Oceans of Fire; C. Feehan

Finished this one over the weekend. Struggled to overcome wanting to smack the heroine for her self centered, 'me first & your side of the story doesn't count' view of past events with the hero. Previous to this novel Alexsandr & Abigail had a brief relationship in Russia. Apologies if I've mispelled his name. Sacha was a policeman/member of the secret police/spy. Abby fell afoul of the law, became a suspect and ended up being interrogated & then deported. Even four years later, Abby expected Sacha to drop everything & ruin his career to prevent her from being interrogated & imprisoned. Like the other Drake Sisters novels, this one takes place in northern California.

I had a very hard time wrapping my mind around her expectations which were based on a brief but intense relationship. I mean, they were is Russia for goodness sake. What did she think their justice system was going to be?To my mind, there aren't many marriages that would have withstood such events, never mind the fact that almost no one would flush an entire career down the toilet for a person they barely knew (even if the sex was fantastic). I thought Abby's refusal to read Sacha's letters or even to listen him or to consider that his side of the story was equally valid was stupid and juvenile. I'm not saying she had to agree with him or condone his actions, but for heavens' sake, woman, grow up!

Anyhow, the plot is that Abby has returned home to help plan her sisters' upcoming wedding. She witnessed a Russian mafia hit on an Interpol agent & the attempted murder of several locals. Sacha's partner is murdered. Who is smuggling art through the area & why? Why won't they just use a different route to get their goods into the country? That being the typical way things are done- when the route is too 'hot' it's dropped. More than that, now that Sacha's found Abby again he's determined to make her hear his side of the story & regain her trust and love.

I read this series for the relationship between the sisters as opposed to the romances. The hero, Sacha, is typical Feehan in that he's immensely devoted to his love interest & is emotionally wounded. Anyhow, I think I need to reread John Le Carre now!