Exposure by Susan Andersen

Hmmmm, I'm getting this vague feeling of deja vu. Heroine escaping to a small town (check). Quirky characters (check). Hero is a hunky sheriff (check). Didn't I just read a book like this? Oh, yeah, it was True Confessions by Rachel Gibson (see review below). Except Exposure is romantic suspense and not a silly contemporary like TC. And it turns out I liked it quite a bit better. Maybe that's because in general I like romantic suspense better than silly contemporaries (but not always). I can more easily forgive the faults in a romantic suspense over a supposedly funny contemporary. Yup, it's not fair, but there you are.

Emma Sands is on the run from her creepy guardian who is obsessed with her and has been secretly videotaping her for the last 14 years. She also suspects that he had killed her husband and brother. So she takes off from New Orleans with her 3 year old daughter, Grace, and the videotapes and after getting on the wrong ferry, ends up in Port Flannery, Washington, when her car breaks down. After a confrontation with the dishonest auto mechanic, Emma decides to settle into small town life for a short while with her daughter and eventually meets big tough Sheriff Elvis Donnelly, a 6 foot 6 inch hunka-hunka-burning-love. Elvis had a difficult childhood and was the town bad boy. He became a successful cop in nearby Seattle, only to return to town after being seriously injured by a car bomb. Elvis' scarred face and prosthetic arm have further distanced him from the community that has a hard time accepting him.

When Emma and Elvis meet the sparks fly and the attraction is palpable. Elvis is convinced she is running away from something and decides to keep a close eye on her. Little Gracie plays quite a prominent role in this book and I have to issue a warning: If you don't like baby-talk or children in books then avoid Exposure. Up until I read this book I would have been one of those who would avoid this book like the plague but I was absolutely charmed by Gracie. When she kisses Elvis' scar on his face and says "owie" my heart just melted (yeah, I'm a sap). And she's not an 'adorable perfect child' type that I detest. She had her bratty moments.

I really liked Elvis (hated the name though). I liked how Emma never really saw his scars, and just accepted him and was instantly attracted to him. The secondary characters were not too quirky, the plot moved along quickly with some snappy dialog and the sex scenes were very hot. But there was no real mystery to solve since the bad guys were pretty obvious. Exposure is set near my home east of Seattle so I could see that Andersen did her research well since I have this urge to take a ride on a ferry to the San Juan islands in the near future.

My grade: B+