Venezuela and Virginia, the Present

First grade teacher Jordan Bliss spent last summer teaching and caring for orphans at a mission in Venezuela. She has returned this year to do the same and also to complete adoption proceedings for four year-old Miguel, with whom she has fallen in love. Jordan's marriage fell apart after she lost the baby she tried so hard to conceive. She doesn't miss her cheating ex-husband, but the loss of the baby left a bleeding wound in her heart that little Miguel is healing. Venezuela is in turmoil, however, and very dangerous for foreigners, especially Americans. Jordan, the priest and nun and the children are forced to spend four days hiding in the church cellar before being rescued.

Senior Chief Solomon McGuire and fellow US Navy SEALs are sent to rescue Jordan. His orders are clear...rescue Jordan Bliss; he has no orders to retrieve a local child. He literally has to tear Jordan away from Miguel to do his job. It's not that he has no sympathy; he lost his own son five years ago when his wife disappeared with baby Silas. Solomon is sorry, but orders are orders. Solomon greatly admires Jordan's unselfish devotion to the boy and regrets that she hates him, but when Silas is suddenly dropped in his lap, he turns to Jordan for help.

Jordan is busily trying to raise money to return to Miguel and proceed with the adoption, much against all advice. At the same time that she hates what McGuire did to her, he makes her feel things she hasn't felt in years, if ever. Still, McGuire offers to pay her for teaching Silas to read, so she accepts his proposition.

Some of the best romances begin with strong antagonism underlain with sexual attraction between the hero and heroine. It works here, though, in this case, Solomon's not so much antagonistic as guilt-ridden. As for the physical attraction, he admits to that, but love? Never! Solomon McGuire is known as Mako -- a warm-blooded shark -- among his confederates. This should give a hint about his make-up...a seasoned warrior who reads Jane Eyre. Jordan is a nurturer with powerful maternal instincts that have been repeatedly frustrated.

Other storylines run alongside that of Jordan and Solomon's in DON'T LET GO. Jordan's widowed sister, Jillian, mother of two and very pregnant, is working to open their family ranch to help wounded soldiers who have lost limbs. Her thread involves FBI Special Agent Rafael Valentino, who was involved in setting up Jordan's original rescue. Rafe has his own tragic past. Another admirable minor character is Silas's Aunt Ellie, who cared for him, along with her own three, as long as she was able. This complexity makes for a rich read but can also be distracting when the scene shifts abruptly during a suspenseful moment. That certainly keeps the pages turning, though. Other actors from previous novels have bit parts.

DON'T LET GO and Ms. Melton's four earlier books, though they easily stand alone, are set in Virginia among the Navy SEALs and the FBI with excursions to troubled spots anywhere. This provides multiple chances for real conflict for her characters to overcome. But these are multi-layered characters, and all have inner conflicts as well, and opportunities for growth. I recommend you find DON'T LET GO and make Solomon's acquaintance and Jordan's. You'll be glad you did.

Jane Bowers