"The man she helped put away is back in town. Is he looking for revenge?"

Three years ago, Lisa Shadd's testimony helped put away the man she was starting to love. Now he's back in their small town, trying to start over. Lisa finds herself feeling guilty for Deacon Campbell's circumstances, despite the knowledge that she had to speak the truth. After much agonizing, she approaches her father to get Deacon hired on at the family business, The Garden Shadd, a landscaping company. Lisa knows that Deacon has skills that will be helpful to the company, ones he's not using in his current waitstaff position.

Deacon Campbell has spent three years trying to forget the woman whose testimony helped put him in prison. Yes, the evidence was deceptive, but she should have trusted him, known he would not hold up a convenience store. As Deacon and Lisa settle into an uneasy routine of working together, old feelings come flaring back to life. And Deacon learns that more and more unsettling things are happening to Lisa, beginning with his return to town. Will she think he's behind her latest problems?

Lisa's latest boyfriend, police officer Terry Hewitt, thinks that Deacon is responsible for Lisa's problems. As Lisa's terror increases, she pulls away from those who love her. They either think she's overreacting, or want to blame Deacon for the pranks. Lisa doesn't know what to think, but she feels that Deacon isn't the culprit. Was he also innocent three years ago? If so, who framed him? And why?

CONVICTED is a tale of forgiveness and of fresh starts. Of the convictions of guilt and innocence. I found the perpetrator of the pranks rather easy to guess, but not the motive behind them. Don't expect lots of explicit scenes, but the sexual tension runs sky-high throughout the story. Ms. Hart has written an exciting romantic suspense that will keep you riveted until the last page.

Sensuality: Explicit sex; sexually explicit scenes: 1.

Reviewed by Denise Powers
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted December 14, 2003

Summary

Three years ago, Lisa Shadd's testimony sent Deacon Garner to jail. Now he's back in their small hometown, trying to make a new start. Lisa's never forgotten Deacon, but when someone begins targeting her for a series of increasingly creepy pranks, it's Deacon whom everyone wants to blame. Can Lisa look beyond the past and give Deacon the trust he insists he deserves?