Magnolia Moon

February 1, 2003
Readers seduced by the first two books in JoAnn Ross's Callahan Brothers trilogy (Blue Bayou; River Road) will be equally charmed by Magnolia Moon. When charismatic Nate Callahan, the mayor of Blue Bayou, La., tracks down Los Angeles homicide detective Regan Hart to deliver a journal and a tidy sum in stock certificates left to her by her birth mother, Nate is surprised by Regan's reaction. She isn't interested in her inheritance, but she's stunned to learn that she's adopted. To uncover the truth about her past, Regan returns to Blue Bayou, where she delves into the mystery behind her mother's death and becomes intimately involved with Nate. Meanwhile, Nate receives temporary custody of an abused 12-year-old runaway. Ross focuses heavily on the topic of domestic violence, and her frequent moralizing may put off some readers. Others, however, will be sufficiently beguiled by the book's Southern ambiance and pleasing, if predictable, romance.

February 15, 2003
When Nate Callahan, general contractor and mayor of Blue Bayou, LA, shows up in homicide detective Regan Hart's L.A. office with documents indicating that she may not be who she thinks she is, Regan heads south to Blue Bayou. But even with Nate's help, answers are slow in coming, and the longer Regan stays, the more involved she becomes with the town, its issues, and its attractive mayor. A tough, no-nonsense cop heroine with a compassionate side, a laid-back, seductive hero who actually cares, and a plot that deals with some hard-hitting criminal issues will keep readers engrossed. Past mysteries and intriguing secondary characters, including a teenage runaway, add depth to the third title in the "Callahan Brothers" trilogy (after Blue Bayou and River Road). While the book stands on its own, readers will benefit from having read the earlier titles. Ross is a prolific author and lives in Knoxville, TN.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2003
When L.A. homicide detective Regan Hart learns from Blue Bayou's mayor, Nate Callahan, that she was possibly adopted and that the unsolved mystery of her mother's death lies in Louisiana, she goes there to find the truth, not realizing that discovering Nate is at least as important as delving into her unknown past. Regan is as single-minded and obstinate as Nate is easy-going. Neither is interested in marriage, but neither can deny the passionate attraction that grows between them as he accompanies her and paves the way for her to interview people who knew her "real" mother. Nate is the last of the three Callahan brothers (Jake in " Blue Bayou" [BKL Ap 1 02]" "and Finn in " River Road" [BKL S 1 02]) to fall in love for real, and how the mystery of Regan's parenthood and her ultimate admission that she can't stand to be parted from Nate form the plot resolution makes for a very satisfying conclusion not only to the book but also to Ross' sensual trilogy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)