Kindle edition, 348 pages
Self-published July 18, 2012
Genre: contemporary romance novel, romantic suspense
Rating: 5 stars
Six
months after the suspicious boat explosion that killed her mother and step-brother, emergency
physician Cassandra Christo decides to take a temporary leave from her job in
San Diego and return to her deceased mother’s estate in Baya, Mexico. Once her beloved
childhood home, now the estate is run by her ruthless step-father, Saul Flores,
and what Cassie plans to do is to collect evidence of his illicit use of estate
funds and involvement in an illegal business, in order to evict him.
On her way from the US to Mexico, she walks into
a human smuggling ring: a truck full of Mexican women headed toward the US
border lays overturned on the side of the highway. After taking care of few
injured women, Cassie escapes the enraged smugglers and manages to alert the US
authorities about her gruesome discovery. Back at the family estate she meets Saul’s head of security, Rio Santana, the same
man who stood next to her and comforted her at the cemetery during the heart-wrenching
funerals of her mother and step-brother.
For months after that first
meeting, Cassie has treasured and cherished the memory of that kind man, the unfocused
memory of an emotion more than the exact recollection of his face. She has no
idea that the feeling of immediate emotional connection she experienced then
was mutual: since that funeral, Cassie has been haunting Rio’s dreams and
sustaining him with the warm and sweet memory of their embrace. What Cassie
also ignores is that Rio is an undercover CIA agent on a mission to gain Saul’s absolute trust as his chief security
guy, and tear down his smuggling organization.
Despite the undeniable chemistry
and emotional connection between them, Cassie and Rio will not be free to reveal
their feelings right away: hidden truths, conflicting signals, and
misunderstandings will ricochet across a tight string of pulse-pounding events,
keeping our lead couple engaged in a heart-melting “lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers”
dance.
Not only Cassie has to drag around a huge burden of grief, sense of dislocation,
and lack of closure after the sudden and suspicious death of her beloved ones;
she also carries the physical and emotional scars of another traumatic
experience, the attempted rape and attempted murder at the hands of a man she
trusted. Opening her heart to Rio, a man
apparently close and loyal to her despicable step-dad, triggers a huge internal
conflict in our gutsy but vulnerable Cassie, opening painful wounds and
unresolved emotional issues. On his side, Rio’s internal struggle between his deep
feelings for Cassie and the risk of exposing them to certain death in a highly
dangerous situation adds to his personal baggage of grief and family tragedies.
Their relationship will grow and intensify on a conflictual path, swinging
between moments of weak-in-the-knees romance and heart-wrenching
misunderstandings.
In this light, Joan Swan's masterful
use of sexual tension and love scenes is an extremely powerful writing tool in
the advancement of the plot and character building. In one of the steamiest
scenes, Cassie and Rio will ultimately let their guards down , abandoning
themselves in each other’s arms just to raise issues about their mutual trust
and plunge Cassie into a huge feeling of discomfort. She is deeply and
emotionally involved with a man she doesn’t really know, hopefully an ally,
more likely an enemy.
Sometimes we have to make a huge
leap of faith between love and trust, and our characters will hang onto every
possible strand of hope, even in the midst of danger and death, in order to
heal their wounded souls and protect
each other.
For this and for many other
reasons, this well-crafted romantic suspense novel deserves 5 shining stars. What I love the most about Joan Swan's books
is that they start with a boom and from there it's an escalation, with all
kinds of plot twist-and-turns and emotional roller-coasters in the middle. The
first few pages into the book and I’m already breathless…seriously breathtaking
opening lines describing Cassie's night ride to Mexico, fiery sparks of sexual tension flying between her
and Rio from the get-go, poignant is the author's insight into the current and
tragic calamity of illegal immigration and human trafficking.
The lead couple is made of
likable and believable characters: Cassie with her spunky personality, her
snappy tongue, and yet endearing in her vulnerability and deep sense of justice;
Rio with his self-confidence, secretive attitude, and “hard shell” when it
comes to his undercover mission, but soft in his core when his deep feelings and
protective instinct for Cassie are involved.
Absolutely enjoyable are their gritty dialogues and the charming setting
of Mexican beaches, extra steamy are the love scenes…reading through them is
like opening a jar of spiced honey. The romantic element is very strong and
delicious, but it's perfectly embedded in a pulse-pounding plot that escalates from deceit within Cassie’s family to the
social evils of rival gangs, illegal immigration, and terrorism. The flow of
emotions and events is always seamless and consistent.
Apparently the popular myth
claiming that lightning cannot strike the same place twice doesn't apply to
consistently talented author Joan Swan. After FEVER’s acclaimed success, the
triple RWA® Golden Heart finalist delivers another solid suspense novel with
that perfect balance of gripping action and sensuous romance that may just
become her distinguished hallmark.
This is the review of a complimentary e-copy kindly provided by the author in return for an honest opinion.
This is the review of a complimentary e-copy kindly provided by the author in return for an honest opinion.
