Review - Pursuit

Title: Pursuit
Author: Elizabeth Jennings
Publishing Date: April 2008
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: C+
Sensuality: Warm

Charlotte Court is on the run because her life is in grave danger. She witnesses the murder of her father in his hospital bed by one of the security men employed by her family’s business. She manages to hit him with an IV stand, but he manages to get off one shot to her shoulder. She makes it out of the hospital only to discover that she is wanted for the murder of her father and a nurse at the hospital. She decides to go into hiding and heads for Mexico. She ends up in a tiny little town of San Luis that is an eclectic art community on the beach. While staying there she meets Matt Sanders.

Matt Sanders is a Navy SEAL who took four (or five) bullets during an op in Afghanistan. He almost dies. He goes to San Luis to stay with his friend Larry and to recover from his near death experience. He sees Charlotte from afar and she gives him the will to complete his recovery.

Pursuit is one of those stories that I like to describe as a “guilty pleasure”. I know I shouldn’t like this kind of book, but I lap it up regardless. What I am trying to say is that it is so cheesy and syrupy-sweet with “perfect” people (who would never exist in real life) that I just keep turning the pages for the sheer fun of it. You know, where the heroine without any make-up, no sleep, has a rats nest for hair and is the most beautiful woman in the world. Or how about the hero, who just glances at the heroine (out of his peripheral, no less) and knows exactly what the heroine is thinking, or needs or wants. Yes, this is one of those books. Just put reality on hold because this is really a fantasy to the utmost degree.

Now having said how much I enjoy a “guilty pleasure” I am sure you are wondering why I gave it a medium grade. The reason for the grade was for the uneven telling of the story. The first few chapters the author told us what was happening instead of showing us. Yet later on after Matt and Charlotte met some scenes were done very well. If the beginning hadn’t dragged so much I would have given it a higher grade. Also, too much of the story was dwelt on the bad guy’s perspective and his search for Charlotte. I would have rather spent the time with Matt and Charlotte. I didn’t really give a rat’s ass about him. Also, there is one very nasty scene involving Charlotte’s pet cat. Really, I could have done without that entirely.

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