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"[ **Title: [HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE] Military officer hero, journalist heroine, Camp Pendleton California, late 1990s–early 2000s. Title contains the word "officer" and is a longer phrase of more than 3 words.** --- I've been searching for this book for a long time and cannot find it. Here is everything I remember: **FORMAT/COVER:** Cover features a military officer in a full white dress uniform. Gold Harlequin Superromance banner at the top. The title contains the word "officer" and is longer than 3 words. It may be part of a multi-author themed military series celebrating different branches/ranks of the armed forces. **SETTING:** Camp Pendleton, Southern California. The hero's family has a beach house on the coast near the base — there is a specific mention that it has no basement because it's a beach house. The attic is where the stepmother finds old clothes for the heroine. **HERO:** High-ranking Marine/military officer at Camp Pendleton. He has a long, very formal name but goes by a **one-syllable nickname starting with the letters M through R** — something like Nate, Neil, Nick, Mack, Reid, or similar. His surname may be Montgomery or something equally formal and old-money sounding. His backstory: His father was a military officer stationed in **Hawaii** when the hero was a young boy. His biological mother died by **suicide** when he was very young caused by the death of the hero's sister. His last memory of her is her making his favorite unusual meal — possibly **Jell-O and chicken** — before she died. He was **hiding somewhere** when he was told his mother had died. His father's friend — who later became his stepmother — came to find and comfort him. He has a **strained relationship with his father** but is very close to his warm, loving stepmother, who could not have biological children and so adopted. His adopted sister (also a military officer, engaged to someone who works in **Silicon Valley**) dies in what was staged as a mock/simulated military training exercise — but it was actually a **deliberate cover-up ordered by his own superiors**. His **home desktop computer** (not a laptop — so pre-2005) was used to send the order, framing him. He eventually discovers and **confronts his own superiors** and quits or reports them. He is at a crossroads about whether to **reenlist** throughout the book. At the funeral he nearly **vomits from grief** and has to step outside. The heroine follows him and comforts him with food. **HEROINE:** A journalist (not a photojournalist) who arrives at Camp Pendleton with only **3 sets of clothes**, not anticipating a long stay. She has a **fake/questionable ID** and gained unauthorized access to the base. She is from a very **poor background**, raised by her **grandmother**. She has **estranged siblings** she no longer speaks to. When she first sees the hero she makes a comment to herself about how **handsome he is**. KEY CHARACTER DETAIL: She **eats constantly** throughout the entire book — protein bars, burgers, anything she can find. It is a running metaphor for an **emotional ache and emptiness** from her lonely, impoverished childhood. There is a specific scene where they eat **burgers together** — she finishes hers and he wordlessly offers her the rest of his. At the end, after they first sleep together at a **motel**, she realizes for the first time in a very long time that she is **no longer hungry** — because she has found what she was really searching for. **KEY PLOT DETAILS:** - A **death on the base triggers a lockdown** — this is what traps them together - The heroine's photographic evidence is locked in a **time-safe** that they must wait to open — the lockdown and the time-safe expiry keep them stuck together, forcing their relationship to develop - Her only clothes **get wet** during this period, so the hero's **stepmother gives her vintage 1980s clothes from the attic** — including underwear — because she only brought 3 sets - There is a **late night ice cream scene** at the hero's parents' beach house - The hero's father **speaks crudely to the heroine** without realizing she is holding classified information - When the hero discovers her **fake ID** he feels deeply betrayed and it causes a **major conflict** between them - A **military chaplain with a traumatic/abusive past** is part of a secondary romance subplot. He changed his name after leaving his abuser and confronted heroine about her identity,she bluffs - **Illegal immigrants** are a major subplot — there is a scene where they confront an immigrant woman and the heroine feels deep **remorse** - The heroine **nearly faints** during a field operation and a **medevac helicopter** is called - There is a scene with a **reference to The Scarlet Letter** during a conversation between the heroine and the chaplain - **Class contrast** between the hero (privileged) and heroine (poor) is highlighted at the funeral - The hero helps the heroine get **proper food** throughout the book; she helps him write the **obituary** for his adopted sister - They go for a **walk on the beach** together - The hero's warm stepmother and stiff, formal father are both significant supporting characters - The hero's adopted sister's fiancé works in **Silicon Valley** **TIMEFRAME:** I believe this was published in the **late 1990s to early 2000s.** The mention of a home desktop computer (not a laptop) being used in the cover-up supports this timeframe. Good luck! I really hope someone recognizes this — it's an incredibly emotionally rich book and I've been searching for it for a long time. Thank you in advance! --- "