"If you are looking for a sweet romance, Dare to Return is sure to please. Convincing dialogue and reactions had me rooting for the pair. Despite their stubborn pride, which comes through clearly through their actions, they both realize that their love has not diminished. Their inner struggles as they attempt to forgive and forget past mistakes are genuine and easy for the reader to appreciate. Surrounded by the descriptive narrative of coastal Australia, it was easy to imagine yourself sitting on the rocks as the surf crashed, sending spray over your face."

Tracy Farnsworth ~Romance Reviews Today

"As a light read, this is a very good book. Each character is strong and believable. Though Paul is often unreasonable, he is no more so than any other man might be. Slightly more conflict could have added spice to the story, but then again, it might have been contrived to do so. This is a perfect novel for beach reading, as you can imagine yourself sharing the same beaches Paul and Vivien do in Australia."

Amanda Killgore ~The Romance Reader's Connection

"Dare to Return is a reunion story, with a heroine who has matured and grown during the time apart. The hero is pretty much in the same spot as he used to be. Only with her advent does he start to at least question his thinking. I enjoyed the story, which has an easy tone and fairly light plot. Ms. Cooper-Posey's descriptions of the helicopters, of the rescue mission and of the Australian life in a tourist town are vivid, as is the scenery developed throughout the book. I can recommend Dare to Return as a fun read, where the hero finally gets a clue."

4 Stars! Karen Larsen ~Scribes World Reviews

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Outline:

Vivien Galloway was the school joke -- tall, gangly, no breasts, braces, and curly red hair. She decided that if she must be an outsider, she would be good at it, and applied herself to being a brilliant student. She found another outlet for her frustrations in sport -- where again she excelled. And she celebrated graduating high school by burning her year book.

That was when she met Paul Levissianos, who looked beyond the frizzy hair and saw an accomplished athlete that, like him, enjoyed challenges, and found a rush in danger. He also saw Vivien's beauty -- the long legs, the flawless skin, and her unique courage.

For five years they were together, constantly challenging each other to greater feats. Paul was a licensed pilot, and flew helicopters -- often participating in sea searches and rescues. Vivien continued to win championships and learn new and interesting sports -- windsurfing, body surfing, scuba diving, rock climbing, flying. And through it all, Paul was right there beside her.

Until suddenly and without explanation, Vivien left town.

Now seven years have passed, and Vivien has dared to return to Geraldton. Why is she back? And what will happen when she meets Paul...?

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Author's note:

Dare to Return was written as a salute to my old home town, Geraldton, Western Australia, and although the heroine is nothing like me, I did surf, snorkel and scuba dive around the Geraldton coast, and have picked up my fair share of crayfish from the bottom of the ocean floor. I have never, however, been inside a helicopter -- the scenes in the book dealing with helicopters were a product of hard research.

I was very glad when Hard Shell Word Factory decided that the setting could stay as it was, because I would have been at a loss to find a North American setting that would have worked as a substitute. The setting in Dare plays an essential role in the romance.

I wrote the book in Australia, but it was substantially re-written years later in Canada, with snow falling outside the windows, which perhaps made the settings in the book more prominent-- I had to work that much harder to conjure them up in my memory. One reviewer said she could hear the surf break when she read the book, so I clearly succeeded with at least one reader.

By the way -- Vivien's encounter with a Grey Nurse shark is a genuine incident. I was the diver who bumped noses with the shark at the top of the reef. And I did, indeed, walk on water that day.

-- Tracy.

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