"What a great story!"

Reporter Cassandra Jones got mighty tired of being passed over at press conferences and for all the good stories so she decided to completely change her appearance. Away went the mousy brown hair and the smart- girl glasses. She was now a whiplash blonde with contacts --

a tough chick.

It's awfully strange after her makeover that her editor assigns her to follow Marine hero Captain Sam Wilder around for a couple of weeks and write his story. This is the same Sam Wilder who totally ignored her at his press conference for a perky blonde reporter. Now it's payback time.

Cassie doesn't count on discovering that Sam is an all around nice guy and gorgeous to boot but he's got the reputation of having a Teflon heart and Cassie doesn't want to be one of his conquests. The more Cassie digs into Sam's background the more she comes to admire him. The problem is Cassie's an only child and she had a terrible childhood. Her mom was an alcoholic and she grew up the best way she could. Sam has a loving family and all of his brothers were Marines at one time or another, as well. Cassie knows there's no way she is even in the same ballpark with Sam and his family so the best thing she can do is not get too terribly involved.

Wow, what a wonderful story this was. I live in a Marine town and live in a neighborhood full of Marine pilots so this story really hit home for me. I enjoyed Sam and Cassie's story so much that I want to find Sam's brothers' stories so I can read those as well. Great job, Cathie Linz! I eagerly look forward to more of your stories.

Reviewed by Kathy Boswell
Posted March 19, 2003