THE POET

A romantic thriller about one woman’s dance with the devil that explores the limits of love, forgiveness, and redemption.

When Rebecca Paige checked into the GetAway Resort, she was looking forward to a restful vacation in the woods—a much-needed break from her job as the administrator of a Chicago psychiatric hospital. However, she was unaware that an infamous assassin known as the Poet had arrived days earlier on more sinister business. On the last day of her trip, she falls into easy conversation with Jack Shelley, her neighbor in Cabin 11. Things heat up between them, but then he leaves without explanation—but he promises to finish what they started, if Rebecca’s willing. In his absence, Rebecca and the rest of the guests are taken hostage by a band of gunmen. Jack returns to find Rebecca severely wounded from a scrape with the group’s ringleader. He manages to get her to safety, but then he’s held up by another armed assailant, whom he swiftly kills. At this point, Rebecca starts to question whether she was right to trust Jack, and as the truth unravels, she must decide if their love is strong enough to erase the past. In this first installment of the Poet Series, debut author Harris establishes her skill with acute imagery, free-flowing dialogue, and vividly described characters (such as one with “a smear of black hair…[that] populated only the back and sides of his head”). Her storytelling also effectively establishes her characters’ romance, but it leaves other questions unanswered. Most notably, it never clarifies the connection between the assassin and the gunmen, which, in turn, calls into question the gunmen’s purpose at the resort. Hopefully, the answers will be revealed in series installments to come. Nevertheless, Harris still delivers a riveting tale for romance and thriller lovers alike.

A mostly strong beginning to an unconventional and exciting series.