For All of Her Life

For All Her Life by Heather Graham is a 2012 Open Road Media publication. (Original publication date: 1995/1999)

Kathy and Jordon were riding high with the success of their rock band, Blue Heron. They had everything they ever dreamed of- a good marriage, two beautiful daughters, making a living doing what they loved- but then one fateful night, one of their band members perished in a fire. Things were never the same after that. The band broke up- as did Kathy and Jordon.

Now, ten years later, Jordan is trying to get the band back together. He wants Kathy to come to a party he’s having, which will also coincide with their daughter’s birthday. Reluctant at first, Kathy eventually agrees. But, someone is trying to thwart the reunion.

As show more memories resurface Kathy and Jordon discover their love for each other is still as strong as ever. But, as details about the night of the fire all those years ago begin to slowly emerge, they could find themselves in grave danger.

My first impressions of Heather Graham came from her historical romances, which to this day, I still believe is her strongest suit. However, Graham moved into the contemporary realm and enjoyed some nice success with a string of romantic suspense novels, before she struck just the right chord, at just the right time in the paranormal romance category.

This book was published back in 1995, but Open Road Media has formatted the book in digital format, which as most people know, I am a huge supporter of. Now, these books can find a new audience, while those who lost track of old favorites, or books they have a hard time finding anymore, can enjoy these books all over again.

This story is a fine example of the usual romantic suspense format in the late nineties, but despite its age, it stood up well with the passage of time. The writing style is a little dated, but other than that, it could work just as well today as it did when first published. The dialogue between Jordon and Kathy is not especially sharp, and Kathy’s constant worry about her age bordered on overkill. Still, I loved the chemistry between them, which really sizzled and of course the second chance at love theme is a personal favorite. The suspense is a cut above, and I have to say that while I suspected everyone at one point or another, the killer was mostly a surprise to me. There was a taut, sinister atmosphere from the beginning with some pretty tense moments added in to boot.
The romance and suspense elements are well-balanced, making this book a great textbook example of how to satisfy fans of both genres- something I find many writers of romantic suspense struggle with.

Overall, this was a solid romantic suspense novel. If this book is any indication, I think Graham’s other back-listed titles warrant a closer look.

4 stars

Note: Zebra has released this book in Paperback and Audio under the title of "Up in Flames" early in 2018 if you would prefer the print edition or would like to add audio.
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