All I Want

If someone had reminded Parker James that no dying man ever said, “I wish I had spent more time at work,” the flimsy central conflict of Shalvis’s otherwise excellent seventh Animal Magnetism contemporary romance (after Still the One) would have vanished within a few chapters. Idaho bush pilot Zoe Stone agrees to play host to her brother’s friend Parker. Parker, a federal agent who investigates wildlife trafficking, claims to be on vacation, but his actual intent is to ferret out a dangerous big game smuggler involved with a right-wing militia. Zoe and Parker’s incendiary attraction and their witty, sexy banter are delightful, as are the marvelous scenes involving Zoe’s dog and a couple of kittens that Parker temporarily adopts. Readers will love Zoe’s fierce independence until late in the book, when her behavior turns stubbornly reckless. That’s really a minor complaint, though, compared to Parker’s single-minded focus on his job when the love of a lifetime is blatantly staring him in the face. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Oct.)