Little Girl Found (Intrigue, 568)

Rating:
Summary: A VERY GOOD READ --
Review: Author is good enough to develop the story if allowed by the publishers but I find that they appear to be restrictive. Thoroughly enjoyed the wounded Jack McCabe character -- Hailey, I worried about but did not doubt her love for the child Megan. Would have like a little more mystery value but, hey, I read for enjoyment. Am not looking for anything heavy in reading. And I will admit it took till the end to figure out the true villian. I would definitely keep this in my library.

Rating:
Summary: A VERY GOOD READ --
Review: Author is good enough to develop the story if allowed by the publishers but I find that they appear to be restrictive. Thoroughly enjoyed the wounded Jack McCabe character -- Hailey, I worried about but did not doubt her love for the child Megan. Would have like a little more mystery value but, hey, I read for enjoyment. Am not looking for anything heavy in reading. And I will admit it took till the end to figure out the true villian. I would definitely keep this in my library.

Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: I've been reading Jo Leigh's books for several years now, and this one is right up there. I really liked Jack. In fact, he's one of the most moving and real heroes I've ever read. Hailey was also a wonderful character. I got very lost in this book, finishing it in one sitting (and was late to work!). Excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Little Girl Found
Review: Popular author Jo Leigh delivers her first Intrigue with "Little Girl Found," a pleasant tale with warm characters and a dash of danger. Detective Jack McCabe is on leave from the police force while he recovers from a bullet wound. For Jack, it means uninterrupted days of drinking beer and watching TV...until his downstairs neighbor arrives on his doorstep in the middle of the night with his four-year-old daughter in tow. Giving Jack the girl before he can refuse, the man runs off, only to be killed in the building parking lot moments later. Jack has no idea what to do with young Megan and turns to her babysitter, Hailey Bishop, for help. When it becomes clear that Megan is in danger, too, Jack and Hailey have no one to rely on but each other.

Leigh's tale begins with a welcome touch of attitude as our grumpy hero finds himself with a kid he doesn't want and doesn't understand. Some of Jack's beliefs about kids will inspire some laughs, and Megan is as cute as expected. Her reactions to losing her only parent are often quite moving. Though the romantic aspect is somewhat slow to develop, with the sexual tension really not appearing until almost the midway point, Leigh allows her characters to get to know each other first before any sparks appear, an approach many readers will find rewarding. This gives the growing relationship more of a basis, and several extended romantic interludes will please. Hailey is an appropriately plucky heroine, Jack is perfect for those who like their heroes to have a slight edge, but naturally with a heart of gold deep down inside, and their banter is quick and funny ("Are you laughing at me?" "Yes.") The authors fully develops three warm, likable characters who readers should have no trouble rooting for.

The mystery aspect is somewhat less satisfying. Leigh keeps the action moving and the suspense sequences are well done, but the mystery itself simply isn't that interesting, despite some nice touches along the way. It is fairly straightforward, with few suspects or real surprises to take the story off a predictable path that's pretty clear a third of the way in. With its generic bad cops and motivation, the crime element is overly familiar, with nothing added to spice it up this time around. The secondary characters are never developed well enough to make the "surprise" ending too effective. Jack and Hailey might have been "stunned" by the revelation of the main villain, as the good guys in these books always are, but since we have little invested in the secondary characters and even less in any of the relationships but the main one, it fails to have that much of an impact. There are also some loose ends whose answers weren't really provided. Were we meant to accept the possible explanations the leads characters thought up as the real ones? With one exception, where they figure out Megan's role, the scenes where Jack and Hailey try to figure out the mystery are the least interesting ones in the book. Not a good sign.

"Little Girl Found" (A title that makes no sense. Megan is never "found" in any sense of the word. She's simply handed over.) is still a pleasant tale with a solid love story and, for those who like kids in their romances, a cute child. Those who are more interested in the romance than the mystery will find characters worth spending time with in its pages.

Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: Popular author Jo Leigh delivers her first Intrigue with "Little Girl Found," a pleasant tale with warm characters and a dash of danger. Detective Jack McCabe is on leave from the police force while he recovers from a bullet wound. For Jack, it means uninterrupted days of drinking beer and watching TV...until his downstairs neighbor arrives on his doorstep in the middle of the night with his four-year-old daughter in tow. Giving Jack the girl before he can refuse, the man runs off, only to be killed in the building parking lot moments later. Jack has no idea what to do with young Megan and turns to her babysitter, Hailey Bishop, for help. When it becomes clear that Megan is in danger, too, Jack and Hailey have no one to rely on but each other.

Leigh's tale begins with a welcome touch of attitude as our grumpy hero finds himself with a kid he doesn't want and doesn't understand. Some of Jack's beliefs about kids will inspire some laughs, and Megan is as cute as expected. Her reactions to losing her only parent are often quite moving. Though the romantic aspect is somewhat slow to develop, with the sexual tension really not appearing until almost the midway point, Leigh allows her characters to get to know each other first before any sparks appear, an approach many readers will find rewarding. This gives the growing relationship more of a basis, and several extended romantic interludes will please. Hailey is an appropriately plucky heroine, Jack is perfect for those who like their heroes to have a slight edge, but naturally with a heart of gold deep down inside, and their banter is quick and funny ("Are you laughing at me?" "Yes.") The authors fully develops three warm, likable characters who readers should have no trouble rooting for.

