Moving from secure sail to the choppy, dangerous waves,
When circumstances demand Loraine to be more than a little brave,
There are crazy situations that make her sophisticated life lose its sheen,
Here is a very different and adventurous tale from the Romance queen!
About the author: Debbie Macomber is an author I have been following since a couple of years. I have developed an affinity toward light fiction in the past few months. While I have always read thrillers and suspense books, an experiment with this author set me off on the ‘fluffy fiction’ route. In a genre called ‘Gentle Reads’, famous authors like Mary Kay Andrews, Raeanne Thayne, Susan Wiggs and Robyn Carr have written about very strong protagonists who hold their own in adverse conditions. These stories do not have a ‘thriller’ element, but can be equally gripping with an entertaining story and fast-paced narrative. I like to believe that Debbie Macomber is the front runner among them with millions of followers and around 150 books under her pen. She has written many series of books like Blossom Street, Cedar Cove and Mrs. Miracle.
Plot: Lorraine Dancy has a secure future waiting for her. She is engaged to a loving, smart and successful medical executive named Gary. Her impending wedding in a few months brings her joy and anticipation of a blissful life. Her only living relative, her mother Victoria Dancy, is thrilled with her decision.
But the best-laid plans are sometimes thrown off track by fate. A fatal road accident kills Victoria and Lorraine is suddenly left alone in the world, reeling from the shock. She receives another blow to her fragile heart when one of her mother’s belongings reveals a letter from Mexico. It states that her father Thomas Dancy, who was believed to be dead years ago, is alive and well-settled in Mexico.
Lorraine’s outrage and incomprehension at the sudden news of her father goad her to immediately start her search for her estranged father. She leaves behind her sophisticated and safe life in the USA to travel to the very dangerous waters of the foreign land. She just does not realize the gravity of danger until it is too late. The emotional reunion with her father goes well and good. But before she can rest up for a single night, she is accused of theft of a very rare artifact from a Mexican museum!
Jack Keller, a local sailer in Mexico, is a great friend of Thomas. He would do anything for his good buddy. Little does he know, that he would be the ill-fated man to ferry Lorraine safely back to the USA before the Mexican authorities arrest her. Crude, street-smart and arrogant that he is, it doesn’t take Jack much time to make Lorraine reach the limits of her patience and sanity. What follows next is a strained friendship between the beauty and the beast. While each of them despises the other, they do not have anyone else to rely on!
Will the duo cross the troubled waters safely? Will they become friends at the end of the ordeal if they get out alive?
My Opinion: My review writing had taken a back-seat due to many personal reasons. While I wanted to savor this book for a few more days to acquire some insights about the characters’ psyches, the title of this book itself pushed me to write the review: The Sooner The Better!`