Arabesque, $5.99, ISBN 1-58314-283-5
Romantic Suspense, 2002

Oh dear, this is what happens when an author switches gear but is unable to adapt enough to make the change. Kim Louise’s debut Destiny’s Song is a pleasant slice of romantic drama because of this author’s easily paced style of writing. I didn’t manage to get her next book, so I don’t know about that one.

When she puts the same slow pace to writing this, Falling For You (a romantic suspense thingie), the whole story starts to fall apart faster than the first little pig’s straw house being huffed and puffed by the big bad wolf.

Sabin Strong is a martial artist. Not that it’s that exciting, to be honest, because Sabin rarely gets to show her karate chops. Her new neighbor is the rich and rather dim-witted Montgomery Claiborne. See, Montgomery has been experiencing a series of suspicious “near-accidents” befalling him, and his dad suspects that he may be the target of some nefarious conspiracy. Monty, no doubt NOT NRA’s biggest fan, balks because guns are so bad, guns are no-no, he’ll just live his life in denial, thankyouverymuch. One day while driving, he panics and ends up destroying Sabin’s bike and almost doing her in in the process.

It’s love – lust – whatever. Well, it’ll make a fine tale to tell the grandkids one day, I guess. Along the way, he begins to suspect that Sabin is the one trying to kill him – I kid you not.

There’s a novelty of having Monty playing the damsel in distress and Sabin the protector, but this story moves at a snail’s pace – s… l… o… w… and more damagingly, Monty makes some very stupid decisions that I start questioning his intelligence. He also doesn’t treat Sabin nice at all, and it pains me to see Sabin letting him get away with his crap almost all the time.

The mystery is pretty average, but without any sense of rhythm or urgency, and the hero acting like a constipated dolt most of the time, Falling for You doesn’t even come close to delivering a thrilling read.