One of my favorite romantic suspense novels of all time is Robards' Hunter's Moon. It is one of only a handful of books I have multiple copies of. Will and Molly's story was, for me, the perfect mix of romance and mystery. Unfortunately, I can not say the same for Ms. Robard's latest.
Jessica Ford was the only survivor of the horrific car accident that killed the First Lady. She was told to stay out of the spotlight, but Jessica is not a "do what you are told" kind of gal and quickly gets herself involved in a high profile rape case. As a defense attorney, she is proud of the role she played in getting her client off. As a human being, she has many misgivings about her client and privately wishes she could do something about those feelings. Her churning emotions aren't helped by having Secret Service Agent - and ex-fiancee - Mark Ryan come back into the picture. After what he did, he has no right to criticize any of her actions. Even if they do put her back into the line of fire.
Mark Ryan feels Jess jumps the gun a lot. First she got bent out of shape over one little kiss between old friends and canceled their whole engagement over it. Then she heedlessly risked her life to protect a scum bag she knows belongs behind bars. Now she is off on a wild goose chase - no, two wild goose chases - making it almost impossible for him to protect her. When will she settle down and realize that the safest and happiest place for her to be is in his arms, where she belongs?
The action here revolves around a missing lawyer, two missing teens, and a client who certainly seems like he is guilty as accused. Jess feels responsible for her client walking and can't help but try and find out what happened to his victim after the trial. She also gets a weird vibe from her office, sees a ghost, and determines that she must find out who was here before her. Then one of her cases with a set of missing teens heats up and she finds herself trying to deal with that as well. This mismash of cases, while interesting, isn't an ideal situation in which to tell a suspense tale. It might have been easier to take if the characters were perhaps more sympathetic and understandable but alas, that was not the case.
I really struggled with Mark. He was, in many ways, an alpha jerk. He couldn't seem to understand why kissing another woman while engaged is a Really Big Deal. He is quite a bit older than Jess, with a teenage daughter the same age as her sister, but he is a lot less mature. Not impressed with him as a hero at all.
Jess is a stock romance heroine. She is an overachiever who takes care of her quirky family, young, hot, and of course, has a glamorous job. She is a smart woman who makes lots of dumb decisions and is feisty even when she has nothing to fight. I didn't love her but certainly didn't get the nasty vibe from her I got from Mark.
There were bright notes. Jess's family, while quirky, were enjoyable and likable enough. And I really liked Lucy and Jaden, two people tangled in the mystery and trying desperately to find a way out.
This book is loaded with both good and bad points, bringing it to an average grade overall. If you are a fan of Ms. Robards and simply must read all her work, you won't find this a wall banger. For most this will simply be an average read; you might as well search for something a little better.
Sensuality: Warm
Publication Date: 2011/07
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