Michael Mainwaring was a dynamite attorney who was considered near if not genius. She fought everyday in the courtroom, but that was to be expected. Having to fight for sanity outside the courtroom wasn't. It started with roses and then turned into dead roses, late night phone calls with heavy breathing and snarling until it was more than she could bear. Michael went from a confident, hardworking attorney to a broken down shell. Oh sure, she still worked harder than ever because she would never let anything get in the way of her clients, but her personal life? She was terrified of her own shadow let alone someone else's.

Then came in J. B. Anderson-a straight and narrow, gorgeous hunk of a man. He was also a cop. He wanted Michael from the first time he saw her which was while he and his partner were questioning her best friend, Lincoln. He wanted her in his life and his bed. He wanted his ring on her finger if he could manage it. He couldn't figure out why she wouldn't go out with him. J. B. had never had that problem with women before. If anything, they came to him, but this time he just wasn't getting his way. He didn't begin to understand what could possibly be the problem until odd things happened and he saw raw terror in the eyes of the one woman he'd move heaven and hell for. From then on he vowed he'd find the stalker and rip him to shreds for putting the fear of God into her. But would he find the stalker in time, or would it be too late?

Michael: A Gift of Trust wasn't your usual type of suspense. Oh sure, you have the stalker, the heroine, the hero and some minor character, but it was so much more than that. Ms. Lawrence didn't just take the usual suspense routine and write a book according to it. No, she made the sub-genre her own. She took the usual and added extra twists, turns and things you didn't expect. She made you see the extreme vulnerability and pain a person can feel when being stalked. She made you see how invading it could be. Then there was J. B. and his persistence and never-ending patience. He never let up even for a second. He was always by Michael's side willing to do anything that was necessary to help her, to keep her safe and most of all to love her. They were two characters your heart melted for. You just couldn't imagine either of them with anyone else but each other. This was another success for Ms. Lawrence!

Reviewed By: Gabrielle Channing
© May 2004