Perfect Touch

by Elizabeth Lowell

Beneath the majestic Teton Range, a former soldier turned rancher and a beautiful designer and art appraiser must race to stop a vicious killer-and quench a blazing passion that burns deep in their hearts-in this beguiling thriller from perennial New York Times bestselling author and queen of romantic suspense Elizabeth Lowell

An art dealer and owner of her own design studio, Perfect Touch, Sara Medina travels the world to find the ideal artwork for her clients. Her sophisticated, comfortable life in San Francisco is light-years away from the poverty of her family's dairy farm. Sara worked too hard to get out of the rural countryside to want to go back again for more than just a brief visit-even for someone as enticing as her new client, Jay Vermilion, a man with dozens of fine-art paintings that could kick her career up into the stratosphere.

Jay recently inherited Vermilion Ranch, a working ranch near Wyoming's breathtaking Tetons-and the estates of the rich and restless. While Jay was fighting in two wars, his father tried to keep the homestead running, until illness stole his fight and then his life. Jay is determined to restore Vermilion Ranch-the fruit of generations of his ancestors-but first he's got to settle a vicious battle with his scheming former stepmother and greedy half-brother over the paintings that belonged to his late father, a collection of works by a talented yet often overlooked artist named Armstrong “Custer” Harris. The last thing on Jay's mind is finding a wife and creating a seventh generation of Vermilions.

When Jay and Sara meet face to face after months of intimate phone calls, it's love at first sight-a mutually inconvenient attraction that is soon complicated by a double murder at the edge of the ranch and a potential betrayal even closer to home. Working together to unmask a murderer, Sara and Jay are powerless to resist the intense heat between them. While Jay's waited a lifetime for someone like Sara-a strong, smart, sassy woman as comfortable in the saddle as she is in stilettos-he knows the life he offers isn't what she wants. And Sara knows she's the wrong woman for Jay, even though the fire between them feels so very right.

Then the killer targets Sara. And suddenly, Jay, the war-weary soldier, finds something he's once again willing to die for . . .

• ISBN10: 0062328344
• ISBN13: 9780062328342
• Publish Date: 28 July 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 10 April 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I have always enjoyed reading Elizabeth Lowell’s work and as such when the opportunity came for me to read and review Perfect Touch I was happy to do so. It should be noted that this opportunity was provided to me by the publisher via Edelweiss.
I am a big fan of romantic suspense and after reading the blurb I could not wait to delve between the pages of this book. First of all I must say that Perfect Touch delivered most of what I was expecting. There was romance and suspense and one did not overshadow the other. It was perfectly balanced.
The story started out with a bang which made me eager to find out what was coming next. However, just when I was getting psyched about the story, the pace slowed down. During this time Sara and Jay were riding with the cattle and making their way to Fish Camp. I found this aspect of the story long, tedious and somewhat boring. There was a time I felt like giving up; however, I was glad I stuck to it as things eventually began to heat up when they made it to their destination. It was at this point the story came to life. It was easy to figure out who the villain was but the motive not so much.
I enjoyed reading about all the characters. My least favourite was Barton, Jay’s half-brother. I thought he was a pompous ass. He was selfish and greedy. Not a very likeable character. I liked the interaction between Jay and Sara. The attraction between these two did not happen suddenly which for me was a refreshing change from the usual insta-attraction that seems to be permeating the romance genre. They were likeable and easy to relate to. Sara is a selfless and strong willed woman. She grew up on a farm and was not looking to return to that type of life. Now she has met Jay will she be willing to return to a life as a farm girl? Jay, an ex-soldier is a dedicated and hardworking man. His main focus was working the ranch his father left him. Will Jay be willing to give up his inheritance and move to the city to be with Sara?
The dialogue was funny at times. There were moments I found myself laughing at some of the statements made. I was like wow, I am glad I am not the one at the receiving end of those statements. There were some shocking revelations which had me in awe. I loved the way the setting was described. I felt as if I was a part of the story. It was as if I was seeing everything through each of the character’s eyes. The story was told from alternate POV. I don't generally have a problem with this. My compliant in this regard was that when change between POVs took place so sudden that I did not have time to figure out that there was a change. This for me was a tad bit confusing. There was a lot of internal dialogue taking place, which persons may find distracting. Personally I had no problem with it.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and it was a great reminder of why I used to enjoy reading Elizabeth Lowell’s books. Perfect Touch is a must read for fans of romance, suspense and drama.