"Another tale of romance and mystery by a rising star, Dee Davis."

Riley O'Brien's father, Carter, is on the brink of being elected the next President of the United States and she couldn't be happier, or could she? The two of them had suffered tragedy twenty years ago when Riley's sister, Caroline, and mother died. As a result, she has dedicated her life to her father and his political aspirations, swearing to stay with him through thick and thin. However, things are about to change when suddenly the nightmares from her childhood return.

Jake Mahoney is a homicide reporter, only covering the presidential campaign to help out a fellow reporter. He has much better things to do - and far more important leads to follow then listening to a lot of politicking, no matter how attractive he finds the candidate's daughter. When an exploding car bomb throws him into her path, and her life, things start to heat up... especially when they both show up at the site of a suicide, coincidentally at the same time.

Jake and Riley find themselves together quite a bit as events start to unfold, all making no sense as they try to connect the puzzle pieces to see the whole picture. Through it all, they grow closer, and the attraction they both felt at their initial meeting gets stronger... and harder to deny. Riley knows she should not get involved with him, after all he is a reporter, and her father is so close to his most sought after political goal; but she can't resist Jake's magnetism.

Riley's father and all of his colleagues are strongly opposed to her involvement with Jake, and he is strongly encouraged by his boss at the paper to stay away from her. However, the two of them are together more and more as the entire mystery starts to unfold, and everything appears to be linked to Caroline and her tragic accident. Someone doesn't want the truth to be revealed, and they will stop at nothing to keep Riley and Jake from figuring it all out.

This is an excellent page turner of a book. Ms. Davis has mastered the art of suspense. There are so many twists and turns throughout that the reader is always kept guessing. This reviewer sure changed her mind repeatedly as to who the villains and victims were, and found the conclusion to be a bit of a shocker.

The characters are very well drawn and realistically depicted. One will feel the emotions with them, and be on the edge of the seat waiting for Riley and Jake to solve the mystery. Ms. Davis has a winner here and proves that whatever genre she tackles, she will do so with heart. She is on her way to the top. One will be eagerly awaiting her next tale of romantic suspense.

ã Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2002. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Posted June 1, 2002

Summary

When she was only eight years old, Riley O'Brien survived the unimaginable: the deaths of her mother and sister. As a result she vowed never to desert her father, a brilliant young congressman whose star was on the rise. Now, twenty- one years later, after trading her dreams of a normal life for his ambitions, Riley stands by her father's side as he makes a bid for the presidency. Growing up in the political spotlight, she has become an expert at hiding her feelings behind the surface of her regal beauty. But her defenses are about to be shattered.

Investigative reporter Jake Mahoney resents wasting his time covering an ice princess at a presidential campaign rally. But when a car bomb throws him--literally--on top of the candidate's daughter, Jake quickly realizes that Riley O'Brien is pure fire. No one has ever gotten under his skin like this before. Their attraction is instant, and possibly fatal, as dangerous secrets from the past explode into the present, destroying one life after another in a nightmare of blind ambition...