Some characters are simply unforgettable-and Susan Johnson 's Jon Hazard Black is one of them. As a spring storm descends on Helena, Montana, another small storm is brewing in the home of Jon and Blaze Black. An unexpected guest has arrived... a spirited beauty with Jon 's defiant chin, dark eyes, and fierce intelligence. Now, as Jon welcomes the daughter he 's never known, he plunges his family into chaos, unleashing an insatiable hunger between two proud people, a passion as raw and intense as a ... FORCE OF NATURE

SOME DESIRES CAN'T BE DENIED The product of Italy's bohemian ex-patriate society, Jo Attenborough is more comfortable carousing on the town with her new half-brother than holding court like her frivolous mother. The free spirit's modem notions of a woman's role frequently land her in hot water...but nothing like the heat she experiences under the penetrating gaze of a mysterious man..

SOME HUNGERS ARE BEYOND CONTROL His mother Irish and his father a samurai, Flynn Ito has the spirit of a warrior. The reclusive cattle baron has a reputation as a dangerous man-one who'll do what it takes to protect what's his. And what he wants to possess more than anything he's ever known is Jo...

SOME TEMPTATIONS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST They never should have met. But when their worlds collide, every desire will be granted, every forbidden pleasure explored, and every temptation will make an act of war into the sweetest surrender...

Review originally featured in ROMANTIC TIMES magazine, March 2003 issue

FORCE OF NATURE
Susan Johnson
Brava
Setting: Montana, 1888
Previous Titles: Again and Again, Tempting
RT Rating:

When Blaze and Jon Hazard Black rode into our lives, we never wanted them to leave. FORCE OF NATURE is the third spin-off from this classic romance and fits into the middle of the series.

The story begins when Hazard’s former lover, Lucy Attenborough, arrives in Montana with their daughter, Jo. Lucy left after their affair and raised Jo in Florence, Italy, without Hazard’s knowledge.

Jo is like her father—intelligent, strong-willed, compassionate—and nothing like her flirtatious, frivolous mother. In fact, she is something like Blaze in her yearning for passion and more of it. She has no desire to disrupt her father’s life or push her way into the family.

Hazard will not deny his child, and Blaze must come to grips with the evidence that there were women before her. She is quite willing to fight Lucy for her man.

Trey and Daisy also come to terms with their new sister. Trey’s friendship with Jo might cause gossip were it not for the entrance of Flynn Ito, part-Japanese, part-American and all-sexy rancher.

Jo and Flynn’s immediate attraction leads to a heated affair. Jo cares little about the rumors swirling around her mother or Hazard’s concerns. But when they are pulled into range war, not even love can stop the danger that threatens their lives.

As always, Susan Johnson writes a romance that sizzles and a story that lingers in your mind; intelligent, sexy love stories are her hallmark. Readers will be thrilled to see Blaze and Hazard back again, and Jo is a worthy Black offspring. Flynn is a fascinating hero, with his Asian-American philosophy. You get just what you expect from Johnson, and readers will be satisfied. VERY SENSUAL (Mar., 300 pp., $15.00) Kathe Robin

"A sizzler of a tale"

In 1888, Lucy Attenborough, accompanied by her daughter engineer Guiseppina better known as Jo, returns to Helena, Montana for the first time in twenty-three years. For Jo this is her first trip to Big Sky Country having been raised in Florence. Her father, Native American Jon Hazard Black never knew he sired a daughter until he and his wife Blaze see Jo, who is clearly his child. Jon knows that Lucy is here for one thing only, money and tries to buy her off with a too generous yearly stipend. Lucy accepts, but her avaricious mind sees more cash flowing because Jon wants to know his daughter better.

At the Stuart Warner dinner party that Jo attends, cattle ranch owner Flynn Ito arrives. Flynn and Jo are immediately attracted to one another and go off together for a night of boiling lovemaking. As they become better acquainted in and out of bed, their original lure turns into love, but his enemies, including an English aristocrat, use her as a pawn to try to kill him.

Known for her pair of asbestos gloves requirement, Susan Johnson heats up the sheets with her latest historical romance. The story line engages the audience when Lucy arrives in town, but picks up action and momentum the moment that Jo and Flynn meet. Blisteringly passionate as the lead characters only come up for air when his enemies assault them, FORCE OF NATURE wraps the sex scenes inside a delightful western romance.

Author of review: Harriet Klausner harstan@ix.netcom.com
reviewed January 2003