Reclaim My Life-Cheryl Norman

Reclaim My Life
Cheryl Norman
Medallion, Sep 2009, $7.95
ISBN: 9781934755006

The English professor calling herself Elizabeth Stevens moved to Drake Springs in the upper part of Florida over a year ago. She is friends with recent arrivals Cathleen Hodge, Kris Knight and Sunny, they frequently get together and go out on the town. Elizabeth Stevens is not her birth name, but that became her name when she entered the witness protection program. There is a hit out for her by Lexington, Kentucky’s most renowned surgeon Dr. Frank Sullivan who is up on charges of racketeering and murder which Elizabeth as Sofia Desalvo witnessed; her testimony could lead to Death Row.

He hires the best to find and kill her, but that will not be easy as Elizbath has gained weight, dressed dowdy and cut her hair; she looks nothing like Sofia. Despite her changes, local sheriff Wilson Drake is interested in the drab looking professor and she feels the same though she lives a lie. She fears an assassin is in town searching for her when two of her friends are murdered. Wilson agrees that the killer has moved into Drake Springs. He vows to keep the woman he loves safe, but knows how difficult that will be as the town has numerous newcomers with almost any one of them there for the hit.

Cheryl Norman is a terrific romantic suspense writer whom sub-genre fans should keep an eye on as she is very talented. The heroine is strong willed and refuses to be RUNNING SCARED, but her key trait is her ability to adapt even to adversary and incredible levels of stress and guilt. Wilson knows there is much more to this mysterious woman who as dull Elizabeth still oozes Sofia’s charm and realizes she is in the witness protection program, which means he accidentally compromises her. RECLAIM MY LIFE is simply super.

Harriet Klausner