Wild at Heart

TEST

Good things come to those who wait. I’ve waited quite a while for a good romantic suspense – heavy on the romance – and I picked a good one when I asked to review Wild At Heart. I loved the characters, enjoyed the story, and there are some secondary characters who need their stories told.

Valerie Parker wanted to be a cop, but she was dismissed from the police academy because she was too impulsive and not inclined to follow orders. Alex DeMarco was the instructor who dismissed her, but before he told her she was out, he had a night of hot sex with her. Naturally, Valerie does not think too highly of Alex.

Valerie has been hired by Jack Reichart to catch his trophy wife Shannon. Reichart thinks she’s cheating on him and it certainly looks it. As Valerie shadows her, Shannon gets all tarted up and takes off to the Blue Onion bar where she proceeds to come on to Alex DeMarco.

Years ago, Alex would have taken her up, but he’s matured and he turns her down. But Shannon is not discouraged. She gets Alex to take her home, then pretends there is a prowler inside. When he goes in, she gets naked and plasters herself against him. Alex feels a prick (it’s not what you think) and when he wakes up, Shannon is dead with a belt around her neck – Alex’s belt.

Alex and Valerie are together on the case since she is the one who saw him with Shannon. When Valerie is shot and wounded it’s clear that someone would like to take both of them out, so they take off on a search to find some answers.

I flat out loved the relationship between Alex and Valerie. They had issues with each other and they both have had tortured childhoods that shaped them into the characters they are today. But thankfully, they are not rigidly bound by their childhoods. This book is as much a journey of self-discovery for Alex and Valerie as it is a find the killer book. As it progresses, they realize that they were both at fault when it came to Valerie’s failure with police training. They begin to open up to each other and really talk to each other. Both of them act like reasonable and sensible people instead of immature brats. I was impressed.

Even though there is a heavy dose of romance in this romantic suspense book, there is enough action to keep this action junkie happy. The only quibble I have is with the depiction of the deputy sheriff in a small town during their search. He was a bit too Barney Fife-ish for me.

I am going to have to go back and pick up Jane Graves earlier book, I Got You, Babe which is about Alex’s brother John. Also there is another DeMarco brother, Dave, whom I suspect will have his own book very soon. Will I read it? Of course. This is the kind of romantic suspense I love.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Micheletti

Grade: B

Book Type: Romantic Suspense

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date: 26/10/02

Publication Date: 2002

Recent Comments …

  1. excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.

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