AMERICAN DIVA

Author: Julia London ISBN: 0425215644 8/2007 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: BERKLEY SENSATION

Jack Price has one dream: to own and operate a flight school. For him, any job that gets him closer to his goal is worth it, no matter how difficult. So when the opportunity to guard today's hottest pop singer comes along, Jack leaps at the chance. Not long ago, he had a sexy encounter with this American sweetheart—which makes taking this job pretty sweet. But the vixen he knew has turned into a raging diva—and there's no way he'll let her walk all over him like she's doing to everyone else. Audrey LaRue is the latest "It" girl. Everybody wants her—or wants something from her. She's being hounded by the paparazzi, her fans, and her boyfriend-turned-manager. And now she has a deadly stalker. Only Jack Price, her sexy, fearless bodyguard, is grounded enough to protect her—and put her in her place. Audrey must learn to trust him, not only with her life, but with her heart.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Overall, I found AMERICAN DIVA a terrific story. I really enjoyed the real life feel of the relationship between Audrey and Jack. Both of the characters didn't want to be attracted to one another, and knowing Audrey was already in a relationship (of a sort) didn't help matters. Some readers may take exception to the fact that Audrey's previous relationship wasn't over the minute she and Jack began their relationship. To me, it seemed more real to show how Audrey didn't want to hurt Lucas and didn't know how to end it.

Jack's strong character was apparent throughout the novel, especially in relation to his expectations of the relationship with Audrey. The suspense involving the stalker was adequate, but I found it a bit too simplistic in its conclusion. One needed the stalker in the story so that Jack had a reason to be hired, but I found the stalker subplot more of a distraction rather than an integral part of the story.

Readers will enjoy AMERICAN DIVA for the heart-filled and heat-filled relationship of Audrey and Jack, and can overlook the mediocre suspense in favor of the superbly written characters' relationship.

Kendra Patterson