Genesis Press, Inc. (Trade Paper), ISBN: 1585710253
A secret baby romance with a racial twist, A Risk of Rain opens on Perri Hardin's first day as a caddie for the pro gold tour. She desperately needs the money for her daughter Chelsea's heart surgery, but when she encounters Beau St. Cyr, her former husband, a host of repressed feelings threaten to overwhelm her.

Beau's grandfather bribed her to end her marriage to Beau because of their social and racial differences and because the old man thought Perri interfered with Beaus' golf game. Beau's destiny, according to his grandfather, is to be a champion. Pregnant and believing Beau asked his grandfather to bribe her, Perri takes the money and ends the marriage, but she carries a lot of bitterness about the affair.

On the other hand, Beau believes she volunteered to annul the marriage for the money, and he harbors a lot of ill feeling as well. They clash on the tour, but their regard for each other revives. But despite her feelings, Perri knows she must caddie for him because she receives a percentage of his winnings and he wins more often than not. Their daughter's life depends on the surgery -- and the surgery costs money.

Dar Thomlinson writes inter-racial romance with skill and flare, but in this particular book, her prose falls prey to poor editing, which qualifies as a real shame. The book and the author deserve better.

The characters breathe authenticity. The settings display research and a knowledge of golf, golf courses, and the behind-the-scenes interaction of the players and caddies that gave the reader a better understanding of the game. The conflicts, the dialogue, the setting, and the action all work together to add gloss to what seems an old plot device, making it fresh and new.

I've read and enjoyed almost all, if not all, of Ms. Thomlinson's work. A Risk of Rain merits the same accolades as the others -- but a lower rating because of the editing.

Patricia Lucas White

Patricia Lucas White's latest historical novel, To Last a Lifetime, was an Eppie finalist for 2003. To Last a Lifetime and two of her fantasy romances, the Sapphire Award-winning A Wizard Scorned and The Godmother Sanction, can be ordered through Hard Shell Word Factory. Her recent contemporary, PS, I've Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books.

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