Reba Farrall was lost - until a kindly old gentleman took her under his wing and helped heal her shattered spirit. Now her dearest friend is gone, leaving her with a doubting, broken heart...and half-interest in a California gem mine. But Chance Walker has burst into Reba's life - a daring adventurer who believes in nothing except the priceless uncut stones for which he searches the Earth. In the blistering heat of Death Valley - in the intoxicating presence of a jewel more exquisite than any he has ever seen - Chance must confront a dire peril that stalks the sad and sensuous beauty. For only he can save Reba Farrall from harm - and only she can teach him how to love.

The owner of half a California gem mine, Reba Farrall has a flourishing business trading stones when she meets Chance Walker, an Australian adventurer who seeks uncut precious jewels throughout the world. Amid Walker's obsession for digging stones and Farrall's preoccupation with her half of the mine, the two spark against each another in their search for happiness and love. Laural Merlington keeps the action going, quickening the pace during the headstrong lovers' fights. Their lovemaking is tantalizing as Merlington's voice grows rough and sensuous. This 1984 romance is more chaste than Lowell's current work, but the lovers sizzle and sparkle all the same. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

 

Elizabeth Lowell's acclaimed suspense novels include the New York Times bestsellers Die in Plain Sight, Moving Target, and Running Scared, as well as the four books featuring the Donovan family, Amber Beach, Jade Island, Pearl Cove, and Midnight in Ruby Bayou. Lowell has more than thirty million books in print. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband, with whom she writes mystery novels under a pseudonym.