Spurred Ambition, by Twist Phelan

Retrieved from: my local bookstore
1590581741, 2006
Suggested by: the store owner
My Ratings: 5 Merit, 7 Interest, 6 Fun

In the Arizona desert, there is little room for error. Hannah Dain finds this out when she gets stuck partway up the side of a rock-tower she decided to climb alone, without ropes. She is forunate enough to be rescued by a gorgeous (naturally) man who rappels her to the ground and bandages up her torn hand.

The next day, she discovers that the job interview she had scheduled is with this self-same man, and despite qualms she takes the job, working for the Indian tribe on a real-estate deal to enlarge the casino and build a mall. Soon enough, more dangerous occurrences rear their heads, and she is wondering if taking time off from her father's law firm was such a great idea. The plan was for her to have time to research her parentage--turns out her dad really isn't her biological dad--and contact family members she didn't know about until recently. And then there's her boyfriend, the perfect man, to whom she can't seem to make a commitment.

Then her boss is kidnapped in front of her, leaving her with what looks like cooked financial books for the real estate deal. When he turns up after escaping the kidnappers, she is relieved but that soon turns to dismay when he is shot by apparent gang members.

So, a very complex plot, some interesting characters, but no one is very fleshed-out. I doubt I'll read more by Phelan, but this wasn't the worst book I've ever read.