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Palm Springs Confidential #1
Desert Shadows
A NUN WITH A GUN?
Was rebellious Sister Felicia, the nun who sneaked cigarettes and went swimming in the nude, for real? Or was she a cool assassin, an impostor who had come to the Palm Springs convent in order to murder world-famous humanitarian? — Undercover agent Josiah Gallagher thought he'd figured out the mysterious nun whose beauty kept him awake at night. Then he and the ''sister'' found themselves stranded in the desert, with only a slim chance for survival.
Sister Felicia's bravery during their desperate desert trek inspired Gallagher to tenderness--and solved the mystery of her presence at the convent. But though he knew he'd met his match, this was no time to give in to passion. He was no saint and she was no sister, but they might never get away alive unless they relied on a wing and a prayer.
Was rebellious Sister Felicia, the nun who sneaked cigarettes and went swimming in the nude, for real? Or was she a cool assassin, an impostor who had come to the Palm Springs convent in order to murder world-famous humanitarian? — Undercover agent Josiah Gallagher thought he'd figured out the mysterious nun whose beauty kept him awake at night. Then he and the ''sister'' found themselves stranded in the desert, with only a slim chance for survival.
Sister Felicia's bravery during their desperate desert trek inspired Gallagher to tenderness--and solved the mystery of her presence at the convent. But though he knew he'd met his match, this was no time to give in to passion. He was no saint and she was no sister, but they might never get away alive unless they relied on a wing and a prayer.
- GenresRomantic SuspenseRomance
250 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
8 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Emilie Richards
189 books945 followersI'm the author of seventy-something novels, including romance, women's fiction and mystery. When We Were Sisters debuted in June 2016, a stand alone novel about two foster sisters traveling back into their past together. I loved writing it and love the cover my publisher chose.
I'm also excited about my recent series, Goddesses Anonymous, which started with One Mountain Away and was followed by Somewhere Between Luck and Trust. The third book in the series, A River Too Wide, came out in July 2014. The Color of Light debuted in August 2015. Will there be more? We'll see.
I'm also putting up my newly edited romance backlist and love re-reading and updating them a bit.
Last year my husband and I moved from Virginia, to Osprey, Florida, the state where both of us were raised, met, and married. In the summer we live in Chautauqua, New York. I'm a quilter, knitter, kayaker, and the mother of four children, whom I regard as my greatest creative endeavors. And now there are four wonderful grandchildren to spoil.
Visit me at my web site, emilierichards.com, and my blog, www.emilierichards.com/blog. You can also find me at Twitter and on my Facebook reader page.
I'm also excited about my recent series, Goddesses Anonymous, which started with One Mountain Away and was followed by Somewhere Between Luck and Trust. The third book in the series, A River Too Wide, came out in July 2014. The Color of Light debuted in August 2015. Will there be more? We'll see.
I'm also putting up my newly edited romance backlist and love re-reading and updating them a bit.
Last year my husband and I moved from Virginia, to Osprey, Florida, the state where both of us were raised, met, and married. In the summer we live in Chautauqua, New York. I'm a quilter, knitter, kayaker, and the mother of four children, whom I regard as my greatest creative endeavors. And now there are four wonderful grandchildren to spoil.
Visit me at my web site, emilierichards.com, and my blog, www.emilierichards.com/blog. You can also find me at Twitter and on my Facebook reader page.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 25, 2018
I didn't know until a few chapters into this book that we had been introduced to the hero super-agent Gallagher in the book Fugitive. The hero/heroine are both undercover unbeknownst to each other. The heroine a cop turned PI is undercover as a nun to protect a nun from assassination while the hero is there for the same purpose, posing as a handyman. From the start he is fascinated with the heroine. When the heroine is kidnapped, these both get stuck in the desert and struggle to survive relying on each other. They get back to the real word, with the hero having every intention of leaving her and her effect on him behind but somehow they can't stay away. I enjoyed the romance & even mystery in this one. Off to read the heroine's partners book now.
May 1, 2022
Emilie Richards has now regained control of some of her earlier books and has been updating them and reissuing them. Desert Shadows was first published in 1992. As I didn't know anything of Emilie Richards books in those days, the fact she can refresh and present these books to todays readers is perfect. In my opinion the updating has been successful and reads really well in 2022, good writing is good writing - whenever it was written.
We first meet Felice in a convent, where she is undercover of all things. At first as a reader you don't realise this, but it doesn't take long to see she has quite different motives to what you'd expect. She is there to watch over someone and protect them. But soon she is involved in a number of dangerous situations that had me reading on to see what was going to happen next.
I loved the setting of Palm Springs and the characters - Felice and Josiah - who as they work through one dangerous situation after another, finally work out what they mean to each other. Good romantic suspense.
I look forward to the next book Twilight Shadows that takes up the story of Kelley, Felice's partner.
We first meet Felice in a convent, where she is undercover of all things. At first as a reader you don't realise this, but it doesn't take long to see she has quite different motives to what you'd expect. She is there to watch over someone and protect them. But soon she is involved in a number of dangerous situations that had me reading on to see what was going to happen next.
I loved the setting of Palm Springs and the characters - Felice and Josiah - who as they work through one dangerous situation after another, finally work out what they mean to each other. Good romantic suspense.
I look forward to the next book Twilight Shadows that takes up the story of Kelley, Felice's partner.
May 3, 2022
A gun-toting nun? No, a PI undercover in a convent. She gets kidnapped and then stranded in the desert without food, water, or cell phone coverage. Lots of suspense and even some romance!
