Always in the middle of trouble, be it during roundup or at Jacobsville county dances, Harley Fowler emerges unscathed. Until he meets whirlwind, top-notch investigator Alice Jones, who is trying to solve a murder involving the one family Harley doesn't want to talk about—his own. Suddenly he's in the midst of mayhem—and all he can think about is protecting Alice. But the stubborn woman is unappreciative of his efforts. What's a confirmed maverick to do? Is seduction the solution?There are a couple things I want to start out saying with this review - 1) this cover description is one of the lamest, most misleading ones ever, and 2) finally Diana Palmer has come out with a Long, Tall, Texan Novel that has a different plot. Before this book I could have described to you quite succinctly how any of Palmer's books went: first, older man meets younger, virginal woman. Second, after being scared by his feelings for her, older man treats younger woman horribly to run her off. Finally, younger woman forgives older man for his shitty attitude and sex, love, and happiness ensue: The End (ask me sometime about Bertrice Small books - I can do the same thing). This novel, as you would never tell from the description is different. Alice might be a virgin, but it is her wit and feelings for Harley that take the forefront, from the beginning she uses humor and kids him about marrying her. That attitude helps Harley overlook the disappointing relationships he's had in the past and makes him that much more anxious to spend time with her. The only thing that I would say is negative about this book is that it seemed to really need to be almost twice as long. They start bringing in a criminal/mystery element to this book that isn't fleshed out enough and is definitely left hanging. Hopefully this means that Palmer has a full sized novel coming out soon or at least there are going to be some more Silhouette Desire books to round out the suspense!
Overall Feeling - Thumbs up. A fun book that definitely deserves to be added to shelves, and one that claims its place as the latest release in this well known, and well loved, series.
Series - Started in 1988, there are almost 30 books in this series, so please check out Diana Palmer's website for the list!
