In Enemy Hands by Michelle Perry

I had a hard time finding this book. It's published by Medallion Press, I couldn't find it in B&N, I couldn't find it at Walden/Borders, my local indie store had a hard time getting it from Ingram. So I hoped it was going to be worth the wait. Well, for me it wasn't. It's a decent romantic suspense, equal romance to suspense and as I discovered in the last week that doesn't work for me. The suspense is weak, the romance is strong, even the action is exciting. Maybe it should really be a romantic adventure instead of romantic suspense.

Blurb:

How hard could it be to kidnap a pampered little rich girl? Especially if you're bounty hunter extraordinaire in search of the most vicious criminals. Piece of cake, Dante thins, when reclusive businessman Gary Vandergriff offers him a cool half a million to bring home his estranged daughter, Nadia.

Enter Nadia.

His first meeting with her is stunning; both literally and figuratively. He foils an attempt on her life, and falls immediately under her spell.

It's not gonna be hard duty, Dante thinks, keeping her safe from Mexican drug lord infuriated by her stepfather's expanding meth operations. He'll take her out of harm's way, no problem, get her back to her father, and enjoy the ride along the way.

Everything is great.

Until he delivers her into Enemy Hands.

Of course, all is not what it seems. Obviously, her "father" is the villain. Nadia's parents are protective in the extreme, perhaps they're justified. There is a weak subplot about Dante's own daughter. The names of the secondary characters annoyed me--Ronnie and Waynie. Waynie? I kept thinking Weenie.

Issues, issues, issues... Characters being shot, but never needing real medical attention. One of the Catholic bad guys asking for Last Rights. Action sequences that are way over the top.

I found the ages of the characters problematic, the hero is 25 the heroine in college, I may have missed her actual age. Maybe I'm showing mine, but I'm honestly not interested in contemporary romance h/h this young.

I read the entire book with a certain bored detachment. This one didn't work for me. Oh, well.

Okay Book maybe it wasn't even really worth my time, I haven't decided.