If You Were My Man

January 25, 2010
The sixth and final installment in Ray’s Invincible Women series (And Mistress Makes Three
) explores a lonely widow’s second chance at love with a lifelong bachelor in Myrtle Beach, S.C. When rugged Officer Rafael Dunlap, a hostage negotiator for the city police, meets the gorgeous Nathalyia Fontaine at the seafood restaurant she owns and manages, it seems like love at first sight for the commitmentphobic cop. Fortunately, the gorgeous African-American restaurateur is also struck; unfortunately, she’s got complicating issues of her own, including a troublemaking sister, Theresa, who shows up suddenly and begins stealing from the restaurant after Nathalyia gives her a job. Another charming subplot follows a feisty waitress (Nathalyia’s best friend) getting close to her bartender, an older gentleman; an unexpected pregnancy also adds to the drama. Ray, a prolific storyteller in the mode of Nora Roberts, demonstrates a veteran’s skill for crafting fascinating, soulful characters with believable motives and mishaps.

January 1, 2010
The sixth in Ray's Invincible Women Series (And Mistress Makes Three, 2009, etc.) stars a wealthy, widowed restaurateur with a past and a cop who specializes in defusing hostage situations.

Since her husband Martin passed away three years ago, Nathalyia has turned their Cajun restaurant Fontaine into one of the hottest watering holes in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Rich, gorgeous Nathalyia is impervious to men, until studly but upstanding cop Rafael walks into her bar and orders iced tea. Their chemistry is instantaneous, but genre conventions require that they circle each other and exchange smoldering glances for at least 130 pages before the obligatory sex scene. Luckily, other characters are willing to entertain us while we wait. Clarice, head waitress at Fontaine's, disguises her low self-esteem (she's worried about her weight) with smart-mouthed jabs at bartender Jake, an Iraq War veteran. Buff, bald Jake is a tough guy with a soft spot for Clarice he can't let her see. Fiercely loyal to Nathalyia, he's waiting for Rafael to give him an excuse for fisticuffs. All too occasionally, tense hostage situations of the cuckold-with-a-gun variety allow us to see Rafael at work as a negotiator. Nathalyia's no-account sister Theresa, who shows up to extort money from her, also provides relief from the spectacle of the oh-so-holier-than-thou couple exercising impeccable self-restraint. When Nathalyia becomes pregnant, the lovers continue to strew obstacles in their own path. (She: I would never get pregnant just to trap a man like my mother and sisters did. He: My job is so dangerous it's better not to have a family.) Anticipating rejection, Nathalyia tells Rafael that she was inseminated with Martin's frozen sperm. Stung, he postures more. Inevitably, Rafael's close-knit family brings him to his senses, while Nathalyia's dysfunctional one reminds her of all she's overcome and all she can still achieve.

Thoroughly mediocre.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

March 15, 2010
Ray has delivered another page-turner. Nathalyia Fontaine is the proprietor of her late husbands restaurant, Fontaine. Since his death, she has not dated and has maintained his high standards as her only passion. When she meets hostage negotiator Rafael Dunlap, she is forced to reevaluate her decision to remain single and celibate. Rafael is fighting his own demons and has vowed not to marry and to keep all of his relationships casual. His job is so unpredictable that he cant imagine leaving a widow and children behind. Rafaels bachelor ways are challenged when he meets Nathalyia, and to his surprise he is smitten by her beauty, elegance, and independence. He woos her with his good looks, charm, and persistent attention. When the unexpected happens, Nathalyia decides to keep it a secret and changes the dynamics of their relationship. Yet, when Rafael has an on-the-job injury, Nathalyiais forced to reconsider her decision and tell Rafael the truth before it is too late. An engaging, character-rich story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)