"A good character driven romance"

For the last decade, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Zach Forrester has successfully worked the nastiest cases. However, Zach faces his most difficult assignment of his life, one he doubts he will survive. When his sister dumped his three-year-old niece on him, Zach must take care of little Katie who misses her mommy. OPERATION: KATIE includes brushing hair and making peanut bitter and jelly sandwiches (the only thing the kid eats). However, the key to survival is to keep Katie safe from someone who wants her dead. Zach takes Katie to Fossil Hill, Colorado so she can be safe.

Talk about a full plate. Widow Dana Hathaway raises two children, manages a ranch, and is a practicing veterinarian. When Zach arrives, Dana is stunned to see her high school boyfriend who deserted her following the senior prom. She does not want him back in her life, but watching him tenderly care for little Katie touches her heart, propelling her to fall in love again. He shares her emotion, but hides it because he believes he is inadequate for her.

Roxanne Rustand furnishes sub-genre readers with a delightful romantic suspense tale that works because the interrelationships between the key characters seem real. The story line is loaded with action yet filled with angst. Dana is a courageous heroine while Zach is a flawed champion struggling with doing the right thing emotionally for Katie. Though the lead couple is charming, the tale belongs to little Katie, who desperately needs adult compassion and love at a time when her mental health is fragile. OPERATION: KATIE is a powerful romantic suspense that readers will highly value.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 21, 2002