Trust can be a deadly weapon...
Rating: 5 Stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book
for review from Loving the Book and the author.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive
review. The opinions I have expressed
are my own. I am posting this in
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He was the photographer, she the model and on a sunny beach on Mahé, she stole his heart. But Darryn isn't ready for the powerful feelings Hannah elicits, so when another photographer implies he's also slept with Hannah, Darryn uses it as the perfect excuse to walk away.
But when they meet again, he can't ignore his instincts—Hannah is in danger. Lies and threats make targets of them both, and faced with a situation of pure terror, Darryn is forced to realize he'll do anything to protect her. And to keep her with him, always...
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I have been reading love stories for as long as I can remember and when I ‘met’ the classic authors like Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry James, The Brontë sisters, etc. during my Honours studies, I was hooked for life.
I married my college boyfriend and soul mate and after 40 years, 3 interesting and wonderful children and 3 beautiful grandsons, he still makes me weak in the knees. We are fortunate to live in the picturesque little seaside village of Betty's Bay, South Africa with the ocean a block away and a beautiful mountain right behind us. And although life so far has not always been an easy ride, it has always been an exiting and interesting one!
I like the heroines in my stories to be beautiful, feisty, independent and headstrong. And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of sensitivity. They are of course, also gorgeous! My stories typically incorporate the family background of the characters to better understand where they come from and who they are when we meet them in the story.
Connect with the Author here:
Hannah Sutherland has a job where
following directions is very important.
Darryn Cavallo’s job is making sure that others follow his commands. You can see that they have an instant
connection and it’s that connection that sets off a series of events. The steam is hot and you can almost feel the chemistry
these two have. But the author also
creates a character that will have you turning the pages to see what he’s about
and what the outcome will be.
One question I came up with for
you is, do you believe in instant attraction with someone you work with? Another question is; how would you feel if
that attraction was directed in your direction?
Even though it was almost 200 pages, the story went by very quickly – I
wasn’t ready for it to come to an end.
It is a book that you could consider as a stand-alone but the author
includes characters from the previous books in this series. Not having read the others didn’t stop me
from enjoying Hannah and Darryn’s story.
But the author has left me no choice but to go back and find out what I’ve
missed.
I could also see someone actually
being in Hannah’s situation. It must be
hard to be a model that garners a lot of attention – both wanted and
unwanted. But for Hannah she had others
that could help her – eventually. With
some things playing out in the news lately, you can see where some women would
feel so alone and feeling that they have no recourse. Then there’s the way that Darryn acts toward
her. He acts like a jerk more then once
but love always seems to make things better. I couldn’t find out if there’s going to be a
book five so we’ll just have to be patient and see.
Short Excerpt:
So
where are all the Cavallos now?” His laugh was high, near hysterical. Stephen
yanked her against his body with his one arm. “You’re all alone. Not even
Darryn Cavallo is in sight!”
The
guy probably hadn’t had a shower in days, and he also had too much to drink;
the stench wafting from him, was overwhelming. She swallowed against the nausea
that rose in her throat, but she kept still.
“No,
it’s only you and me, Stephen. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?” she said
sweetly.
His
arm stilled around her body. “That’s right,” he said. “You and me, I like the
sound of that.” And again his high-pitched laughter followed.
They
reached the car. She would have one chance. That was it.
Stephen’s
one arm dropped from her body as he fiddled in his pocket, probably looking for
his car keys.
“I—”
“Stand
still!” he ordered, yanking her back again. He unlocked the passenger door of
the car.
“I
only want to take my shoes off, they’re hurting me. Surely you won’t mind that?”
Hannah asked meekly and moved so she leaned against the car.
Stephen
came closer, still wielding the gun.
She
bent forward and took off one shoe. “Put away the gun. I’m here, and I’m not
going anywhere,” she said, not looking at him.
Slowly,
she bent down to take off the other shoe while looking at Stephen from the
corner of her eye. He played with the gun for a few seconds, but then put it in
his pocket.
“Just
don’t try anything,” he said and turned slightly to scan the area.
This
would be her only chance. Hannah grabbed her shoe and clutched it tightly in
both her hands. Stephen moved his feet so his back was turned in her direction.
This was it. With all the built-up anger inside of her, she brought down the
sharp heel, aiming it straight at the back of his head.
Darryn
wasn’t sure why he was there. But somehow, being close to one of Hannah’s
sisters always seemed to calm him down. He was feeling restless, kind of
anxious, and he wasn’t sure why. He’d been working non-stop to get photos ready
for the launch of their new hotel near the Kruger National Park, and everything
was running smoothly.
He
hadn’t been sleeping well; he couldn’t stop thinking about Hannah. Nothing new
– he was always thinking about her. But ever since the idea of asking her about
Stephen White had popped up in his head, he kept coming back to the idea.
Over
the last few days his restlessness had increased and with it, a feeling of
dread kept him on edge. It was taking all his self-control not to jump on their
company plane and go find Hannah. He thought maybe here, close to her sister,
he’d feel more settled. And maybe he’d hear something about Hannah’s
whereabouts without having to ask.
