The Takeover

A Lifetime and Beyond is the fifth romance novel by British author, Alison Fraser. After Kelly's film star mother Rhea Cormack died, she came under the care of Jay Rutherford. She was only nineteen, and people on the Riviera talked, but Jay was like the father she'd never known. Then Ryan Devlin turned up on a mission from her real father. Paddy Devlin owned a cattle station in the Northern Territory, and he'd promised Rhea he'd stay out of Kelly's life, but now Rhea was gone, and he was determined to make up for lost time.

Kelly accompanied Ryan back to Australia, but biting her tongue at Ryan's insinuations was beyond her, and they clashed stridently and often. Only for Paddy's sake did they call a truce. Kelly knew Ryan didn't trust her motives, but what was soon obvious to Paddy and the stockmen took quite a bit longer to sink in for the pair. Fraser gives the reader strong characters, natural dialogue and a believable plot with a happy ever after ending. Enjoyable romance.