Volcano

A dream assignment to St. Lucia (small island nation in the southern end of the Caribbean) hits a curve ball while cocaine is found in Penny's luggage. Fortunately for her, a handsome American who knows the locals says she's his wife and they let her go. So much for logical opening chapters.Still, this is a fun light read. Charlie needs the "cover" of a wife while trying to local a missing employee on the island where he grew up. Penny, an otherwise intelligent woman, thinks she's going to jail if she doesn't go along with Charlie. It takes awhile for them to uncover the reasons behind the disappearance but the romantic tension grows at a nice pace. I also appreciated that the protagonists were tall, attractive AND smart.What I really liked about this book is that the author keeps a good balance of humor, romance, and suspense. Some of the so-called romantic suspense I've read lately has been really dark - violent, kinky sex and otherwise bleak. Rice does a good job of avoiding those traps and the result is a romance with suspense -- just the way I like it.

When Penelope Albright lands on the gorgeous Carribean island of St. Lucia, she never expected the life changing events that would take place.While going through customs Penelope is stopped for having cocaine in her luggage. Charlie Smith comes to her rescue and says he's her husband,therefore wisking her away from danger. What Penelope doesn't realize is that Charlie is investigating the disappearance of his best friend. Against the odds these two opposites must find the truth what happened to Raul and what is happening on the beautiful island of St. Lucia, all the while fighting their own attraction to eachother.I found this book to be pretty good, but lacking. At the beginning of the book Penelope was made out to be afraid and unsure of herself but then throughout the book the author tried to make it sound like Penelope was in control of her future. For a romantic suspense novel I found this book lacking, but it's still a pretty good quick read for an end of summer day.

I really enjoyed this book and would read it again. I did find Penny to be a little tiresome though. She was a little too tough for me to really like.

I've loved all of Patricia Rice's contemporary romances, and this one is no exception. She throws together a jock and an uptight businesswoman on a lush tropical island, stirs in a good suspense plot, and whooshes the reader along to an exciting, believable climax. This should appeal to readers of Susan Elizabeth Phillips who like a romance that is intelligence and emotional, but rendered with a light touch.

I've loved all of Patricia Rice's contemporaries, and Volcano is no exception. She throws together a jock and an uptight businesswoman on a lush tropical island, stirs in a good suspense plot, and whooshes the reader along to an exciting, believable climax. This should appeal to readers of Susan Elizabeth Phillips who like a romance that is intelligence and emotional, but rendered with a light touch. Charlie and Penelope are wonderful, strong-minded, distinctive characters, and their battle of wills is hilarious, sexy, and ultimately moving as they find compatible souls under their wildly different exteriors. Much of the book takes place on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, and I now have a pressing desire to visit there and imagine Charlie and Penelope dashing around that drive-in volcano. There was also a touching secondary relationship involving Penelope's sister, Beth, and her ex-husband. Volcano is a highly entertaining book that should appeal to lovers of Susan Elizabeth Phillips who enjoy a fast-moving romance that combines a light touch with intelligence and emotion