Overall Rating: 3.95 // Action: 3.5 / Emotion: 3.5 / Romance: 4.0 / Sensuous: 3.0 / Suspense: 3.5 // Laughter: 1½ / Tears: 0

Michele Albert:
For some reason, love the way Albert tells a story. There is just something homey and realistic about the pictures she paints of her characters' personalities.

One Way Out: 3.95
When Cassie discovers a baby t-rex (the find of a lifetime), she must go to her arch-nemesis, Alex, to ask him to help her unearth and document the t-rex so she will receive the scholarly recognition she craves. Alex and Cassie exchange snappy quips at each other until they finally admit that their on-going war was just a way of hiding their mutual attraction.

Alex Martinelli: 3.00
A Ph.D, University of Wyoming Professor, and paleontologist. Although he was the hunky hero necessary for a romance novel, it was particularly disappointing that Albert failed to paint a picture of his psyche that would made it easy to identify with his feelings and to create an emotional connection to this under-developed hero.

Cassie Parker Ashton: 2.50
A bossy, spunky, bigger-than-life heroine that was difficult to connect with on an emotional level. Sure she was cute and won our hearts occasionally, but when she bulldozed her way through the pages and then tried to explain her point of view, it was easier to identify with the other characters rather than with Cassie.

Action: 3.5
Alex and Cassie were able to entertain with a few exciting incidents of action and adventure as they found themselves in several precarious situations as they struggled to regain custody of the stolen baby t-rex.

Emotion: 3.5
Unlike the previous books in the series, Albert dropped the ball when it came to creating a deep emotional connection between the reader and her characters. Alex lacked depth and Cassie, who appeared to be a strong, determined, 'plow ahead against any obstacles' kind of woman, ran away in the end.

Romance: 4.0
There were sparks flying between Alex and Cassie from the opening pages until the end. It was obvious to all that these two protagonists had strong feelings for the other. However, the romance aspect of the story didn't flow smoothly. Albert ended their first love scene in the woods with such an abrupt, unfinished feeling that wondered, "what was that all about?"

Sensuous: 3.0
The love scenes between Alex and Cassie were hot and full of sensuality and sizzle, but the emotional aspect that is a necessary component to a successful love scene was missing.

Suspense: 3.5
Yes, there was some suspense in the story, but there was not that intense degree of nail-biting, 'hanging on every word' intrigue that usually keeps a reader tuning the pages without interruption.

Secondary Characters: 2.5
Most of the time the secondary characters faded into the background, even though they were vital to the story. A few secondary characters inspired interest and a wish that Albert had provided further development, included: {1} Travis Ashton, Cassie's fifteen year old son; {2} Wyatt Parker, Cassie's younger brother, and {3} Russ Noble, the part-time ranch hand, who piloted Alex and Cassie to Vermont.

See Wolf Bear Does Books (http://goo.gl/eki0W) for a more in-depth, detailed review of One Way Out. ( )

From BackCover:
ONE HEATED RIVALRY...

Sexy renegade treasure hunter Cassie Ashton and hunky by-the-book paleontologist Alex Martinelli are sworn enemies. She thinks he's a snooty Ph.D. with a womanizing streak (and denies his dangerously rugged appeal). He thinks she's just in it for the money (and pretends he doesn't notice those legs). Their legendary sparring is the source of much gossip across the rocky canyons of Wyoming, where they compete for discoveries. Yet the chemistry between them is blistering.

ONE DANGEROUS FIND...

To their dismay, Cassie and Alex are forced to team up to protect Cassie's latest discovery -- a priceless ancient skeleton. For it quickly becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to steal it. Thrown together in the face of danger, the two rivals try to fight their passionate, long-suppressed attraction. But sometimes, when you're on the run and falling in love, there's only...

...ONE WAY OUT ( )