Glenna Finley

Fun vintage romantic suspense. I read the author's romantic suspense books from the 70s and 80s and have fond memories of them. I was unaware of this title until I saw a complete list of her books. Naturally, I had to track down a copy and read it.

The story gets off to a rough start for our heroine, Jane, and hero, Josh. In a comedy of errors, they first jump to conclusions about who the other one is, trading barbs and snide remarks. If that's not enough, a mishap with an ink bottle ends with Josh covered in ink, and when he moves Jane out of his way, it triggers a rogue file drawer that intersects with his head. Needless to say, they are not each other's biggest fans. The icing on the cake is when Jane is tagged to show Josh around the studios.

Jane is filling in as a temporary nurse at the studio as a favor to a family friend. She's just finished a two-year job in South America and plans a vacation at her parents' place in Washington state before moving on to her next job. Josh is an attorney from the studio's headquarters in DC who has come to New York to help boost the international section's productivity in advance of congressional budget hearings. The two mix like oil and water, but there are sparks of attraction under the antagonism. Complicating matters are other potential love interests who have their eyes on Jane and Josh. The studio's resident doctor, a friend of Josh's, makes no secret of his interest in Jane. Josh is frequently found in the company of Ellen Barton, the daughter of a studio vice president who has her eye on him.

Life gets more interesting when one of the producers is found knocked unconscious in the music library. Emilio is married to the daughter of a Caribbean dictator but is currently carrying on an affair with the studio librarian, so maybe there is some connection. Not long after, Jane's apartment is ransacked, leaving her and Josh puzzled about the reason. Despite their constant clashes, Jane and Josh work together to see if they can figure out the culprit. An attack on the division head and a poetry quote are the final clues that lead to the bad guy facing justice.

I enjoyed seeing the development of the relationship between Jane and Josh. Neither is at their best during their first meeting and despite their misunderstandings, there is no doubt that they've made an impression on each other. Over the next few days, they can go from perfectly agreeable to snarky attitudes in a heartbeat. Jane tries to put Josh out of her mind by going out with Dr. Mark Jamieson. It's all for nothing when they encounter Josh with Miss Barton. I thought Mark was lovely with his acceptance that they weren't meant to be and that he and Jane still had a good time. Josh didn't seem quite as content in his role. He won points with me when he came to the rescue after Jane's apartment was ransacked. His protectiveness was sweet and gave me hope for the future. I wasn't sure what would happen when Josh disappeared after all the trouble and Jane didn't hear from him. I didn't blame her for leaving her temp job early to head to her parents' home to recover. I loved the scene on the train and Josh's big moment.

It was a lot of fun reading this vintage story. The descriptions brought those earlier days into sharp focus. Reading about how Jane got dressed to go out for the afternoon and grabbed a fresh pair of white gloves before leaving created a vivid picture in my mind. The clothing descriptions were interesting and set the mood for their scenes.… (altro)

Old but enjoyable read. Jessica headed to Orcas Island from Dallas for a bit of time away, and to decide what to do with her grandmother's house. It's currently rented to a scientist at the Institute, but that may not be a permanent solution. After an eventful trip to the island on the ferry, including an encounter with an unpleasant stranger, Jessica looks forward to some peace and quiet. Fate has something else in mind as she discovers that the house burned down, and her brother's friend and tenant, Henry, is in the hospital. Then an emergency at work sends her back home, and it's six weeks before she gets back.

The unpleasant stranger on the ferry turned out to be another friend of her brother's and Henry's. Cal is still on the island, apparently enjoying an extended vacation. Or so Jessica thinks until she discovers his unconscious body in the water near her property. This begins a series of events that throw Jessica and Cal together, frequently under questionable circumstances.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Jessica and Cal, which was intertwined with the mystery of what was happening on the island. To start with, there were sparks between them from the moment they met, though they began with antagonism. Neither forgot the other during the time Jessica was away from the island. The sparks were still there, though the antagonism was too. I loved watching Jessica stand up to Cal over his injuries, and see her take care of him that night. Sparks of a different kind began to overcome the antagonistic ones. But there was frustration, too. Jessica knew there was something fishy going on, but getting a straight answer out of Cal was nearly impossible.

Meanwhile, Cal tried to keep Jessica safe, but she kept turning up in awkward places. There was a great scene on Cal's sailboat, as he combined a date of sorts with Jessica with a surveillance opportunity. The passion that flared between them left Jessica reeling at the same time she wondered about his feelings.

It was easy to see that Cal tried to protect Jessica from what was going on. However, he tended to be high-handed about it rather than telling her why. I could feel her frustration at his tactics, and I enjoyed the way she kept after him for answers. The ending was good as Cal came clean. His confession of his feelings was sweet and funny.

