Author: A.L. Hansen

ISBN: 0978765818

A young Irish woman loses her family to violence and so she carries on their work in the IRA. She meets a mysterious Middle Eastern man called Omar who is smuggling weapons into Ireland. They fall in love almost immediately and set off for a series of rather implausible but fast-moving adventures around the world. Both feel themselves obliged to take vengeance against those they believe have done them wrong before the can marry. Consequently, they fly around the world having all kinds of interactions with various secret services, good guys and bad guys, with extraordinary reversals of fortune and even a throwback to one of the staples of Victorian romances – but revealing what it is would give too much of the plot away.

It gives me no pleasure to deliver a negative review, especially for a new author and an energetic and courteous publisher. Indeed, the proceeds from sales of the book are apparently being donated to a charity supporting wounded American soldiers and their families. However, the reviewer must always be honest and this is a insufficiently-researched and slackly-written romantic thriller badly in need of an attentive editor. I also have a particular dislike of books that promote unsafe sex – after an intense (and rather melodramatic) conversation about the lifelong shame that can be attached to young women who suffer from pregnancy outside marriage, Kathleen flies straight away to London and has unprotected sex with a man she scarcely knows, apart from the fact he is an international gun runner. Has she no brains at all? The author throughout seems very keen to teach the reader about all kinds of domestic detail but she would be doing more of a service by reinforcing the message for young women to protect themselves.

There is certainly a market for thrilling romance and exotic characters and locations (but nowhere so sweet as home) and perhaps readers who enjoy that sort of thing will be caught up in the rhythm of the adventure. Two more books appear to be planned to make a trilogy – judging by the blurb, these promise to continue the action at a high pace.

The above review was contributed by: John Walsh PhD:  Professor at Shinawatra International University CLICK TO VIEW  John Walsh's Reviews