American journalist Liam Bartlett came close to death on the island of San Salustiano - investigating corruption among the nations military, once his identity was known the collective power of the armed forces were united against him. He only survived because Marisala Bolivar hid him in the jungle for six months, tending his wounds and keeping him safe. He hid his attraction to her because of her youth, and he's still haunted by nightmares from the agonising and torturous time he and Mara endured when they were finally discovered.
Mara has been looking forward to escaping the protective care of her uncle for years - she thought that going to college in America would allow her a measure of freedom, but when she discovers that her uncle's asked Liam to watch out for her she's incensed. She was attracted to him five years ago, when their close proximity forced an intimacy she'd not known before or since, but Liam still sees her as a child, not as the autonomous woman she is.
So, it's a romance. And normally I'm a bit fan of Brockmann's work, but this slender novella lacks much of the oomph of her more (and justifiably) well known military romance novels. The obstacles to their love rely too heavily on their not communicating honestly or knowing and trusting each other well enough, things that I find not only irritating but also that interfere with my feeling that they belong together, which makes the relationship artificial to me.
A re-release, Freedom's Price was initially published in 1998, which may go some way to explaining its uncharacteristic lack of punch. - Alex
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