Jane Sullivan, Tall, Dark and Texan

Tall, Dark and Texan

Jane Sullivan

Harlequin Temptation, Jan 2004, $4.25, 224 pp.

ISBN: 0373691602

Wendy Jamison is driving from her hometown in Iowa to Hollywood with dreams of making the big time. In Dallas, she exits the highway only to become lost in a bad neighborhood. Before long, she loses her vehicle with all her worldly possessions except for what she is wearing, and much of her cash. Freezing, as she is not dressed for the cold weather that grips the area, Wendy must do something before it can get any worse.

Worse arrives when a tall knight on a motorcycle arrives and offers her a ride to temporary safety. Feeling no other option is available, she reluctantly accepts his offer though her savior looks more like her worst nightmare. Bounty hunter Michael Wolfe will keep Wendy safe though she treats him like a serial rapist rather than the stud who took her out of the cold. As she helps him capture a bail jumper, Wendy and Michael fall in love, "but she is gonna be an actress and he is gonna" fly after jumpers.

Names aside (perhaps the male darling should have been Peter or John) and why Wendy withdrew her life savings in an age of electronic banking, readers will enjoy the meeting of the wholesome Midwesterner and the bad dude. The story line is fast-paced with plenty of action, but it is the repartee between the lead twosome that make this a joy ride as Wendy knows deep inside that her fearsome hero would not harm her. TALL, DARK, AND TEXAN is a fine suspense laden tale for those who appreciate a good girl with the mislabeled bad guy.

Harriet Klausner