Shannon C.‘s review of The Woman in Blue (Patton’s Daughters, Book 1) by Janice Kay Johnson
Contemporary romance released by Harlequin Super Romance 1 Jul 99

I really appreciate that we’ve been doing these Harlequin Spotlight series over here on the blog, because otherwise I’m not sure I’d have ever picked up, well, much of anything they publish on my own. But there’s a lot that I like about the idea of Harlequin super romances–the slightly longer word count, the contemporary settings, the everyday Joes and Janes finding love, and, my God, if they’re all as emotionally wrenching as the book I just read, please to be signing me up for more of these books, k?  Thx. In fact, I am sad that this book is out of print, because it means you’re going to have to hunt it down before you can join me in squeeing about it, too.

The plot goes like this. Renee Patton can’t quite seem to exorcise the ghost of her father, the beloved police chief in Elk Springs, Oregon. Now she lives alone in his house after his death, trying to prove to herself that the abuse she suffered at his hands doesn’t mean too much to her. But then she is drawn to investigate the bones that Daniel Barnerd’s dog dug up on his ranch, which leads her to uncover some long buried secrets as well as an attraction to Daniel she soon finds it hard to deny.

In my ideal romance novel, I have to connect with the heroine. I don’t need to identify with her, but I’ve at least got to understand where she’s coming from. And I really got Renee. She is intelligent, brave, and compassionate, but she’s got a lot of emotional baggage to deal with thanks to her thoroughly craptastic childhood. I felt that her struggle was entirely believable, and that some of the cliches about romanceland heroines were nicely subverted–Renee doesn’t get a makeover to pretty her up, and she gradually comes to realize that she’s been crippling herself. That being said, she does have a few conversations with Daniel in which she plays the “I’m a feminist! No, really, I am!” card a bit to excess, perpetuating conflict where there wasn’t any.

I did like Daniel. He seems like such a nice, easygoing guy. He has a strong sense of honor, he loves his mama, and he can cook. Seriously, where can I find more like him? I will ignore the fact that I’ve read characters like him hundreds of times before, because I honestly found him charming. He isn’t perfect. He’s got some growing up to do on his own. But I got the impression he really got Renee and it was so fun watching them dance around their attraction and finally get their HEA. I even didn’t mind the fact that the sex scenes are fairly short and not terribly descriptive.

I liked the external plot, too. I didn’t see the resolution coming from a mile away, and there was no unnecessary suspense subplot. I liked particularly that the mystery further helped to develop Renee and Daniel’s relationship in meaningful ways and wasn’t an excuse to throw them together.

This is such a lovely book, with two people I came to care about, and I have to give the author points because I teared up at the end, proving that some tenderness still beats within the cold lump of clay I like to think of as my heart. If you can find this book, I highly recommend it.
Grade: A

     Summary:

     The people of Elk Springs, Oregon, thought Ed Patton was a good man, a good cop, a good father. But his daughters know the truth.
     Renee Patton feels she has to prove to everyone–especially herself–that even though she’s a cop, she’s nothing like her father. It’s definitely a full-time job, leaving her no time or inclination for a social life.
     But that changes when she meets rancher Daniel Barnard.
     Daniel’s the first person who’s ever made Renee long for another kind of life–a life that doesn’t revolve around her uniform. Suddenly she realizes she might just have found the one man who’s willing to take on Patton’s daughter. Everything would be perfect–if only Daniel’s mother wasn’t involved in the case Renee’s investigating.

I could not find an excerpt for this book.