Every Move She Makes » (Reissue)

As the pampered daughter of one of Spring Creek's most prestigious southern families, Ella Porter has lived her entire lifeon the straight-and-narrow. And being "good" has kept Ella safe and sane—until now. Suggestive yet ominious letters have been arriving at her office with alarming frequency. Letters that remind herof the disturbing ones she used to get from Reed Conway—the hellraiser she knew from childhood—after her father prosecuted him for murder. Now Reed's been released fromprison, and though Ella finds herself wanting to believe his claims of innocence, she's getting closer than a "good girl" ever should to a man with such a bad reputation...

Reed Conway is on a mission: to find out who really murdered his stepfather. But someone wants to interfere—someone determined to send Reed right back to prison for a brand-new crime. They've made it look like he's still a threat to Ella Porter and her family, when the truth is, the more he sees Ella, the more desperately he wants her. But his attempts to prove his innocence have put both their lives in heopardy...because whoever is stalking Ella will stop at nothing—including murder...

Publishers Weekly

Hot, steamy nights and dark family secrets abound in Barton's (The Protectors, etc.) suspenseful but somewhat convoluted romantic melodrama. When he was 18 years old, handsome bad boy Reed Conway was convicted of a crime he didn't commit killing his abusive stepfather, Junior Blalock. Out on parole after 15 years and back in his hometown of Spring Creek, Ala., Reed is determined to find the real murderer. But it seems everyone had a reason to kill Junior, including Senator Web Porter, the man who prosecuted Reed when he was the county DA. Meanwhile, the murderer, aware of the danger posed by Reed's probing, arranges events that will put the parolee back in the slammer. Complicating matters further is Reed's attraction to Web's daughter, taciturn Ella Porter. Ella is drawn to Reed's raw strength, and together the two overcome their vastly different backgrounds, join forces and try to find the real killer. The narrative's myriad subplots including a romance between Reed's mother and Web, and a sibling rivalry between Ella's aunt and mother may overwhelm the reader, but the novel's sizzling sexual chemistry and high suspense will satisfy sunbathers longing for sultry poolside reading. (Sept.) Forecast: Romances set in the South, especially those with a high sensuality quotient, are in high demand. Barton's latest will appeal to fans of Olga Bicos and Lisa Jackson and will likely garner respectable sales. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.