by Nora LeDuc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Romantic Suspense
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BLURB:
Who killed
Judge Shaw Buchanan aka “the hanging judge,” on the day of his wife’s funeral?
When Harper Buchanan, the judge’s
estranged daughter, witnesses her father’s murder in the small town of Barley,
New Hampshire, she promises to find his escaped killer. She hires local private
investigator, Finn O’Rourke to track down the shooter. Soon, they are working
together, and Harper finds herself drawn to Finn’s looks, smarts, and
self-reliance. But she’s fallen for the wrong type of man before. She vows not
to repeat her mistake and to keep their relationship professional.
Finn does his best to deal with
their growing chemistry by focusing on the job. But when someone attempts to
kill Harper to prevent her from uncovering the identity of her father’s
murderer, his goal changes. Harper’s protection becomes Finn’s full-time
priority, even though it means risking his life for a woman who may never love
him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
With
Ted out of sight, her dad’s anger dropped a level. Had he given up chasing
Johnson? Their driveway came into view. Please
turn. Please.
He
snapped the steering wheel to the left. The Audi skidded and then straightened
to soar up the winding gravel drive. Pebbles flew up and thudded against the
tires and the underside of his vehicle. He’d ended his chase. A small measure
of hope eased the ache of terror in her chest.
Her
parents’ home sat at the top of the knoll. Her shoulders throbbed with the pull
of stress as the speedometer pushed fifty and they wound up the thousand-foot
forested hillside.
Harper
closed her eyes and whispered a prayer. The roar of the motor blocked out all
other noises. The iron gate between the stone pillars drew closer and closer.
Why didn’t he slow down and hit the button on the console to unlock the gates?
Maybe
she should call nine-one-one, but that would enrage him too, and what could
emergency responders do in a few seconds?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Nora grew up in rural New
Hampshire, picking blueberries in her backyard and wandering the woods with her
brothers. Now that she’s older, she still lives in rural New Hampshire and
enjoys writing stories. She was first published in 2000 and has written
historical romances, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and mystery. She
is a co-founder of the New Hampshire Romance Writers chapter, which meets
monthly at the Bow Library. Here she enjoys great speakers and the company of
fabulous authors.
When not writing, Nora
spends time with her family, sews quilts, gardens and takes road trips to
anywhere fun.
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GIVEAWAY
3.75 stars
Sweet Dreams, Baby by Nora LeDuc is part of the ‘Love and
Mystery in the ‘6-oh-3’ series. This story follows Harper Buchanan as her estranged
relationship with her father ends abruptly with his murder. Her search for
justice prompts her to enlist the aid of Finn O’Rourke, who has his own history
with the inhabitants of the small town of Barley. Both Harper and Finn have
their own painful histories to deal with, and their unexpected attraction
complicates the investigation that just may prove to be fatal to pursue.
There are intriguing twists and turns to this mystery that
includes its share of dysfunctional relationships. I love Harper’s charismatic
little girl, who manages to steal whichever scene she is in, as well as Finn’s
father, who is unfazed about many things (including the usurpation of his rig,
lol) but I am not so in love with the main characters who feel a little stilted
to me, and I wasn’t convinced of the intensity of their connection, plus the
deliberate obtuseness of Harper’s ex was annoying. There are brief forays into
the villain’s point of view, and the final explanation was quite a surprise to
me as I didn’t think there had been a lot of foreshadowing. This is an
interesting mystery that has its ups and downs but does have a satisfactory
ending that is particularly relevant in terms of the headlines lately.
A copy of this title was provided to me for review
