ROMANCE FICTION
Sara Russell
North Loop Books
Paperback, 978-1-6350-5379-1; ebook also available
Austin-area writer Sara Russell’s self-described “first foray into fiction” is a smoothly written, nicely plotted romance novel that will entertain many readers who like books with contemporary Texas settings.
Racing Storms also is Book 1 in Russell’s planned “Chasing Desire” series. Dallas-area NASCAR races, booming thunderstorms, and tornadoes provide just some of the backdrops for the events that will heat up Decoursey Granger’s hopes and passions. But the late-twenties Dallas “new girl” at a marketing firm has to be very careful and make sure the storm chaser she has just met truly will be the one who’s right for her.
Decoursey already has had a bad marriage. And her abusive ex-husband, Rory, whom she left behind in North Carolina after he threatened to kill her, suddenly has arrived in the Dallas area, working in the pit crew for a NASCAR racer.
Decoursey now is terrified Rory will find out where she lives, show up at her door, and carry out his fatal threat. However, rather than hire a security guard or hide somewhere else until the NASCAR racers move on to their next venue, she somewhat foolishly decides to rent out a room in her condominium to a stranger, a man who needs lodging during race weekend. His presence, Decoursey reasons, will be enough to keep Rory at bay.
According to a website, the stranger, Kennan McGregor, is an environmental consultant who chases and studies tornadoes as a hobby. However, Keenan arrives looking like a derelict, and he’s not interested in NASCAR races. He just wants a place to relax for a couple of days after his latest storm-chasing opportunity has faded out. He has assumed he is getting the room from an elderly couple or aging widow rather than an attractive young woman about his age. Meanwhile, Decoursey is disgusted and nervous about how Kennan looks. But once he cleans up and puts on better clothes, he shows he’s a changed man. And Decoursey’s opinions of him begin to change, too, helped along by her neighborhood friend, Abby, who is much quicker than Decoursey to begin seeing Kennan’s romantic possibilities.
Without giving away exactly how the rest of the story unfolds, evil Rory and destructive weather both show up at bad moments, and Kennan has to do much more than simply be Decoursey’s weekend room renter.
Racing Storms is well edited and offers numerous moments of clever dialogue, such as: “Desperate times call for desperate cop-outs”; plus Abby’s initial response to Decoursey renting out a room: “Let me get this straight. You’re afraid of your insane ex-husband, so you find a hitchhiker to babysit you for the weekend. Have you lost your mind?” And: “It’s sort of a short-term forecast with a 100 percent chance of meeting my parents.”
Sara Russell’s debut book is a well-paced, engaging romance novel with heart, humor, passion, and danger.
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