Fifteen Degrees of Heat

Schoolteacher California Evans’ sister Georgia is stranded and ill in a medical clinic in Guatemala; like a good sister, Cali goes to bring her home only to find her missing when she gets there. Georgia has run afoul of the wrong people, and there are stiff penalties for her because of it. All of Cali’s life, Georgia has always been the one who took care of her, healed her hurts, and offered unquestioning support. Now Georgia needs her help, and Cali is determined to get her sister back at any cost.

Dr. Rob Masters, an American physician, runs the small clinic near the border of Guatemala, and there is much discord here, even before Cali shows up to complicate matters. He is also tempted greatly by her, and hasn’t much restraint where she is concerned. When the orphaned boy that he is planning to adopt is stolen, Rob is drawn even further into the web of crime and corruption.

When Cali arrives, trouble follows closely behind, as a case of arson, an attempted murder and a botched kidnapping bring Cali & Rob closer to a drug cartel and its henchmen. In the midst of all of this turmoil and confusion, Cali finds herself intensely attracted to Rob. Is Cali willing to risk her life, as well as the lives of innocents and those she loves, to retrieve her sister and bring her back to the States?

This was a roller-coaster ride of a story, despite being only 157 pages in length. I expected the action in Fifteen Degrees of Heat to move quickly, and was almost immediately drawn into the thickly layered plot. I found Ms. Storey’s characters to be believable, likeable, and realistic. They fight, they lust, they love, and they feel. The intimacy between Cali & Rob grew and spilled over to create a big bunch of heat, and the love scenes were incendiary. An entertaining read and a wonderful effort from Lucinda Storey.

Reviewed by: Michelle