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Simon Riley is returning to the small town of LaRue in the beautiful Cascade Mountains. Simon left home at seventeen as he’d been accused of setting a serious fire. As an orphan, living with his Uncle Gus, he received rough treatment for years. After being falsely accused of the fire, Simon couldn’t face any more rejection. The only light at home was El Kent.
Years later, Simon receives news that his Uncle Gus committed suicide five months ago. As Simon is now a successful photojournalist who is on assignment in Afghanistan, the news took quite a while to reach him. He goes home to find out what really happened to his uncle. Simon is positive that Gus, although an alcoholic suffering from severe trauma during Vietnam, was not suicidal. Also, Simon received an email dated the same day of Gus’s death, which is another reason Simon’s positive his death is more than suspicious. While Simon plans on investigating his uncle’s death, he knows he must see El, and even after learning she’s engaged, finds it impossible to stay away from her. Simon is a man with a lot of demons, a lot of nightmares. The only person Simon trusts, who can offer him any light, is El. What will she do when she sees him?
El now has a successful bed and breakfast. It has taken years, but she’s finally put Simon out of her heart and her mind, even accepting the offer of marriage from the town’s most eligible bachelor. Her reaction to seeing Simon includes many feelings, including shock, a strong punch of desire, worry and concern. Though El has every intention on going through with her marriage, though she must admit is it no love match, she will not stand around and let the harmful gossip about Simon spread. Taking a chance, El lets him a room at her inn, proving he is a man that can be trusted. However, can Simon be trusted with El?
RETURN TO ME is wild and raw, with intensity in wave after wave. Simon is the ultimate tortured hero, a man who feels completely unworthy, yet he has enough fight in him to keep going on. El is fantastic. She’s as human as she can be, especially when it comes to not being able to fight the passionate feelings Simon arouses in her. The mystery of Gus’s death continues to be tightly woven into a story where two people, destined to be together, fight their way through terrible odds. Ms. McKenna writes love scenes unlike anyone I’ve ever read. Every time I read a McKenna book, I’m guaranteed blazing love scenes that are accompanied by riveting emotion, often riding the edge of angst. This is truly a one-sitting read. Even when I needed a break, this compelling book called me right back. The intrigue, passion, aggressive desire and the gut-wrenching love that reveals itself, all blend together in a story that is sure to quickly rise to the top of the charts.
Reviewed by Robin Taylor
for The Road to Romance
May 22, 2004
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