Throwback Thursday: In the Arms of the Law by Deborah Harmse

Author: Deborah Harmse
First published in 1994 by Loveswept.  
Reissued January 2012

A cop who has seen too much of the dark side of life, Mackenzie Hoyle has developed a few rough edges. He’s working a murder case and has some hard questions for a troubled student at the local high school. But getting past Rebekah de Bieren challenges his toughest tactics. The tiny, blonde civics teacher is as protective as a mother lion, making his job a little more difficult—not that he’s complaining. She’s sexy, straight-shooting, and reawakens something deep and primal he’d forgotten existed.

When I read the synopsis for In the Arms of the Law, I was expecting a romantic suspense story.  Instead, it was heavier on the romance and pretty light on the suspense.  The story had promise in the beginning.  Mack visits Becky's school to try to persuade her to convince one of her students to speak to the police about a murder he may have witnessed.   The sparks fly immediately between the two.  But, Mack has his reasons for keeping himself distant and not wanting to get involved.

This book was just OK for me.  I was expecting more suspense and action. There was none of that.  It focused more on the relationship between Mack and Becky.  I'm not sure I liked Becky all that much.  While I like an optimistic character, I thought she was a bit too "Pollyanna" for me.  Her attitude just didn't fit a person who had been in the Peace Corps and later became a teacher who chose to work in an inner city school.  I thought she would have been a bit more cynical than than than she was presented.  Also, I thought her attitude of "I'll make his life better and change him" didn't make me feel confident for the HEA.