WILD IRISH ROGUE
Suzanne Barrett
Zebra Bouquet Romance
July 2000
ISBN# 0-8217-6649-X
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Declan Walsh is a wanted man. After
loosing his green card for playing patty fingers with
the INS man's wife, Declan finds
himself on the run. Declan has been working
as a masoner in Northern California to keep a roof over his
head while he finishes his novel. But the INS is on his heels
and he turns to cousin Tim Cullinane to help him hide long enough
to finish the book. Tim has a job that needs doing and it's
conveniently tucked away in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Declan
is instantly taken with Justine when he meets her and comes
up with every imaginable scenario to be in her company. When
she offers to take him to a local bar that serves Irish food
he jumps at the chance. But it's here that the INS man finds
Declan and a chase through town ensues. Declan now finds himself
having to do some fast talking to Justine so that she doesn't
turn him in.
Justine Farris and her sister Willow lost
their parents in an accident when they were young girls and
it was their Aunt Laverne who took them in. Laverne's house
is an old-fashioned timber giant but hasn't had any work done
to it since it was built. Justine is engaged to be married
and she plans on living in one wing of the house. But before
she can do that it needs serious work. But with Declan Walsh's
arrival everything in her life seems to get turned upside
down. When she learns of his deceit, that he's not really
a craftsman but an illegal alien hiding from the law, she
has to search within her heart to find if she can really trust
the man. Not only with completing her aunt's construction
job satisfactorily but with her heart. She finds that he's
good at doling out good advice but poor at taking it himself.
"Wild Irish Rogue" is a story that
moves along quickly. Setting description is detailed so that
the reader has a real sense of place. The characters are engaging
and full of life, no matter how quirky. And the plotting moves
along smoothly.
However, there were several things that didn't
make sense in the story, like the book was that was so important
that Declan finish. Declan never took an opportunity to explain
to the INS man that it was his own wife coming onto Declan,
not the other away around. And Justine's fiancé was
barely around and ended up giving up Justine with little more
than a flip of his hair. I found the use of Irish language
endearments distracting because they were not commonly recognized
ones, they didn't fit with the passages they were written
into and there was no glossary to look them up in. As well,
as much as I can appreciate steamy scenes it's very hard to
overlook the fact that Declan seems to always be looking at
Justine's breasts and Justine is continually sizing up the
bulge in Declan's pants.
Overall I would say this was an enjoyable
read, something that could be consumed in the space of an
uninterrupted afternoon poolside. And I will recommend it
to anyone that I think would enjoy this type of story.