The suspense of the story was good. It was apparent early on who was involved, but Cal needed more information. There were times that I thought Jessica was oblivious to what was happening around here. That was especially true at the end. The intensity ramped up when she was taken, and I was on the edge of my seat as I wondered what was going to happen. Her rescue was a relief, and I liked finding out the truth of what was going on. The ending wasn't quite as satisfying as I would have liked, but it was still good.… (altro)

This was the last book published by the author and stuck pretty close to her usual themes. I enjoyed it though it was somewhat dated. It's always interesting reading older suspense stories and seeing how they do things without the benefit of computers, the internet, and smartphones.

Dana is on vacation in North Carolina when she gets multiple messages that her brother's law partner, Marc, has been trying to reach her. She has no idea why, as their one date was an unqualified disaster. Before Dana can return his calls, Marc shows up at her hotel room door with an adorable toddler in tow. He's in a fix, and she is the only one who can help. He needs to care for his nephew for a couple of days, and also needs Dana to pose as his wife for a business dinner. Dana doesn't know what to think. She's still embarrassed by what happened on their date but can't deny that she is still attracted to Marc.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Marc and Dana develop. The sparks between them are evident, especially after the scene where they give John a bath. Dana is a bit frustrated with Marc because he never gives a good explanation of why he needs her help, but she goes along with him anyway. A hurried journey to Kentucky to meet with his business associate adds to the stress. The interactions between Marc and Dana are interesting as he goes all protective on her, and she pushes back, wanting to know why. When not dealing with his investigation, their conversations are still a bit confrontational. Dana is still trying to live down that terrible date, and Marc seems to enjoy tweaking her about it. Things get more complicated when Marc sends her home for her own safety, while he heads to Puerto Rico to continue his investigation. By this time, Dana has realized that despite all appearances, she cares for Marc and worries about him. She arrives in Puerto Rico just in time to patch him up after an attack. It was fun seeing Dana's protective side come out and watch her give Marc a taste of his own medicine. His reactions gave her hope that maybe things weren't entirely one-sided. After getting involved where she shouldn't, Dana ends up in an unexpected confrontation. I loved Marc's reaction and Dana's responses. I had to laugh at his confession of why he wanted her help to start with. The ending was great.

The suspense of the story was decent, with Marc's intent to stop George made clear. It was a bit frustrating to have details revealed in incomplete bits, but it did help keep the tension going. The events in Kentucky were disturbing, but the intensity picked up once they arrived in Puerto Rico. Marc was determined to keep Dana safe while she was equally determined to help. Dana's cab scene was funny, and I liked her ingenuity of using the casino for her surveillance. The final resolution was mostly offstage, which was a little irritating, but the part with Dana was good.… (altro)

Good book, though definitely dated. Trish is headed to Dallas to visit her brother and deliver his dog, an Airedale named Grover, only to find out Richard has been called away on a business trip. Instead, she finds Richard's former boss would be there too. Not only is Curt staying there on his business trip, he expects Trish to play chauffeur and chief cook and bottle washer.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Curt and Trish, though it got off to a rough start. Curt seemed to take it for granted that Trish would agree to his demands, and ignored her objections. Meanwhile, Trish made her displeasure known, though she did what he wanted anyway. Underneath all of the back and forth over the details, there was a flare of attraction between them. I liked watching them get to know each other. Their interactions were amusing, with Trish pushing back at some of Curt's high-handedness and Curt mostly amused by it. I enjoyed the thunderstorm scene, and Curt's understanding of her (and Grover's) fears. There was a bit of a rough patch near the end caused by something Trish saw, but it was cleared up along with the mystery. I liked the ending and Curt's confession to Trish.

The reason Curt is in Dallas is that there are some problems in one division of the business. Computerized reports have made their way to the competition, and it's Curt's job to investigate. Trouble rears its head immediately when a suspicious fire is set at Richard's house on the first night they are there. Curt appears intent on keeping Trish separate from the problems, but she ends up caught up anyway. I was intrigued by the unfolding events and the number of possible suspects. There were the two Stewart sisters and their stepfather, who lived next door. Samantha worked for the company, which put her in a prime position, but her sister Nona also seemed to have the run of the place. From some of Curt's comments, their stepfather is no angel either. Then there is the arrival of Curt's cousin, Peter, who pops up at unexpected moments. Why is he there, and does he have an ulterior motive for his attentions to Trish? I began to have my suspicions of who it was, and was proved right in the end. The final confrontation was pretty mild by modern standards, though I loved the unlikely hero of the day.… (altro)