4 Stars! ~~~ Ms. Hansen managed to perfectly balance out the ongoing series plot with the wonderful reunion romance.
Deadly Payoff by Valerie Hansen
Love Inspired Suspense #52 ~ May 2007
The Secrets of Stoneley – Book 5 of 6
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In the past twelve years Cordelia Blanchard had made her home in Hawaii with her own successful surf business. Extending her stay in Stoneley, Maine isn’t something she relishes but she needs answers to all those secrets surrounding her mother’s “second” death. Surprisingly part of that answer comes straight to Blanchard Manor in the form of her mother’s parents, whom the sisters hadn’t known existed. And through some sleuthing, Delia discovers that the woman shot in their library hadn’t been her mother but actually her Aunt Genie. Shaun Murphy has returned to Stoneley to help his father with his carpentry business while he recovers from a bad bout of arthritis. The last person he wants to meet is Delia, the woman he’d married 12 years ago and who’d run off on their wedding night. Yet he can’t refuse to help her when she appeals to him for support, especially as Delia has a habit of jumping in and finding trouble. But protection isn’t all Delia wants; she wishes that their marriage had never been annulled and that she and Shaun could finally have their happy ever after.
I really enjoyed this installment of the mystery surrounding Trudy Blanchard’s disappearance. Ms. Hansen managed to perfectly balance out the ongoing series plot with the wonderful reunion romance between Delia and Shaun. Neither plot line over shadowed the other. Delia and Shaun are wonderfully developed; each has their insecurities about their personal past. There are some events of Shaun’s life in the Service that I was surprised hadn’t been addressed, as it seemed the storyline was leading there, though this was not vital to their HEA. Of the five books read so far in the series, this one has the most satisfying romance. I liked that Delia’s knees went weak when Shaun kissed her, and that he groaned with his efforts to control that kiss. I missed that tiny hint of passion in the earlier books. This was very well written, both for the ongoing mystery and for a very charming lovestory.
Excellence: Very Good ~ Steaminess: Affectionate
My Totals = 46 ~ Harlequin Imprint = 46 ~ Other Publisher = 0
April Mini-Challenge ~~ “It’s Raining Men” ~ #1
- Shaun Murphy – ex-army, expert in martial arts … protective and decisive .. great complement to heroine, Delia … I’d take him …. I’d cast James Caviezel (thinking of his role in Angel Eyes) to play him.
~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
Casting Shaun .....
James Caviezel, I think would cast well as Shaun. Shaun's ex-army and very disciplined ... his quiet demeaner though doesn't mean he's unfeeling ... far from, there's a very caring man in there .... I think James could carry that off wonderfully
.... I also wanted to mention that as the cover for this book did not depict a hero, it was fairly easy to picture one of my own
~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog