Once and Always

January 19, 2015
Historical romance author Elizabeth Hoyt (Darling Beast) fills the pages of this contemporary romantic thriller, her first as Harper since 2009’s For the Love of Pete, with rip-roaring and somewhat improbable action. Maisa Burnsey first meets small-town cop Sam West when her great-uncle, a former member of the Russian mafia, moves to sleepy Coot Lake, Minn. After a lot of speeding tickets—and a one-night stand—she decides it’s safer to stay far away from the handsome lawman. Sam, on the other hand, is determined to win Maisa’s heart. Their ro­­mance is interrupted by a suitcase mix-up that puts Maisa, Sam, and the entire town of Coot Lake directly in the path of a ruthless Russian mobster determined to exact revenge from an underling who stole several million dollars’ worth of diamonds. After a promising start, a good chunk of the book reads like a one-dimensional action film—lots of people getting shot or meeting far-fetched calamities of one type or another—at the expense of romance and plausibility.

Starred review from March 1, 2015
Maisa Burnsey has heard of speed traps, but this is ridiculous. For the last two years, every time she drives through Coot Lake to visit her uncle, Sam West is waiting to give her a speeding ticket. Maisa knows it didn't help matters when, six months ago, fueled by one too many drinks at the bar, she gave in to temptation and spent the night with Sam. But as far as Maisa is concerned, it was a one-time thing. Sam, however, has a different opinion: Maisa is the only woman for him. So she can keep trying to run away, but in the end, Sam is one cop who always gets his woman. Harper (For the Love of Pete, 2009), the pseudonym for best-selling author Elizabeth Hoyt (Darling Beast, 2014), hits another home run with this book's fast-paced plot, powered by a wacky amalgam of missing suitcases, pink diamonds, Russian mobsters, and sled-dog enthusiasts. The secondary cast of characters could give the residents of Northern Exposure lessons in quirky charm, and the sexual chemistry between Maisa and Sam is hot enough to melt the blizzard that holds Coot Lake in its icy grip.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)