"A different kind of butler"

Sarah Stevens has her life planned out. Her job as a butler/bodyguard for an elderly judge is very fulfilling so she plans to continue work for the next couple of years. After she's saved up enough money, she plans to take some time off to travel the world. One night she stops a burglary in progress and gets her fifteen minutes of fame.

Detective Thompson Cahill responded to the call about the burglary even though he was on his way home. He usually only works homicides but the fact that there's a butler involved intrigues him so he decides to stop. He finds out that the person who stopped the burglary was not only the butler, but a woman. He feels an immediate attraction to Sarah but he's been burned badly in his divorce and isn't looking for anything long term. Every since his divorce he's made sure all of his relationships with woman were one night stands.

The local news station does a story on Sarah being a butler and she acquires a secret admirer. At first she thinks nothing about it, but as time goes by it becomes clear that her admirer will stop at nothing to get her for himself. On her day off, she comes home to find her employer murdered. Cahill believes that Sarah isn't a suspect but has to fight his attraction until the murderer is caught. Just as Sarah and Cahill get close, events occur that make Cahill start to doubt her innocence.

I have to admit that I'm a fan of Ms. Howard and this book doesn't disappoint. It grabs you from the start and doesn't let up until the end. I found the information on being a butler interesting and it just added to the story. I read this book in one sitting and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romances. Both of the main characters were intelligent and real.

Reviewed by Emily Anne
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted February 18, 2003

Summary

Loyal. Beautiful. Professional. Impeccably organized. Potentially lethal. Sarah Stevens is a woman with many distinct qualities. First and foremost a butler par excellence, skilled at running large households smoothly and efficiently, she is also a trained bodyguard and expert marksman -- indispensable to her elderly employer, a courtly gentleman whom Sarah has come to respect and love as a father.

Then one night she thwarts a burglary in progress, a courageous act that rewards Sarah her requisite "fifteen minutes of fame" with the local press. But the exposure is enough to catch the attention of a tortured soul who, unbeknownst to Sarah, will stop at nothing to have her for himself.

Sarah's perfectly ordered life is shattered when tragedy strikes: her beloved employer is brutally murdered. The detective investigating the case, assures Sarah that she is not a suspect. Until lightning strikes twice. There's a second killing -- and this time, despite a lack of evidence connecting her to the crime, Sarah cannot escape the shadow of guilt.

The only option left for Sarah is to carry on with her life. But she doesn't realize that a deranged stalker is luring her into an elaborate trap . . . one in which she, once ensnared, might never escape. For Sarah soon finds herself at the mercy of a man who will tend to her every whim, smother her with affection, and crush her in his all- consuming embrace.