Hard Core

Professional mercenary (and former French Foreign Legionnaire) Cristian Slade is sent to kill a vicious criminal on a remote island off the coast of Nicaragua. The target is Gavin Ross, a nefarious killer and organ-legger on the wanted lists of “an alphabet soup of government agencies.” Cristian’s mission from the shady Onyx Group is turned upside down when he’s wounded and secretly nursed back to health by Dr. Alana O’Grady; Gavin’s holding Alana under his thumb, threatening to kill her cancer-stricken father and friends among the local tribe unless she harvests a healthy man’s organs. After promising Alana’s dying father that he’ll protect her, Cristian rescues Alana and takes her to safety in the States. There they must come to terms with their feelings for one another, all the while knowing that Gavin is hunting for them. Contemporary romance fans who like a little tense action and melodrama in their love stories will find that this one fits the bill. (Oct.)