Why this one: Since all my coworkers on my team at work know that I'm a huge fan of romance, some are quite open to reading some that I recommend. I've been looking for books I think will suit them and I thought this book might work for one of them. But before I brought it to her, I started rereading it again myself.
Steam Level: Perfection! A nice, steamy read.
Blurb:SHE RETURNED TO UNCOVER OLD SECRETS...AND NEW DESIRES --
FAITH DEVLIN -- A poor, outcast child in Prescott, Louisiana, she'd always adored the town's golden boy from afar. But he called her white trash that sultry Southern night when his rich, respected father disappeared, along with her pretty Mom. Now Faith wanted to hate Gray Rouillard...not to feel a powerful surge of desire. But she couldn't quench her passion, any more than she could hide the truth about the past she had waited so long to unravel...
GRAY ROUILLARD -- Even when he raised hell, he did it with style. Reckless, charming, and backed by Rouillard money, Gray controlled the town of Prescott - and Devlin was a name he never wanted to hear again. But when he gazed at Faith Devlin, all he saw was a swirl of tangled sheets and her silken flesh beneath him. To care for her was impossible, unthinkable...because Gray Rouillard planned to use all his power to ruin her...
My Thoughts: It's real hard to pin down my favourite Linda Howard book. She's written some pretty amazing books. But whichever one is my current fave, After the Night is right up there with it.
A lot of readers have read this one already since it's one of her older books so instead of going over the storyline, I'll just explain why I love this one so much.
Faith Devlin! I just love the character of Faith. She was raised in one of the trashiest families ever. Her father and older brothers were drunks. Her mother slept around with just about anyone who wanted her and her older sister was headed strongly in the same direction as Renee, her mother. Faith had a younger brother she was almost the sole caretaker for. There is a very painful scene near the beginning of the book which happens in earlier times. Gray, the hero later on in the book, has just learned that his father left town with Renee, Faith's mother and after hearing this, his sister has attempted suicide. Grey is enraged and goes to the shack that Faith and her family live in and with a group of sheriff's men, throws Faith and her family out. As a young Faith has loved Gray her entire life, she is traumatized by this event.
The story then picks up much later when Faith, realizing her mother didn't leave town with Guy all those years ago, travels back to Prescott to confront the place of her childhood trauma and is again thrown out of the hotel room she's staying at by Gray.
Faith is an incredible heroine and my all time favourite. She came from such a bad place and is now a strong young woman who has made a success of her life. She's a lot stronger than she used to be and is able to stand up to Gray even though she still has very strong feelings for him and not let him push her around. Because of the way she was raised, she went in the opposite direction and has a very strong moral code. There is a very compelling attraction between her and Gray and he really puts pressure on her to give into the attraction, but she holds firm, not giving in and allowing him to think her the tramp her mother and sister were. Her strength of character is what makes this book so gripping for me.
Gray! I've seen that a lot of readers don't like his character and I can see why. He's alpha to the max and sometimes he does go beyond to the point of cruelty. There is one scene where he and Faith finally give into their desire for each other and his words to her after are just plain nasty. If Faith wasn't such a strong character herself and able to stand up for herself against him, I wouldn't like him either. But he does have insight into how unfair he has been with Faith in the past, and while Faith doesn't realize it for a while, he does respect her and what she has made of her life.
The love scenes are smokin'. There is one scene that when discussing this books with others who have read it and you say "washroom scene" they immediately know what you are talking about. It's hot and it's funny and it's one of the most memorable sex scenes in romance books. The love scenes are combustible in this book.
The mystery. Faith has come back to town to find out what really happened that night that changed her world only to discover that Guy was never heard from again. She is determined to find out what really happened. In a lot of romantic suspense, one takes a back seat to the other, but in After the Night, both are equally well done.
I think I reread this book once a year - I know it almost off by heart now. But that hasn't lessened my enjoyment of this fabulous book one bit.
Grade: always has been and always will be - 5 out of 5
I know, I know - I'm a day early. But I'm having a couple of friends over tomorrow night and if you could see my house you would understand that I will be spending quite some time cleaning. Plus I got Promises in Death in the mail today so I'll be diving into that too! And since my books were read and my review(s) were written and Nath said I could, I decided to jump the gun.
Open Season by Linda Howard
I didn’t really plan on this one being the reread book of the month but I was in the mood for something light and something that would make me smile and this one worked the first few times I read so I knew it would probably do it again.
And it did.
