Untamed

Mercenary and secret agent Stanton Rourke risks his life on a daily basis, and he’ll go out on a limb even for people he despises, such as journalist Clarisse “Tat” Carrington. He extracts her from a refugee camp deep in Africa, and then supports her when she gets into other scrapes in South America. Tat doesn’t understand why Stanton is so rude and harsh whenever they interact, but that doesn’t stop her from loving him, even from a distance. When Stanton learns that his beliefs about Tat are based on nothing but lies, they quickly come together. Palmer (Protector) proves that love and passion can be found even in the most dangerous situations. Even when she employs the oft-derided amnesia trope, somehow it doesn’t feel worn or silly; Tat simply moves on with her life without Stanton, landing in Jacobsville, Tex. (and interacting with many couples from Palmer’s long-running Long, Tall Texans series). He follows as quickly as he can, and as enemies from around the world track them to this tiny corner of Texas, Stanton ably proves to Tat that she can count on his love and protection. Readers don’t need to be familiar with Palmer’s work to enjoy this contemporary romantic thriller. (July)