Combatting Fear

Sandy
Vaile
Genre: 
Suspense-Thriller

Micah Kincaid excels in the world of business, but the millions he has amassed can never take the place of his heart’s desire—a family. When his wife Chelsea disappears with five-year-old Rowan, Micah searches for the pair on his own despite the resources his fortune could provide. A year later, in the small town of Turners Gulley, Australia, he finally catches up to them. When he discovers the Kindergarten where Rowan has been enrolled, Micah comes face-to-face with Neve Bottecelli, the teacher determined to keep his son safe—even from the father desperately seeking him. As Neve gets to know Micah better, despite her best efforts to keep her distance, and learns more about the unsavory characters with whom Chelsea has been keeping company, will she be able to lower her guard and assist him with his search for Rowan…while possibly allowing him a place inside her wounded heart? 

Ms. Vaile transports readers to the Outback, offering a peek at life in Australia, particularly its vegetation and language, many will find fascinating. The main and supporting characters are well developed and readers will have a strong sense of exactly what makes each of the main players tick. The pacing of the romance, which ends with Micah and Neve declaring themselves eternally after only a week, seems a bit rushed and unrealistic, especially after which many backpedaling moments of distrust throughout for both. Despite this, and the abandoned plot element involving a secret conversation between a biker and police officer, readers will find the novel both entertaining and emotionally compelling.

Claudette Melanson