Shades of Desire

Launching a romantic suspense series following special agents working for the California Department of Justice, DePaul (Dangerous to Her) begins with a woman-in-jeopardy story. Natalie Jones is a gifted photographer who has lost most of her vision—and her fiancé—but refuses to learn to cope with her disability. Somehow she survives an attack by a mysterious assailant. Special agent Liam McKenzie, who heads the state’s Special Investigations Group, checks out the incident. There is inappropriate (but instant) attraction between the lonely, hostile victim and the jaded detective. The absurd plot involves a runaway teen, a homicidal minister, a woman who will do anything for a baby, a violent born-again ex-convict, sought-after photos taken by a blind woman, and an insane mother consigned to an asylum. This obscures what could have been an interesting and unusual romance, leapfrogging to an improbable happy ending. Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Literary Agency. (June)