Daisy Minor is the small town librarian.She celebrating her 34th birthday and she is not happy with her life.Her life is drab and unexciting and she hasn’t dated anyone for years.She still lives at home with her mother and aunt.
Then she has what she calls an epiphany and decides to change everything about her life.Open Season is about the changes she makes in her life and every time I read it, I find it delightful.Daisy is a librarian so that makes her a planner.As she also wants to meet a man and get married she comes up with the wackiest of plans.She gets herself a makeover; courtesy of Todd the (supposedly gay) Vintage furniture store owner.She moves out on her own and gets (not) a guard dog.So she has all her ducks lined up in a row but there is a fly in her ointment in the guise of Jack Russo, the chief of police.Jack is alternately annoyed, amused and finally turned on by Daisy and her small town prim and proper ways.He’s a hardened cop from the big city who worked on the SWAT team and is now ready for the slower pace of a small town.
Reading about these two fighting their attraction and fighting each other is delightful.NO ONE can do the kind of dialogue of an angry yet attracted guy better then Linda Howard whether it’s Sam from Mr. Perfect, Wyatt from To Die For/Drop Dead Gorgeous or Jack from Open Season.
There is one scene in particular when Daisy goes to the local drug store and picks up a certain item sure that the gossipy owner will let the town know what she is buying and thus letting everyone know she is ‘in the market’ and Jack shows up which is simply classic.Watching Daisy change from a ‘good girl’ to a ‘party girl’ is very amusing.Although pretty naive, she is not a TSTL heroine by any means.
And Jack is the standard yummy Linda Howard hero.She does have quite a way of writing them, that’s for sure.
There is also a mystery which Jack is trying to solve that involves Daisy.
I don’t know if our own SuperLibrarian has read this one or not.Being in ‘the biz’ I think she is tough on books with librarian heroines but I loved Daisy.I loved Jack.I loved Daisy and Jack together and I love this book.I think this is about the fourth time reading this book and it never fails to bring a smile to my face.
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
Next month I’m going to try and read something I haven’t read for years for the ReRead Challenge!
To Die For by Linda Howard
I was only planning on doing one reread this month.I lent To Die For, also by Linda Howard, to a girl at work and she loved it.When she brought it back, I threw it in my purse and the book and I had the following conversation over the next two days
To Die For: Read Me
Me: Look, I can’t read you.I’ve already finished my February Reread book and it was your cousin.
To Die For: Read Me
Me: I told you – I can’t.Look around.I have books in the bedroom to read, books in the second bedroom to read, books in the third bedroom to read.There are books in the kitchen, books in the living room, books in the ‘library; even books in the bathroom all saying the same thing.
I just don’t have time to read you.And if I’m not mistaken, I’ve probably already done a review for you.
To Die For: Read Me
Me: Stop it!I’ve read you already.In fact I think I’ve read you three times; the last time last August or something like that.
To Die For: Read Me
Me:Enough!!!Yes, I love you.I loved you the first time I read you.I loved you the second time.I know, I know – not everyone loves Blair Mallory as much as I do. She’s not everyone’s cup of tea. They think she’s a fluff bunny cheerleader who carries on too much, but I see her as a very savvy business woman who started her own business, a health club and she knows her own worth and expects and demands that Wyatt respect that.In fact she is one of my favourite funniest heroines.
And speaking of tea, I agree - you are a hawt one – that Wyatt is a sex machine who knows Blair’s weak spot.
And yes, yes I love Police Lieutenant Wyatt Bloodworth too – even though he had hurt Blair pretty good two years before when after the two of them had chemistry he stopped seeing her for no apparent reason and we don’t always forgive those kinds of heroes.But she made him pay for it.He’s a typical Howard hero – sexy as all get out, strong (he has to be to stay up with Blair’s machinations) and a great manly man.No pink tools for this macho man.And he is determined to find the person who is trying to get rid of Blair – permanently and that person will not be a happy camper let me tell you.
And true, this book is written in the first person and I normally don’t read first person books – at least I didn’t when I first read you.And the fact that it was first person didn’t bother me at all.And I will grant you that I can’t read this book without smiling and laughing in quite a number of places like when Blair and Wyatt first meet up at the murder scene and Blair pretends not to remember him, or the lists she’s constantly making of his faults.I love the fact that these are both very strong personalities and watching them battle for position is wonderfully funny.
But I just Don’t. Have. Time.End of story.
To Die For: Read Me
Me: You’re not going to give it a rest are you?
