Family Ties

Ben Slocum had no idea that he had a son until Claire Chastain turns up at his doorstep. The boy has gone missing and Claire has come to the conclusion that his former Navy SEAL father is just the one to help find him. Once Ben comes to grips with the fact that he does have a son, nothing is going to stop him from finding the boy and bringing him home. Claire, who is very close to the boy and was a good friend to his late mother, is beside Ben every step of the way. The two face many dangers as they track down the boy, both physical dangers and dangers of the heart...

This story has a good balance of high action and romance. Ben must use many of the skills he learned as a SEAL to bring home his son, but he must learn other skills to bring home Claire's heart.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I do wish that the author would have researched the city of Pittsburgh, PA before deciding to make it Ben's hometown. Ben could not have graduated from or met his son's mother at Pittsburgh Community College because this institution does not exist. Perhaps these events occured at Allegheny County Community College. As for that job in the steel mill that Ben took after graduation, most ot the steel mills in the Pittsburgh area closed in the late 70s and early 80s. The few remaining do very little hiring. Although the city still clings to its heritage as The Steel City it has been a long time since there has been a booming steel business there. For Ben to have easily found a job in the mill he would have to be in his late 50s or early 60s. Of course, I only noticed these things because I am a lifetime resident of the Pittsburgh area. Others would accept them in the blink of an eye.

I would reccomend this novel to anyone who enjoys a real action packed romance.

Outfoxed!

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg teamed up to write this delightful tale of a gung-ho, tough gal FBI agent (Kate O'Hare) who finds herself "persuaded" to work with her nemesis, con man extrordinaire (Nicholas Fox). What could possibly go wrong, besides everything?!

With characters that are all larger than life, this book will ensure that you remain captivated from the first page to the very last. None of the cast of characters do anything in a small way. From a busty blonde going through a serious midlife crisis, to an actor whois all about becoming his character, the secondary characters are just as amusing and well developed as the mains.

Should you read this book? If you are a fan of the Stephanie Plum novels or any of the USA network "Characters Welcome" series, by all means, yes. If you're not, read it anyway. It's fast paced and loads of fun. The ony people who should steer clear of this novel are those who prefer realism. Not much of that to be found here.