RETURN TO VICTORIA ISLAND by Karen Andover

Fiction, Romantic Suspense

4****

Blurb: When hardworking accountant Ava Morrison is passed over for her dream promotion, she is disappointed. But when her employer gives her two weeks to sign a high-value client or be fired, she is devastated. Victoria Island’s annual boat show seemed like a good place to recruit wealthy businesspeople. Someone is stealing from property developer Jack Rutledge and he needs the help of a discreet accountant. He asks Ava to audit his company books and in return he will introduce her to potential clients. But soon things turn dangerous. And the partnership becomes personal. Will it add up to love or a fatal miscalculation?

Thoughts: This was an entertaining story with a lot of angst and suspects. There was really good imagery, putting you on the beach, in the heat, in the parties with the rich people. The setting fit the plot in that it needed to be near the ocean for certain elements to work. The characters were unique and believable and the reasons for what was happening worked well too.

Ava has spent five years trying to build up her client list at the accounting firm where she works, but unless she can bring in big-name clients, she’ll be fired. I was mad enough at her boss to wish she’d just have walked out then and there, but that didn’t happen. She’s given two weeks to make it so she heads to her parents’ vacation condo on Victoria Island. Unfortunately, her “vacation” turns nasty when vandals continually harass her, both online and at the condo. She takes a temp job with the Rutledge firm to try to figure out who’s embezzling money. When she discovers the thief, things take a turn from bad to worse. It’s up to Ava and Jack to figure out who all the players are and why these things are happening.

The romance is nicely done – and this is a clean-cut story – no physical details at all. Which is fine for a change. There’s a HEA ending that satisfies, and hints at further stories on the island.

Recommended.