PLOT SYNOPSIS:  When her longtime beau relocates and becomes engaged to another woman, travel consultant Tara Montgomery throws herself into her career and gives up on men. But new client Darren Burkeen claims he's smitten--and is going to prove how serious he is. When Tara's old flame returns and says he wants Tara back, the real challenge begins.

REVIEW:  Old-fashioned courtship and romance are the central themes of Kayla Perrin’s IN AN INSTANT.  Perrin does a excellent job creating a chivalrous, passionate character in the book’s hero, Darren Burkeen.  Add in the fact that he’s a good listener with “deep-set light brown eyes, very kissable full lips, adorable dimples and one killer smile,” and readers will have no problem understanding why the books heroine, Tara Montgomery found it difficult to resist his charm.

Still suffering from the sting of betrayal from her longtime boyfriend, a relationship is the last thing on Tara’s mind when Darren happens upon the travel agency where Tara works.  In fact, it is her quick, stern dismissal of his flirting with her during their first meeting that serves as the catalyst for the remaining adventures throughout the novel. 

While Tara fights to conceal and protect her broken heart, Darren fights to tear down the walls Tara continues constructing around herself.  His method of ‘fighting’ is so sweet and powerful that readers will waver between empathizing with Tara’s past and envying her present.

Ms. Perrin once again shows her ability to create characters capable of eliciting a range of emotions from readers.  Tara’s sometimes naïve character will have readers frustrated with her, yet still empathizing with her. Darren, on the other hand, is just cocky enough to have readers asking, “Well who does he think he is?”, yet powerful enough to sway readers to believe that maybe cloning isn’t such a bad idea.  Add Tara’s cousin, Diamond and her boyfriend Paul, two strong secondary characters, and it is clear how Perrin’s novel was capable of grasping my attention ‘in an instant’, and maintaining it until the end.

A Miami setting is most appropriate for this fast-paced, passionate and suspenseful novel.  Perrin depicts her scenes so well, that I clearly felt a part of the audience when the characters were on their various dates. 

And for those who will fall as much in love with the book’s characters as I did, don’t fret when you arrive at the last page.  Perrin has already assured us that we will see some of the characters again, whereas IN AN INSTANT is the first of two stories that features the Montgomery cousins, Tara and Diamond.

Too bad, ‘in an instant’ does not describe how soon that next novel will be available.  Because if this story is any indication, I’m confident the second novel will be nothing short of intriguing!

June 2002