FRICTION by Sandra Brown
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The minute Judge Spencer starts asking about his past, Crawford knows he’s lost. His in-laws will keep custody of Georgia, and his sweet little girl will only see him on weekends. A split second later, a masked gunman enters the courtroom, kills the bailiff, and aims for the judge. Crawford’s Texas Ranger instincts kick in. He tackles Holly Spencer to the ground, shielding her bodily, and kicks out at the gunman, who flees the scene. Crawford follows. After a rooftop shootout, the man with the gun is killed, but no motive can be found. And Crawford’s reckless pursuit has likely sealed the fate of his custody case. But when Crawford goes to Holly’s house to check in on her, things take an unexpected turn as their mutual attraction leads to one amorous encounter after another. Their relationship gets more complicated as Crawford becomes a suspect in the shooting–and it turns out that Holly might not have been the target after all.
This fast-paced romantic suspense novel is marred only slightly by the stereotypical tall-dark-handsome male lead. But his love for his daughter rounds out his character a bit, and the compelling female protagonist makes the relationship more engaging. The sex-at-first-sight is a little ridiculous, but it is not atypical for the genre. Overall, a fun read for romantic suspense fans!
Susan the Librarian 