TO LOVE, HONOR AND DEFEND

Author: Beth Cornelison ISBN: 0373274327 4/2005 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HARLEQUIN/Silhouette

Two years ago, Cal Walters was unfairly convicted of assaulting a man in a bar fight. With his conviction, he lost his job as a firefighter, his marriage, and custody of his little girl. Now out of jail, Cal's determined to regain custody of his daughter, who is living in squalor, neglected by his ex-wife. His criminal record hurts his chances of gaining custody of his child, but Cal has a plan ... Through her job, Assistant District Attorney Libby Hopkins has earned a stalker. Someone has been following her and sending her threatening letters. As if the stalker's menace weren't enough to shake up her staid life, bad boy Cal Walters, an old flame who broke her heart years before, has re-entered her life with a startling proposal ... marriage!

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Brace yourself for an exciting rollercoaster ride.

TO LOVE, HONOR AND DEFEND is pure enjoyment. Pulsing with restless energy, this Silhouette Intimate Moments is fast, furious and thrilling.

Newcomer Beth Cornelison has created an intriguing tale, one brimming with several sub-plots. The author blended a second-chance romance churning with turbulent emotions together with a marriage of convenience, a stalker, a brewing custody battle, a drug addicted ex-wife, an injustice (at least to my way of thinking) and made it work. Beautifully.

Ms. Cornelison also has a definite knack for building anticipation—both in the suspense and with the sexual tension (I won't forget the elevator scene, dripping with the aforementioned elements, anytime soon). Several scenes in the story had me biting my nails and on the verge of screaming.

The author didn't skimp on her romantic characters, either. Libby Hopkins and Cal Walters are nicely sketched characters with depth. The reader actually gets to 'see' what makes this pair tick. Cal, in particular, is a real appealing character—an
alpha male who is a born protector with an oh-so-gooey marshmallow heart. Libby has her own appeal, a gutsy heroine fighting past demons. TO LOVE, HONOR AND DEFEND works, in part, because these two characters are dynamite together.

I was going to say category (series) romances are my secret passion, but it's really no secret because I tell anyone who'll listen. And the Silhouette Moments line is probably my favorite of the categories. I'm more than pleased to see another talent added to an already impressive list of authors.

All in all, TO LOVE, HONOR AND DEFEND is extremely well done. If this story is any indication, I can't wait to read more from Ms. Cornelison.

Debbie Jett