Skin Deep by Jamie Cortland is billed as a romantic suspense novel-but it has much more in substance than the name alludes too.

Written under one of her pseudonyms, Weslynn McAllister has written a book that incorporates how a smart and talented woman could be taken in by a good-looking and very unbalanced alcoholic.

Evelyn Valentino, still half-way in love with her super star ex-husband gets caught up in a marriage with a man she believes, at first, is a dream.

Only Evelyn doesn’t see James McMann for what he is-a schizophrenic with bipolar tendencies who is also an alcoholic.

Her four-year-old daughter nicknames him “Mr. Stranger Danger” at the very first encounter in the holding area of a local breakfast diner. Evelyn’s mother begs her not to go through with the impending marriage. Her father, a psychiatrist, doesn’t know exactly what it is he doesn’t like about the good-looking James, he just knows there is a huge problem.

Within weeks of the ceremony Evelyn realizes the depths of her mistake. She sends her daughter to stay with her ex-husband (who is also still in love with Evelyn).

After nearly beating her to death-James becomes a monster in her nightmares-one that she can only awake from by his death.

Skin Deep humanizes the victims of mental illness-from the patient himself to his friends and family.

Cortland/McAllister has written a well-formed story of suspense. It had me rapt from chapter one, page one with the introduction of Evelyn, Chrissie-her daughter and a seemingly harmless nightmare after a new divorce-through the different experiences of her abusive second marriage and her finding her way back to the true “man of her dreams”.

SKIN DEEP is a good read for all those who like a little suspenseful romance.

Carine Nadel is a contributing columnist for Fabulously40.com