Patricia Harreld Presents Stunning, Sensational Romantic Suspense--For The Love of Laurel!

  Only nine people attended Gerald Avidon’s funeral, which didn’t surprise his daughter, Laurel. He didn’t have any friends. Besides herself, there was her assistant Sue Burdette, her housekeeper Marisol Hunt, Mel Chaber, Jr., Gerald’s chauffeur and bodyguard Dylan Kraft, two business associates whose names she didn’t know, and a guy she’d never seen before alone in the back row. After a brief bio supplied by Laurel and read by a bored clergyman, the service was over. Most left without saying anything to Laurel. What was there to say?
...the funeral director came toward her carrying the urn containing her father’s ashes. When she got home, she went upstairs and put the urn in Gerald’s office. She stared at it. Hard to believe his entire life had been reduced to the contents of an urn. 
Other than the urn, a business card was the only thing on the desktop. She picked it up. It was the size of a business card, but it was blank. Next to it was a dime-sized button. She frowned at the card and pushed the button. Within thirty seconds, she was looking at her crystal clear image on the card. A camera? Not like any she had ever seen before. She wondered where her father had gotten it. She tucked the card and button in a desk drawer. 
As she thought about the camera, she turned the platinum bracelet on her wrist— a habit she wasn’t aware of most of the time, but right now it made her feel close to her father. It was a college graduation gift from him. The bracelet was an inch wide and a solid circle. Around the outside were sixteen heart-shaped diamonds, one for each year she’d been in school from first grade through college. On the inside he’d had inscribed, For the Love of Laurel, June 7, 2009, the date of her college graduation.

~~~

For the Love of Laurel

By Patricia Harreld

Harreld's novel, For the Love of Laurel is a stunning, sensational story of a young woman who has just lost her father and almost immediately is faced with question after question--puzzle after puzzle--of who her father actually was...

For one, he was very wealthy and had an instinct for making money, but he often traveled around the world for various jobs. Laurel Avidon had been living alone and had started her own private investigation agency, although she still had much to learn and was just getting involved with the business. 

Moving back into her father's home where a housekeeper and chauffeur/ bodyguard still lived, she had known she'd keep her friend and housekeeper on, but saw no need for a chauffeur or a bodyguard. She quickly met with Dylan Kraft to let him know he'd need to begin starting for another job...

That was when she was faced with the first puzzle...

Her father had established a trust fund to continue to pay Dylan and had given the guest house, where he'd been living, to him! He then openly admitted that he had also been guarding Laurel during his entire time there, as well as Ben, who had been there before him... Of course, Laurel immediately angrily asked questions, but only got calm, cool answers from Dylan... The tension soon became fierce between them--and only Dylan and readers will know that Dylan has been in love with Laurel since they had met...

Dylan knew Laurel had been pampered all of her life and had been a little wild at one point until she had almost been raped when she was out alone one night. That could very well have been the reason she decided to learn Tae Kwon Do...

Even then she could not best Dylan when she challenged him!

“I challenge you to a match. If I win, you tell all.”
Dylan raised his eyebrows and shook his head.
 “Can’t do it.” “Why not? Scared?”
 “Quaking in my boots.”
 “I can tell. The real reason, please.”
 “You’re only a second degree.”
“So? I have a size advantage. Smaller is faster.
You’ll have to do better than that.” He sighed.
“For one, you aren’t dressed for it.
Neither am I, come to that. Two, I don’t
 fight with women. Three, you haven’t told me
 what I get if I win.”
 Now she stood. “One, I can fight in any
clothes. Two, that’s a sexist remark,
and three, you won’t, but you’re free to
 think of something.” He roared with laughter.
“There’s just no arguing with you.”
                                         ~~~

How childish her behavior seemed to her

 now.  After being lucky for almost a year, 

fate caught up to her one night. 

She was pulled into an alley and nearly

 raped; if it hadn’t been for the 

Tae Kwon Do classes

 she took all through college, she knew she 

would have been. She never told anyone, 

but the  nameless man who almost 

violated her told  her she deserved it, 

the way she ran around. 

She’d felt shame and anger— 

anger at the slime who’d done it

 and the shame of thinking 

he was probably right. 

He had said something else,

 something her shock caused her to 

forget even though

 it seemed important...

