Owner of a Lonely Heart

In 2068, the desire of the human race for immortality has brought on an epidemic of heart disease. Children of parents who took the Methuselah treatment are being born with congenital heart defects, reparable only by the transplantation of an artificial heart, and lifelong treatment of anti-rejection drugs. Tuesday Fitzpatrick is the inventor of the world’s most reliable artificial heart. Marc Sinclair’s daughter is one of those children, and he will do anything to get her on the transplant list. What he actually does is kidnap Tuesday and attempt to persuade her to use her influence to save his child.

As the story develops, the U.S. government seeks to coerce Tuesday to undertake a dangerous project for them. Can she trust the government officials to do what they say they will do? In spite of their rocky beginning, can Tuesday trust Marc to guard her back?

I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this story, because I couldn’t see how such a beginning could result in a positive ending. I was happily surprised and found that I became engrossed in the plot – so much so that I was disappointed when it ended. After all, how can one resist a story that combines science fiction, erotic romance, and suspense? The characters of Tuesday and Marc are well drawn and likeable; the characters of the villains come across as fully-dimensional and believable bad guys. There are several love scenes that are very explicit, and the few scenes describing sexual aggression are used to characterize the villains. The best part is that the different story lines were brought together so skillfully that I was unable to guess the ending! I recommend this highly as an exciting book.

Reviewed by: Jean