Hot on Her Heels

I tried a book by Susan Mallery a few years ago with mixed results. Since I know a lot of readers very much enjoy and look forward to her books, I thought it was time to give the author a try again. Which explains why I picked Hot on Her Heels for review.

This wrap-up to the author’s series about wealthy sisters in Texas is the story of Dana, the sisters’ close friend, and Garth, the illegitimate child of their e-e-e-e-e-e-v-i-l father. Turns out Garth is holding one major league grudge against daddy and is determined to bring him down.

Now why is he so focused on his goal? Well, the answer involves a hell of a lot of backstory, most of which, I gather, took place in previous books in the series. Nevertheless, the author repeats it all here in classic telling-not-showing fashion.

• Daddy paid off mommy and sent her and her son to live on their own.
• Mommy got a brain tumor when Garth was 14.
• Daddy threw Garth out of the house when he asked for help.
• Mommy survived, thanks to donations and help from the town, but came away brain damaged and doesn’t know that Garth is her son.

So, understandably, Garth is pissed. Leaving him to:

• Become a mega-rich success.
• Enact a ruthless scheme of revenge in which he views his super nice sisters as collateral damage.
• Get blamed for an explosion (that obviously took place in previous book) in which one of the sisters was almost killed.

So, BFF Dana decides to:

• Take advantage of her position as a cop to try to bust Garth for said explosion. And when that doesn’t work…
• Follow him day and night to keep him from harming her besties.
• Team up (after much group hugging) with Garth and the sisters in a mutual goal of bringing daddy down.

This book felt entirely two-dimensional – and, yep, more than a little bit cartoony – to me. And the characters – and their actions – felt romance novel formulaic and clichéd. All the time. Not to even mention that straight arrow Dana goes from Hating (definitely cap H) Garth to having hot sex with him in a hot minute, leaving me to wonder just who is this woman? Truth is, I didn’t have a clue. Ditto Garth, the sisters, and their mates who play major – make that really major – roles in this book.

So, would the book have worked better for me if I’d read the previous books in the series? Honestly, I don’t think so, but if you’re a Susan Mallery fan, there’s more than a good chance that you won’t agree. I’ll know next time, however, that she’s not for me.

-- Sandy Coleman

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