Sherrilyn Kenyon - Claire King - Laura Kinsale
Kenyon, Sherrilyn - BORN OF FIRE (Dreams Unlimited - 1998) (4)
(Futuristic setting: Several planets in the united "Nine
Worlds")
Tyra Eteocles, the oldest of four orphaned siblings, has always done whatever is necessary to keep her family together and safe. She has been earning a living as a "tracer" (bounty hunter) and because she needs extra cash for her hospitalized sister, she decides to go after the worst criminal on the bounty list, C.I. Syn.
After Tyra locates Syn, she turns him in and has him sent to jail. But he is actually an innocent man—who has a hidden microchip that proves the Chief Minister of Justice and his son hired someone to kill the President of Trifara (one of the Nine Worlds) many years before. The Chief Justice will stop at nothing to get his hands on the incriminating microchip. Tyra is on a mission of her own, however. She breaks Syn out of jail and they go on the run together to find the microchip. Along the way, Tyra and Syn discover they have something in common on a personal level. They are both emotionally damaged people—survivors of brutal childhoods. Their healing begins when they come to respect and care about each other. Tyra soon realizes she loves Syn, but she can't let anything stand in the way of her secret assignment. She wonders if it will ever be possible for them to have a future together.
Although BORN OF FIRE contains dark themes, it is an enjoyable "on the run" futuristic in the tradition of classic action/adventure sci-fi. The author gives readers a hero and heroine they can root for, delivering a satisfying love story for romance fans. ~Reviewed by Karen Witkowski for Bookbug on the Web
King, Claire - KNIGHT IN A WHITE STETSON (SIM 930) (4)
Calla Bishop is spittin' mad! On her way to the ranch
where she lives with her aunt and father, a tire on her pickup truck goes flat. She has a spare, but no jack or lug wrench. Most likely, it's Lester Smiley's fault; the good-for-nothing, half drunk hired hand probably forgot to put the tools back in the truck, or he was too lazy to do it! Calla is eager to get home because her boyfriend, Clark, is travelling west to visit her. After her anger runs its course, she decides to take a nap under the truck until the sun goes down, then walk the rest of the way to the ranch.
All of a sudden, she is awakened by somebody kicking at her boot. Sliding out from beneath the truck, she meets Henry Beckett. Like a knight to the rescue, he offers to change the flat; but before he can lend a hand, Calla grabs his jack and wrench, changes the tire, says thank you very much, and screeches off down the road toward home. That evening after hearing some unsettling news from her father, she escapes to the barn to sort out her thoughts and is startled when Henry walks in. He's looking for a job as a ranch hand.
Calla hires him, and over the next few days as she and Henry work together, an attraction begins to grow between them. But she loves Clark—doesn't she?—and she needs his family's wealth to help her put Hot Sulphur Lake Ranch back in the black. The bank is threatening to foreclose and the merchants in town are demanding that she pay her bills. She can't be falling in love with her ranch hand! There's more to Henry than meets the eye, however; he's not the average cowboy. Something from his past is haunting him, and Calla could be harmed if his enemies find him and discover his feelings for her.
Claire King adds a new twist to a tried-and-true plot and complements this romantic suspense with strong characterizations. Calla comes through as feisty and headstrong, while Henry is tough, smart and courageous. The secondary characters are equally likable, including the irascible Lester, and Henry's friend Pete, who is always "on the make" in a hilarious way. I recommend KNIGHT IN A WHITE STETSON to readers who enjoy a blend of humor and suspense, topped off with a saucy heroine and a sexy, yet noble, hero. A fun read! ~Sharon Laird for Bookbug on the Web
Kinsale, Laura - FLOWERS FROM THE STORM (Avon - 1992) (5)
While I often wish Ms. Kinsale (or her editors) spent more time polishing the rough edges of her plots and characters, I do very much enjoy her creative energy. Nowhere is her creativity more apparent to me than in FLOWERS FROM THE STORM, with its fascinating attempt to duplicate the point of view of the stroke-victim hero. I also found the book quite moving and suspenseful; in fact, I couldn't put it down. ~Elena P.
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