Then Came July by Cornelia Allen is a contemporary romance set in the stifling heat of New Mexico. Captain Rick Mora is one tough cop working in the border city of Las Cruces. He’s known as a hard-drinking, hard-playing cop, who always gets his man, sometimes in the most violent and controversial manner, but there is no denying his success at bringing down criminals. When the El Rio Women’s Clinic is firebombed, presumably by anti-abortionist activists, and the pretty Dr. July Sullivan is badly injured, Rick finds himself faced with a dilemma. He knew July from way back in Juniper Springs where he grew up. He remembered her as a spoiled little brat back then and in his opinion she hadn’t changed much. Despite his reservations, when she returns to Juniper Springs to recuperate on her elderly uncle’s farm, Rick finds himself unable to suppress his feelings of protective concern for the beautiful woman. When two strong and dominant personalities clash, there will always be sparks flying and when that’s mixed with intense desire, all the ingredients of a fiery love affair are ready to be ignited.

Then Came July is a relaxing, enjoyable love story spiced up by the personalities of the principal characters. Cornelia Allen has created two wonderful, well-developed protagonists in Rick and July. I loved the playful and sometimes cutting banter between the pair and it makes the story not only believable but enjoyable to read. One can feel July’s frustration with her injuries which threaten to derail the career that she had fought so hard to establish. As a woman, she had to fight to be a successful and respected physician and it may all be lost due to a senseless incident that she believed had nothing to do with her. Rick’s broodiness and anger at the world that had left him so embittered could only really be countered by the love and respect of a good woman and perhaps he has found one in July. Always lurking in Rick’s awareness was the belief that he was a bad seed and the author did a marvelous job of developing and emphasizing this part of Rick’s character. If you like romances with plenty of action and excitement and well-developed characters, then this book is a great read for you. I can highly recommend it.