Ahhh, the lush setting of a tropical island – the rainforests, the views, the volcanos. St. Lucia has everything the intrepid romance adventurer could hope for. The wonderful thing about romance novels is they can transport you to exotic settings without the reader having to get down and dirty with the bugs, dampness, snakes, etc. Volcano delivers this adventure and more for those such as myself who like a Romancing the Stone type story.

Penelope is a straight-laced, uptight, software specialist on the assignment of her career. Her recently blinded twin sister is in desperate need of an eye operation, and Penny is the only one who can provide the funds. Penny disguises her model beauty behind mannish suits and eyeglasses, and refuses to deal with those who judge her only on her beauty, not her intelligence. Penny is determined to make partner in her office, and the trip to St. Lucia is her ticket to advancement in her male chauvinistic firm. Penny does not have time to wander around the island and enjoy the scenery and volcanos. However, while she is sweltering in the island airport, she spots a dangerous looking man with his eyes on her. She dismisses him as a dumb jock, or worse, a drug dealer. Certainly not anyone she desires to know.

Fate has other ideas.

Charlie Smith needs a decoy. He spies tall and leggy but prudish Penelope and knows he has found the perfect innocent needed for his plan. Charlie is on the hunt for his partner who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. In a series of complicated plot twists, the reader discovers that Charlie is the head of a large construction company that is the target of an immoral and desperate competitor. Charlie was not planning on returning to St. Lucia, the home of his mother and stepfather, for many years.

On the surface these two have nothing in common. Penelope has been burned by a “dumb jock” and refuses to consider that Charlie might be anything else. Charlie likes women, but does not have much use for them outside of the bedroom. As they tromp through the jungle fleeing the grasp of the bad guys (I felt for Penelope, I really did), these two must learn to put aside their ingrained judgments and past perceptions.

The action in this story is fast-paced as Charlie and Penelope move from location to location: the jungle, small towns on St. Lucia, Florida, back to St. Lucia, etc. While this eventually does get to be a bit much, there is great sexual tension between Charlie and Penelope throughout the story. The main focus is on them, although the secondary characters are very well written. Penelope’s twin, Beth, is skillfully portrayed and a likable person.

Though the plot is far-fetched, jungle romances don’t come along all that often. Because the characters were so well developed, I was easily able to suspend disbelief, settle down, and enjoy the story. Penelope and Charlie are an unlikely couple, but fun to watch nonetheless. However, Penelope had an annoying tendency to think of Charlie as a dumb jock throughout the book, even when he had gone overboard to prove that he was much more than muscle. At the beginning of the story this behavior was understandable, halfway through the book it moved into annoying, and at the end of the book, this behavior was tiresome.

Still, Romancing the Stone is one of my favorite movies, and the interaction between Charlie and Penelope brought back fond memories of Joan Wilder and Jack. If you are looking for a good contemporary, or something different, or if you’re a closet jungle romance fan (who’d want to actually go into the jungle with all those huge bugs?), try this one out. I’m off to hunt through my video collection. . .