Review: Tempting Fate, by Meryl Sawyer


meryl sawyer, tempting fate, book review

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Arizona journalist Kelly Taylor's heart shattered when her husband died in a plane crash. Only then did she learn that he had a child, abandoned in a Venezuelan orphanage. Determined to rescue the boy, she turns to undercover agent Logan McCord for help. Soon, Kelly and Logan begin a perilous liaison, joined in a sham marriage that arouses an irresistible desire. And together, they confront a maelstrom of secrets and danger, where an innocent child and a cruel killer are waiting.

Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: November 2003

Offensive content: hot sex scenes, murder, conspiracy to murder, abused children, dirty politicians and everything else in between.

Review: 
This is an older book, and while it is still perfectly readable, there are minor details that no longer fit in today's digital world, such as sending the draft of a magazine article by FedEx and not by e-mail and developing rolls of negatives in a dark room. This being said, it is one of the best romantic suspense books I've ever read. The downside: there is no Kindle version and it seems that, at least on Amazon, the best you can do is get a used paperback.

The author leaves you lots of clues about the bad guys. You actually get to see the story from their point of view, but you never know who they are. And with so many potential culprits, picking the right two becomes hard. This aspect of the book captivated me even more than the romance itself.

Kelly Taylor is trying to rebuild her life after her husband's tragic death and a news story gone wrong that left her with no choice but to leave New York and a promising career as a journalist to return to her hometown of Sedona and direct the local newspaper her grandfather founded a long time ago. She's laying low, helping her grandfather and trying to stay out of the limelight when, unexpectedly, the journalistic scoop of the century lands, almost literally, on her lap.

Logan McCord is a special ops operative suddenly pulled out from active duty after a random fingerprint check identifies him as the long lost adopted son of Senator Haywood Stanfield. Logan had been adopted by Haywood (Woody) and Ginger Stanfield at age one and then kidnapped, without a trace, at age five. He has no memory of ever living with the Haywoods and does not remember the kidnapping, but he does remember all the abuse he suffered since then. He agrees to return to Sedona to meet his adoption family, but there is one major problem. Logan is the spitting image of Woody, which shows that the adoption was a scam from the beginning and may very well ruin Woody's chances of being the next president of the United States.

The Haywoods are a nest of vipers and clearly some (or all of them) preferred Logan had never returned and will take extreme measures to make sure he leaves again. For good, this time, in a coffin and six feet under. After a while, we realize that the web of money, power and murder runs deep in the family, and that deception is the norm for them.

Then, on a parallel story, Kelly discovers that her late husband, the love of her life, had actually been cheating on her and had a son with another woman. The little boy is now stuck in an orphanage in Venezuela and Kelly enlists Logan to help her find and adopt him. But since she needs to be married to be able to adopt, Kelly and Logan stage a wedding that is supposed to last a maximum of six months, until the boy is legally Kelly's son and Logan is sent to another tour of duty in Africa. But with the sparks that fly every time they are together, you can already see where that marriage is going to end.

The story has a million twists and turns and will keep you glued to the book until you find out the final who-done-it. I loved Kelly and Logan, loved the development of their relationship and was rooting for a happy ending from the start.

My only complaint: the last third of the book packed too much information, mostly about Logan's past. While it was interesting to get to know more about Logan, the author had dropped so many hints along the way that coming back to all of it in detail irked me, especially at a time when I was almost biting my nails to get to the end. This, in my opinion, makes the book unnecessary long (over 430 pages), does not add much to the story and is the main reason why I'm giving it four stars instead of five.

Still, a great story, especially for those who like a bit (or a lot) of suspense added to their romance novels.

Enjoy your week!





Comments

  1. Hi, thanks for lnking up with us at Literacy Musing Mondays. I appreciate that you lable books that may have offensive parts.

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    1. Yeah, though I'm not easily shocked by what I read in books, I like to be warned in advance, so I always try to incorporate that in my reviews too...Thank you for stopping by Mary!

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    2. I really appreciate this too! Thanks for sharing this book at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com! I appreciate reading your thoughts on it.
      Tina

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  2. Thanks for sharing your book review at Together on Tuesdays! You've included everything to help us know all about this book. Hope you'll come back and link here again; loved having you :)
    Lisa

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    1. Thank you Lisa! I've already linked up to this week's party!

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  3. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on The Cozy Reading Spot this week Teresa.

    Marissa

    Reading List

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  4. This sounds like a great book to read. Thanks for sharing at my Grandma Ideas Sharing Time link party.

    Nina

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