Seven years ago she left without explanation.

Now she's back...and he doesn't know why.

Dare to Return

Contemporary Romance.
Reviews. Outline. Excerpt.
Casting the movie. Buy it.

Reviews:

"Ms. Cooper-Posey easily brought to vivid life the romance between these two very dynamic characters. Without a doubt this is a treat for romance readers."

Contemporary Romance Writers - A Romance Designs Community Website

"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

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...?

Excerpt:

“So why are you here, Vivien?”

Vivien clasped her hands together on her lap. Game time. “You’ve applied for the Coast Watch tender,” she said. Australia had some of the remotest and most inaccessible coast lines in the world, and the government licensed and subsidized independent contractors to carry out regular air surveillance of specified portions of coast. The north-west was a particularly favorite landing ground for Asian refugees.

“How do you know about the tender?” he asked.

She smiled a little. “I’m the state Safety Assessor,” she said. “I’m here to assess your proposal and your company’s operations.”

“You?” The word was flat, full of disbelief ... and anger.

Vivien’s smile turned rueful. “Ironic, isn’t it?” she asked.

Paul looked away, turning his whole body through ninety degrees to stare out over the flat water of the harbor. He was controlling his initial reaction, she realized. When had he learned how to do that? The Paul of old would have let rip -- told her what was on his mind with the colorful metaphors that had always made her laugh, and eventually he would have laughed along with her.

Now, he merely took a breath, squared his shoulders, and turned back to her. “I don’t know about ironic,” he said evenly. “But it’s logical, considering the reasons why you left ... Geraldton.”

He was going to say “left me”, she thought. Why hadn’t he? Didn’t he feel that he had once had that much claim on her? Vivien frowned to herself. There were changes in him that baffled her. His caution, his control, the deliberate way he chose his words, and the neutral expression on his face. It was only for her, she realized. His feelings had been more than apparent when he had been cursing the tourists.

He was still considering her carefully. “I’m surprised they sent you,” he said. “Did you tell them that you’re not a stranger here? Are you sure you can be a neutral observer?”

“I haven’t told them yet,” she answered calmly. “I only got the request for the report a week ago. Besides, I don’t intend to be biased. Don’t worry - I won’t cut you any slack.”

Paul nodded. “That’s what I mean. Considering the reasons you left in the first place, I wonder if you can do your job properly now. I imagine you would be inclined to judge harshly, just through sheer bloody-mindedness.”

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.

Casting the Movie...

I often get asked who I would cast in the movie of my book, if it should ever come to pass, so just for fun:

Movie producer's pitch:

The Deep meets The Third Watch

Casting call:

Vivien. Nicole Kidman (who even has the right natural accent).

Paul. Andy Garcia.