Samhain Publishing, $5.50, ISBN 978-1-60504-043-1
Romantic Suspense, 2008

Our hero, Tom McMillian, is the ex-husband of Kathleen Palmer, the heroine of Truth and Consequences. He gets his own story here. As he and Celia St John attempt to get to the bottom of what seems like an illegal baby trade ring, they will fall in love. There are twists and turns, but this is pretty much the premise of the story.

First off, I must say that it is a pleasure to come across a heroine who is a professional in her job. Celia may not be perfect, but she’s capable and competent, which is great given that too many authors will happily turn a heroine into an inept damsel in distress just to get the rescue fantasy going. The story is a pleasant and well-paced romantic suspense nicely balanced with romance so that one doesn’t overshadow the other.

However, I find it hard to believe that the romance isn’t just some kind of rebound fling on Tom’s part. The author doesn’t succeed in convincing me that he’s moved on from Kathleen. I don’t even know why Celia is infatuated with Tom. He is a rather self-absorbed me-me-me type. Then again, some women like the challenge posed by such a man, thinking that they will be the only one who will change him and break down his barriers, so this could very well be that case.

I don’t really buy the romance, but I have a good time reading Memories of Us all the same.