RUMBLE ON THE BAYOU

Author: Jana DeLeon ISBN: 0843957379 10/2006 CHICKLIT Publisher: DORCHESTER

Gator Aid Deputy Dorie Berenger knew it was going to be a rough day when the alligator she found in the town drunk's swimming pool turned out to be stoned. On heroin. Now she has some big shot city slicker from the DEA trying to take over her turf. And Agent Richard Starke is everything she'd feared—brash, demanding and way too handsome for his own good. Or hers. The folks of Gator Bait, Louisiana may know everything about each other, but they're sure not going to share it with an outsider. Richard wouldn't be able to catch a catfish, much less a drug smuggler, without Dorie's help. But some secrets—and some desires—are buried so deep that bringing them to the surface will take a major Rumble on the Bayou.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

It always impresses me to find an author who can write a debut novel that is out of the park the first time around. This is what keeps me coming back for more when I am looking for a good book to read. RUMBLE ON THE BAYOU is phenomenal, keeping me completely entertained from start to finish.

When Deputy Dorie Berenger finds a high alligator with a finger in its mouth, in the pool of the town drunk, she knows that she is in trouble. She knows that as soon as those fancy-schmancy city cops know what she has found, they will be sending in an arrogant, big shot, know-it-all to try to take over her case, and she is just not having it. She may be small and she may look like a beauty queen, but she has a big ol' gun and she knows how to use it.

Dorie is beautiful, has a great sense of humor and knows how to throw a mean left hook. All the people in Gaitor Bait love her and respect her. They know what she is capable of, and would never think to step in her way when she is doing her job. Unfortunately, the one person in this world that Dorie doesn't want in her town has come and set up camp, determined to catch his man and foil Dorie's every attempt to run her own investigation.

Richard Starke is absolutely, without a doubt, the biggest macho-man, big-headed, arrogant son-of-a-pup that Gaitor Bait has ever come across. He walks into town with an enormous chip on his shoulder and a "don't-mess-with-me" attitude, thinking that he is going to walk in and out of this little "hick" town with his man and never have to deal with the resident sheriff's department. Well, one little meeting with a fiery blonde fishing in her skivvies is all it takes for him to realize that this might not be such an easy job to undertake.

Richard and Dorie have outstanding chemistry. Watching the two of them spat and argue and generally hate each other one minute, and then having them set the pages on fire like a pair of lusty, horny toads, is the stuff that all romances should be made of! It is great reading and kept me glued to this book. RUMBLE ON THE BAYOU is a feel good, hysterical, great romp of a read, and I recommend it to romance readers of all genres.

Kristal Gorman