This book was a little problematic, but mostly because of Rafe's characterization. Regan is awesome, though her interactions with Rafe are a little too subtly drawn. Which is part of the problem with Rafe's characterization, really. You see, Rafe is one of those mostly inarticulate men who expresses himself physically—often violently in contexts with other men (say, his brothers). He isn't mean, vicious, or uncontrolled, but it'd be easy to read him as dangerous if you aren't careful. Unfortunately, Rafe's own internal monologue doesn't clue the reader in very well and neither does Regan's. I spent the first half of the novel wondering if Regan was a moron for putting up with him. Only gradually did I begin picking up the cues that she trusted him because of his actions and bearing rather than his bumbling dialogue (appropriately bumbling, he's that kind of guy) and internal uncertainty.
That's a really subtle thing to pull off and Roberts only does so partially successfully in the novel. At heart Rafe is one of my favorite kind of romantic heroes—strong, kind, protective and capable. But that's buried under a lot of baggage and self-doubt that leads him to wallow in anger and repressed violence a lot of the time and that's decidedly unattractive. Regan sees through that more or less immediately, but not explicitly leaving my own understanding of his character lagging significantly behind her own. And that's uncomfortable reading.
The book is mid 90s and is better than most of those from that era in story, but it's one of her less successful stabs at characterization. I liked it in the end, but it was tough going for a while, there.
A note about Steamy: Good steam level for such a short novel. One or two explicit scenes that weren't terribly long.