Paula Detmer Riggs
Riggs, Paula Detmer - DESPERATE MEASURES (SIM 283) (5)
If you want a hero to die for, this is the book for you. Wow! The main characters are Judge Amanda Wainwright and former FBI agent Devlin Buchanan, who first cross paths in court. A trial against a mafia figure results in Amanda's daughter being kidnapped. The only one who can save her is Devlin. After Amanda hunts him down in Mexico, the adventure begins. This is a great story, full of action and romance. You won't believe what is packed into 220 pages! ~Carol C. (angelca@ibm.net)
Riggs, Paula Detmer - MOMMY BY SURPRISE (SIM 794) (4)
An excellent, deeply emotional book—anything but a "mommy" or "baby" book, despite the cover and the title. The tortured hero, due to his family background and past events, is determined not to father any children. This has shades of Linda Howard's SARAH'S CHILD, but with a more believable hero and a more heart-wrenching scenario. ~Melissa (M.Pollard@Lilly.com)
Riggs, Paula Detmer - PARENT PLAN, THE (Silh. 36 Hours - 1998) (4+)
Basically, Cassidy and Dr. Karen Sloane have a ten-year-old marriage that is in trouble. Their sex life is erratic, although very sensual; and they deeply love each other, but they are having problems liking the choices each is making. Individually and as parents, they love their nine-year old daughter, Vicki, and honestly want the best for her. Cassidy is a rancher with a very strong male personality. He wants Karen to be a wife and mother above all, and put her medical career on hold until Vicki is grown. Karen is a fine physician with only eight more months of residency to complete. She is hesitant, but willing to communicate, while Cassidy is incapable of even saying "I love you." He has an excessive amount of emotional scars from childhood battles fought and lost. Battles that Karen knows nothing about because Cassidy has not confided in her. This is the story of their attempt to solve these conflicts and hang on to their very special love for each other.
Extremely complex characters, a realistic premise and a compelling story, told by a talented author and skilled wordsmith, who happens to have her head screwed on straight when it comes to dealing with real people with real problems in a real world. Somehow she always seems to be able to gift the reader with the affirmation that love can and does work—that love is alive and well in today's world. I don't know about you, but that always reassures me. ~Mona (monamont@3rivers.net)
Riggs, Paula Detmer - PERFECT HERO, A (SIM 889) (5)
This is a book about real, flawed people in an imperfect world. Ian MacDougall is a 46-year-old government agent (in the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms division). Marcella "Marca" Kenworthy is a 42-year-old dynamo, formerly of Madison Avenue's fast track, now working as an advertising executive for a college.
In the prologue you learn that Ian has gone through a very traumatic event. During a one-year leave of absence taken to help him recover, he was in a drunken stupor the entire time. It was during this bleak period that he happened upon a woman (Marca) who was being attacked—an encounter that would change the course of his life. After fending off her attackers, the two shared a passion-filled night. The result was a trio of boys born nine months later. However, Marca was unsuccessful in her efforts to locate Ian when she discovered she was pregnant, so Ian was not aware that he had fathered three sons.
The story begins nearly two years later when Ian hears about minority beatings in Bradenton Falls. His instincts tell him that his nemesis, Hutch Renfrow, the fanatic fascist leader of the skinheads and the New Aryan Freedom Brigade, is responsible for these attacks. In order to investigate and track Renfrow, Ian visits Bradenton College and asks the president for assistance in infiltrating the college. Here is where he meets up with Marca, his "gypsy angel," again. This begins the coming together of two soul mates, although it is not an easy transition due to the baggage Ian carries with him. He holds back, afraid to speak of his feelings or admit them to himself, and he is shocked when he learns about the triplets, but Marca is a wonder at understanding his needs. Eventually he begins to open up to her about his fears and his past.
After there is a second beating, Ian's suspicions grow even stronger that Renfrow is undercover in the area. The author now weaves a tale of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your chair until the very end. This is not a light, fun read, but one that deals with terrible prejudice and terrorist acts. When our hero and heroine find themselves in a life-threatening situation, you'll be glad there is a rule that a romance must have a happy ending. Ian is a warrior, but also a tender, gentle man, and your heart will beat faster as you are treated to some great love scenes. In addition, A PERFECT HERO has strong secondary characters, including three adorable, mischievous little boys, and a mutt that is so ugly you have to love him. This is one story you will remember for a very long time because it gets right inside your head and heart. ~Carol Carter for Bookbug on the Web
Riggs, Paula Detmer - TAMING THE NIGHT (Ballentine - 1/99) (5)
At the age of seventeen, Summer Laurence is on trial for the possession of drugs with intent to sell. Not only has she has been disowned and abandoned by her family, she is also seven months pregnant, and the boyfriend she believes will save her turns out to be the prosecution's star witness against her.
Sixteen years later, after a tenure in prison and the traumatic birth of her daughter, who was taken away and given to a foster family, Summer is well on the way to keeping the promise she made to herself—to help addicted teenagers recover and begin a new life for themselves. She worked to put herself through college, earning a Doctorate in Adolescent Psychology and Substance Abuse, and is now lecturing in order to gain the necessary funds to open a drug rehabilitation center. During one of her lectures, she acquires a new friend, Dottie Hollister, who makes Summer an offer she can't refuse: minimal rent for an old ranch and homestead in the Pacific Northwest.
When Summer arrives in the small town of Osuma to check out the homestead, instead of finding Dottie, she is greeted by the Chief of Police, who just happens to be Dottie's nephew, Brody. When she looks at this large, well-muscled cop, she has flashbacks of the police brutality she suffered while in prison. But even her fear isn't enough to stop the immediate sexual attraction she feels.
Brody is also the product of a painful past. After the death of his wife, which was the result of a traumatic experience, he was left with a baby daughter to raise. He carries a lot of hate and anger inside and rarely trusts anyone, and he has become a very protective father. His teenaged daughter Kelly, however, takes an instant liking to Summer and begins to open up to her, sharing secrets and confidences that play a big part in the story. Brody begins to think seriously about Summer, and is learning to trust and care for her, but bitter reminders from the past cause him to back off.
TAMING THE NIGHT, Ms. Riggs' first single-title contemporary, is a thrilling drama, richly developed and full of unusual twists. It is an earthy, realistic story that deals with physical challenge, problems between parents and teenagers, substance abuse, human failings and forgiveness. It also offers hope in a beautiful love story that touches all of your emotions. ~Carol Carter for Bookbug on the Web
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