Karma by Carly Phillips (Serendipity #3)
Contemporary Romance
May 1, 2012

Reviewed by Helyce

Dare Barron had a big crush on Liza McKnight back when they were kids, though she was a bit older and pretty much out of his league. Now adults, his only real interaction with her is when she comes into the station to bail out her brother, Brian. The attraction is still there, but Dare can’t seem to make himself act on it. Dare hates Brian McKnight. Never friends, they have a past that is inextricably entwined and every time Brian is arrested, memories of the tragic death of a young boy come back to haunt Dare.

Liza McKnight has definitely noticed Dare. Unfortunately, every time she comes into the station, he gives her grief about it making any kind of civilized conversation impossible. But when Dare learns that Liza is in danger, his protective instincts take over and he appoints himself her bodyguard. Being together almost 24/7 ignites their passion and it’s not long before they give in to their attraction. But can Dare accept Liza into his heart when he’s constantly reminded of her brother Brian’s role in the death of young boy? Further, can he ever forgive himself?

I didn’t have to read too far into this book, to know that it would be my favorite of the series so far. In Dare we have a man who suffered greatly in his childhood; first with the loss of his parents, and then by witnessing the death of a young boy. I loved how the author showed two completely opposite outcomes with respect to how Dare chose to live his life in comparison to what happens with Brian McKnight. In here, Dare has become a police officer; committed to taking care of not only his family, but the people in the town. He volunteers at the youth center and heads the D.A.R.E. program at the local school. He does all of this in the hope that educating the youth will prevent another senseless death. Brian McKnight, on the other hand, lives with his guilt by numbing himself with alcohol and gambling away his inheritance; the latter putting himself and by connection, his sister, in grave danger.

It is clear that Dare struggles with his feelings for Liza from the get go. The attraction is there, yet he can’t get over the fact that she continues to enable her brother’s bad habits even after his actions put her life in jeopardy. At this point, we see Dare’s protective instincts soar toward the surface, overriding everything else. In spite of the huge issues with Brian between them, Liza and Dare are perfect for each other. I loved how Dare emphatically states at one point that he’s a “relationship” kind of guy as Liza just as strongly states that she is not relationship material. Liza’s vulnerability comes through so strongly here. Her whole life, she has always felt second best; to her parents she felt no more than a side note and her one prior relationship with a man left her so scarred that she never pursued another. Until Dare that is. In Dare she senses his feelings for her are intense and true and no matter how hard she fights it, she falls, she just can’t help it.

The conflict within the story that puts Liza in danger serves many purposes and provides the catalyst for Dare to find a way to not only forgive himself, but to let go of the intense hatred for Brian McKnight that has festered within him for so many years. I loved watching Dare come to this realization. For years he had to fake the “everything is okay” vibe around family and friends. Letting go of the past and making peace with it settled him and let his true self shine through. Liza, too, comes full circle with respect to her feelings about relationships. As Dare learns to forgive, she begins to open her heart to the possibility of love with him.

Brian McKnight is the bad guy in here, but by the end of the story I was really pulling for him as he took that first step to healing by entering a rehab facility. It was really rock bottom time for him, and I could feel his tremendous pain and guilt while at the same time still struggling to take that first step. I truly hope Ms. Phillips has a book planned for him. I’d loved to see him recover, make some amends for his past and find his own HEA.

I love a series that centers around a family setting because you can always count on previous characters making appearances in future books and that is one of the things I adore about a series as a rule. In this book, we get a lot of page time with the previous Barron brothers, Ethan and Nash as well as their wives and of course their sister Tess who can be counted on to keep her brothers on their toes. I also very much enjoyed the changes and growth in the character of Lanie, Faith’s mom who is slowly coming out of her shell in a really good way.

I do hope Ms. Phillips has plans to continue this series. The family element and the small town feel really works. If you enjoy contemporary romance, I definitely recommend!

Rating: B+

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