Sassy career girl Dana McIntyre had gone out on one disastrous date with sophisticated Marc Elliot, her brother's law partner. She failed so miserably at acting like a "woman of the world," that she had avoided him ever since. So she was shocked to find Marc at her Asheville, North Carolina hotel room -- with a baby in his arms! His mysterious proposal stunned her even more: would Dana pose as his wife, with his adorable nephew to complete their instant family? Suddenly she was Mrs. Marc Elliot in a romantic hotel suite and fast losing her resolve to keep this a "marriage" in appearance only... until danger sent them running away from Asheville to Puerto Rico. There, as their passion ignited in the tropical heat, Dana began to fear Marc's secrets, a shadowy stranger, and most of all, losing her heart to a make-believe love...
This was the last book published by the author and stuck pretty close to her usual themes. I enjoyed it though it was somewhat dated. It's always interesting reading older suspense stories and seeing how they do things without the benefit of computers, the internet, and smartphones.
Dana is on vacation in North Carolina when she gets multiple messages that her brother's law partner, Marc, has been trying to reach her. She has no idea why, as their one date was an unqualified disaster. Before Dana can return his calls, Marc shows up at her hotel room door with an adorable toddler in tow. He's in a fix, and she is the only one who can help. He needs to care for his nephew for a couple of days, and also needs Dana to pose as his wife for a business dinner. Dana doesn't know what to think. She's still embarrassed by what happened on their date but can't deny that she is still attracted to Marc.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Marc and Dana develop. The sparks between them are evident, especially after the scene where they give John a bath. Dana is a bit frustrated with Marc because he never gives a good explanation of why he needs her help, but she goes along with him anyway. A hurried journey to Kentucky to meet with his business associate adds to the stress. The interactions between Marc and Dana are interesting as he goes all protective on her, and she pushes back, wanting to know why. When not dealing with his investigation, their conversations are still a bit confrontational. Dana is still trying to live down that terrible date, and Marc seems to enjoy tweaking her about it. Things get more complicated when Marc sends her home for her own safety, while he heads to Puerto Rico to continue his investigation. By this time, Dana has realized that despite all appearances, she cares for Marc and worries about him. She arrives in Puerto Rico just in time to patch him up after an attack. It was fun seeing Dana's protective side come out and watch her give Marc a taste of his own medicine. His reactions gave her hope that maybe things weren't entirely one-sided. After getting involved where she shouldn't, Dana ends up in an unexpected confrontation. I loved Marc's reaction and Dana's responses. I had to laugh at his confession of why he wanted her help to start with. The ending was great.
The suspense of the story was decent, with Marc's intent to stop George made clear. It was a bit frustrating to have details revealed in incomplete bits, but it did help keep the tension going. The events in Kentucky were disturbing, but the intensity picked up once they arrived in Puerto Rico. Marc was determined to keep Dana safe while she was equally determined to help. Dana's cab scene was funny, and I liked her ingenuity of using the casino for her surveillance. The final resolution was mostly offstage, which was a little irritating, but the part with Dana was good.
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