Customer Reviews

Keeper of the Bride (Her Protector, Book 2) (Harlequin Intrigue Series #359)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Since I have only read Ms. Gerritsen's newer works such as "The Surgeon" and "The Apprentice" it was fun to read one of her earlier works and to see how far she has come as a storyteller.

This is the story about Nina Cormier who is a ER nurse from a very affluent but dysfunctional family. The story opens with Nina being left at the alter. To add insult to injury while she is sitting in a car waiting to go home the church blows up. And still in the same day someone tries to drive her off the road. Why is this all happening to her?

Bomb detective Sam Navarro is called to the scene of the latest bombing and ends up questioning the bride to be. Sam has his own problems from the past and really has no plans to ever share his life with someone else. Now he finds himself drawn to the witness and there is still the huge mystery as to how Nina fits into the puzzle of the recent bombing, and other murder attempts.

The chemistry between these two people was great and Ms. Gerritsen shows her potential as a suspense novelist. You don't want to miss this one.

It isn't difficult to see why Tess Gerritsen is such an accomplished writer of present medical thrillers including The Surgeon and The Apprentice. Her earlier foray into romance suspense distinguishes her as one of the few who churns out jugular action and gorgeous romance - and Keeper Of The Bride displays her punchy, knockout style within a laconic 250 pages.

ER nurse Nina Cormier not only had her wedding plans bombed when her intended hooked up with another woman, and narrowly escaped a planned bombing. Was it a deliberate attempt on her life or one of the guests in her wedding? Why did the characteristics of the bombing point to the work of dead terrorist Spectre? Sam Narvarro, the Portland detective is determined to root out the perpetrator but passion gets in the way of his obligations. Danger arises when Nina and Sam is thrown together in the mad schemes of a vengeful bomber...

Keeper of the Bride may have a cliche plot but maestro Gerritsen moves the story swiftly and gives her characters dimension with insecurities and sincerity. It is a mystery wrapped with treachery and cutting suspense right up to the explosive climax - and with Ms. Gerritsen's background as a physician, forensic evidence flows along to give credibility to the plot. This book deservingly belongs to our keeper shelves with her clean dissection of suspense and love.

If you are attracted to Tess Gerritson's novels of medical suspense, then this book is not for you. It was written well before her newer releases like The Sinner, The Apprentice, Gravity, etc. While a good effort at combining the suspense of a woman on the run from a mad bomber, this novel falls flat of creating any emotional connection to the characters. The heroin, Nina, is being stalked by a bomber, after being left at the alter by her horrendous fiancée. You'd think she'd have a lot on her mind, yet she still finds time to fall for the bomb squad investigator assigned to protect her. The book goes on to detail her thinking as well as his in a pathetic tennis match of who loves who, who doesn't love who, whose too scared to love who, etc. Ultimately, at the end of the book where I would normally be turning pages awaiting the climax, I found myself not caring whether Nina did get out of the whole mess alright, and was frankly irritated by the whole romantic banter part of this book. Bottom line, if you like The Sinner, The Apprentice, Gravity, Bloodstream, etc stick to Gerritson's newer work and stay away from Keeper of the Bride.

I STARTED OUT WITH THE SURGEON AND COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN. I MOVED ON TO THE APPRENTICE AND IT HAD THE SAME EFFECT. I ORDERED 5 MORE OF HER BOOKS INCLUDING KEEPER OF THE BRIDE WHICH I READ IN JUST 2 SITTINGS. HER BOOKS CONSISTENTLY KEEP MY ATTENTION. HER WRITING MAKES ME SYMPATHIZE WITH THE CHARACTERS AND FEEL EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE FEELING. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HER BOOKS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'LL DO WHEN I FINISH THE OTHER FOUR!

My gosh, what a book!!!This is my first time reading Tess Gerritsen, she is as good if not better than Patricia Cornwell. I literally could not put this book down, there are so many twists and turns and surprises. A must read.

light read but far below later work. evil bomber chases jilted, saintly nurse type, whoose parents never really loved her. dedicated cop, unlucky in love, saves the day and sweeps heroine into the sunset. yawn. reads well enough but light characters, uninteresting predictable bad guys. read in one sitting as might not have picked it up again.