Lynne Connolly‘s review of Next Comes Love by Helen Brenna
Romantic suspense released by Harlequin SuperRomance 13 Oct 09
I don’t often read SuperRomance, but I’m so glad I decided to read this one! This had all the ingredients of being a mushy, overdone romance – idyllic island, amusing locals, and a child in danger, but in Ms Brenna’s hands it becomes a lovely romance with real people at its heart.
That is the real secret to success in Harlequin lines. The situations aren’t original, the plot sometimes preposterous, but if the characters are there, if they’re brought to life, then the book can work, often superbly well.
Erica is a no-nonsense heroine, scared but not intimidated by the situation she finds herself in. She finds a job and an apartment on the island of Mirabelle, but the hero and the people she works for soon discover her real identity, because although she’s been clever, she doesn’t have the professional skills she needs to successfully hide.
The hero, Garrett, is a big city cop, moved to the island to start a new life and he finds an outlet in his woodworking. The island only requires a part-time police chief, so he can work as a joiner and construction worker in his spare time. He’s found happiness, or at least contentment. He isn’t looking for love, doesn’t really want it, but he doesn’t go to stupid lengths to shove it away when it finally finds him. And then goes after it when he finds it slipping away from him. I loved that. And Erica, while pretty, competent and brave, isn’t perfect. I loved that, too.
The suspense is well handled, with the story progressing believably and Ms Brenna builds up the tension really well. There are elements that are foreshadowed and then they happen, with no sugary “oh I was mistaken, everything’s fine” cop-outs that I’ve read in other books.
I can definitely recommend this one, well worth picking up.
Grade: B+
Summary:
“One cop wants her heart. The other one wants her dead.
Street-smart city girl Erica Corelli spent the three best days of her childhood on Mirabelle Island. Now her sister has disappeared and Erica’s on the run with her six-year-old nephew. The boy’s father, an abusive Chicago cop, will stop at nothing to get his son back. Erica can only hope this unforgettable island is a safe place to hide.
Garrett Taylor, the island’s chief of police, takes one look at Erica and thinks, trouble. The mysterious, sexy kind that disturbs a man’s peace and instantly complicates the simple life Garrett came to Mirabelle to find. But no matter how hard he tries, he can’t keep his mind—or his hands—off Ms. Couldn’t Be More Wrong for Him.”
Read an excerpt here.
