Books We Love (Or Not)

This category romantic suspense novel takes place in modern-day Charleston. FBI agent Matt DeMarco is searching for his missing partner when Kresley Hayes’ battered body washes ashore at his feet. She has no memory of the attack that killed both her roommates and left her with knife and gunshot wounds, but Matt suspects a link with his missing partner. The only question is: was Kresley the victim of a perpetrator who’s still at large, or was she the killer?

This spin on the classic romantic amnesia story was a thoroughly solid effort that met all expectations of the romantic suspense genre—woman in jeopardy, protective law enforcement hero, sexual chemistry, a scary villain, and plenty of action. I do admire so much the authors who can pull off a strong, fully realized romance with character arcs and a satisfying ending within the strict confines of page limits for category romance. Categories are usually no longer than 55,000-60,0000 words, as compared to 100,000 words or even a bit more for single-title romance.

Having tried to write a Harlequin Intrigue myself, which morphed into a single-title romance, I am keenly aware of how difficult it is to write that tightly. There is no room for a single wasted word. Every line of dialogue or narration needs to be efficient and directly serving the needs of the story. And we still need strong characterization and growth for the hero and heroine, both individually and together. In romantic suspense, we also need a convincing villain, plenty of action, and often a mystery solve as well. And, as in all fiction, we need a strong sense of place, which requires solid research by the author, woven seamlessly into the plot. This tasks are not easily accomplished within those word-count limits!! If you’re not already reading category romance, pick one up some day, and you’ll see what I mean. You might even discover a whole new genre that you enjoy reading.

THE NIGHT IN QUESTION is a continuation of the author’s Rose Tattoo series, so compelling secondary characters from other books add further interest to this story. It’s a good choice for readers who enjoy category romance or romantic suspense.