Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #958166 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Three years ago, Lucy Blacker Swift, a young widow with two children, relocated to rural Vermont from Washington, D.C., after the sudden death of her husband, Colin. She has finally got her life back together and now runs a successful adventure travel company. When a series of strange accidents threatens her idyllic life, Lucy has a difficult time keeping her powerful father-in-law, Senator Jack Swift, from interfering. Looking for help, Lucy turns to Sebastian Redwing, an international security expert and an old friend of Colin's. Sebastian has been secretly in love with Lucy for years and wants to avoid temptation, but he had promised Colin that he would take care of Lucy. Jack's long-suffering personal assistant, Barbara Allen, has always resented Lucy, so when Jack rebuffs her declaration of love, Barbara teams up with notorious criminal Darren Mowery to blackmail the senator to seek her revenge. Thrown into close proximity, Lucy and Sebastian find they can't resist their feelings for each other. Ultimately, Neggers's (On Fire) depiction of the chemistry between the two lovers is more engaging than her development of the novel's mystery elements. (May)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Skip This One
Sometimes when you try a new author you are wonderfully surprised. Sometimes when you try a new author it's a struggle to get through every page and you throw the book away without ever finishing. This book falls into the second category.

When widow Lucy Swift's family is threatened, she won't go to the local Sheriff. (Sheriffs are usually the ones to see when you find bullet holes in your dining room walls.) Lucy somehow just "knows" the law can't help her. She has a father-in-law who is a senator. She won't go to him for help either. Why you ask. Her indecisive, wishy-washy parenting has brought criticism from the father-in-law in the past. She's too weak to risk more advise from the senator so she has to keep the threats a secret from him.

Lucy takes a little trip to Wyoming to ask for help from Sebastian Redwing, a friend of her deceased husband. Sebastian ran a security company until he killed a bad guy. Later he finds he didn't really kill the bad guy, but just the thought has sent him into a neurotic state of seclusion. Anyway he's a surly, rude, misogamist who's hiding out in a hut without running water or electricity. (Seems like he could have used some of that money he was saving on electricity to see a psychiatrist about his social problems. Maybe going without bathing and wearing dirty underwear is his idea of psychic healing.)

Turns out Sebastian wasn't such a good choice in the help department. First thing he does while skulking through the woods looking for evildoers is to tumble off a cliff. Of course this requires Lucy to take care of him. Ah, what woman could resist falling for a mean-mouthed guy with poor judgment, serious psychological issues, and a concussion?

For everyone who thinks rude, uncommunicative macho-men are romantic as heck, get this book. Personally, I like my men with a deep appreciation of the finer things in life like hot showers, electric washing machines, and good reading lamps. Doesn't hurt if they actually want to say a few words to me now and then either.

didn't do it for me
I got this book based on the overall good rating it got and the fact that I like romantic supsense type of books. This one, however, didn't make the mark. The romance portion was barely there and seemed far-fetched. And I wasn't the least bit afraid while reading this book. No good suspense factor for me. I also found that I could put this book down for long periods of time and not be compelled to pick it up again. All in all, I found it to be a waste of my time...I don't think I would try to read another book by this author again.