Review: He's The Hero Our Heroine Deserves
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 1, 2012
I like stories where the narrator is a person of integrity. In 'Barefoot Heroine: A Mayne Attraction Short Story,' actually an excerpt from the third novel of the trilogy, Ann Mauren presents two incidents from the life of Ellery Mayne, the protagonist of these novels. The first incident was omitted from the published text of 'In The Spotlight. It is told from the viewpoint of Ash Ryan, and he relates in this story the reason for its title. The second incident is Ash's version of Ellery's party where her three  guests, unbeknownst to her, are all members of the security team hired to protect her, Ash Ryan and his boss Ray Torrence are former CIA agents who worked together in the field. Lidia is Ray's wife, and Ellery's former driving instructor. As this story stands we see Ash's integrity hold as he protects his young charge, while not hindering her personal growth. And as his attraction for her grows rapidly into lovve we see how Ash never waivers in his dutyIn telling this story we find out more about Ash than about anyone else, of course, since he is the narrator,. But since the first incident makes it clear that Ellery is the eponymous Barefoot Hereoine, we also learn more of what makes this remarkable young woman tick. And since Ash is telling both of these incidents, we see the development of his feelings for Ellery.I believe that a reader who has read "In the Spotlight' will appreciate the author's expanding upon the relationship between Ellery and Ash in this story. For a relatively new novelist, Ann Mauren has struck gold with these stories. I, for one, eagerly await the publication of the novels 'In The Smoke' and 'In The Shadow' as she finishes this trilogy. It is an ambitious undertaking, but Ann Mauren is just the woman to make it work.