A Heartbeat Away

I enjoyed reading this story. I could not put the book down. Maureen Smith makes you want to read the day away.

Maureen Smith wrote a wonderful romantic suspense. I love the independent women she writes in her books. Samille was an exceptional heroine. There was an innocence about her, yet she was strong, compassionate, fiesty, and loved what she did. Brant was the perfect gentleman. I could tell he cared a lot about Samille. I loved the interactions between Samillle and Brant. Their passion was not forced. There were no clichés where you knew what was going to happen. I loved the scene were Brant was singing and played the guitar for her. That was very beautiful. The plot was fast pace. The writing was so good that I had to put the book down sometimes and catch my breath. *sigh*

Of all of Mrs. Smith's male characters, Brant Kincaid is my hands down favorite. He is so perfect. I've said it before, but I really mean it. He is perfect. And something about the fact that he's an FBI agent just makes him even more sexy. I can cleary picture him in my mind and I didn't have to imagine. Again, Mrs. smith blessed us with a woman of the law. Their story is more than cute, meanwhile lurking in the back is a sadistic killers praying on teenagers by giving them bad drugs. Just the fact that she could still insert romance into a plot like that, makes Mrs. Smith the queen of romantic suspense. If I could have half of her talent, I'd be happy.

After reading Maureen Smith's newest romantic suspense novel, `A Heartbeat Away', I was practically speechless. I didn't want the story to end. From the first chapter I was swept into Samille's and Brant's lives and I wanted to stay there. Samille Broussard is a DEA diversion investigator, intent on her career. When she gets a chance to do investigative work due to her background in controlled pharmaceuticals, she is ready for it. Her department has waited for this opportunity for years. Her perfect job is clouded when she finds out her partner will be FBI Agent Brant Kincaid, who Samille made such a fool of herself over 6 months ago at the FBI Academy. He is the last person she wants to work because of that and also because she's so attracted to him. However, she is determined to prove herself. Teenagers at a preppy school are in comas and a criminal is selling an unknown drug that caused this. Bigwigs in Washington may be involved. How can Samille and Brant solve the puzzle? Well-developed characters make this story a joy to read. I was right in there with Samille and Brant trying to figure out who was the culprit. As always, Maureen Smith surprises her readers. Secondary characters further added depth to Samille and Brant. Both have loving families and friends. Their inner conflicts make hero/ heroine people that you root for and wish for their happily-ever-after ending. The only thing I would change is if Smith had developed the character of Detective Mark Lopez more. Just my Latina suggestion. Maureen Smith is a true gem to the romantic suspense genre. I look forward to her next novel. For now, I'm going back to read her first two books.

IN DC nine teens attending a party fall into comas. Though the Capital police and the FBI investigate what happened, DEA becomes involved when the bodies of each one contains a substance similar to Ecstasy. With her pharmaceutical background DEA assigns Samille Broussard to work with the FBI on the case. FBI Agent Brant Kincaid does not believe the rookie Samille is ready to tackle such a dangerous case as she has been out of the academy only six months. She on the other hand is elated to work with the professional who she believes can teach her so much about field work, but also has dreamed of leisure activities since they first met at the FBI Academy. Brant quickly admits that Samille seems to have a way with the students and more so with him as they make inquiries intoto what happened. However, neither is aware of the danger from someone who plans to make a fortune with the newest designer drug on the street. A HEARTBEAT AWAY is a terrific romantic suspense thriller that showcases two wonderful federal law enforcement heroes. The story line is action-packed, but does not neglect the growing attraction between the lead couple; in fact the hard nosed hero is so distracted by his feisty intelligent partner he almost blows the case. Though a final twist seems unnecessary and subtracts from a great thriller, fans will enjoy this look into the illegal world of designer drugs, a classic supply and demand case of the market at work. Harriet Klausner