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Protector With A Past
No words could terrify Julia Stewart more. After two years of hiding, of dreaming about darkly sensual police detective Cord Hunter, and the life she'd left behind, Cord had found her. And he'd brought their orphaned goddaughter -- a child in danger....
Julia's career as a child protection officer had ended after a near tragedy. But she couldn't turn away from the little girl she'd sworn to protect, even though it meant working side by side with the man she still loved with furious passion. Even though it meant exposing the secrets she'd driven Cord away to keep....
Julia's career as a child protection officer had ended after a near tragedy. But she couldn't turn away from the little girl she'd sworn to protect, even though it meant working side by side with the man she still loved with furious passion. Even though it meant exposing the secrets she'd driven Cord away to keep....
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Harper Allen
31 books29 followersHarper Allen is a Canadian writer of romance novels. She is a four-time nominee for a Career Achievement Award by Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine and her novel Dressed To Slay was named the magazine's choice for Best Silhouette Bombshell of 2006.
Her Irish ancestry lends them a touch of Celtic mysticism, while her work as a reporter in the criminal court system gives her books a darker edge, first and foremost each one is a story about a man and a woman falling in love and holding on to that love. Her characters have always been real people with real flaws, desperately struggling to find the love that will redeem them - and for that Harper need look no further for inspiration than her own life.
Harper grew up in a blue-collar motor city, and with comments such as "Does not play well with others" on her grade-school report cards. Underneath the motorcycle leathers and the rose tattoo, beats the heart of a true romantic. The day she met the man who eventually became her husband, she told her sister, "I've just met the man I'm going to marry. How long do you think it'll take him to figure it out?" They married, and had little kids, who aren't the first ones picked for the volleyball team. Her idea of a great date with her husband is going to a baseball game. Her idea of a great baseball game is any one in which the Red Sox win.
Her Irish ancestry lends them a touch of Celtic mysticism, while her work as a reporter in the criminal court system gives her books a darker edge, first and foremost each one is a story about a man and a woman falling in love and holding on to that love. Her characters have always been real people with real flaws, desperately struggling to find the love that will redeem them - and for that Harper need look no further for inspiration than her own life.
Harper grew up in a blue-collar motor city, and with comments such as "Does not play well with others" on her grade-school report cards. Underneath the motorcycle leathers and the rose tattoo, beats the heart of a true romantic. The day she met the man who eventually became her husband, she told her sister, "I've just met the man I'm going to marry. How long do you think it'll take him to figure it out?" They married, and had little kids, who aren't the first ones picked for the volleyball team. Her idea of a great date with her husband is going to a baseball game. Her idea of a great baseball game is any one in which the Red Sox win.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 19, 2011
I have to be honest - I hate all this eroticism that's creeped up in Harlequin books - I like 'sweet' romances where love rather than lust is involved and this book really filled up that emotional need in me.....I loved Cord...
December 13, 2022
3.5 stars
Two years ago, Julia Stewart ran away from Cord Hunter, her career as a Child Protection Specialist, and everything else in her life. Today, while she is still feeling sorry for herself, Cord reappears in her life, carrying a little girl that they're both responsible for.
Apparently I read this book before, because as soon as I got to the scene at the boat house, things started to sound familiar.
The story is all right, but not very interesting. It happened before everybody and their grandmother carried cell phones everywhere, so notifying someone is not always as instant as it is today. It did kind of bother me that Cord left his cell phone behind while he goes after Julia. What kind of person, let alone a police officer, would do that these days? My kids are practically glued to their phones.
Anyway, some things in this story do not make sense. After a police officer is killed, there doesn't seem like a lot of efforts by anybody to go through his case files, until Julia starts asking about them. And nobody told Cord while he was away. I do not like what happens with Dean Tascoe toward the end of the book. In fact, I didn't want to reread that part of the book. The bad guy always seems to be at least one step ahead of them. The whole thing about the bird and the dream and her instincts seem a bit odd, and I've read and enjoyed a lot of odd things. They just seem out of place somehow, but I don't like the book enough to try to figure out why.
Now, the main characters....
Julia has been drowning in misery, completely unable to function because of guilt and perceived inadequacy. She finally lets things go AFTER she finds out that things that went wrong were not her fault after all. And yes, it's a very quick shift, from moaning that everything is over, there is nothing I can do about it, to I am going to take care of everything. While I don't like a perfect heroine, I much prefer someone who manages to overcome adversities. Here, she is paralyzed, can't figure out how to move on unless she is perfect. And she runs away. She also seems to make her decisions due to some weird reasons and doesn't think things through. Oh, I can just go and do this possibly dangerous thing while Cord is not looking because...reason.
Cord is...well...he's just there. Nothing really wrong, nothing really exciting, until almost the very end of the book when he was howling in anguish.
Two years ago, Julia Stewart ran away from Cord Hunter, her career as a Child Protection Specialist, and everything else in her life. Today, while she is still feeling sorry for herself, Cord reappears in her life, carrying a little girl that they're both responsible for.
Apparently I read this book before, because as soon as I got to the scene at the boat house, things started to sound familiar.
The story is all right, but not very interesting. It happened before everybody and their grandmother carried cell phones everywhere, so notifying someone is not always as instant as it is today. It did kind of bother me that Cord left his cell phone behind while he goes after Julia. What kind of person, let alone a police officer, would do that these days? My kids are practically glued to their phones.
Anyway, some things in this story do not make sense. After a police officer is killed, there doesn't seem like a lot of efforts by anybody to go through his case files, until Julia starts asking about them. And nobody told Cord while he was away. I do not like what happens with Dean Tascoe toward the end of the book. In fact, I didn't want to reread that part of the book. The bad guy always seems to be at least one step ahead of them. The whole thing about the bird and the dream and her instincts seem a bit odd, and I've read and enjoyed a lot of odd things. They just seem out of place somehow, but I don't like the book enough to try to figure out why.
Now, the main characters....
Julia has been drowning in misery, completely unable to function because of guilt and perceived inadequacy. She finally lets things go AFTER she finds out that things that went wrong were not her fault after all. And yes, it's a very quick shift, from moaning that everything is over, there is nothing I can do about it, to I am going to take care of everything. While I don't like a perfect heroine, I much prefer someone who manages to overcome adversities. Here, she is paralyzed, can't figure out how to move on unless she is perfect. And she runs away. She also seems to make her decisions due to some weird reasons and doesn't think things through. Oh, I can just go and do this possibly dangerous thing while Cord is not looking because...reason.
Cord is...well...he's just there. Nothing really wrong, nothing really exciting, until almost the very end of the book when he was howling in anguish.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews