Welcome to the world of romantic suspense:
Mackenzie Thorn looked up just in time to see two men walk into her classroom. One of them, a guard, nodded at his coworker stationed inside the door, and kept his hand at the elbow of the taller man next to him. This man, clad in an orange jumpsuit sporting the initials ODOC–Oregon Department of Corrections–swaggered into the classroom, head held high, windswept brown hair falling over his collar. The intensity of his blue eyes struck Kenzie immobile for a moment as they approached.
“Ms. Thorn,” the guard began.
Kenzie shook her head to clear her thoughts before holding up one index finger to the guard. “Just a moment, please.” Turning to the two men sitting at the first table, she said, “Mr. Ramirez, Mr. Chen, please pass out the workbooks to everyone.” The two men began their task while she moved to meet her new student.
“This is Myles Parsons. The superintendant’s office said to put him in this class.”
The guard made no apologies for bringing in a new student five weeks into their six-week GED session. Decrees from JB Ryker’s office were law within these walls. The inmate would just have to try to keep up.
In her debut novel released in July 09, Liz Johnson provides us with a unique heroine–a gal who prepares inmates for their GED exams. But not much of the novel takes place in a corrections institute. Before Kenzie Thorn can adjust to the new (and disturbing!) inmate in her classroom, Myles up and kidnaps her. And then tries to convince her he did it only to protect her.
The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn is a romantic suspense published by Steeple Hill, Harlequin’s inspirational line. I keep telling people I’m not much of a suspense buff but I totally enjoyed Kenzie and Myle’s adventures as he tries to convince her he’s the good guy–and then they have to figure out who the bad guy really is.
If you read Liz’s post yesterday about her muse, you’ll have a good idea of how entertaining her novel is. She was also one of my great roommates at ACFW conference in September. Which is why I read her book. But it’s not why I liked it!
