Her Mysterious Houseguest (Silhouette Special Edition, No 1391)

Rating:
Summary: Recommended--strong emotional moments
Review: Tall, dark and sexy Mikel Starzov arrives mysteriously out of nowhere, miraculously at the moment Aino needed help. When the Aino climbed down from his truck, Mikel immediately recognized the older man's distress, rushing him to the hospital in time to prevent further complications from a stroke.

Mikel is far more comfortable on the bustling streets of New York City than in Michigan's desolate Upper Peninsula. Used to more people than trees, Mikel never expected his search to lead him to such an isolated area. Called "Nemesis" by the folks of headquarters, Mikel never fails to locate his quarry. In this case, he seeks a missing woman. Many years ago, thirteen-year-old Renee disappeared from an abusive and dangerous home, leaving behind her sister, mother, and cruel father. Now her sister wants to find Renee.

As a promise to his best friend Steve on his wedding day, Mikel's using his vacation time to track the bride's sister Renee. When he follows the only lead he has, Mikel winds up in Ojibway and saving Aino. As a way to thank Mikel for his timely intervention, Aino invites him to stay at his farm where his cousin Rachel Hill also resides. Mikel has to keep reminding himself that he does not get involved with anyone involved with one of his cases, even a delectable woman like Rachel. A previous bad experience nearly got him booted out of the agency, yet Mikel can't ignore the powerful attraction between himself and Rachel. Rachel long legs, sweet brown eyes, and imminently kissable lips are just too much to resist.

While I found HER MYSTERIOUS HOUSEGUEST to be a pleasant read, I also was somewhat disappointed. I found it difficult to loose myself in the tale; instead I questioned much of the plot and characterization of the hero. Without giving away too much of the plot, I can't help wondering how a man purported to have such strong intuition doesn't use it to find the missing sister. I kept wanted to bash the hero over the head when he missed every instance of obvious finger pointing; yet his grandmother guessed the solution right away. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the word play between the older generation as well as the lovely ending. Recommended.