Running for Her Life

by Beverly Long

Secrets he didn't see coming almost got Jake Vernelli killed once. But he's dead certain that whatever pretty Tara Thompson is hiding is behind the frightening incidents threatening her.

Unfortunately, Tara is determined to stay silent and safe without this temporary small-town police chief's help. So to win her trust, Jake must uncover her past, reveal her deepest fears—and face his own wrenching mistakes. Now every false clue and unexpected setback is irresistibly drawing Jake and Tara together. And with nowhere left to run, the only way Jake can protect her against a relentless adversary means risking losing her for good.…

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jane Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good, but the ending was abrupt.

I wish there were a few more pages at the end. It’s a happy ending, but I wanted to see the bad guys squirm and feel misery when caught. I also felt the marriage proposal came too fast. It was not believable. The Harlequin Intrigue books that I have all end between pages 216 and 219. Is this a Harlequin rule? No words past those pages? I wish Harlequin would be less rigid with their page counts.

As to the story. The suspense was well done, I didn’t want to stop reading. No heroine stupidity. Motivations fit actions. Although I did feel the heroine should have confessed her true identity sooner. But I was willing to go with it.

I received this book at the RT convention. I’m glad. It introduced me to a new author that I’m going to read more of.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 212 pages. (The book starts on page 6 and ends on 217.) Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one plus one referred to. Setting: current day Minnesota. Copyright: 2012. Genre: romantic suspense.

[Julie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite things to do as a reader is to read the first book by an author--or the first book in a new line/genre for that author. That was the case when I ordered RUNNING FOR HER LIFE by Beverly Long. This is her debut title for Intrigue, and I loved it! Ms. Long's book was fast-paced and fraught with plenty of action and tension. And while I guessed the culprit, I didn't mind in the least (that's a hazard of writing romantic suspense as well as reading so much of it, I can kind of pick out the clues) because the book was well-written and the plot was filled with plenty of danger and mystery. I especially liked the supporting characters--many of them were as well-developed as the main players. I felt like the fictional small Minnesota town in this story was a real place.

My main reason for not giving the book 5 stars (this is where I'd love a 4 1/2 option!) is because I felt the suspense element of the plot overshadowed the romance a bit. Don't get me wrong, the romance was there, but every now and then it felt forced? awkward? to me. I felt more palpable tension between the hero and heroine in the scenes where the focus was on the suspense rather than the developing relationship. If you like suspense, you'll love this book. And I'm looking forward to Beverly Long's next Intrigue, DEADLY FORCE, which features the brother of RUNNING FOR HER LIFE's hero. It will be out in March 2013.

[Paula Legate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a sample of the book - (Tara couldn't stop the tears. fourteen months of pretending that she wasn't scared anymore, fourteen months of thinking that she's left it all behind, fourteen months of lying to herself. Oh, God. Her stomach hurt, her chest ached, and she couldn't get enough air. She gulped for breath, trying to hang on. )

I loved this short story. The story was intense, and made me so mad at the person that stalked, and hurt Tara. Tara was slow to trust anyone. Her life depended upon it. I'm glad one person weaved his way into Tara's heart! I love action books with a good dose of romance. I hope you like this book as much as I did!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake Vernelli is headed to Wyattsville, MN, called by Mayor Chase Montgomery, an old friend of his who's asked him to fill in for Chief Wilks for 6 weeks. Tara Thompson is one of the first townspeople he meets after he swerves to miss a deer and winds up in a ditch. Only Tara isn't her real name and she's a recent arrival in Wyattsville. Jake has been on leave after a shootout with his partner who had been part of one of the bigger drug rings in Minneapolis. She'd kept the ring one step ahead of the police feeding information to the police. Then the drug ring betrayed Jake's partner, Officer
Howard was killed and Jake was shot in the leg. Needless to say, he's wary of being lied to as his partner of 8 years lied to him. He knows Tara is lying to him, he's caught her in the lies. So, is there any hope for them?

[Dakota Gryffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

For a relatively short book, this dragged. There were issues with plot timing and the way the villains were tied together at the end was unrealistically comical.

I also felt that the hero did some unforgivable things (break into her house and look through her things) simply because he didn’t trust her. That’s not okay and she forgave him way too easily.

That being said I did finish it so.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked, while there was a little disconnect here and there than what im used to, overall it was a great read!

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It never occurred to Jake that Tara was hiding from an abuser?!

[Debbie Heaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Long’s romantic suspense novel, Jake Vernelli has agreed to cover the current police chief as he undergoes necessary surgery. Secrets and lots of them caused him to put distance between himself and his former position. But after meeting Tara Thompson, he immediately senses more secrets accompanied by a handful of frightening incidents that appear to be direct threats toward her safety. Tara is determined to take a stand and keep herself safe without any assistance, but her silence drives Jake to begin a background check on her past to reveal the source of her fears. As the investigation broadens, Tara and Jake find themselves drawn closer to each other as they fight to keep each other safe from a menace determined to make Tara his and his alone.

Fast-paced, many twists and turns…a very welcomed hard-to-put-down breath of fresh air addition to the Intrigue series. A new voice that is solid and capable of telling a good story.

[Cherry-Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The shorter version of "Sleeping with the Enemy". Loved the story, loved the main characters but felt that the secondary characters were too underdeveloped to arrive at the "of course" happy ending. As a result the final chapter left me with too many questions, insufficient answers, no evidence of a sequel, and strangely unfilled. Easy read though, not boring...just...

[Harlequin Books]

Category: Suspense