Early Review of Hotshot by Julie Garwood

• Title: Hotshot
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (August 6, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 0525953019
• ISBN-13: 978-0525953012

Author's Website: http://www.juliegarwood.com/

Peyton Lockheart has recently graduated from college and has been offered her dream job. A job as a food critic for a successful magazine. Within days of her moving to Minnesota and starting her new job, the dream proves quickly to be that of a nightmare variety. Her boss, Drew Albertson, is sexual predator, and he's set his sights on Peyton. It started with a seemingly innocent brush of his hand here and an odd comment there. But quickly his true colors emerge, and when told she'll be accompanying him on an out of town business trip to review an up and coming Cuban restaurant in Miami, she refuses to go. Quickly things escalate and a recording and a piercing of bullets holes in her car later, she manages to make her way back home to Texas safe, but shaken.

Shortly after her scary ordeal, she attends the wedding of a family friend and starts talking to Finn MacBain, the groom's brother. Finn is an FBI agent and is trained to be observant, and when he notices the bullet holes he asks what the story is behind them. With a genuine concern for her safety and a strong attraction for his once neighbor, he becomes involved in her quest to stop her now ex-boss from preying upon someone else. He, however, doesn't believe Peyton's out of danger yet.

Julie Garwood has once again created a wonderful story that takes the reader on a suspenseful ride. Peyton Lockheart is a beautiful, smart, caring and likeable young woman who has a tendency to attract the attentions of the wrong kind of men. Her latest boss, however, takes the cake. He's a man in a position of power and wealth who thinks he can do as he pleases and seems to have gotten away with it. Knowing that if she doesn't do something he'll continue to terrorize other women who take over her position, she decides to try to get indisputable evidence against him. That decision, however, could cost her her life.

Finn MacBain is a three gold medal Olympic champion, FBI agent and hometown hero. Once a neighbor of Peyton's, he'd saved her life when she was six and he was fourteen. When he spots the bullet holes in her car, he attempts to find out what is going on and takes the now breathtaking young woman he hasn't seen in years under his wing. Peyton thinks by getting away from her now ex-boss that she's safe, but Finn's dealt with people like Drew Albertson in the past, and he's not convinced. With Drew's reputation, career, and millions of dollars in potential inheritance on the line, there's a good chance Peyton hasn't seen the last of Drew Albertson.

Why is the book called 'Hotshot'? Hotshot is the nickname Peyton started calling Finn when he'd been featured on the television program 60 Minutes for a successful athletic program he'd created for at risk youth. Peyton had kept in touch with Finn via emails over the years, always remembering to thank him for saving her on her birthday.

This was a fast paced book with a nice combination of mystery, romance and drama. It brought to mind the 2000 movie 'Erin Brockovich' where a small town woman takes on a company hiding a dirty little secret that nobody wants to talk about, thereby putting herself in danger. I adored the characters and loved how Ms. Garwood chose the name Finn for the character she created who swam like a fish. (He'd won his gold medals in swimming events.) On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses.