The Perfect Daughter (Harlequin Super Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Anna DeStefano (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harlequin Super Romance | Publication Date: February 13, 2007

Over the past ten years Maggie Rivers has faced more than her share of trauma. Everyone has been amazed at how nothing seemed to faze her--until she fell in love with Detective Matt Lebretti and was confronted with the constant dangers of a cop's life. Now she's fighting to keep her head above a tidal wave of fear--and losing.…

When Maggie heads to Oakwood, Georgia, to put some distance between them, Matt reluctantly lets her go. Then Matt, for reasons of his own, follows Maggie south. And when her life is once more at stake, Matt shows her that it's okay to lean on someone else. Someone like him.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anna DeStefano's remarkable stories touch the heart with hope. One of the genre's rising stars..." -- Two-Time RITA Award Winner, Gayle Wilson

From the Author

Don't miss the third and final book in my Daughter" series!!! So many readers have asked for Maggie Rivers' story. I know you're going to love it!!!

You can read more about Maggie and her amazing family in the first two books in the series:

The Unknown Daughter

The Runaway Daughter

And don't miss my April 2007, All-American Father...

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (February 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373713991
• ISBN-13: 978-0373713998
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,763,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anna DeStefano (http://www.annawrites.com) is a nationally best selling author of classic romance and psychic thrillers. She's a two-time RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award winner, and has won or finalled in countless other awards including the National Readers Choice Awards, the Holt Medallian, the Book Buyers Best Award, the Golden Heart and the Maggie Award for Excellence.

She speaks and blogs regulary about both her writing experience and the fascination with metaphysics and paraspychology that led her to create her Legacy Series' contemporary psychic world. Join Anna at her blog each week (http://www.annawrites.com/blog) for Dream Theory and Psychic Realm updates, as well as her running series on How We Write Wednesdays (HoWW) and the writing industry favorite Publishing Isn't for Sissies (PIFS).

Her interactive workshops on the writing process--plotting through character, improvisation (drafting), and rewriting--regularly attract standing room-only crowds wherever she speaks. Her series of communication workshops (taught independently or with her literary agent, Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency) are the latest addition to her teaching resume, and they're quickly becoming the most requested of her programs and conferences and weekend-long retreats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Too much telling, not enough showing. Heroine witnessed a shooting and can't live a normal life due to anxiety., December 21, 2009

By 

Jane (Chicago, IL, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfect Daughter (Superromance) (Paperback)

STORY BRIEF:
Years earlier Maggie witnessed a relative being shot. She has been living with New York police detective Matt for over a year. His partner was recently killed in a gang shooting. Fearing that Matt could be killed or harmed in the future, Maggie breaks up with him. She also quits college and returns to her hometown. She is suffering from anxiety related to post traumatic stress. Matt visits her hometown for awhile to consult with the local police regarding their local gang situation. While there he has further interactions with Maggie.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
Don't waste your time. This is an example of how not to write - way too much telling and not enough showing. I was frustrated. I wanted it to be over. I didn't connect with or care about the characters.

The main plot: Maggie is depressed. She wants to hurt herself. She thinks she can help a teen who is joining a gang. She doesn't listen to reason and stupidly puts herself in danger as a result. She is surrounded by caring and loving people, but she won't listen to them and repeatedly tells them all to stay away from her.

Other story lines could have been interesting but were told and not shown, for example: Matt's scenes where he is interacting with gangs. There is also a lot of telling about things happening in the past. Most of the book seems to be conversation rather than action.

DATA:
Story length: 284 pages. Swearing language: moderate, including religious words. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 3. Setting: current day New York City, NY, and Oakwood, Georgia. Copyright: 2007. Genre: contemporary romance.

4.0 out of 5 stars Romance readers will enjoy this, third in a series, February 21, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Daughter (Harlequin Super Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Maggie Rivers has been through a lot in her life. She thought she could handle being with a cop but after attending the funeral of her boyfriend's partner, she changes her mind.

Maggie's boyfriend, Detective Matt Lebretti, has a dangerous job. He's working hard to put away gang members and to make the town safe again. Maggie can't help but to constantly worry about Matt. After going through so much in her life, she just wants to be happy. Maggie decides to end her relationship with Matt and move to Georgia where her family lives.

When Maggie decides to tutor a young man, she has no idea how dangerous the situation can be. The student is involved with a gang and Maggie is putting herself in danger by trying to help him. When Matt hears about the gang violence in Georgia, he comes down there to rescue Maggie. The only problem with Matt's plan is that Maggie doesn't want to be rescued. She has moved on with her life and wants nothing to do with him. Will Matt be able to save Maggie before she gets herself involved in a bad situation? Will Maggie open her heart to Matt again and take him back?

The Perfect Daughter is the third book in a series. I look forward to reading the previous two books to find out the backstory on Maggie Rivers. Anna DeStefano writes in a breezy way that makes her books a joy to read. The story was heart warming and the reader will be rooting for a happy ending. I loved Maggie and Matt and wanted them to end up together in the end. All of the characters were unique and added something to the story.

I've always been interested in police officers, so it was interesting to have a little peek into what their lives are like.

Armchair Interviews: A very good book recommended to all romance readers!