“You’re a complication I don’t need.”
– Fragile by Shiloh Walker
I know Shiloh Walker primarily as a prolific paranormal romance/paranormal erotica author – her long-running Hunter saga (Hunting the Hunter, et al.) concluded earlier this year with Hunter's Rise – so when I saw her novel Fragile (a romantic suspense that was recently released in mass market paperback) on the bookshelves, I was intrigued and decided to pick it up.
And I’m so glad I did.
Revolving around the tumultuous relationship between emergency room physician Luke Rafferty and social worker Devon Manning, the reason I loved this novel so much was because both characters were so scarred – both physically and emotionally – yet so endearing.
Luke’s childhood was far from ordinary – separated at birth from his twin brother, he didn’t even know that Quinn existed until his biological mother (an alcoholic who essentially kidnapped Quinn from the hospital and disappeared cross country) dies and Quinn shows up on Luke’s father’s doorstep. After the twins grow up, they enter the military and become Army Rangers – where they witness, and are party to, innumerable atrocities. But after nearly being killed in the line of duty, Luke accepts a medical discharge, goes to med school, and tries to find some semblance of a normal life working at a Kentucky hospital.
Devon was sexually abused as a child and eventually ran away from home. After battling drug addiction – and beating it – she now devotes her life to helping out kids that are in similar predicaments.
Luke sees Devon in the hospital from time to time and is enamored with the waiflike redhead. Little does he know that Devon is just as captivated by him:
“Now there was another heartbreaker. Sexy and absolutely mouth-watering. Dr. Lucas Rafferty hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, and his clothes were so damned rumpled, she figured he’d been sleeping in them. Heavy-lidded gray eyes, creases carved into the hard lines of his face, and a long, rangy build, he looked more like a warrior than a doctor…”
Luke finally gets up the nerve to ask Devon out but, although there is an undeniable and almost overpowering attraction, both have deep secrets that threaten to destroy the relationship before it even has a chance to begin.
Luke knows that this is the woman that he was destined to love and vows to somehow heal the wounds that have festered inside of her for so long.
“I think I fell in love with you before I even knew you, before I even saw you… I feel like I’ve loved you my whole life, and I’ve just been waiting to find you.”
But then something occurs that not only threatens their burgeoning relationship but also threatens their very lives…
There is so much to love about this novel – deeply flawed but appealing characters, a mystery that will keep readers guessing until the very end, and a romantic connection that is beautiful and intense and downright erotic in places.
“Falling in love was, all at once, a slow, lazy little drift, like a feather circling down to the earth, that gentle drift into love happening over weeks or months – and a plummet off the edge of a cliff when you finally realized you weren’t falling in love; you were already there. Maddening, terrifying, and exhilarating.”
Shiloh Walker's Fragile not only succeeds as a romance; it’s also a brilliantly plotted mystery/thriller – sexy and suspenseful. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.
Caprice Damani is a work-from-home mom with extensive experience in the publishing industry, as a bookseller, editor, and romance reviewer. Keep up with all of her blogs – as well as all of Barnes & Noble’s exclusive reviews, authors interviews, videos, promotions, and more – by following @BNBuzz on Twitter!
