To Hold An Eagle

Reese Family #2

by Justine Davis

Chandra Lansing was a woman with dangerous information. Of that, Naval Investigative agent Linc Reese was certain - though she certainly couldn't hide much in the swimsuit she'd been wearing when he'd fished her out of the Pacific. But Linc knew only too well the look of desperation - and this blue-eyed mermaid seemed burdened to the breaking point. Beguiled, he ached to help her...before she was thrown once again into jeopardy.

Bitter experience had proved to Chandra Lansing that every man had his price. Yet here was Linc Reese, ready to track down her would-be murderer, demanding nothing in return. Half-wild in love with him for that alone, she couldn't allow it. For the peril surrounding her was darker than he knew.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary

253 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Author biographies are supposed to give you all those statistics, books written, awards won, etc. and I will, I promise...but first let me tell you about this ornery little tomboy (back then, the boys had all the fun...) who was always the one to make up the stories the neighborhood kids would "play". For those who came of age in the computer game era, this is something that was done usually in the backyard, by any number of summer-bored children, with props where appropriate. (Did you know a 55 gallon drum tied to a picnic bench makes a very cool horse?) It wasn't until much later that this tomboy realized two things: A) not everyone made up stories in their heads all the time, and B) in real life, the boys that had already had all the fun now seemed to always be winning.

But I digress. I was born on a farm down in Iowa....well, not quite, but close; Boone, Iowa is in the middle of farm country, but I arrived at a hospital. In a snow storm. Make that a blizzard. My sister tells me she knew my destiny when I was very young, because when I first saw the Disney classic Old Yeller, I was apparently so upset that I promptly went home and rewrote the story. In my version, the dog lived, of course. Should have been a clue.

Possibly in response to that blizzard I was born in, I've been a West Coaster since before I was a year old, and intend to stay that way. I have a history of staying. I started my first full time job right out of school (well, there was a very brief sojourn at a place where they made, among other things, burial vaults, but I prefer not to recall that one...) and stayed for twenty-one years. I've been married to the same wonderful guy for going on two decades now. We lived in our last house for seventeen years. (I won't even mention how many dumpsters we filled moving after that long....)

Readers seem as fascinated by my first career as they are with my writing. My time in law enforcement was many things, exciting, nerve wracking, and irritating, but most importantly never, ever boring. It was fascinating enough that I didn't think about writing seriously for several years. I kept a journal, and wrote long letters, collected quotes, mentally rewrote movies, and still made up those stories in my head, but never dreamed of actually writing for publication. I was having too much fun helping to catch bad guys, and being continually amazed at the situations people get themselves into. And eventually I walked away with a wealth of background and story ideas, and knowing some truly great people who work very hard to keep all of us safe. I'm proud to have been one of them, and I'm very aware that I have had the great good fortune of having had two jobs in my life that I love. Many people don't get even one.

But now that I'm in the delicious position of being able to make a living telling those stories in my head, I promise my readers two things: A) I'm staying--I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading, and B) in my stories, the girl--tomboy or not--always wins!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And now, the official stats:

Justine Dare Davis sold her first book in 1989, and followed that up with the sale of nineteen novels in less than two years. Her first four books were published in 1991, and she saw all reach the finals for either the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award or the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Award. She has since won the RITA award four times, along with several Reviewer's Choice awards and three Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. At the 1998 national conference, Justine was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame, making her one of a very select group of just eight writers. She also had four titles on the Romantic Times "Top 200 of All Time" list. Her sales now total more than 45, and her books have appeared regularly on best seller lists, including the USA Today list. She has been featured in several local newspapers and nationwide by Associated Press, has appeared on CN

Reviews

[Mollie *scoutrmom*]

This is a very good story of the daughter of a military man falling in love under conditions that nearly define the romantic suspense genre. The hero is an alpha who keeps her from harm while solving the mystery of who is after them and why.

Extremely well done, I've read it enough times that I have to wait many years between re-reads because I know it so well.

[Saly]

To Hold an Eagle is Linc Resse's story(Shiloh's brother from Cool Under Fire). Linc is a naval intelligence officer like his father was. He adores his little sister and was prisoner in the Vietnam war. He's at sea on enforced leaver by his superior who feels he is burning out. The sea has always healed Linc but now he is feeling out of sorts, empty and it has something to do with the happiness his sister has found with Con. He sees someone in the water struggling and goes to help.

It turns out to be a woman. Linc likes helping people and helps her, he gives her something hot. Later on when he is about to call Shiloh he finds her holding his gun on her with unsteady hands. She is terrified and has a look in her eye that she has been through enough in life. She doesn't tell him who she is or where she came from and escapes when she finds the time. Linc goes to Shiloh's house but can't forget her, her terror, her total loneliness.

He makes his way back to his boat and finds her on board. He allows her to stay there even though she is not forthcoming. It is his sister who tells him who she is. Her name is Chandra, and her husband is a wealthy man and the world thinks she committed suicide.

Chandra is a classic battered woman, not physically of course. Her father and then her husband did a number on her, teaching her that her only worth was what she could give, her looks. Her husband debased her constantly and then tried to kill her. She is alone and terrified and hates herself for her weakness. Linc tells her he will help her but she is still afraid of her husband.

The book was fairly short and decent. I didn't love it that much. Linc was a very honourable man and made Chandra realize that not everything in her life was to do with her body and that she could be strong in life and face her troubles. I just didn't find the book magical I guess.

[Robyn Martin]

Kindle

[Lynne]

A good book to read, more to it than the usual romance. It's also perceptive in the way it describes how Chandra had been conditioned by her father and husband to believe her only worth was to look beautiful and sexy. Linc is a tough hero who fights to uncover people who wear black hats, a description used by his father to describe bad people when he and his sister were small. Very enjoyable