Chandler County, Georgia – Present Day

Celia St. John lusts for her boss, District Attorney Tom McMillian, and nothing can keep those urges at bay. It seems that McMillian is still hung up on his ex-wife who is engaged and pregnant. Celia may want McMillian very badly, but she would never go after a man who can't get over a past love. Celia already had a bad romance in her past with an old boss and won't go down that road again.

But, for the moment, any thought of sex between the two is put on hold after Tom calls Celia to investigate a baby's death. Celia works in Tom's office as a part of the Child Death Investigation Task Force. Even though Tom may be a DA, he thinks very much like a cop, and Celia has the greatest respect for him. What Celia doesn't know is that Tom's interest in children hits him straight in the heart. He lost his own son to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), and the guilt about not being able to save his child eats away at him. Now that there is a death of a newborn baby to investigate, this case will be his top priority and he expects Celia to treat it the same way.

This is not a simple case of child neglect, as Celia delves further into the world of illegal baby adoption. And when one of Tom's former lovers goes missing and is found dead, he is suddenly a suspect. Now Celia must work harder than ever to find the killer and save Tom's reputation. As the list of suspects grows, Celia and Tom finally go past that point where their professional relationship is broken and their attraction for each other becomes all-consuming. Soon Celia is in danger, and when someone very close to her is found dead, Tom has no choice but to confront his personal demons as well as try to protect Celia.

MEMORIES OF US is one stellar romance with a lot of tension. The police procedures may weigh heavily on the romance between Tom and Celia, but the investigation about illegal baby adoption and Tom's own issues with the death of his son will keep you hooked. Since I am a fan of television shows such as Law and Order and CSI, I found MEMORIES OF US to be on par with those crime shows. Tom and Celia make a great team, especially after Tom is willing to let Celia into his life on a more personal basis. When these two became lovers, I couldn't stop myself from sighing because their love scenes are very hot and sexy. Linda Winfree can sure write a near perfect love scene.

Even though Celia belongs with Tom, she also has great chemistry with Mark Cook, who is a good friend and co-worker. Mark knows Celia very well, and this brings out Tom's jealousy, which I have to admit was great to see. Celia's sister Cicely has a bit of the second sight when it comes to Celia and becomes very important to Tom and Celia's relationship. What happens to Cicely is a twist you will not see coming and may shock some readers.

Linda Winfree has a great future as an author who can write an intense mystery along with a wonderful romance. MEMORIES OF US has some nice twists and turns with a surprise ending. For an overall great read, you should definitely pick up MEMORIES OF US.

Kate Garrabrant