Book Review: Karma by Carly Phillips

Karma
Serendipity #3
Author: Carly Phillips
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: May 1st 2012
Review Source: Berkley
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips presents her third novel set in the quaint upstate New York town of Serendipity, where fate, fortune and love intertwine…

Officer Dare Barron has had a crush on Liza McKnight ever since he was a teenager. But despite his lifelong attraction, the closest he’s ever come to interacting with her is watching Liza regularly bail out her brother at the police station.

Dare’s dark past with Liza’s brother, Brian, has always kept him from pursuing her. But suddenly Liza finds herself in need of protection and Dare appoints himself as the man for the job. And while the sizzling attraction between Dare and Liza draws them together, the past threatens to keep the two apart forever.

Karma is a pithy contemporary adult romance. It is the 3rd book in the Serendipity series and explores Dare Barron's dark past with the brother of his teenage crush. Dare is a cop. Liza McKnight is the woman he can't get out from under his skin. She is regularly at the police station bailing out her troubled, drunken, no good brother. Liza's enabling of her brother only seems to incense Dare and make him more hostile toward her when she is around.

Liza is exhausted rescuing her troubled brother, Brian, and she doesn't have the time or patience for some sexy, annoying, judgmental cop. What is she to do? Brian was there for her when it really counted and so she owes him. Her parents may not live in the town anymore, but they still expect her to clean up after her brother's messes and keep the family reputation intact. Dare maybe easy on the eyes, but Liza prefers being alone.

The attraction between Dare and Liza is undeniable and intense, but is it enough for Dare to get past his tortured conscience and the disgust he has for Brian? Embezzlement, black mail, car mishaps, kidnapping, and a charity event are all at work creating a deeper connection between Dare and Liza. But can she have the one thing that has eluded her, love? Can Dare make peace with his demons to have the woman who could be his future?

I liked this story. It made me want to read the previous 2 books that tell Dare's brothers stories. I enjoyed the back and forth push and pull between Dare and Liza. I appreciate a story that makes the ending worth while. I initially thought the story would be corny with names like Dare and Serendipity but I couldn't have been more wrong. I look forward to additional books by Carly Phillps.