True Blue by Diana Palmer

Title: True Blue

Author: Diana Palmer

Publisher: Harlequin

Line: Special Edition

Series:Long, Tall Texans

ISBN:

More Information: http://www.eharlequin.com

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I'm one of the few who still enjoys Ms. Palmer's recent books.  So, I'm a little prejudiced here.  With that being said . . . in her recent installment into the Long, Tall Texan series, readers might have mixed feelings.  For me, it was a decent read.  Not on par with her earlier works, but it was still a good read.

Rick Marquez wanted to get married but all the women he knows just want to cry on his shoulder.  But there was the new detective, Gwen Cassaway, who piqued his interest.  However, he doesn't date colleagues.  Gwen found Rick attractive but she was hiding a secret that was going to change Rick's life.  As events unfolded, Rick and Gwen realized that maybe their working relationship could be more.

One thing I suggest you do before reading: suspend your disbelief.  Why?  Everybody was so darn happy.  It was like entering Mr. Rogers' neighborhood.  Instead of being inhabited by puppets, it would be filled with mercenaries.  All the characters were very charming and in good humor throughout the book.  The overtone of the story was very light.  Nothing too deep and heavy.  I appreciated the fact that the plot moved at a fast pace but since there was a lot going on, some of the events felt shortchanged and glossed over.  

I would say Rick was the first hero that I can recall that did not have women dripping off of him.  It was hard to believe that Rick Marquez cannot find any woman to want to have a relationship with him.  Considering how hot and respectful he was and he even liked ballet and Twilight(!), what woman would not be all over him?  Rick Marquez was a great hero and not abusive towards the heroine.  Gwen was pretty cool herself.  She was on par with Rick.  My only gripe was that even though she was a CIA agent, she sure didn't act and think like a special agent.  It was out of character.  And like her recent books, Rick and Gwen seemed to have everything in common.  Weird, huh?  It made them a little too predictable and naturally, perfect for each other.  And their whirlwind courtship felt contrived.  The ending was sweet but still . . .

Would I recommend this?  If you liked her newer books, definitely picked this one up.  If you were expecting something different, then you expected too much.  Just kidding.  Seriously, you might be disappointed by the lack of depth.  There are some intimate scenes so it was not a completely clean book.  This was a sweet romance with lots of humor.  Passion was not the forefront despite the author's efforts.  I gave it 4 stars because I personally like light, fluff romances.  Would I read it again?  Most likely.  This book had great potential but with too many characters and so little pages, the plot got a little lost.