The romance was sweet and fairly believable, the moppet was adorable, the dudely dude was foxy, and the lady was smart/nice/not-a-pushover. The villain, however, was a both cipher and a cardboard cut-out. For all that a small part of the story is told from his p.o.v., I never got a sense of why he was who he was and crazy is not a sufficient motivator for me. Lots of people are "crazy" and manage not to be murderous jerk-wagons. On the plus side, while the dudely protagonist was disabled I never felt like his disability was a stand-in for a personality or a cop-out for narrative tension. Overall, I liked enough to continue with my Susan Andersen glom. ( )

A fairly decent romantic suspense. I actually enjoyed watching the hero fall for the heroine's baby girl more than watching him trying to get with the heroine. That was oddly the better relationship. I didn't really understand why the bad guy was going what he did. His crazy possessiveness was too random and just didn't make much sense. Other than that, this was an interesting, fairly satisfying read.
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I love Emma, Elvis and Grace. Love.

The stalker plot is kind of overplayed, but I skim those parts when I reread and focus on the romance. Which I love. ( )

Very good mystery with a strong female lead. Interesting characters fill the small town setting. A strong but flawed leading man added a nice layer of characterization. l liked this one. ( )

This fun and involving romantic suspense story from Susan Andersen features a hunky hero with a hook--that's right, one hand and one hook. Sheriff Elvis Donnelly (we need more heroes named Elvis) is six-feet-six of solid muscle with laser-blue eyes and thick, dark hair. He also has a metal hook in place of one hand, and an angry, jagged scar on his handsome face. When a car bomb ended his big city law enforcement career, Elvis returned to his Washington state hometown of Port Flannery and became the local sheriff. Always an outcast, due to his size and his mother's reputation as a prostitute, Elvis' injuries and scars have made him even more of a loner. That all changes when a sassy blonde with a sexy Southern drawl and an irresistible young daughter storm into his life and move into the same boarding house where he lives. Emma Sands and her daughter Gracie left New Orleans in the rearview mirror and came across country to find a safe and secure new life. Elvis' lawman sensibilities are on full alert as he tries to learn more about Emma and her daughter's move so far from their home. His male awareness of the bodacious and beautiful Emma adds fuel to the fire, and he also finds himself twisted around the tiny little finger of the adorable Gracie. The big man falls in a big way, but he is afraid to trust that Emma sees him as a whole, strong man, not just a wounded warrior in need of tender loving care. When it comes to TLC, Elvis gives as good as he gets! Threats from Emma's past and unresolved issues between Elvis and his mother are roadblocks in the way of the true happiness of a man, a woman, and a child who deserve a second chance at a life fulfilled. Great characters make this a very enjoyable read. ( )