The Right Combination

by Nancy Loyan Schuemann

Raphael (Rafe) has prided himself in being in control of his life, but now he's adrift. He's a Hispanic man uncomfortable with his heritage, a playboy who knows he has to settle down, a man who pretends that family doesn't matter when it does, and an FBI agent who thinks he's at the top of his game only to be demoted by a serial killer.
Nalani Hana is far removed from the US mainland and prefers it that way. Though a descendant of Hawaiian royalty, she prefers the simplicity of her secluded cottage on Maui. Born and raised into the safe business, she carries on her father's legacy at N. Hana Safe & Lock Company.
Now someone is murdering the country's legendary safe and vault technicians. Once a month, a safe man is found strangled and stuffed into a safe with three fingers severed. Raphael has to find the killer before he strikes again. The question is whether Nalani Hana is a suspect or the pawn of a demented killer.

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2013

About the author

Nancy's passion is writing fairy tales for adults, that unlock the barriers to love. She loves to pen women's fiction novels with a happily ever after. After all, the world can be a depressing place.
Purveyor of the written word, writing has been as necessary as breathing. Since composing picture books for fellow students in elementary school, Nancy has been a freelance writer specializing in construction, design, architecture, histories, profiles, antique safes, dance, travel and special interest in local and national publications. She has taught writing at numerous venues, including the prestigious Chautauqua Institution in New York State.

After graduating with a BSBA degree in marketing from John Carroll University, she pursued a career in sales and marketing. She has incorporated those skills into a professional writing career. Nancy is a Cleveland, Ohio native

She shares her love of animals and travel in her novels. Travel has taken her around the world, including trips to Europe, Great Britain, South America, Egypt and the exotic Seychelles Islands. When she’s not writing, Nancy teaches Middle Eastern dance. She also collects dollhouses that reflect her novels. She shares her life with her GSP, Paisley. Her web site is www.nancyloyan.com

Reviews

[Shelley Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Right Combination by Nancy Loyen Schuemann was a surprising lesson in a technology that I had not been exposed to prior to this reading. The author has a passion for everything to do with locks and safes and builds it into the story.

Nalani, a Hawaiian descendent of royalty has a similar passion for everything to do with safes. She's an expert like few others. Raphael, aka Rafe, is an fbi man investigating the deaths of several of the world's safe experts. Someone is killing them once a month and severing their fingers.

When Rafe's Hispanic confidence (aka ego) run full force into Nalani's talents and expertise, things get exciting. Until he met the illustrious Nalani, he was certain she was his suspect. He traveled to the Hawaiian islands to attend a world-renown safe conference with the hopes of confronting her. Only she wasn't anything like he'd expected. Not sure whether he's investigating or protecting her, the suspense heats up.

How's Rafe going to stop the serial killer before someone else dies? The clock is ticking.

You'll have to read this to find out more but I can tell you, Nancy has done a great job of building out the characters and the plot.

[Romance Novels in Color · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always loved romantic suspense novels, but over the last few years many of the ones I’ve read have seemed clichéd in theme, plot and characterization. The Right Combination, by Crimson Romance author Nancy Loyan, however, was a breath of fresh air with its unique premise, richly drawn characters, and plot twists that had me guessing until its fast-paced conclusion.

FBI Special Agent Raphael Costillo is a man who’s used to having his personal and professional life uncomplicated and compartmentalized. He’s at the top of his game as the FBI’s top expert on safes and vaults. Being one of the best in the business, he’d grown up in the world of safes and “safemen” with his father, owner of Costillo Safe and Lock in Little Havana. When three legendary safe crackers are murdered and stuffed into safes over the course of three months, Rafe is called in to lead the investigation to apprehend an obvious serial killer. For him, this case just hits too close to home!

Nalani Hana lives in Hawaii, far away from the US mainland. She relishes a simple home life in her secluded cottage off the Hana Highway in Maui and prides herself on carrying on her father’s legacy in the safe business at the N. Hana Safe & Lock Company. She has spent several months traveling the country interviewing legendary safe and vault technicians in the business for a book she’s writing and is devastated to learn that her idols are being systematically murdered following her interviews with them.

Rafe and Nalani’s paths cross when she tops his list as a possible suspect, but their bonding is immediate. Once considering himself a confirmed playboy, Rafe didn’t believe he needed anything more, including acceptance of his own heritage, until he met Nalani. Being with her on a professional, personal and sexual level made him realize what his life had been lacking. On the other hand, Nalani’s perspective on her own life changes from that of a social recluse, comfortable in her own skin, to a woman who doesn’t just want a man but needs THIS man.

This transformation of the lead characters and the whodunit question kept me roped in and interested in this tale of romance and murder. Nancy Loyan’s technical knowledge of safes and the safe-cracking industry adds unobtrusive realism to the details of the story. Her writing style is polished and smooth. This book is a definite winner. I’m a new Nancy Loyan fan!

-Reviewed by Angela

[Cary Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

TRC says “thrill ride” from the outset. Not your typical romance, it nevertheless sweeps the reader into a world unknown to most. Ms. Loyan knows her business when it comes to locksmithing and combination safes, and she also knows how to write a wonderful tale. I’m a strong believer that anything can be interesting if the proponent is enthused and able to articulate that enthusiasm. Not that combination locks, etc, are uninteresting, they just never rose in my consciousness beyond securing my workout locker. Well, shame on me!
G-Man Rafe is on the hunt for a dangerous and elusive serial killer, and the beautiful Nalani may hold the key – or she may be the key! Their mutual attraction in not what either of them wants, and it plays havoc on the cool detachment Rafe needs to solve the mystery . . . and the murders.

TRC is a wonderful romance, a thriller, and an eye opener all at once. Very well done.

I purchased this book online and have given this review freely and without compensation of any kind.

[Deborah Cordes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique premise in a romantic suspense! I knew nothing about safes and the experts who work with them until I read this novel. Ms. Loyan certainly does (she and her husband collect safes as a hobby!), and her novel is filled with many fascinating tidbits about the world of safe men and women. Her heroine and hero are unique, too, a beautiful and brainy Hawaiian woman with a secret past and a Cuban-American FBI agent who must find a serial killer targeting safe experts. The fast-paced action and in-depth characterizations had me pondering "who done it" more than once. The ending is wholly satisfying, capping off a race to the finish, with a lovely happily ever after at the finish line. I highly recommend THE RIGHT COMBINATION!

[Leslie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

So exciting and so well written. It grabbed me immediately, and I could not put it down.