cover image CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU

CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU

Janelle Taylor, . . Zebra, $6.99 (347pp) ISBN 978-0-8217-7080-1

College freshman Mariel Rowan has dreamed of becoming an actress, but an unexpected pregnancy threatens to derail her plans. Even though her boyfriend, Noah Lyons, is eager to marry and start a family, Mariel insists that they give their child up for adoption. Fifteen years after delivering her baby daughter, Amber, and ending her relationship with Noah, Amber contacts Mariel via e-mail. Before Mariel has a chance to meet Amber, however, the girl disappears. To begin her search, Mariel meets up with Noah in Syracuse, N.Y., at the quaint B&B where they made love for the first time, and, unable to deny their attraction, they pick up where they left off. Once reunited, Mariel and Noah learn that neither has attained the goals that precipitated their decision to put Amber up for adoption—Mariel is a teacher in her sleepy Midwestern hometown, and Noah is unwinding from a failed marriage and a job he loathes. Lukewarm clues lead to dead ends until they do the obvious and open Amber's original e-mail. Readers looking for a rousing contemporary romance with sympathetic lead characters and plenty of soul-searching won't be disappointed by Taylor's (Not Without You, etc.) loosely labeled romantic suspense, but those who desire the added spice of intrigue should look elsewhere. (May)