Sandra Ferguson’s debut novel, Harm’s Way, introduces us to the Donovan clan in this thrilling suspense novel.

Victoria Donovan has put her life back together after her doomed marriage ends with her husband's murder. She has made a career for herself as one of the best architects in the city when her life falls apart once more. After a break-in at her home turns out to be anything but random, her in-laws decide it’s time to call in the big guns. It appears there is a stalker after Victoria and only the best of the best will do.

Alex Harmon is a brilliant security expert who swore never to play bodyguard for another woman after his last such job was a huge failure. Now his life is all about making sure he always gives 100% to a job and never giving up until it is finished. When his past comes calling, insisting Alex is the only man for the mission, he very reluctantly takes the case, against his better judgment.

How can Alex keep Victoria safe when she insists she doesn’t need him and repeatedly dodges his efforts to help? It certainly doesn’t help when the sparks between them set off a conflagration of passion and he finds himself making the biggest mistake someone in his profession can have… falling in love with the subject.

What a roller coaster ride of action and emotion Harm’s Way is! From the very first page and being in the villain’s head, I new I was in for an adventure full of danger and suspense. This perfectly sets the mood for everything else to follow. The story is extremely realistic in how Victoria’s stalker is portrayed, showing to just what lengths someone with such an illness will go… and it’s never the person you’d expect it to be. That aspect of the story made it all the creepier, knowing the danger could be lurking anywhere.

Victoria and Alex each have their own struggles to face and overcome. Alex can’t forgive himself for his failure to protect the one he most cared about. He cannot allow himself to get close to Victoria for fear of repeating past mistakes. Victoria is trying to move past her feelings from realizing her late husband loved his career as an undercover DEA agent more than he loved her. She is afraid to love Alex, thinking he will be just like her husband was. Seeing these two overcome their fears together makes for a very powerful story of love and personal redemption.

Harm’s Way may be Sandra Ferguson’s first published novel but don’t let that fool you. She has proven what an incredibly talented author she is and I for one can’t wait to see what else she has to offer. How convenient that there are several Donovan brothers just begging for their stories to be told.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, September 2007. All rights reserved.