"Old and new romances and mysteries for h/h to resolve."

RaeAnn Martin is an archaelogist on a solo dig at an early American West settlement. She's being harassed from various sources, including some teenagers from the local Indian reservation who claim that she may be disrupting the graves of their ancestors. When they steal her artifacts, an unlikely white knight comes to her aid -- he's riding a Harley, looks dark and dangerous, and is the love-of-her- life who walked out on her years ago without a word of explanation. She needs his help, she can try to forgive him for what he did, but she can't forget it or really accept or trust him again.

Roman Santangelo has come back to Lone Pine, California, in order to find some closure for conflicts in his life. He was raised on the Paiute reservation, where his father is revered as a martyr who died supporting the Native American Movement. Roman left 18 years ago without telling anyone why, just walked away from the incredible love and happiness he and RaeAnn shared. He joined the Marines, and then became an undercover FBI agent. Now he needs to ask RaeAnn for forgiveness, and he needs to investigate his own past -- because he has learned things that make him doubt all the stories about the supposed death of his father, who may have been a criminal instead of a hero.

Then RaeAnn's dig uncovers bodies old and new. The local police may have ulterior motives, and who knows what's going on at that mysterious logging camp up the hill. Roman can't tell anyone about his research on his father, but suddenly those old events seem tied to what's going on now. Roman originally intended to just apologize to RaeAnn and then get out of her life, but once circumstances force him to hang around, he realizes how much he wants to win her back. But he knows he has to lay his old ghosts to rest before getting on with his life.

I love reading Ms. Bruhns's stories because her characters are so REAL. She sometimes uses plot devices I don't care for, and her characters occasionally do things I consider illogical, but she makes it work. In SINS OF THE FATHER, I was rather dreading the explanation for the "big misunderstanding" that led to Roman leaving RaeAnn, figuring I'd have the same reaction as I do with most Big Mis plots -- why didn't these two people just talk to each other for two minutes. But Ms. Bruhns made this situation credible; the circumstances she creates for Roman make both his departure and his failure to communicate with RaeAnn seem realistic.

Reviewed by Raelene Gorlinsky
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted February 5, 2003

Summary

FBI agent Roman 'Renegade' Santangelo is a man bent on redemption. He has finally tracked down the love of his life, the woman he deserted 18 long years ago. He knows their bright future is impossible to recapture, but he's determined to confront her...and beg forgiveness.

Archaeologist RaeAnne Martin is used to digging up the past. But there is no one on earth she wants to see less than Roman Santangelo--the man who was the reason she left her home, changed her name, and cut off all ties to the people she loved.

But when he roars back into her life on his beat-up Harley, looking like every woman's bad-boy fantasy, resurrecting old secrets, unhealed hurts, and flaming passions, can she purge from her soul the memory of the only man she's ever truly loved--and keep their heart- wrenching secrets from tearing her apart?