365 books in 365 days Challenge ... Book #274

All That Remains - Janice Kay Johnson
Harlequin Superromance
Harlequin, 2011
ISBN: 9780373717361

N.B This is a North American release.










My rating

From the back cover:

"Wren Fraser can think of better times to go into labor. Say, when she's not on the run, or when there's a hospital nearby. Better yet, when there's not a major flood trapping her in an abandoned house. She needs a rescue…now! 
It arrives in one Alec Harper. Strong, competent and good-looking, the detective keeps her safe and doesn't leave her side. He even takes in Wren and the baby when they have no place to go. 
For a woman wanting her independence, it's shocking how quickly she settles in with Alec. The situation seems a bit too domestic. And the sizzling attraction between them is making things worse. She keeps telling herself to walk away, yet she can't. Or should that be, she doesn't want to?"


I bought a bunch of North American releases recently and this is one of them. The cover is so cheesy!

The heroine Wren is trying to drive through a torrential storm to get to the safety of her friends house. However, her car gets caught in a flood and she is forced into taking shelter in the attic of an abandoned home to avoid the rising water levels. To make matters worse she is in labour. The hero Alec has been working non stop for the last couple of days to help rescue people who are trapped due to the storm, he is about to give up when he sees Wren. Unfortunately, his boat and rescue equipment are swept away in the storm and he ends up trapped as well. They are there for a couple of days and during that time Alec helps deliver Wren's beautiful daughter, as well as getting to know one another. Wren admits to Alec that she is running from her abusive ex boyfriend and fearing for her and her baby's lives if he finds them. After they are finally rescued Alec offers Wren protection and somewhere to stay with him. But it backfires on him as being with Wren and her daughter reminds him of his marriage and how much he misses his own daughters. With Alec's help, Wren slowly begins to rediscover her self worth and confidence, as well as falling in love with Alec. But Alec refuses to open up to her, and Wren also knows she needs to prove to herself that she can take care of herself.

This is a totally compelling book, that feels very real. Everything about this book is natural and the story flows beautifully. The beginning of the book is quite dramatic and fast paced, but then the story slows to a very gentle pace that really helps develop the conflict and build the tension in the relationship. Both the hero and heroine are glorious in their lack of being perfect; they are flawed characters, and they both grow as the story progresses. The relationship is believable as it develops slowly and the characters do not rush into anything. I especially liked that when love was admitted they didn't immediately get their HEA, instead the characters went their own way, and this makes their eventual HEA even more sweet.

This is a gritty, real, and sweetly satisfying book. I really liked it.

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