THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE

David Cristofano

Grand Central

ISBN:978-0-446-58222-3

March 2009

Romantic Suspense

When Melody McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government placed them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise that they would be safe. But the program took Melody's name, her home, and ultimately, her family. She has been many people through the years, but never the one person she longs to be, herself. Now on the run again with the feds, she is surprised to be confronted by a man who calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the man sent by his family to hunt her down, knows her and it is a thrill Melody finds hard to resist. Can she trust him with her life and her identity? Or will he want her dead in the end?

THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is a fast paced, sexually teasing story of a young woman who has grown up without the stability of a past. Each time she gets comfortable in her life, her family is whisked away to a new location and given a new name. When her parents are murdered, Melody falls into a trap of running every two years from an imagined threat. Imagine her surprise when all of her nightmares come true in a dirty roadside hotel room with a federal agent in the room beside her. Jonathan Bovaro is not like his family. He has been following her for years and only wants to keep her safe. But how safe can you be with a man who makes your body run hot yet could kill you with his bare hands. Melody is in a tough situation. With Jonathan, all of her defenses are down and she is able to just exist as herself. But for how long?

David Cristofano has created a well thought out novel with plenty of grit and emotional upheaval. The sexual encounters are eluded to so this book would be good for a young reader as well as an older one. It was a quick read with a lot of predictability, but still very nicely written.

Reviewed By Kathy Fisher

Rating: 4