"another super sexy McCoy tale!"

The Tori Carrington team, husband and wife Tony and Lori Karayiana, swept the Reviewers International Organization's Award of Excellence this year, and small wonder! Where You Least Expect It and Wicked tied for Favorite Short Contemporary Romance, and Total Exposure took second place. They also took a tie with Best Story from an Anthology with License to Thrill from Marry Me...Maybe? and a third place with Sleeping with Secrets from Private Scandals. The Awards only echo what fans already knew, they are the hottest writers to come out of the Harlequin line. Be sure to check out their dazzling Sophie Metropolis (June 2005, Forge Books) a change of pace for the dynamic duo!

In the middle of all their series they have running, they have their long running McCoys. I love "family series", in the tradition of Nora Roberts' Macgregor series. I come from a big family, Clan to the core, so these novels of a meddling family and a tight bond that keeps them together really hit home to me.

'Tori' has run through the McCoy brothers, all solid alpha males, strong in family traditions and that tradition extends to all of them being in law enforcement in one form or another. Now we look to the McCoy sister. The sister is surprised by her full grown family. Kate Buckingham is a defense attorney, showing the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She learns her biological father is alive, that she was adopted, and now has five hunks for brothers. Very protective brothers! As if that isn't enough upheaval in her life, she suddenly finds herself arrested for the murder of her fiancé. Kate has been an independent woman, and thinks she can handle any situation, but being charged with murder rattles this belief. Worse, she's nearly overwhelmed by her new protective brothers and father.

But her brother isn't the only one flustering Kate. There is gorgeous U.S. Marshal Harry Kinkaid. Kat is startled to learn her fiancé was under the witness protection program, and she must set herself up as bait with Harry's help to catch the killer, despite all the McCoys protests.

I REALLY appreciate these new Signature Select editions from Harlequin. Instead of 75,000 word 'quickies' the SS editions really give talented writers like the Carringtons the chance to have a stronger plotline with over 100 pages more to tell their stories and deal more with the personalities of their characters.

It's pure Tori bliss from start to finish!!! Here's to hoping they discover more 'Real McCoys' in the woodpile!

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted April 15, 2005

Summary

In the next twenty-four hours defense attorney Kat Buckingham will discover she's adopted, her biological father is very much alive, and she has five very protective older brothers—all working in law enforcement. Oh, yeah, and she'll be wrongfully arrested...for the murder of her fiancé.

Kat always figured she could handle just about anything...but a murder rap is a little daunting, even for her. And worse, she's now being smothered by people determined to protect her—her father, her brothers...and gorgeous U.S. Marshal Harry Kincaid. Not that she minds his attention, but he's treating her as if she's helpless.

But once it's uncovered that Kat's fiancé was in the witness protection program, it becomes obvious that there's only one way to nail the killers—Kat has to act as bait. And despite her family's—and Harry's—protests, Kat willingly takes the job. After all, it's time they all learned that Kat is definitely...

A Real McCoy.