~~~

Really, it's a wonder that Laurel didn't get on a plane and leave the whole mess she was finding! Soon she had been offered a good job by a former college mate, to determine whether her husband was involved with another woman...

She was able to give good feedback to the woman, but when she had broken into her husband's office, she had discovered something that related to Dylan and her father!

Dylan was slowly having to share more than he wanted to, but she just was to stubborn to give up searching for answers! Soon she learned that Dylan, and her father were both DEA agents! [That's how Aaron Paul was selected to be Dylan! And, because before long, Laurel knows that it is quite possible that the drug lords know about her and that her father had been in the DEA, coming for her in case she knew something! So I just had to throw in a trailer for Breaking Bad, which was playing on television up through 2013...to give us a feeling of the danger the DEA gets into!

There are some really great surprises written into the overall story line, so the book turns out to include mystery, suspense and some really thrilling scenes. This is the first book I've read written by Harreld. But, I have to say she seems to have found her niche in writing this novel and I hope her interest in romantic suspense continues and she brings Laurel and Dylan back to her readers! These two characters deserve to not only become further acquainted personally, but would make a dynamic team solving crimes together!

After all, Laurel even succeeded in picking the lock of the back door to Dylan's home...kinda...

Laurel bought a lock pick set online and had it shipped overnight to her office. When it arrived, she spent every free moment practicing on her office door, her bedroom door, the front, and back doors of the house. It was time consuming for a novice. First she had to figure out what type of lock she was dealing with, and then read the directions. Even then, it was a daunting chore. 
It was several days until she felt semi-confident she could open Gunderson’s office door, but getting up the courage to actually go there and try wasn’t so easy. Maybe first she’d try Dylan’s apartment. Now where did that thought come from? She had no idea how he would react if he caught her. She wouldn’t go in. Just unlock it and lock it back up. Will I need a key to lock it or can I just push a button on the inside knob and it will lock when the door closes? Only one way to find out.
She began to work on it, but it didn’t want to budge. Maybe he never used it, and it had rusted, or maybe she was just too inexperienced. She refused to consider either option. After trying several different picks, at last, it gave. But she heard something snap. Oh God. She fumbled as she tried to lock it back up, but it wouldn’t lock. She had no choice but to go in and see if it had a button she could push to lock it from the inside. She went to the side of the apartment and poked her head around the corner. She wanted to make certain he hadn’t returned and she’d been too preoccupied to notice. His Jeep was still gone. “Now or never, Laurel.” 
Back at the top of the steps, she tried the door handle. It turned and the door opened slightly. She’d never been anywhere but his living room. A quick peek told her she was looking into his kitchen. Slowly, she pushed the door open more. She walked in, feeling like a thief. What was the penalty for breaking and entering? Nothing if you didn’t get caught. She checked the doorknob inside and dismay hit her as she saw it had to be locked with a key. Damn! She went out the door and closed it. She jogged back to the house and put the lock pick set in the bottom of her purse. What the hell was I thinking? I left his apartment unlocked.

~~~

Actually the interaction between Laurel and Dylan was a major part of the enjoyment of this book. First Laurel is extremely antagonistic, then starts to mellow, then starts admitting to herself that she just may be attracted. While Dylan is holding his breath every time they get into a discussion or argument, just wanting to grab and kiss her... It's fun, entertaining, and lightens the action that we get into later in the book... Plus, it results in readers being invested in both Laurel and Dylan! I loved them together!

Do take a look at this book...I even borrowed it, which was kinda cool, and only promised to return it in less than 2 weeks...almost like a library! Isn't it amazing how many ways we are able to get our daily dose of a book each day?!

This one is highly recommended, especially for those who love romantic suspense and a couple who are both strong, main characters! Enjoy!

GABixlerReviews

Patricia Harreld has been an inveterate reader since first grade. Her love of writing began in the fifth grade, when she won the county essay contest. At age ten, she began to develop what would be a lifelong interest in the world beyond our five senses. While working day jobs and raising a family, she still found time to take classes. She read every book she could get her hands on concerning all things paranormal. She enjoys writing books with paranormal themes, hoping her readers will ask themselves, “What if…?”
Patricia is also passionate about saving the Earth. She is an avid recycler and a staunch advocate of the Going Green movement. She lives with her husband in San Diego, California.