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Readers & Writers Ink Reviews

A BRIDGE TO LOVE
By Nancy Herkness
Contemporary romance
August 2003
Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 0-425-19126-5

Kate Chilton has it all -- a loving husband, a comfortable lifestyle, two wonderful sons. Then her husband dies of a heart attack and she discovers a letter from his mistress.

Suddenly, her life, her trust, her self-esteem and her future are all in question.

Oliver Russell and Randall Johnson are equally determined to make her life easier. Oliver is a longtime friend and one of the partners in her late husband's business. His concerns for Kate and her boys, Clay and Patrick, seem deep and sincere. Randall is an unknown, a man she met at a friend's college reunion, a man who can buy and sell most of the people in the world of business and high finance.

Kate wants to make it on her own. David left her in marginal financial circumstances and Oliver's estimates of her share from the business are much lower than she'd anticipated. She dusts off her engineering degree and sets out to support her boys and assure their future.

Oliver is unsupportive and discouraging. Within a short time, he begins pressing his suit, pointing out to Kate the advantages of marrying him. Kate is unpleasantly surprised to realize that Oliver has loved her from afar for many years. He'd not only known about David's affair, he'd encouraged it, assuming the two would divorce and he would swoop in and rescue Kate. His intention is unchanged by the fact that David's death, rather than a divorce, leaves her alone.

Randall Johnson has never shared his heart or emotions. Rich and powerful, most women throw themselves at his feet. Kate is a whole new experience. She refuses dinner dates. She has no hesitation in telling him exactly what she thinks of his attitude and actions. He's stunned when she informs him the only reason she went to bed with him was a personal need to feel she'd avenged her husband's infidelity. Randall fights his attraction to the independent and scrappy widow with no success. Unbeknownst to Kate, he uses his influence and connections to smooth her professional path.

Kate finds herself caught between the two men. Oliver represents security, a continuation of life as she's known it, a man who will be a good father to her boys. A man for whom she has no passion. Randall is a man so far out of her league she can't imagine why he's pursuing her. He can be cold and ruthless, then turn around and be caring and tender. Kate can't deny her attraction or the passion he ignites. But can he be a husband and, more importantly, can he be a good father?

Kate is furious when she learns of Randall's involvement in her engineering project. Yet within minutes, she finds herself asking him for help for her son, who needs the services of the best orthopedic surgeon on the east coast, a surgeon who treats only celebrities and sports figures.

Randall returns to his boyhood home, intent upon revenge against the man who destroyed his dreams over twenty years ago. But Kate's influence travels with him and he finds himself unable to implement a plan that will affect an entire family. As his world goes out of focus, only Kate can lead him to a positive view of the future.

In her debut novel, Nancy Herkness has provided a heartwarming tale of a woman determined to overcome her husband's betrayal and build a life for herself and her boys. Her characters are compelling and so full of life, you feel as though you'll meet them on the street tomorrow. A BRIDGE TO LOVE combines romance and suspense, interwoven with wit and humor. This is one of the best "first novels" I've read and I look forward to more offerings from Herkness.

      -- Reviewed by DanaRae Pomeroy
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