To Die For: Read Me, Read Me, Read Me, Read Me
Me:Alright (giving a heavy sigh) I’ll read you again.I hope you’re happy looking at all these other books – knowing I’m neglecting them.
Two Days Later
Me: There! Are you happy?I read you.I loved you.You made me laugh again.I loved Blair and Wyatt just as much as the first time and if you promise not to tell anyone, I’m glad you were insistent that I read you again.You get to keep that 5 out of 5 I gave you the first time I read you.And yes – I recommend you highly.Didn’t I just get you back from a coworker and she also loved you and we even talked about some of the real funny parts? So will you leave me alone now for at least a year now?
Well, I'm coming out of my hole. I managed to survive. That's all I'm going to say because if I think about the past few days - well, I'd just as soon not.
In order to survive though, I've done A LOT of reading!!! I think this my most jam-packed recent reads ever.
Why This One: I can’t remember exactly which review put this one full square into the ‘must buy’ list as there were quite a few good ones, but one of them did. I think it might have been the DA one.
Steam Level: Tepid, but I often drink tea or coffee when it’s cooled down and it just seems to hit the spot
Amazon Blurb: Being one of the guys isn't all it's cracked up to be…
So when journalist Chastity O'Neill returns to her hometown, she decides it's time to start working on some of those feminine wiles. Two tiny problems: #1—she's five feet eleven inches of rock-solid girl power, and #2—she's cursed with four alpha male older brothers.
While doing a story on local heroes, she meets a hunky doctor and things start to look up. Now there's only one problem: Trevor Meade, her first love and the one man she's never quite gotten over—although he seems to have gotten over her just fine.
Yet the more time she spends with Dr. Perfect, the better Trevor looks. But even with the in-your-face competition, the irresistible Trevor just can't seem to see Chastity as anything more than just one of the guys.…
My Thoughts:This was everything the other reviews said it was and I adored it.What was even more surprising was it was told first person, present tense and I still adored it.Chastity was a wonderful character and as the story is told as if we are in her head, this really helps a lot!All her life she’s just been ‘one of the guys’ in a house full of firefighting brothers and a sort of adopted firefighting brother that she brought home when they were both young and a firefighting father.She’s always carried a torch for Trevor Meade and after one weekend years ago, they acted on that special feeling.But then Trevor wanted to go back to just being friends.Chastity is desperate to be both a wife and mother.She sees all her brother happy, well, except for one, but while he and his wife are having serious problems, it’s obvious they still love each other.Finally Chastity meets a great candidate and has to decide whether to finally let her feelings for Trevor go and settle for a bit less.
This book had laugh out its loud moments and it had its poignant moments that almost had me in tears.
I just ordered one of her backlist and I’ll be ordering the rest – guaranteed.And her next book is due out in January so I’ve got that one on the TBB list too!
Jason Andrews is used to having women fall at his feet. When Taylor Donovan gives him the cold shoulder, he’s thrown for a loop. She’s unlike any other woman he’s ever met: uninterested in the limelight, seemingly immune to his advances, and shockingly capable of saying no to him. She’s the perfect challenge. And the more she rejects him, the more he begins to realize that she may just be his perfect match. . .
My Thoughts:A big Thank
You to Wena.I really enjoyed this book too!Taylor Donovan is on no-nonsense ambitious lawyer who has come to LA to do work on a case.But she is also ordered, despite her protests, to help out Jason Andrews, Sexiest Man Alive, in a role he is researching.After being stood up twice in a row, she’s not exactly eager to help him and makes thinks very difficult for him – as well she should.Jason is a rich, spoiled actor who is used to people catering to his every whim.He just can’t believe that Taylor isn’t willing to drop everything when he calls.And this intrigues him – quite a bit.And so the hunt is on.Added into the mix is another up and coming actor who is out to replace Jason as the top dog and he wants to date Taylor too in a game of one-up-manship.It was fun to see Jason have to work for Taylor.
Julie James is another author I now have my eye open for!
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
The Healer by Sharon Sala
Why This One:I loved the Author Talk interviewshe did with Jill Monroe and Gena Showalter.And one of my favourite books of all time – Jackson Rule – is written by Dinah McCall (the one Jill doesn’t like *g* )
Steam Level: While it won’t burn your tongue, it is nice and warm
Amazon Blurb:All his life, Jonah Gray Wolf has had an uncanny connection to animals and the power to heal the sick and wounded. Driven from the only home he's ever known by those who wish to harness his gift for profit, he becomes a drifter, working in out-of-the-way towns, never staying long. It's a lonely life, but Jonah knows he's still being hunted—he can't afford to get close to anyone who might learn his secret.
