The ReRead Challenge

Cool Shade by Theresa Weir

Why This One: I can’t really say what made me pick this book up for the reread challenge – maybe it’s the sense of loneliness and isolation it had in it and that appealed to me considering current circumstances, but whatever it is – I’m glad I reread it. I think this is the third time for this book.

Steam Level: Nice and steamy!

Amazon Blurb: Maddie Smith has never been one to hang around any place too long. After losing her job as a late-night disc jockey, she has little reason to stay in Tucson. When she receives a message that her estranged sister has disappeared, she figures she might as well go to Nebraska and see what's up with her unreliable sibling. There she learns that her sister is linked to the mysterious Eddie Berlin, a recluse and a very sexy guy. Maddie takes a personal interest in Eddie as she searches for clues about the disappearance of her sister.

Meanwhile, Eddie is shouldering problems of his own. The former manager of a pop star killed by a crazed fan, Eddie feels responsible for the singer's death, and as a result, he hasn't wandered off his own property in more than four years. Still, he is attracted to Maddie, experiencing feelings he thought he would never know again. A stolen tape of a recording made by the late rock star and other clues bind the couple together. It soon becomes clear that these two deserve each other, and when they finally feel comfortable with the fit, they find they are greater as a pair than they could ever have been as individuals.

The encounters between Maddie and Eddie are anything but typical. Both are insecure, yet somehow they manage to muddle through. Author Theresa Weir has created them to be very human, characters the readers feel connected to as they witness their lives unfold.

My Thoughts: The blurb describes the storyline quite well and rather than repeat it, I’d rather focus on the author. For a lot of new romance readers, she is probably not as well known since she hasn’t had a romance in quite some time now. In fact I think her last published romance was way back in I know Theresa Weir is now writing mysteries as Anne Frasier but dang I miss her romances. They are different then the normal – she writes outside the romance box. Her stories haunt you long after you’ve finished then. Her characters are more flawed then usual. Eddie, the hero suffers from agoraphobia, something I’ve never seen in a hero. There is one scene where he makes it off his property and somehow manages to get to Maddie’s place and is stuck there due to his fears. It is so vivid and well written you can actually feel what he’s feeling.

She has a way of writing flawed and damaged heroes and heroines that are slowly healed by the love they find with each other. At the end of her books you know that they are exactly who they need in order to heal. If you’ve never tried Theresa Weir, I can’t recommend her highly enough. In fact, while I have a number of her books, I just ordered some that I didn’t have.

Thanks Nath!!! – I loved my first Reread book

Grade: 5 out of 5