Let's get this out there first - this may be marketed as a "romance" but what I enjoyed about the book is the mystery and suspense angle. The cover makes it look like just another "boink me" romance, and there is some of that in there. And yes, that part is well written. I really like Heather. She is tough. She has to be, with an alcoholic Vietnam Vet father, a bar to run, a nasty bunch of Texas hillbillies around, and an environmental engineering degree to finish at UT Austin. That is, if she can afford it with a father who is too drunk to work, a bar to keep up and running, and more money troubles than she can handle.

Stark is the new police chief in town - in a department with a nasty history of corruption, he is an import from Dallas, a burned out cop with a fat file of commendations, a busted marriage, two little girls he hasn't seen in nine years, a bad temper and a crippled ex-partner.

The romance itself is well done and realistic. Stark is no prize - broken in heart and burned out as a cop, he is hoping that this posting to a tiny coastal town will give him a chance to breath, to heal a bit, then decide what he is going to do with the rest of his life. What he gets is far from what he expects.

What starts off as a case of food poisoning, traced back to Heather’s bar, soon turns darker and darker, as hillbilly heaven turns into a world of murder, kidnapping, arson, and drug running. What happens next kept me interested and happy I was able to look past the cover and immerse myself into the story. It is a lot more than just a simple romance story – and lucky for me I took a chance on it.

“Stark’s Reality” is a freebie on Amazon right now – if you want a copy, you couldn’t find a better time to pick it up. Oops! No longer free!
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