THE HERO – Robyn Carr
A Perfect 10
Thunder Point, Book 4
MIRA
ISBN-13:  978-0-7783-1459-2
September 2013
Contemporary Romance

Thunder Point, Oregon – Present Day

Fearing for her life, Devon McAlister takes her three-year-old daughter Mercy and escapes from the compound where they've been living.  When Jacob found her four years ago in Seattle, she was happy to go with him to his home in Oregon, where he and his friends lived as one big family.  Jacob offered her a shoulder to cry on, and listened to her story.  He told her he loved only her.  And she was oblivious and happy until the day she realized that Jacob had lied to her.  The women living in his compound were forced to work and cater to his every whim, and the many children they had birthed were his.  Too late, Devon discovered she was pregnant.  Jacob assured Devon she was free to leave the compound any time she wished, as long as she left their daughter behind.  Held under guard by men with guns, Devon and the other women carried on, day by day.  But when Devon had the chance to break free, she took Mercy by the hand and ran.  She didn't think twice as she escaped through the hole in the fence, and now she's hitchhiking, trying desperately to get to the highway and far away from Jacob before he discovers she's gone.  When an old truck stops and a man offers Devon a ride, she takes it.  The man introduces himself as Rawley Goode, from Thunder Point. 

Spencer Lawson and his ten-year-old son are now living in Thunder Point after Spencer took the job as the new Athletic Director at the high school.  He and Austin are living in Hank Cooper's fifth wheel, set up behind the old bait and tackle shop that Cooper turned into a brand new restaurant and bar, in honor of his friend, Ben, who left Cooper the property in his will.  Spencer moved from Texas to Oregon, a long way, and a new experience for him and his son, but they needed somewhere new, away from the memories of his deceased wife.  This morning, as he walks up to the bar, Spencer is curious when he overhears Rawley talking to some girl who calls herself Devon.  He can see from her appearance that she comes from that religious commune up the road, and Spencer is suspicious.  What does a young girl want with an old man like Rawley, except to fleece him out of money the man doesn't have? 

Rawley offers a Devon place to stay while she looks for a job and takes the time to get on her feet again.  She left the compound with less than forty dollars in her pocket, and her pride will not allow her to take money from Rawley.  Instead, they strike a bargain; she'll cook his meals and clean his house while she looks for work.  But the minute she finds a job and a place to live, Rawley will get his house to himself again.

Welcome back to Thunder Point!  The fourth novel in the Thunder Point series introduces us to Devon McAllister, who's running for her life when she realizes that Jacob's business is not the fruit stand where the women work every day; but instead he runs a high dollar drug operation.  Not one to let life get her down for too long, Devon soon finds a job and starts over with new clothes and a new hairstyle, praying all the while that Jacob won't find her.  But he's out there looking, and when word gets back to him that she's in Thunder Point, she and Mercy are in danger.  Where can she run?

THE HERO is alive with suspense while Devon and Spencer are falling in love.  A plethora of the town's characters are also here from the previous novels:  Cooper and Sarah Dupre, Sheriff McCain and his new wife Gina, and others.  Quiet and mostly unknown until this book, Rawley Goode becomes a very visible personality as we learn more about his life and his hidden skills.  I look forward to seeing Rawley find his own romance in a future story!    

I'm not sure when the next Thunder Point novel comes out, but I hope it's soon!  Robyn Carr is a master at her craft, both in romance and suspense! 

Meanwhile, if you have not read this series, get yourself to a bookstore right away!  THE HERO is one of the best books this year, and it is several times over a PERFECT 10! 

Diana Risso