has written a nice little story here, with a very appealing hero. You just might want to give this book a read.

Grace Fairfield is an enormously popular, best-selling romance author. She is also young. She is also pretty. She is also marked for murder. But, who’d want to kill this nice lady? Her ex-husband, Robert the Rat, for one. It seems they are going toe-to-toe in the courts over the pen name, Roberta Grace, under which all Grace’s highly successful books have been published. She did the research and wrote the books, while Robert (who can’t write his way out of a paper bag) stood center stage, and took all the credit. They have both arrived at the romance writer’s conference of the year, and Grace is determined to finally be acknowledged by her peers for all the hard work she (and she alone) has done.

Lucas Kincaid works for a top-notch San Francisco bodyguard service. Or, worked. He’s retired now, and can hardly wait to get on his boat and sail to Alaska to watch whales, rosy sunsets, and not have to worry about his life, or safe-guarding anyone else’s. But his tenacious employer, Ms. S.J. Slade, wants her best bodyguard to take on one last assignment, that of guarding the curvy body of one Grace Fairfield.

The moment Lucas lays eyes on Grace, he is completely gone. He falls hard, and spends most of his time trying to convince her that the Kincaid men have always known Miss Right the moment they met her. He gives several charming examples of his parents and grandparents that prove his rule. But, Grace just got divorced from The Rat, and she’s soured on men forever! – well, until Lucas starts working his subtle seductions on her. He’s tall, he’s dark, he’s handsome; he’s smart, he’s funny, he’s protective; he’s, he’s, he’s . . . perfect! And, he wants her to sail away with him to Alaska (with her laptop, so she can still write her books (oh yes, and he’s supportive)), so he can make love to her until the glaciers melt. (Let me get my Dramamine, honey – I’ll be right there.)

Several attempts on Grace’s life are made, each one thwarted by Lucas, until the culprit is revealed. There are a surprising number of suspects in this book, and, even though I thought I knew whodunnit, I never knew whydunnit until the end.

There’s never a dull moment, and the book moves nicely along. The author’s style is pleasant and highly readable, and I liked it very much. I liked Grace, too, and enjoyed watching her move from quiet, nervous, and shy, to assertive, confident, and self-assured in her attractiveness to Lucas.

While 1-800-HERO isn’t a keeper for me, it’s a very nice read