"fun contemporary romance"

In Amoteh, Washington, brooding Danya Stepanov, whose family owns and runs the nearby resort, walks along the cliffs still mourning the loss of his wife Jeannie to a DUI nine years ago. While wandering around he notices a woman by the gravesite of Kamakani asking the chief why her partner, friend, and sometime lover Ben dumped her to marry a bimbo. When she notices Danya, she fears he is suicidal and plans to leap. She informs him her name is Sidney Blakely, a photographer doing the models shoot and she will be his buddy. Danya is shocked because he is attracted to this spirited female, but fails to inform her that he is not a jumper.

Danya persuades Sidney to move into his cottage so that she can escape the horde of females that she is working with and of course she agrees to stay in his home as platonic friends. As his family wonders what is going on, he tells them that she is the one. Meanwhile she continues to moan the loss of Ben, but admits only to herself that Danya is a caring hunk and would she not mind a lifetime or two with him except that she has a wanderlust soul.

TOTAL PACKAGE, the fourth Heartbreaker tale, is a fun contemporary romance starring two likeable protagonists and a horde of support players (mostly his family, but to a lesser degree the models too). The story line's tension comes from Danya knowing eh must be patient with his beloved who needs to recover from what she perceives as her love and he feels was her convenience. Fans of warm contemporary drama will enjoy this fine romance.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted March 5, 2005

Danya Stepanov is the 4th in Cait London's Heartbreaker miniseries, and mourning his deceased wife on top of a mountain isn't where he expects to meet a small naked woman, howling her problems to the moonlit ocean. But Sidney (Sid) Blakely, a world events photographer has just been dumped by a long time love; she's taken an assignment away from "Mr. Rabbit," a swimsuit calendar shoot with gorgeous models--all of whom want to share "girlie" secrets, remake her tomboy image, etc. Sid's view on romance is a little skewed, thanks to her tough military father and sisters, Junior and Stretch. Sid sees no reason to be treated like a delicate flower and Danya's soon letting her open doors for him, on this quirky road to love and surprise in the Stepanov family tradition.

Summary

It had begun like any other assignment. Until the night she encountered Danya Stepanov atop a windswept cliff...then moved in with him. Her immediate feminine response to his masculinity frightened her, for Sidney Blakely didn't do the fair-lady bit. She led during slow dances. Her sole experience with sex had been fast and more about physical fitness. And she believed that home was where the photo shoot du jour was.

But Danya was confident enough to allow her to lead. And he showed her that loving could be slow, and giving...and often. Trouble was, Danya wanted the total package: wife, babies. And Sidney had never believed that such a gift was intended for a woman like her.