“You
look like hell,” said Don, his oldest brother as he greeted him.
Darryn
shrugged and ignored the statement.
“What
are you doing all alone on a Saturday night?” Don asked as they entered the big
living room.
A
television was on, looked like they were watching a fashion channel. He would
know, he watched it often enough. In the corner of the room, a huge square box
was filled to the rim with toys.
“Just
stopping by,” he said easily. “Donato asleep already?”
The
stupid grin Don usually got when anyone talked about his son appeared
immediately. “Yes, the little guy attended his first party today and fell
asleep on the way home.”
“You’ll
have to work on his stamina. In your heydays you could party all night long.”
Grinning, Darryn motioned toward the television. “And look what you’re now
doing on a Saturday night.”
“Caitlin
was watching the Paris Fashion Show, as Hannah was one of the models. And then,
of course, she had to talk to her on the phone right away.” He frowned. “We
haven’t heard from Hannah in a while. As you know she didn’t even attend Dana
and Dale’s wedding. Caitlin is worried about her, has been for some time now.”
Darryn
rubbed his chest where the feeling of dread was more acute now.
“Don!”
Caitlin’s anxious voice sounded down the corridor, and the next minute she was
standing in the door, her eyes brimming with tears. She glanced in Darryn’s
direction and nodded, but she walked into Don’s open arms.
“What’s
wrong?” asked Don.
“It’s
Hannah. Something is very, very wrong but she …” She suddenly stopped speaking,
stepped out of Don’s arms while grabbing the television remote. The voice that
had been faint in the background now filled the entire room.
“…It
has been confirmed that it was Sophie Thomas who was pushed in front of a car,
not Hannah Sutherland as previously reported.”
Darryn’s
heart simply stopped when he heard Hannah’s name and “pushed in front of a car”
in one sentence. A loud noise blocked out the rest of the guy’s words.
Caitlin
turned around to Don, her face paling. “So that’s what happened,” she
whispered. “I could tell something was wrong, but she kept saying she’s fine.
That’s it! I’m flying to Hannah tonight …”
Don
hugged her close, caressed her shoulders. “Of course, sweetheart, whatever you
want, but let’s talk about this,” he said calmly and rationally. “We know
Hannah is fine. She wasn’t the person who was pushed. You spoke to her, you
heard her voice, she’s okay. What did she say to have you in tears?”
The
noise finally subsided in his ears and, flabbergasted, Darryn stared at Don.
His mouth was so dry, he struggled to get words out. “She’s really fine?” he
finally managed.
Don
nodded. “It was another model; she’s fine too, by the way.” He turned Caitlin
back to face him. “Sweetheart, what—?”
“She
didn’t really say anything, but I could hear she’s been crying. And I’m sorry,
but I can’t believe all these things that are happening around Hannah are
accidents!” Caitlin hiccupped and pushed away from Don. “I mean, after the
first hit-and-run accident she had on Mahé, we all thought it was random, but
then Zoe was pushed while she and Hannah were wearing similar-coloured clothes
and now this. And there has to be a reason why Hannah didn’t attend Dana and
Dale’s wedding.”
Darryn
heard Caitlin’s voice as if from a distance. She was saying what had been
bothering him for months now.
“But
Hannah keeps saying nothing is wrong,” Don said and led his wife to the couch.
“We
have all been so busy falling in love and getting married, I think we all knew
something was wrong, but we didn’t push Hannah. I know something happened to
her two years ago – she was devastated and hid away at my mom’s for weeks. She
didn’t want to talk about it, though, and I always hoped she’d talk when she
was ready.” She stared at Don. “You know, now that I think about it, it was
after those weeks she stayed with mom that all these ‘accidents’ started to
happen.”
“So
what? You think it has to do with whatever it was that upset her in the first
place?” asked Don.
Caitlin
nodded. “It has to be. I mean Hannah is the quiet one, the happy one. But ever
since that time she has changed.” She sighed and leaned against Don. Her gaze
landed on Darryn and she pointed at him.
“Whatever
happened to her then had something to do with you. That much I do know. Maybe
it’s time you tell us.”
Darryn
walked to a chair next to the couch and sat down. She was right; it was time to
tell Caitlin what had happened between him and Hannah.
Author Interview:
1.
What kind of music do you listen to while you
write?
I don’t listen to music while I
write – I’m totally immersed in the story and forget everything around me –
even the food on the stove. I do find that songs sometimes trigger a story –
for instance, a wonderful line in a Steve Moakler song, ‘I don’t have to move
my feet to dance with you’. That one inspired a story.
2.
What is your favorite part of writing?
There is that magical moment when
all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place – usually towards the end of the
story – I love it when that happens.
3.
What is the most important thing in your life
and why?
My husband, my kids and grandkids –
they make everything worth while
4.
If you could go out to lunch with any literary
character, which would it be?
Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and
Prejudice. I’d love to talk to her about Darcy J
5.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
If you want to be a writer, write J
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Thanks for the shout-out and the review, Lynn! I appreciat it. And unfortunately, I'm finished with the Cavallos - I miss them too :)
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