This is a modern day Indian Jones type of romantic suspense. It’s set in contemporary times but has a fantasy adventure feel to it. Narice is the headmistress at a prestigious school whose life is turned upside down. First her dad is murdered in a horrible way, then she is kidnapped by some nasty fellows, and finally she is kidnapped again by a man who claims he is saving her from the bad kidnappers. Head spinning yet? This is how the book begins but as the story unfolds things start to make a little more sense. Apparently her dad was the keeper of a sacred diamond that a country wants back and she is the “key” to finding it. Now she and her kidnapper who calls himself Saint must follow the clues and locate it to avoid political catastrophe and her death. In between all of this madness they fall in love.
The two hit it off despite the circumstances. It’s kind of crazy and this stuff could never happen in real life but if you throw reality out of the window and go with the flow it’s an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. The characters are well done, both in their late 30’s with life experience and a little baggage. He’s protective and sexy and has a potentially shady past, while she’s smart and independent but vulnerable too. Their banter feels realistic, despite the situation, but there are some little things that feel contrived. For instance, he has this nifty security thingy to find bugs but doesn’t use it on her until some spies AKA cockroaches discover their whereabouts. They then have to get all bad-ass on these cockroaches. It makes him look like a bit of a dummy and I thought it way too contrived that the little bug was hidden in a clothing item that caused him to think about her naked breasts. But I’m nitpicky like that.
All in all this is a decent romance but nothing I’d reread. I’m not a big action fan and for me to truly enjoy a book of this type it either has to be very emotional or extremely funny.
