This Jungle Is REALLY Scary! "Daring" by Dee Davis

NOWHERE IS SAFE

Lara thought working a world away would heal her. Yet volunteering to treat the sick and injured in revolution-torn central Africa can't stop the shattering memories of losing the man she loved. A night with sexy security officer Rafe Winters seems the perfect temporary escape-until insurgents attack her clinic and Rafe becomes her only way to survive . . .

Rafe knows all too well that this beautiful young doctor is the insurgents' real target: Her knowledge of America's espionage system makes her a valuable prize. Helping her flee jeopardizes his hidden agenda-but her unexpected trust in him sparks a desire to protect her that he can't ignore. Now as their merciless pursuers close in, Rafe and Lara's only chance for escape will put everything they've sworn to protect-and their newfound love-on the line . . .

This is a compact and action filled novella that is really and "in between" story in a larger series of novels. As I have not previously read any of this series I was delighted that I could get the gist of this story as a stand alone work. Even though I am not usually a fan of novellas, this story is so well written that with a lesser number of pages the author has crafted a story that brings characters to life, makes the love scenes come alive, and the action and danger quiver with suspense and emotion. Even full-length novels don't manage that always.

Lara's deep hurt is at the core of this story as she has tried to heal her own wound by caring for the hurting and wounded in a part of Africa that is being torn apart by civil war and armed conflict. There are always quite a cast of characters in any situation such as Lara found herself, not the least of which are the mercenaries, the soldiers of fortune, the adventurers, the greedy, the disenchanted with life in general. Rafe was one of those men who was affable and fun but who gave off waves that broadcast his self-interest. His primary concern was himself, or so it seemed. Lara needed involvement with him like she needed another hole in her head. Yet Rafe's charisma, his sex appeal, his aura of danger and devil-may-care attitude lured her into a night of passion, an encounter that made her aware that she really couldn't live all the rest of her life without love.

However, Rafe is not all he appears to be, and Lara also has forgotten that as a former medical officer with a governmental agency, she is ripe for the picking by those who want her knowledge of the American espionage system. As they fled the clinic's attackers, Lara and Rafe are put in an emotional and physical pressure cooker, one that will separate the real from the fake, reality from what is hoped for. And what is really at stake is Lara's ability to trust and Rafe's innate integrity.

This is a beautifully written work that will keep the reader on edge and delight lovers of action and suspense. I think I will be going back and reading the novels in this longer series. If they are as good as this novella, then they will be a great reading experience, to be sure.

This novella was released by Grand Central Publishing on 01 July 2011.