Cheryl Norman, Restore My Heart

Restore My Heart

Cheryl Norman

Medallion, Mar 2007, $6.99

ISBN: 1932815864

Financial wizard Joe Desalvo regrets he did not come home to Louisville more frequently as he feels guilt that he failed to recognize the signs that his dad was depressed enough to commit suicide. Joe's mom believes her beloved Leo would never kill himself; she thinks he was murdered. Joe is unable to persuade his mother otherwise.

Sally Clay's bought the Mustang Sally classic car restoration business from her Uncle Sal in hope that her dad would be motivated to get out of the house to work on the autos. Her business is in trouble due to new competition and the death of her best customer, Leo of Bloom-Desalvo Motors. When Joe arrives with a rare 1954 Kaiser Darrin sports car that his dad bought the day before he died, Sally is excited until she looks under the hood and finds a Ford engine inside the vehicle. She notifies FBI Agent Ferguson and Joe. As they investigate how his knowledgeable father was conned, they fall in love. However, neither realizes someone is watching their every move in case they get to close to the truth.

RESTORE MY HEART is an exhilarating, romantic, suspense thriller starring two likable protagonists. Sally is especially a fascinating lead character as she is wheelchair bound with a father who thinks of her as flawed. Her dad's scorn of her has led the heroine to believe a hunk like Joe would never desire her. Adding to the fine lead characterizations is the gender bending as she knows her cars while he knows how to drive an automatic. Though the villain seems out of left field and the late suspense takes away (can't explain further without a spoiler) from a wonderful contemporary, fans will want to ride with Cheryl Norman's fine Louisville slugger.

Harriet Klausner