Ratings Overall: 9 Sensuality: 5 Suspense Element: 9

This is an Official Review by a Suspense Romance Writer Official Reviewer

Review for Restore My Heart
Author: Cheryl Norman
Date of Review: 01/02/07
Reviewed by: Lettetia

Reviewer Comments: Joey DeSalvo has come home to bury his father; a father who appears to have committed suicide. Joe never saw it coming; he and his father hadn’t seen much of each other, hadn’t talked much since Joe moved to Atlanta to be a hot shot financial advisor. Now his mother is telling him she is certain Leo was murdered; she is convinced of it, and with the mysterious way things are adding up, Joe begins to believe she may be right.

Sally Clay, new owner of Mustang Sally’s Auto Restoration, is trying desperately to make a living, though she has lost quite a bit of business since Dan Alsop began doing business with Bloom DeSalvo Motors. When she meets Joe DeSalvo it is to tune up his father’s Kaiser Darrin convertible, not go all weak-kneed over a guy who appears to see the woman behind the grease-monkey. Something is not kosher about the Darrin; it isn’t original and someone is willing to do anything to keep his secret from being revealed. When a series of purposeful “accidents” occur, Sally and Joe will need to trust and rely on each other to keep their loved ones safe, and solve the riddle of Leo’s demise.

Edge-of-the-seat suspense from the opening scene kept this reader thoroughly engrossed in the story till the dramatic and surprising ending. The love story between two complete opposites is not only plausible but romantically portrayed. Sally is a wounded woman; hiding her emotions behind a wall of steel to keep from being hurt again, while Joe is a “knight-in-tarnished-armor” whose dormant protective instincts are kicked into high gear, protecting this special woman. The secondary cast adds a sparkle and wit to the fresh storyline while never taking away from the main focus; solving the murders. RESTORE MY HEART is an action-packed tale of the high-dollar business of auto restoration and sales; engaging the reader in all the facets of the collectible car enthusiast. Realistic and emotional dialogue further allows the reader to think of these characters as friends and neighbors. I highly recommend this book across the board; from contemporary to romantic suspense enthusiasts, it is sure to please a wide range of readers.