An Unlikely Match by Cynthia Thomason, Harlequin SuperRomance #1312, Heron Point #1/Heartland USA, November 2005, Rating: B

One might describe Heron Point, Florida as an island of misfits. Many of the townspeople have come there putting their pasts behind them. This works fine until ex-Secret Service agent Jack Hogan starts poking around assessing the town's security for his boss. Real estate tycoon Archie Anderson has purchased Dolphin Run, an old inn that hasn't been used in nearly twenty years.

Mayor and vintage shop owner, Claire Betancourt is not impressed with Jack Hogan's poking around in her town's business. A widow going on three years, Claire came to Heron Point like the other misfits to escape. She left the flashy, politically based life she led in Miami with her late husband, who died suddenly of cancer with only a few weeks notice, leaving her with a young daughter and a step-son only nine years younger than Claire. She doesn't want to hear about the weaknesses the town possesses and is not prepared to make concessions for a man who bought property before investigating whether the town suited his needs.

Jack Hogan is an all-business type man. Divorced because his ex-wife could not take the dangerous positions his former job put him in, despite the fact that the last job he worked before she divorced him put him out of a job because of the injuries he sustained. Heron Point is a nightmare of security breeches to him. Water access from various points on the island, a mish mash of citizens many of whom have criminal records, cars with tags that don't match the vehicle registration on file, insufficient police and emergency medical team personnel. The list goes on.

While the identiy of young Jane's kidnapper was predictable (the back of the book tells us it happens) and I felt that Claire went from being all about her late husband to welcoming someone new into her heart was a little abrupt I enjoyed An Unlikely Match. The characters, including Claire's aunt Pet and other townspeople who were quirky but likeable made it a good read. Claire and Jack were likeable characters as well and it was fun to watch these business-like, straight laced people give into passion once they were ready to. I give An Unlikely Match a B.

©Susan Falk and phantomroses.com