LOVE ON THE RUN

Angela Winters

BET/Arabesque

1-58314-316-9

January 2002

(4+) Leslie Cannon

Contemporary Romance

PLOT SYNOPSIS: 

REVIEW: 

 Reading LOVE ON THE RUN was my first exposure to Angela Winters’ work, however, at the conclusion of the novel, I was left with a feeling that can only be likened to the one I have after riding a very fast roller coaster:  nerve jolting, but so much fun.   And just as we say when getting off such rides, I echo the same about reading Ms. Winters’ writing, “let’s do that again!” LOVE ON THE RUN is bound to be a book readers will not only want to read, but re-read as well.

I am glad book reviews are not limited to one word.  I would be at a loss to find one word to adequately describe LOVE ON THE RUN, though ‘exhilarating” comes closest to describing my response to this powerful story that is packed with one exciting incident after another.

LOVE ON THE RUN is Ms. Winters’ second novel in the series involving the Hart Family.  Readers will remember the Hart clan, the family you love to hate, from the novel, A FOREVER PASSION.  In LOVE ON THE RUN, Ms. Winters takes us to New York City to share in the wild adventures of the youngest sibling, Gabrielle “Bree” Hart, after she relocates there to escape the controlling clutches of her family.

Bree’s quest for independence does not come cheap.  Being away from her family and wealth of her family and having to pay her own way for the first time in her life set the stage for much of the drama that unfolds in the novel.  The action further intensifies when Bree meets Graham Lane, a college professor her family hires to bring her back home.  Graham is in the middle of a mysterious investigation involving his sister and her former employer.  When Bree insists on helping him solve it, the two are thrown into the middle of more danger than they had ever managed. 

Ms. Winters detailed development of her main characters that you want to cry when they cry and shout for victory when they make accomplishments.  Her description of the very wealthy and extremely snobbish Hart family is so vivid, readers will have no problems empathizing with Bree and understanding why she has fled her home.  There are a few scenes between Bree and one of her brothers in which I badly wanted Ms. Winters to just go ahead and let Bree slap him and get it over with.  The written words easily elicited a feeling of, “how can someone be so mean to their own sister?”

By no means is Bree a saint, and Ms. Winters clearly shows her readers that.  She shows Bree’s tendencies to act first and then think later.  Tendencies that literally have Bree and others running for their lives, and though it seems like Bree will never take responsibility for her own actions, characterized by her often repeated phrase, “but it’s not my fault,” I like the way Ms. Winters allows us to witness Bree mature into a more responsible young woman.

LOVE ON THE RUN not only shows how love’s power can bring together two very different personalities and still create a very passionate, caring relationship, but also demonstrates the power of forgiveness and just how deep family bonds run. 

Ms. Winters clearly book a risk in writing this romance suspense novel.  Filled with numerous exploits and subplots, the story could have easily become messy.  Yet Ms. Winters clearly proves she is no amateur writer in the way she not only accepts the tough challenge of writing such a story, but also supersedes the expectations associated with such a challenge.

Readers are bound to love this second offering about the Hart family.  And if the readers’ response is anything like it was for the first book in the series, Ms. Winters can once again expect an influx of fan letters, all echoing the same general rally cry:  “Give us more…Give us more!”

And since more is exactly want Ms. Winters promises, I have but one thing to say, “I just can’t wait for book three!”

leslie@romanceincolor.net (1stJanuary 2002)