May 6, 2022
Sister Felicia is not your run of the mill nun. She has a hard time abiding by the rules of the Blessed Garden. Nuns come to the Blessed Garden for a year long retreat. The permanent residents live a mainly silent, contemplative life. Sister Felicia finds it very difficult to stay silent for most of every day. Her assignment to the goat shed is so far out of her comfort zone, especially trying to deal with the irritable Mary Poppins. As Sister Felicia is trying to milk the goat, the nasty animal kicked her in the shoulder and upended the milk pail. Josiah Gallagher has arrived at the convent as a drifter and signs on to help the ailing caretaker as he recovers from a heart attack. Gallagher and Sister Felicia are both leery of one another and question the others reasons for being at the Blessed Gardens. When they find themselves stranded in the desert alone together after being chased by men with weapons, they have to find a way to find their way to safety. Do they trust each other or try to make it on their own? Neither seems to fit the personality they are trying to portray. What are their actual reasons for being at the Blessed Gardens and will Sister Felicia be able to control her cravings for forbidden cigarettes? This was a great story of intrigue with some light hearted moments to break up the tension. It was hard to stop reading since there was always something new around the next corner. I enjoyed this book as I have all of Emilie’s books. If you have not read any of her books, this will only be the first!
May 9, 2022
This is an updated version of one of Emilie Richards earlier releases. I did have to keep reminding myself that the story is not set in the present day.
Sister Felice seems like an unlikely candidate for a nun. I kept envisioning Sally Fields. (Flying Nun) While she is trying very hard to succeed, one initially wonders what called her to this convent. As the story progresses, we discover there is much more going on than the opening suggests. The book becomes an action adventure story, We have bad guys, kidnapping and international intrigue, and a little romance thrown in. If Sister Felice thought she had problems with cantankerous goats, what comes next is definitely not what she thought she was getting into.
This is not like more recent Emilie Richards books, but I enjoyed it as an escape read on a cold wet day.
Sister Felice seems like an unlikely candidate for a nun. I kept envisioning Sally Fields. (Flying Nun) While she is trying very hard to succeed, one initially wonders what called her to this convent. As the story progresses, we discover there is much more going on than the opening suggests. The book becomes an action adventure story, We have bad guys, kidnapping and international intrigue, and a little romance thrown in. If Sister Felice thought she had problems with cantankerous goats, what comes next is definitely not what she thought she was getting into.
This is not like more recent Emilie Richards books, but I enjoyed it as an escape read on a cold wet day.
April 30, 2022
Emilie Richards has been revamping some of her older titles and so far I think this is my favorite. The book starts out with a nun, Sister Felicia, in a convent who just really doesn’t fit in and is always in trouble. It becomes apparent very quickly that she is no nun at all! So what the heck is she doing in the strict convent where she can’t even talk most of the time?
Then there’s Gallagher, a handyman who has suddenly shown up to help the old man who lives in a small cabin on the property and takes care of the things the nuns can’t handle. He sees way more than anyone is aware of, especially Sister Felicia with her swinging hips and skinny dipping ways. What is going on in this book?
There are several people who aren’t what they seem and when Sister Felicia gets mistaken for someone else and kidnapped, she and Gallagher must make a trek across the desert to get to safety. There’s a whole lot of hot sand and very little water to be found. The sand’s not only thing hot in that desert that is producing heat! Between the thugs, the guns and the desert, there’s lots of action in this book to keep you turning the pages.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via the author. All thoughts are my own!
Then there’s Gallagher, a handyman who has suddenly shown up to help the old man who lives in a small cabin on the property and takes care of the things the nuns can’t handle. He sees way more than anyone is aware of, especially Sister Felicia with her swinging hips and skinny dipping ways. What is going on in this book?
There are several people who aren’t what they seem and when Sister Felicia gets mistaken for someone else and kidnapped, she and Gallagher must make a trek across the desert to get to safety. There’s a whole lot of hot sand and very little water to be found. The sand’s not only thing hot in that desert that is producing heat! Between the thugs, the guns and the desert, there’s lots of action in this book to keep you turning the pages.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via the author. All thoughts are my own!
May 1, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book by Emilie Richards. The story begins telling us about Sister Felicia, who is living in the Blessed Garden Convent. Sister Felicia quickly finds herself living in an environment to which she is not accustomed. The nuns are not allowed to speak during the day. They must save their talking until the evening. She is having a tough time fitting in.
Not too far into the book, you learn this Sister is there for other reasons. She is on a mission of a different kind. The story takes off with exciting twists and turns! There is a lot of action and romance to keep us readers on our toes! Emily Richards does such an excellent job of pulling you into the story, so you feel like you are right there, experiencing it all. I really enjoyed the story. I am looking forward to the next book!
Not too far into the book, you learn this Sister is there for other reasons. She is on a mission of a different kind. The story takes off with exciting twists and turns! There is a lot of action and romance to keep us readers on our toes! Emily Richards does such an excellent job of pulling you into the story, so you feel like you are right there, experiencing it all. I really enjoyed the story. I am looking forward to the next book!
May 1, 2022
I love reading old romances, this one has been edited and revised slightly for new times. It started a little slow for me, starting in a convent with a nun who doesn't seem to really belong. Lo and behold she doesn't! We met Josiah Gallagher in the Home Coming series, and he got better in this story! Josiah and Felicia have a connection that starts slow and builds big and bright. Loved the story and can't wait to read the next one.
I received an ARC prior to publication and decided to voluntarily review it.
I received an ARC prior to publication and decided to voluntarily review it.
April 26, 2022
I enjoyed the romance and the mystery. I liked how they were so very similar; very independent, work-addicted, wary of each other. Though they didn’t trust each other, she had to rely on him to escape the desert and he recognized her determination and strength. Neither wanted a relationship yet couldn’t stay away. The worked very well together to find Sister Mary Grace. This is a reissue from 1991, yet it reads current.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews