Review of Running Scared

Running Scared
Lisa Jackson
Zebra
512 pages
Everything old is new again, especially in this 1995 reissue originally titled Wishes. You’ll find the characters a little more developed and the suspense ramped up and if you’re familiar with the original novel you’ll recognize the story and the players.
Fifteen years ago Kate Summers did something that even with the purest of hearts was still illegal and to some unethical but so be it. Now however her past is about to collide with her present and the results might just be explosive. Daegan O’Rourke has matured in fifteen years from the angry young man with the chip on his shoulder, he has some secrets and done some things he’s not proud of. One of those voices from the past is about to shake up his life and shake it up good. Kate and Daegan are definitely attracted to each other but they both have hardened their hearts and maybe that’s a good thing.
In this classic Lisa Jackson romance turned romantic suspense the bare bones of Lisa’s talent is obvious even so many years ago and with it’s spit and shine for today’s audience it makes a grand entry. The dialogue flows smoothly. The plot is unique in it’s context and the original romance as previously written wouldn’t appeal to today’s more sophisticated reader so the update is needed. The characters are really well handled in their portrayals and well balanced so that every one of them has their place in the story and every place is needed to tell it. Her main protagonists Kate and Daegan along with Kate’s son Jon are especially likeable people and at times tragic in their roles and we readers will find empathy with them and at times be angry with them and at other times be sad with them. The romance is not at all your perfect boy meets girl scenario, but one loaded with perils and pitfalls and they climb mountains to get to their Happy Ever After. The love scenes are few in number but expressive and impressive enough to stay with you long after the scene is over.
So come try on for size one of Lisa Jackson’s early works revamped and revved up for the contemporary crowd. You won’t be sorry you did.