Judith’s review of A Perfect Storm (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #4) by Lori Foster
He never saw her coming…
Spencer Lark already knows too many secrets about Arizona Storm, including the nightmare she survived and her resulting trust issues. But in order to expose a smuggling ring—and continue avenging his own tragic past—the bounty hunter reluctantly agrees to make Arizona a decoy. Yet nothing has equipped him for her hypnotic blend of fragility and bravery, or for the protective instincts she stirs in him.
Arizona wants to reclaim her life, which means acting as bait to lure the enemy into a trap. Sure it’s dangerous, especially with a partner as distractingly appealing as Spencer. But as their plan—and their chemistry—shifts into high gear, Arizona may discover there’s an even greater risk in surrendering her heart to a hero
Arizona Storm is one of those women who has endured and come out on the other end of a nightmare childhood with some very clear-cut understandings of life and people and herself. She is encased in a impregnable casing of determination and independence, a wall that lets absolutely no one in except the man who saved her from a group of criminals bent on making her a sex slave for sale. She has never known a parent’s love, never had anyone really care for her, and now she has honed her anger and her self-determination into weapons that are totally in sync with those she carries around in the trunk of her car, a place she has lived and slept often. Now she is on the verge of discovering those who tried to take her life and her sanity and she encounters a bounty hunter with whom she shares a puzzling chemistry–at least, it seems puzzling and frightening to her. No way is she going to let this man close to her, no matter how attracted to him she might be.
This novel isn’t really a true adversarial one yet it features two main characters who are strong, gutsy, rough edges and all. Both Arizona and Spencer have experienced profound loss that has caused them to put their deeper emotions way far away back in the “closet” of their subconscious, not even probing there themselves. Their mutual attraction is a very tentative one and the reader is conscious throughout the book that both are extremely fragile, even though both have strengths that many individuals have never achieved. The author’s writing style doesn’t burden the reader with lengthy internal monologues–there are some, of course, but these only enhance the reader’s understanding of the character’s thoughts and inner motives while balancing that with external dialogue and action. Arizona is not going to allow anyone, least of all a man, to control her, yet this story is about these two people finding out that they can merge their strengths of the greater good as well as finding a path that can be traveled by them both in harmony.
I found this to be a very enjoyable read and one I was delighted to experience. It’s a worthy addition to this series and brings in a few of the characters from the first three novels, yet it is a stand alone book in every respect. I can truly say that it is well worth the time and effort to read.
I give it a rating of 4 out of 5
The series:
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place
This book is available from HQN Books. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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