The mystery aspect is somewhat less satisfying. Leigh keeps the action moving and the suspense sequences are well done, but the mystery itself simply isn't that interesting, despite some nice touches along the way. It is fairly straightforward, with few suspects or real surprises to take the story off a predictable path that's pretty clear a third of the way in. With its generic bad cops and motivation, the crime element is overly familiar, with nothing added to spice it up this time around. The secondary characters are never developed well enough to make the "surprise" ending too effective. Jack and Hailey might have been "stunned" by the revelation of the main villain, as the good guys in these books always are, but since we have little invested in the secondary characters and even less in any of the relationships but the main one, it fails to have that much of an impact. There are also some loose ends whose answers weren't really provided. Were we meant to accept the possible explanations the leads characters thought up as the real ones? With one exception, where they figure out Megan's role, the scenes where Jack and Hailey try to figure out the mystery are the least interesting ones in the book. Not a good sign.

"Little Girl Found" (A title that makes no sense. Megan is never "found" in any sense of the word. She's simply handed over.) is still a pleasant tale with a solid love story and, for those who like kids in their romances, a cute child. Those who are more interested in the romance than the mystery will find characters worth spending time with in its pages.

Rating:
Summary: Little Girl Found
Review: Popular author Jo Leigh delivers her first Intrigue with "Little Girl Found," a pleasant tale with warm characters and a dash of danger. Detective Jack McCabe is on leave from the police force while he recovers from a bullet wound. For Jack, it means uninterrupted days of drinking beer and watching TV...until his downstairs neighbor arrives on his doorstep in the middle of the night with his four-year-old daughter in tow. Giving Jack the girl before he can refuse, the man runs off, only to be killed in the building parking lot moments later. Jack has no idea what to do with young Megan and turns to her babysitter, Hailey Bishop, for help. When it becomes clear that Megan is in danger, too, Jack and Hailey have no one to rely on but each other.

Leigh's tale begins with a welcome touch of attitude as our grumpy hero finds himself with a kid he doesn't want and doesn't understand. Some of Jack's beliefs about kids will inspire some laughs, and Megan is as cute as expected. Her reactions to losing her only parent are often quite moving. Though the romantic aspect is somewhat slow to develop, with the sexual tension really not appearing until almost the midway point, Leigh allows her characters to get to know each other first before any sparks appear, an approach many readers will find rewarding. This gives the growing relationship more of a basis, and several extended romantic interludes will please. Hailey is an appropriately plucky heroine, Jack is perfect for those who like their heroes to have a slight edge, but naturally with a heart of gold deep down inside, and their banter is quick and funny ("Are you laughing at me?" "Yes.") The authors fully develops three warm, likable characters who readers should have no trouble rooting for.

The mystery aspect is somewhat less satisfying. Leigh keeps the action moving and the suspense sequences are well done, but the mystery itself simply isn't that interesting, despite some nice touches along the way. It is fairly straightforward, with few suspects or real surprises to take the story off a predictable path that's pretty clear a third of the way in. With its generic bad cops and motivation, the crime element is overly familiar, with nothing added to spice it up this time around. The secondary characters are never developed well enough to make the "surprise" ending too effective. Jack and Hailey might have been "stunned" by the revelation of the main villain, as the good guys in these books always are, but since we have little invested in the secondary characters and even less in any of the relationships but the main one, it fails to have that much of an impact. There are also some loose ends whose answers weren't really provided. Were we meant to accept the possible explanations the leads characters thought up as the real ones? With one exception, where they figure out Megan's role, the scenes where Jack and Hailey try to figure out the mystery are the least interesting ones in the book. Not a good sign.

"Little Girl Found" (A title that makes no sense. Megan is never "found" in any sense of the word. She's simply handed over.) is still a pleasant tale with a solid love story and, for those who like kids in their romances, a cute child. Those who are more interested in the romance than the mystery will find characters worth spending time with in its pages.

Rating:
Summary: A "Keep You Guessing Book"
Review: This book is about 4 year old Megan, who's Dad (Roy) takes her to Detective Jack's house for him to babysit for a couple of hours. After Roy left, he was shot down. Jack is always in a lot of pain because he was shot in the hip in the line of duty and also, Jack does not know how to handle kids, so he goes down to Hailey's apartment for help. Hailey was Megan's babysitter. Well, it looks like some cops are in on the killing, but Jack does not know which ones, and you do not find out until the very end. This book has suspense and romance in it. I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: A "Keep You Guessing Book"
Review: This book is about 4 year old Megan, who's Dad (Roy) takes her to Detective Jack's house for him to babysit for a couple of hours. After Roy left, he was shot down. Jack is always in a lot of pain because he was shot in the hip in the line of duty and also, Jack does not know how to handle kids, so he goes down to Hailey's apartment for help. Hailey was Megan's babysitter. Well, it looks like some cops are in on the killing, but Jack does not know which ones, and you do not find out until the very end. This book has suspense and romance in it. I recommend it highly.