TO THE EDGE

Author: Cindy Gerard ISBN: 031299091 5/2005 SUSPENSE Publisher: ST. MARTIN'S PRESS

The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Jillian Kincaid grew up with bodyguards shadowing her every move-and she hated it. Now a TV anchorwoman, she refuses to let another hired thug follow her around. Not even when she begins to receive terrifying death threats. Not even when the bodyguard is the darkly seductive Nolan Garrett... Trained in Special Ops, bodyguard Nolan Garrett has been hired by Jillian's father to keep her out of danger. But it's clear from the start that Jillian isn't going to make his job easy. Far from the spoiled princess he expected, Jillian is tough, independent, and totally sexy. And she's fighting him every step of the way. As Jillian's stalker raises the stakes, Nolan must keep her close if he wants to keep her alive. But being so close can only turn up the heat that's been simmering between them-a heat that could explode into passion at any moment...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I wish I had Batman's gift for colorful expletives!

About the best I can do for TO THE EDGE's hero, Nolan Garrett, is "Holy Testosterone"!

And that paltry phrase does not really do Garrett justice. This guy is just a dream of a character. Not only is he a gorgeous hunk of male heat, Ms. Gerard's hero is so brilliantly written he practically leaps off the pages of TO THE EDGE. Hard as nails, this dangerous, conflicted character is the pulse—the heart and soul, if you will—of Ms. Gerard's romantic suspense.

TO THE EDGE is as much about Garrett's journey back into the land of the living as it is about his romance set amid a compelling thriller.

Nolan's heroine, Jillian Kincaid, almost pales in comparison to his character. Almost. Jillian, who can hold her own against a taciturn Garrett, is appealing in her own right. Garrett, however, is at the reins of this story and sweeps Jillian along for the ride.

I have a real fondness for bodyguard stories because men who protect really appeal to me. And Garrett definitely appeals to me!

The suspense angle in TO THE EDGE is also well-done. Ms. Gerard delivers some interesting suspects into the mix as she skillfully navigates the reader through a maze of terror.

Well, just about everything in TO THE EDGE is well-done. The dialogue is wonderful, the humor is right on target and the love dance between the romantic pair is sizzling. Down right scorching, in fact. And the darker elements of this story don't overwhelm it.

TO THE EDGE is edgy, exciting and oh-so-sexy.

And imagine! There are two more Garrett-like characters waiting in the wings—his two (and equally gorgeous) older brothers. But first, Garrett's twin sister, Eve, takes her turn in Ms. Gerard' next romantic suspense, TO THE LIMIT.

Debbie Jett