NEXT TO DIE by Marliss Melton

NEXT TO DIE
MARLISS MELTON
Romantic Suspense
Hachette Book Group
ISBN# 0-446-61834-9
$6.99
Print - Available now

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Penelope Price, or Penny as her family and friends call her, is a Lieutenant and Physical Therapist in the Navy. Penny and her sister Lia have had a hard time of it lately and Penny has been taking care of Lia for a very long time. Penny is almost ready to say no the next time Lia calls but the fear in her voice convinces Penny to take her in again. It seems that Lia called the man both girls suspected of foul play in their father’s death and told him he should be ashamed. Lia is definitely the more outgoing of the two and this time Lia may have gone to far.

After a few threatening calls, Penny and Lia decide to go to the FBI and ask for their help. Penny goes one step farther and calls on her neighbor, the sexy, hot, and a little disturbed Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Joe Montgomery. Joe has a few demons of his own, since his last mission went fatally wrong. However, Joe somewhat grudgingly respects his neighbor and decides to help her out.

Penny has had a thing for Joe for a long time, and with some pushing and prodding from Lia, she decides to make the first move. The only problem is that Joe doesn’t want to trust anyone with his problems or Penny. Joe makes this problem even worse by trying to push her into the arms of other SEALS. One in particular shows a great interest and now Joe wonders what he was thinking when the Shark began circling his prey.

Can Penny and Lia stay alive long enough to find happiness, will the FBI catch the Killer before its to late, and will Joe finally realize what has been in front of his face all along?

The secondary characters in this story are unbelievably real, Ophelia or Lia and Vinny though secondary to Joe and Penny have their own love triangle and you find yourself not sure who you want to read about next, Penny and Joe, or Vinny and Lia.

What a wonderful and insightful treat in the world of Navy SEALS, Ms. Melton has captivated this reviewer and I personally cannot wait to find out more about her and her Navy SEAL series.

BrandyWine
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
September 2007