Title: The Runaway Heiress

By:  Meg Tilly

ISBN: 0593201086 (ISBN13: 9780593201084)

Website: http://www.officialmegtilly.com/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra                   

Summary:

Sarah Rainsford has been on the run for more than three years. She’s changed identities yet again in hopes of throwing her violent estranged husband, a police lieutenant, off her trail. Since she’s still legally married to him, and he is willing to bend any laws to get his hands on her inheritance, he’ll stop at nothing to locate her.

With a new name and fake ID papers, she lands a job as a personal assistant to none other than Hollywood’s golden boy director Mick Talford. He’s a difficult client but she senses hidden depths to him. Once Mick and Sarah combine forces in a desperate attempt to keep Sarah out of harm’s way, they build a strong bond . . . but with danger trailing them, is it enough to keep them both alive?  (Goodreads)

Review:

The Runaway Heiress is a stand alone novel by author Meg Tilly. I have come to appreciate and enjoy Ms. Tilly’s writing from the Solace Island Trilogy and I can say that (in my opinion), this new book is on par with the writing of the first book in the trilogy – Solace Island – one of the best books of hers that I have read to date.

Sarah Rainsford, who we met in Hidden Cove (Solace Island Trilogy), has left the west coast island because her identity has been compromised and is moving around the country taking various types of jobs in an effort to stay hidden from her abusive husband Kevin. This is certainly a far cry from the life Sarah had prior to getting married (her parents never did like her husband)! Her background is of a New York socialite from a very wealthy family but now she barely has two nickels to rub together. This story begins with Sarah arriving in Los Angeles and as a result of an interview with a temp agency, she has landed a personal assistants position for Mick Talford, a “golden boy” director in Hollywood. Mick specifically asked for a male assistant, so you know there are going to be sparks immediately. Luckily for Rachel Jones (aka Sarah Rainsford), Mick decides to give Rachel one week to see if she will fit in with the responsibilities as he has set out (oversee the household staff – once hired, dictation for his new scripts, etc.).

Throughout the story we are fed details to piece together both Sarah’s life before she was on the run and Mick’s life as a child. It was interesting and thought provoking to see how the past has influenced each of their current situations. I think I found these snippets of their past lives the most interesting. However, the most terrifying (and engaging) moments were when we would be fed more about Kevin and his quest for Sarah and the prior abuse he heaped upon her prior to her running away. It truly boggles my mind how one individual can be so cruel to another individual. Makes me wonder what happened in Kevin’s past to make him so controlling.

Now, there is romance in this novel. Mick and Rachel soon develop feelings for one another. Where they will go is anyone’s guess as crossing the boundaries between employer and employee is not one to take lightly. But with two good looking, young and vibrant characters – something is bound to happen eventually ☺.

As an animal lover, I appreciated how Sarah cared for her cat, Charlie. Spoke volumes about her character. Though we did get early on that she was a sincere, caring individual – just one in a bad situation.

As the hunt for the truth ensues and their histories unfold, I found myself liking Mick more and more (as did Sarah ☺). I liked how they joined forces n an attempt to end Kevin’s reign of terror over Sarah. It was nail biting throughout and there were many twists and turns (which I won’t go into for obvious reasons – you must discover them for yourself). If you like suspense novels that totally encapsulate the genre as well as draw you in to a “can’t put it down” read (to heck with dinner or sleep) – then The Runaway Heiress by Meg Tilly should be on your TBR pile! If you like romance novels with enthralling main characters with some grit – then The Runaway Heiress should be on your TBR pile!  Better yet – just get it and start reading…