In Confidence

High School counselor Rachel Forrester has been haunted by the suicide of a star athlete she tried to counsel. His father, true crime novelist Cameron Ford confronted her and told her she was to blame. When her husband strays and has an affair with his partner's wife, thus destroying his lucrative medical practice, Rachel and her two children Nick and Kendall are forced to move in with her ailing mother. The biggest drawback is that Cameron lives next door. Her children forge a friendship with Cam, finding him a perfect father figure, and as a result, his barriers start to crumble. He no longer blames Rachel, and the two develop feelings for each other, much to ex-husband Ted's chagrin. Rachel notices that teenager Nick is becoming withdrawn and he is starting to exhibit the same characteristics as Cam's deceased son Jack. As the two investigate what could be the cause, a parent's worst nightmare is realized. Young keeps the tension up a notch, while the second chance at love for two bitter and battle scarred protagonists makes for a compelling read.

When I read Karen Young's In Confidence, I expected a solid story. This was written, after all, by Karen Young. What I got was so much better! An involving storyline, wonderfully complex characters, and small town secrets add up to a great weekend spent with this book in hand. Young manages to up the stakes with each novel she writes, and her willingness to tackle difficult and moving subject matter puts her on the fast track to even greater success. I'm looking forward to Private Lives and Never Tell next!

Rose Hill, Texas, 1998 - After the death of his son, New York criminology writer Cameron Ford accuses Rachel Forrester - the high-school guidance counselor - for letting his son Jack commit suicide. Rachel counseled the gifted young athlete no less than six times and Cameron is adamant she should have been aware of Jack's emotional crisis. With hostility and anger he calls her inept at her job, faulting her for his son's death. Overwhelming feelings of guilt from being an absentee parent serve as the catalyst for him to put the blame elsewhere. This convincing and excellently written first scene exhibits a parent's understandable grief at such a tragic loss and sets the stage for the suspense and intrigue that follows.Rose Hill, five years later - Rachel is still endeavoring to guide teens into adulthood by helping them make good choices. But her life plummets out of control after she finds her husband Ted, a physician, is having an affair with the wife of his partner. Rachel suddenly finds she is without a home and she and the kids, 15 year-old Nick and 9 year-old Kendall go live with her mother. Rachel - aware Cameron is the next-door neighbor - does her best to keep the kids away lest they disrupt him as he tries to meet his deadlines. As Rachel deals with the trials of a failed marriage, Nick becomes friends with the solitary Cameron. This camaraderie allows Nick to reveal a shocking secret that connects to Jack's death. It is the nature of this secret and why it has been kept that begins to put them all in jeopardy. Kendall and Nick are two reasons Cameron's closed and bitter heart begins to heal a fraction each time he interacts with them. They come to regard him as a better father figure then they do Ted and as friendship and respect build Rachel and the writer begin to fall in love. But something corrupt that threatens Rachel's son and other Rose Hill High athletes must be exposed before a permanent relationship develops. Karen Young brilliantly portrays each character with refreshing and superb believability. The story never lags while the subplots tie together each of the characters and the issues they face. The deplorable actions of a man abusing his power with young male students are skillfully handled and keeps the conflict of the story at a high level. But this is also about a woman that meets her problems straight on, grows emotionally and comes to enjoy a healthy and satisfying relationship. In Confidence reaffirms that love, trust and honesty help us meet the challenges we face in life. It is an excellent must-read with a perfect ending. Please don't miss it!Roberta Hawes

In Confidenceby Karen YoungA GREAT STORY!Karen delivers a compelling plot that will touch the heart of any parent with a child in a sports program. Her characters quickly became like family members to me.When Rachel Forrester's husband of seventeen years flakes out on her and their two children, she must pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. And since hubby fell for a pair of fake boobs - that just happened to be attached to his partner's wife - their financial security goes down the tube and Rachel and children are forced to move in with Rachel's mom.Unfortunately, Mom's hunky, next-door-neighbor is the last person in the world Rachel would choose as a neighbor.A high school counselor, Rachel has struggled for five years to come to terms with the suicide of a patient. She worries over her inability to help the young man; what did she miss? Why hadn't she recognized the signs that he was suicidal? Why hadn't she saved him?The boy's father, Cameron Ford, is her new next-door-neighbor, and he has made it no secret that he blames Rachel for the death of his son.Rachel's children seem drawn to Mr. Ford and forge a friendship with `Cam' in spite of her instructions to stay away from him. She worries about Cameron's motivation in the developing relationships; his son had been fifteen when he died, the same age as her son. Both boys' parents had divorced when they were fifteen. Both boys had been promising athletes. Both had received special attention from the high school coach - attention that almost guaranteed sports scholarships. Both boys' grades dropped. They became surly and withdrawn. Was there more going on than the obvious - something other than hormones, divorce and moving away from the only homes they had ever known? Will Rachel's professional inability lead to the death of another child - this time her own son? Or, is the problem external? Maybe buried deep within the secrets of the sports program at the high school: secrets that may threaten the life of both her children. Her nine-year old daughter disappears from her bed and her son vanishes from a baseball game. Her children are missing, yet no one saw anything happen! Don't miss this book - Karen delivers a splendid story!

Karen Young doesn't disappoint readers. This latest offering is "classic" Young. What readers will love is her ability to keep the romance at the forefront of a suspenseful tale of incredible evil. Ms Young doesn't let either main plot take over at the expense of the other. Her characters are not only well fleshed out, but are the type of characters the reader can identify with and cares about when the last page is turned. Romance fiction offers readers a wide variety of choices in the sub-genres, but every romance reader demands the "romance" always remain at the heart of the story. In IN CONFIDENCE , Ms Young hasn't forgotten that simple rule and the reader is rewarded with a fantastic page turner they can't put down. Brava!!