"Interesting setting adds dimension to this author's skillful debut hardcover."

Lily Munroe loves the Iditarod race - pitting herself and her superbly trained dogs against the elements in Alaska for one of the toughest challenges anyone can face. She just wishes that Derek Wright, the man she's extremely attracted to but for whom she has nothing but disdain for his playboy lifestyle, didn't insist on competing.

She trains Derek's dogs and is his friend - but Derek wants something more. What Lily doesn't know is that Derek leads a secret life and he's by no means a frivolous person. Derek knows that Lily's life is in danger, and he's determined to protect her on the long race. That means keeping Lily by his side - with fair means or foul.

Ms. Adair is always very skilled at pulling the reader into her story and the Iditarod is certainly a romantic place to visit. I'm always a sucker for stories where the frivolous playboy isn't so carefree, and Derek being an undercover anti-terrorism agent may be a tried and true storyline, but it's appealing. He's also a terrific hero and Lily is definitely to be admired. It did seem like the mystery and circumstances of the race took precedence over the romance. While I got the feeling that Derek was hot for Lily, I didn't feel that quite as strongly from her position. Despite that, I love the way Ms. Adair writes and the subject matter in this book, her debut hardcover, is very interesting.

Reviewed by Morgan Chilson
Posted August 16, 2004

Summary

Lily Munroe thought she had married an honest, dependable man, but she was painfully mistaken. It didn't take long for her once-loving husband to become a secretive stranger— mixing with shady people and even shadier dealings. Although Lily nursed him through a sudden terminal illness, her marriage was over long before he passed away. During that difficult time, only her passion for the exhilarating Iditarod race across Alaska gave her something to look forward to—and she channeled her emotions into training dogs for the grueling event. Now single again, she's more determined than ever to win the race, awaken her sense of self, and leave her past behind.

In the competition, the person to beat is two-time winner Derek Wright, a man Lily dubs Mr. Wrong. Extremely sexy and devilishly charming, Derek is the consummate playboy. Or is he? Although Lily can't deny her intense attraction, she believes he is dangerous to her scarred heart. Little does she know that Derek is an elite antiterrorism agent— or how desperately she'll need to depend on his skills to keep her alive once the race is under way.