19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A VERY GOOD READ!!!!!, July 28, 2004
I have waited for Rocket's (John Miglionni) story. We first met him in HEAD OVER HEELS, then he helped his buddy Zach in LUCKY SEVEN. He is a former SEAL now a PI.
When Victoria Hamilton's father is murdered, her lawyer sends John to help her find her brother. Who has run away because he thinks he killed his father when he pushed him and he fell down. He doesn't know that his father was stabbed to death.
Surprise, John and Tori had a fling 6 years earlier. The deal was no last names or regrets. So he didn't know her last name and she didn't know his.
Surprise again, They have a 5 year old daughter Esme. It's downhill from there. Tori's father was a rich, cold, manipulative clod. He was mentally abusive. When he demanded she have an abortion, she left and has lived in England for the last six years. Only her father's murder could have brought her home.
She didn't want her child raised like she was.
John's father wasn't rich but he was abusive, physically and mentally. John has always worried about becoming like his old man and works hard to control his temper. He is very insecure about his ability to maintain a relationship, and therefore, has not allowed himself to become emotionally involved with a woman.
Now he has no choice, not only has he never forgotten Tori, he has a daughter to think about, he is something he had never expected to be, a father.
During all this he has to try to catch a murderer and prove Tori's brother did not kill her father.
This book is not quite as lighthearted and humerous as the first two. But I loved it. John not only has to work out the mystery, but he has to learn who he is, after all these years of letting his father's opinion rule his life. He must discover that he is a worthwhile being, and that he is lovable, that someone can and does love him. He must learn to trust others as well as himself.
Tori has to learn to trust also. This is a book about lives touching lives and the damage that can carry over from childhood to adulthood. It also reveals the courage that can change all of that. Sometimes it just takes faith.
Since I read my first Susan Andersen book (EXPOSURE, still my favorite) She has always delivered a wonderful reading experience. This is no exception.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
exciting private investigation romance, July 28, 2004
In Colorado Springs, Ford Hamilton thinks his two children from different women are major disappointments. His oldest Victoria got pregnant with some nameless jerk and refused to abort; instead she raises her daughter Esme by herself. His teenage son Jared is an angry loser with a history of trouble with the law. Ford's feelings towards his offspring end when someone stabs him in his heart with his letter opener.
The police believe that the missing Jared killed his father following a public brawl, but Victoria cannot believe her sensitive half-brother would harm anyone. She hires Semper Fi Investigations to find her missing sibling and to determine who killed their father. John "Rocket" Miglionni visits his firm's new client only to receive the shock of his life when he sees Tori. They met on vacation, but she left on an emergency and never returned honoring his wishes of just the moment between first names. John receives a greater shock when he meets his daughter five years old Esme. John wants in his child's life, but also realizes he needs her mother too, but first must solve the homicide and the disappearance, which both seem easier than persuading his Tori that they belong together.
This exciting private investigation romance hooks readers the moment John sees his client and explodes when he meets his child. Though coincidence plays a minor role, the action-packed story line moves forward on two paths (the relationship between the two stars and the homicide- missing person inquiries) that eventually converge when the life of the lead female is in jeopardy. Readers will gain pleasure from this quality romantic suspense thriller.
Harriet Klausner
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining, but not a must-read, October 12, 2004
Susan Andersen writes very entertaining, humorous books. Her current heroes are a little hard for me to swallow though. (Sexy built current/ex-Marines with cool careers and insane amounts of sexual experience.) Granted, the heroes are supposed to be dreamy fantasies, but I like them to be somewhere near the realm of reality.
The hero is actually reasonably nice to the heroine throughout the book, which is refreshing after the beginnings of the other two books in the trilogy. This book is a bit sweeter/sadder and less of a steamy laugh riot than other Susan Andersen books. The kids are worked in fairly well; they're fleshed out and aren't just plot devices. The plotline has a few small holes in it, and there were some glaring issues in the couple's relationship that are left almost totally untouched. Every now and then though, she releases an absolutely perfect chunk of dialogue, and it's just wonderful.
The main couple doesn't draw you in as deeply they do in other Susan Andersen books, mostly because they're such tough cookies and seem to have much less vulnerability than her past leading couples. You don't worry about them not ending up together, so you don't end up investing much emotion into the book. The guy just comes off as being silly during his emotional crisis towards the end of the book. Overall, it's a decent read, but not a must-read.
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