Sinful Rain

Justine’s life is falling apart, should she trust her instincts or listen to her heart…?

Three months ago Justine Damaris shared a wild night of passion with Reed Burkett in Dallas. Thinking that it was the start of a beautiful relationship, she was dumbfounded and outraged when he dumped her the next morning and explained it away as a mistake. Now he’s back, large as life, sucking her back in with his athletic tanned body, deep green eyes and cheeky sense of humour. Reed’s sexy Cajun drawl resonates deeply within her heart until her entire body is throbbing with her need for him. Justine is a strong-minded woman and a damn good Private Investigator. She is also tough enough to show him the door. Reed’s rejection was painful enough the first time; there is just no way that she is going to let him walk all over her again. Unfortunately Justine needs Reed’s money and he knows it. The lease on her apartment has run out and she is being hounded by an ugly mobster to pay her absentee father’s gambling debts.

Reed tells Justine that his ex-high school sweetheart, Dixie Dupree was found dead in his pool. Their seven-year old son, Marc was the one who found her. Paternity tests have proven that Reed is not the boy’s father, but shockingly, Dixie is not his mother. Reed needs Justine’s assistance to help him discover Marc’s true parentage before the child welfare system gets wind of the situation and places him in a foster home. Marc can’t or won’t speak. His violent drawings reveal that much has taken place in his short life, and none of it has been rosy. He had arrived one day at Reed’s doorstop with Dixie, so initially Reed accepted that the child was his own.

Reed had missed Justine. During the brief time that they worked together on his paternity case, they had developed a close bond of friendship. One night with Justine had taken him places he hadn’t dreamed of. Reed was well known to be a “love ’em and leave ’em” type of guy. The loving, protective feeling that Justine had roused had made him confused. He had been unable to cope with its intensity, so he ran. Now he’s back, determined to get Justine at any price. First Reed paid off her boyfriend, and then he settled her debts. He will get her one way or another. Reed is going to keep pounding on the door to her heart until she lets him back in.

Justine has always been let down by the men in her life, and Rebecca Vinyard makes it very clear to the reader why she is so self-reliant. Even though Reed promises her the world, Justine knows that it will soon come to an end. Once again, she will have to pick up the pieces and start over. A future with Reed would mean the end of her money struggles and she is sure that she loves him, but deep down she just can’t trust him with her heart. Reed is a man who gets what he wants. When he senses that Justine’s investigation is becoming dangerous, he orders her to abandon the case. He could not imagine that it could never be that simple, or that he has been used a pawn for years. Justine really is a damn good investigator; she is also willing to sacrifice her life and future happiness for an unwanted boy, her gullible father and the man she loves dearly.

Secondary characters steal the limelight and add to the Cajun flavour, they also serve to round out the relationship of Reed and Justine. Reed’s brother, Mace can’t choose between his fiancé, Cindy, and his first wife, Miranda… and Cindy has fallen in love with another man, Jerry, but she’s been hanging onto Mace for so long that she can’t let him go… and always lurking is the sheriff, with the looks of a male model and an enormous chip on his shoulder…and the femme fatale…

Sinful Rain is fast-paced and exciting. This enthralling murder-mystery, with its cast of colourful and menacing characters, unravelling throughout the build up of a heart-warming romance is certain to find its way to your favourites shelf. Rebecca Vinyard’s books fall into many different genres, always keeping her readers pleasantly surprised. This reader is curiously looking forward to her next release.

Reviewed by: Naomi