Gennita Low, $11.55, ISBN 978-1440471698
Romantic Suspense, 2009
Big Bad Wolf is Gennita Low’s first ever romantic suspense finally coming out of the drawer, so to speak. Don’t worry, folks, this is not a first draft vomited out for public consumption – author Gennita Low has substantially rewritten and revised much of it for its current release. Despite this book being the result of the author’s DIY publishing project using Createspace, it is a polished and well-written read. The layout is professional and the writing isn’t marred by countless grammar and spelling mistakes.
Our heroine Jaymee Barrow is a roofer and she runs a construction business. She is not to be confused with the author, by the way, because I’m pretty sure the author is not married to a secret agent. Anyway, one fine day Jaymee finds herself with a new employee. “Nicholas Langley” would have made the world a happier place by swinging around a stripper pole than swinging a hammer, if we are to judge by his looks and physique, but if he wants to be a roofer, Jaymee isn’t turning him away because she is understaffed at the moment. Little does she know that her newest employee is actually a covert action hero who is currently looking for some downtime after nearly losing his life in a recent assignment. Falling in love with this fellow is probably not the wisest thing to do, but who says the heart is smart, eh?
Big Bad Wolf is related to the COS Commando books Ms Low wrote when she was still with Avon but this one is pretty “peaceful”, let’s just say, compared to those books. There are no big explosions, intrigue, or bad guys with bigger missiles. For a long time, this story sees Nick and Jay clicking and bonding up a storm. This is the best part of the story, by the way. I think Jay can get a little melodramatic when it comes to her fear of abandonment issues, but on the whole, this is one tough cookie who can certainly take care of herself.
As for Nick, he’s a pretty okay hero. My issue with him as well as the plot is that… well, I don’t want to get into spoilers, so let me just say that later in the story, Nick seems to be way too unprepared for someone with his job for the possibility that Jaymee may in danger by associating with him. Men like him have some nasty enemies waiting in the shadows to pounce, after all. It’s a small matter, really, but I still feel that the drama late in the story feels like a deliberate contrivance to allow the hero to come to the heroine’s rescue. Nick is supposed to be a professional, so shouldn’t he be taking more precautions to keep Jay safe? Hmm.
Still, Big Bad Wolf is an enjoyable read. A little heavier in romance compared to the suspense, this one nonetheless boasts some great chemistry between the lead characters and a few effective romantic scenes that have me convinced that these two will be alright in the long run. I wish the intrigue aspect of the plot has been handled a little better – or, at the very least, the build-up towards the climatic moment has been spaced throughout the whole story instead of packed towards the later half of the story – but that doesn’t really hamper my enjoyment of this story in a significant manner.
