Temperatures rising

Engineer Scout Ritland has just finished a major project on mythical Parrish Island, somewhere in the tropics. At a party celebrating the end of the job, he spots a beautiful woman from across the room and is immediately enthralled. When Scout follows her outside, hoping to break his long fast from the ladies, he is shot in the leg and kidnapped by Chantal duPont, the object of his desire. Chantal lives in a village that is separated from the rest of the island by a chasm spanned only by a suspension bridge. She and her father have been so impressed with Scout's engineering skills that they are sure he can build them a bridge so their people can join the rest of the island population. Scout is understandably outraged by the entire plan and threatens to leave as soon as he can walk. To prove to Scout that he can't get away, Chantal has her men burn down the bridge. While earlier Brown romances demonstrate her improvement in plot and characterization over the years, this title is the weakest one yet. The characters are almost caricatures, while the story requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief. Bernadette Dunne does an excellent job with a difficult piece of work; her Chantal has a slight French accent, while Scout sounds manly and angry most of the time. An optional purchase.-Nancy Reed, Immanuel Baptist Church Lib., Paducah, KY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.