Lil Chance's life changed the summer that eleven year old Cooper Sullivan came to the Black Hills to live with his grandparents. That was the summer that Lil and Cooper became best friends and after their encounter with a cougar, when she realized exactly what she wanted to spend her life doing. Every summer after that Cooper would come back to visit and him and Lil grew closer and closer. But one visit, as Cooper was getting ready to leave, they discovered the body of a hiker that would continue to haunt them both.

Years after breaking Lil's heart, Cooper is living in New York away from the land that had gotten in his blood and Lil is traveling around the world as a wildlife biologist and working on her dream of a wildlife refuge. When Lil returns from one such trip she learns that Cooper is back at his grandparents' farm. Lil hopes that they can be friends once again when they finally see each other especially since she doesn't think that she's ever stopped loving him. Lil throws herself into running the Chance Wildlife Refuge but someone is trying to destroy everything she's built. It starts with small pranks then escalates when someone kills one of Lil's beloved cougars. Now the man responsible won't let anything stand in his way as he hunts Lil.

Black Hills is another extraordinary story by bestselling author Nora Roberts. She paints a beautiful background that you can see clearly with every page of the book. Lil knew exactly what she wanted from an early age and went after it with everything she had. Cooper wasn't so lucky. He didn't know what he wanted to do with his life and spent many years doing what was expected of him in a vain attempt to gain his father's approval. But after moving back to help his grandparents he knew exactly what he wanted and just needs to convince Lil to forgive him.

Ms. Roberts is a master at layering the emotion, passion and suspense while taking you on an unforgettable journey into the world she creates.

This is a book that should be at the top of your summer reading list and one you'll want on your keeper shelf!

Reviewed by: Tammy