Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

This book is classified as 'Romantic Suspense' which is one of my preferred genres, so given the opportunity to read it, I grabbed at the chance.

The story focuses on Katherine, a novelist who fleas her Californian lifestyle to escape a drug-lord who is owed a considerable debt by her now dead, drug-addicted husband. She, as next of kin, as far as the drug lord is concerned, is responsible for repaying that debt. She finds refuge in her hometown of Arkansas, where she stays with her Aunt Ruby. There she meets Ben, the widowed husband of Ruby's deceased daughter, and therefore cousin to Katherine, Jill. Ben is a former Navy SEAL, now working in a local poultry plant, but bears the physical scars of his SEAL years. Keeping hidden from avaricious and ruthless drug lords would, you'd have thought, have been enough to occupy Katherine and keep her attention away from romantic involvement, but Ben provides too much of a temptation. He too, withdrawn and uncommunicative since his wife's death, finds it difficult to maintain his reticence, as he becomes drawn to this beautiful and intelligent woman. The threat of discovery by unscrupulous drug dealers casts a cloud over their happiness and future and when Katherine is captured by the drug mob, Ben uses his SEAL experience and initiative to get her back safely.

I can confidently say I enjoyed this book; it was well written and whilst not error-free there were too few to mar the reading experience. I liked the author's style – expressive, yet easy-going and flowing. You might at this point get the impression that there is a 'but' coming on – and yes, there is! Despite my enjoyment of the book, I would say that the Romantic/Suspense tag is a little hopeful. 75% of the book focuses on Ben and Katherine's deepening relationship, which develops a little too fast in my opinion and it is only in the latter 25% that Katherine's kidnap takes place and is all wrapped up just a tad too quickly and conveniently.

It's a delightful, romantic, albeit slightly predictable story, but don't expect a white-knuckle ride of thrills or tension; just settle into your armchair for a comfy ride.
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Terrific Christmas story. Rafe tugged at my heart from the very first pages. He has been through so much with multiple deployments and ending with being badly injured. Though he has recovered physically, the scars he has are emotional as well as physical. The reactions that some people have to his scars eat away at his self-confidence. Every job he's had since returning ends when something runs up against those insecurities. Though he spends time with his family, he even keeps them at a distance. I loved how they kept trying to involve him in family life. I liked his brother's end-run around Rafe's reluctance to go out and got him to help their mother with a doctor appointment.

I ached for Rafe when he experienced a PTSD event at the mall. He was stunned when a woman he noticed at church sat beside him and helped him through the episode. He is amazed that she doesn't react to his scars. Shortly after that, Rafe's brother Mike informs him that he's gotten Rafe a job working as the mall Santa for the holidays. Rafe is reluctant at first but discovers that he can be a little bit more of the old Rafe behind Santa's beard. One of the benefits of being Santa is the chance to get to know Sheena better.

I loved watching the relationship develop between Rafe and Sheena. She can sense when he is having difficulty, and her calm, sweet manner has a soothing effect on him. I liked seeing them get to know each other over shared lunches. Sheena's belief in him helped Rafe shore up his confidence as he handled the trials and tribulations of being a mall Santa. I loved how she looked out for him on the rough days and her rescue on a horrible one. One incident could have gone very badly for Rafe, but thanks to Sheena's support and that of a pint-sized wingman, Rafe came through it beautifully.

It didn't take long for Rafe to believe that he could have the family he yearned for after all. I loved watching him slowly open his heart to love and hope. It was also easy to see that Sheena felt the same. But a resurgence of Rafe's insecurities caused him to push her away. I ached for them both and liked seeing Sheena push back. Fortunately, Rafe didn't take long to realize he was wrong. However, he had to face one of his greatest fears before he could fix his mistake. I loved the Christmas morning scene and the surprise he had for Sheena.… (más)