Rori’s Healing

Hiers’s (When Truth Whispers) contemporary romance roars out of the gate. Race-car driver Graham Decker is mistaken for a veterinarian when he arrives at an animal sanctuary where a llama is about to give birth. The sanctuary is run by Rori Harmon, who has been better at dealing with animals than with people since her tennis-pro dad committed suicide two decades earlier. A subsequent media blame storm, in which her family was condemned, left Rori with a case of social phobia. Even after it becomes clear that Graham is not a vet, Rori finds herself unexpectedly attracted to a sports star who lives in the public eye. The attraction is mutual, but Graham’s got his own hurt—a greedy ex-wife—to get over. The two come together warily, with faith playing a role. The novel fades after its strong start; the characters aren’t especially well-drawn or believable—how can the successful Graham have that much free time to woo the skittish Rori? The romantic chemistry is adequate, but the psychology is elementary. Readers who like squeaky-clean romance will page through this, but it’s very plain vanilla. (June)