I read this books years ago when it first came out and it cemented Lisa Marie Rice on my auto buy list. This is a little different from her other books because Franco Rivera doesn't have any military experience. He is a policeman or more importantly a Captain who investigate organized crime. I liked him from the very first. He is what all policemen should strive to be. He is loyal, courageous, compassionate, and caring. He worries about his men and wants them to be the best they can be. He loves his mother and goes out of his way to make her happy and comfort her. He is also all alpha male with all the protectiveness and stubbornness that we all know and love.

Hope Winston is lost and alone. She doesn't really like her mother. Hope's Mother is an actress looking for the next rich husband that will take care of her. Hope's mother is also vain and shallow only worried about how she looks and who will notice. Hope herself isn't worried that her clothes are out of date and baggy. She doesn't wear a lot of make, in fact, none at all most of the time. She loves teaching and when she has to move to Italy to help a friend, Kay, run her English teaching school Hope jumps at the chance. Hope doesn't want run the school forever but she would like to stay in Italy and teach. She is very happy there and very far away from her mother.

There is a nice little mystery to this story. The bad guy is really, really bad and you are glad at the end that he is arrested and taken out of the picture. Ms. Rice also writes some wonderfully hot and steamy love scenes between Franco and Hope. She also does a good job of establishing a relationship between the characters. This is a wonderful story and a good quick read. ( )

Hope and Franco were an electric combination. I think that while the sex scenes were hot and slightly graphic, it shouldn't be called erotica, I would classify it as romantic suspense. I enjoyed the story, and enjoyed the growth of Hope throughout the story. The growth could be felt in a number of ways...Hope hates cops, and while the reader has an inkling of why that is all is not reveiled right away (which I appreciated). Hope's understanding and enjoyment of sex is also something that grows, you could feel it in the wording of the sex scenes. In the beginning everything was incredibly clinical, almost to the point of me wanting to toss the book (I don't like clinical sex scenes!) but as the story progresses so does the language. While the story wasn't at all what I expected, it was a happy surprise. The setting was completely different from what I normally read taking place in Southern Italy, yet I could envision the beautiful scenery and feel the warm sea breezes. All in all I would say to give this one a go! ( )

another good book set in italy...a little on the supense side. i think she writes better in her shorter stories. ( )