Book Review for CAVANAUGH'S SECRET DELIVERY by Marie Ferrarella

6/7/2018

This Cavanaugh detective guards his ready-made family

Delivering a stranded woman’s baby?
All in a day’s work for Detective Dugan Cavanaugh.

But the new mother is investigative reporter Toni O’Keefe, who’s hot on the trail of the drug cartel Dugan is tracking.

Now with infant Heather and Toni in the cartel’s lethal sights, Toni’s fragile trust in Dugan is their only shot to get Cavanaugh justice!

I do enjoy a good Cavanaugh story, even if they are a bit predictable with how things will move forward, this one delivered few punches and twists as the suspenseful side of the tale unfolded.
The fight against the cartel is tedious work with few big busts between the vigorous investigation and gathering of the leads. I liked how the timeframe is spread out to be more realistic and at the same time giving a chance for the romance to develop and the feelings between the protagonists take root.
I really enjoyed both of the main characters, Dugan Cavanaugh and Toni O’Keefe had an interesting energy between them. The connection from the roadside delivery to being partners of a sort was not smooth, yet the sparks were flying, the attraction is obvious, and they have the time to let the feelings simmer and grow. I loved how much Dugan cherished the baby Heather, they together provided a couple of heart-melting moments.
Toni was a tough journalist who didn't seem to have a sense of fear, making her act even a bit foolhardy at times. But she is a caring, loving mother and friend, and her need to be like her fearless father is understandable, as her history is revealed and we get to know more about her.
Dugan is a compassionate, smart, dedicated detective who loves babies and his family. I loved how while being so alpha and protective, he had this relaxed smoothness about him that set him apart. He was obviously comfortable just being himself, a very attractive quality in a person.
A good, entertaining, character-driven story with a solid balance of romance and suspense with few surprises and up close battles that turn deadly...
~ Three Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

Marie swears she was born writing, "which must have made the delivery especially hard for my mother." From an early age, Marie's parents would find her watching television or tucked away in some private place, writing at a furious pace. "Initially, I began writing myself into my favourite shows. I was a detective on '77 Sunset Strip,' the missing Cartwright sibling they never talked about on 'Bonanza' and the 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' before there was a 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,' not to mention an active participant in the serialized stories of 'The Mickey Mouse Club.'" Marie began to write her first romance novel when she was 11 years old, although she claims that, at the time, she didn't even realize it was a romance! She scribbled off and on, while dreaming of a career as an actress.

Marie was only 14 when she first laid eyes on the man she would marry, truly her first love, Charles Ferrarella. During her days at Queens College, New York, acting started to lose its glamour as Marie spent more and more time writing. After receiving her English degree, specialising in Shakespearean comedy, Marie and her family moved to Southern California, where she still resides today.

After an interminable seven weeks apart, Charles decided he couldn't live without her and came out to California to marry his childhood sweetheart. Ever practical, Marie was married in a wash-and-wear wedding dress that she sewed herself, appliqués and all. "'Be prepared' has always been my motto,"the author jokes. This motto has been stretched considerably by her two children, Nikky and Jessi, "but basically, it still applies," she says.

In November of 1981, she sold her first novel for Harlequin. Marie, who now has written over 150 novels, has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. "That's what makes me happy," she confesses. "That, and a really good romantic evening with my husband." She's keeping her fingers crossed that her reader's enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.