Season of Danger is two shorter stories in one Love Inspired Suspense novel. The first Silent Night, Deadly Night by Hannah Alexander has one of the characteristics that I believe is often important for the success of a romantic novella — the main characters know each other and are already in love when the book begins. Of course neither of them have admitted to their feelings.
Both Tess Vance and Sean Torrance work at a homeless shelter where they are used to the rough neighborhood, but someone is after Tess, and has already struck once, resulting in the hit-and-run death of Tess' fiance.
The mystery behind this novella kept me guessing to the end and was a surprise when it was revealed. The love relationship between Tess and Sean had developed slowly and just needed brought into the open as circumstances allowed the two characters to share more of their thoughts and feelings with one another. Simple, tender romance.
The second novella was Mistletoe Mayhem by Jill Elizabeth Nelson. Here, the two main characters met for the first time in the opening scene, but the story held a "year later" epilogue to show they didn't rush into marriage from the madness of their holiday love. (That's tongue-in-cheek for those of you who don't know me personally.)
I thoroughly enjoyed the research Jill put into this story. I had no idea mistletoe was poisonous or that it was used to treat cancer. I liked the uniqueness of the hero being a health inspector. Both main characters came across mature and level-headed even as all kinds of dangers broke out around them.
I did figure out the bad guy in this mystery before the end of the story, but Jill added a twist to his/her motives and an accomplis that I wasn't expecting, so that was a joy as well.
Theme: Words can kill.
If you are still looking for some light reading for the busy Christmas season, grab a copy of Season of Danger.