In West Virginia he finds Luce, a tough but beautiful loner who knows all about keeping people at a distance—a kindred soul with whom he might dare to make a life. But the hunters have caught Jonah's scent again. Danger is coming to their mountain refuge—a confrontation that will be decided only by a force of nature.
My Thoughts: Wowzers, I’ve been on a role.Another one I quite enjoyed.It’s been sitting in the TBR pile for a while now – so I’m very glad I pulled it out to read it!
There’s something very different about Jason Gray Wolf!The story starts out as he is a very small boy being led by a wolf into a tiny town of Alaska.His special powers are revealed when he is still a young boy – he can heal things.
The story picks up years later.He has been on the run for ten years now from one of the people he healed who wants to keep Jason for his own use.He’s sent a number of people to ‘get’ Jason over the years, but all have failed because of the intervention of wild animals.But finally, when Jason meets a young woman, Luce, he decides to stand his ground and fight for the life that’s been stolen from him for so long.
Jason is a fascinating hero!!I wouldn’t call him an Alpha hero.Nor would I call him a Beta hero. Instead he’s something else altogether.While he seems perfectly normal, there is something very mysterious and other-worldly about him.
Lucia is your stock-in- trade heroine.While I liked her, nothing unusual really stood out about her.But Jason – I recommend this book based on his very intriguing character.
Grade: 4 out of 5
Death Angel by Linda Howard
Why This One:I’ve always enjoyed Linda Howards books, but her past couple haven’t been worth the hard cover price.But I heard good buzz on this one and got a squeal of a deal so I decided to give it a try.
Steam Level: She’s written hotter books, but I was fine with the steam level in this one.
Amazon Blurb:A striking beauty with a taste for diamonds and dangerous men, Drea Rousseau is more than content to be arm candy for Rafael Salinas, a notorious crime lord who deals with betrayal through quick and treacherous means: a bullet to the back of the head, a blade across the neck, an incendiary device beneath a car. Eager to break with Rafael, Drea makes a fateful decision and a desperate move, stealing a mountain of cash from the malicious killer. After all, an escape needs to be financed.
Though Drea runs, Salinas knows she can’t hide–and he dispatches a cold-blooded assassin in hot pursuit, resulting in a tragic turn of events. Or does it?
Left for dead, Drea miraculously returns to the realm of the living a changed woman. She’s no longer shallow and selfish, no longer steals or cheats or sells herself short. Both humbled and thrilled with this unexpected second chance, Drea embraces her new life. But in order to feel safe and sound–and stop nervously looking over her shoulder–she will need to take down those who marked her for death.
Joining forces with the FBI, supplying vital inside information that only she can provide, Drea finds herself working with the most dangerous man she’s ever known. Yet the closer they get to danger, the more intense their feelings for each other become, and the more Drea realizes that the cost of her new life may be her life itself–as well as her heart.
My Thoughts: There are a number of 1 star reviews for this one, and to be honest, I find it puzzling.I know not everyone is going to enjoy the same books, but again, (and I’m sounding like a broken record), I really enjoyed this one.
It’s a story of redemption – for both the hero and the heroine.Drea Rousseau (nee Butts) is the arm candy of a drug dealer.While she acts like and air-headed ditz, underneath her hair she is quite savvy.She is making plans to escape her current squeeze, but everything is speeded up when he ‘gives’ her to an assassin.The time they spend together has a profound effect on Drea and she knows it’s time for her to make her escape.But hot on her trail is the assassin.While he admires her for the way she scammed Silas, the drug lord, he has been offered two million dollars to kill her.He’s not quite certain what he’s going to do when he catches her.Before he can though, Drea is in an accident and ‘dies’.But she is given a second chance and takes on a new identity.But Simon, the assassin (we don’t learn his name until half way through the book) has also been profoundly affected by her death and when he discovers by some miracle she survived, he hunts her down.
This is an interesting book.After given a second chance, while Andie who is she has become, has changed, she’s no longer living only for herself, but looking to help others, she is still a lot the same person as she was before.And I think this works well.She’s different enough that we can like her, but still enough of her old self to make her interesting.
And Simon is an interesting character too.We don’t learn very much about him at all – and I think this was done deliberately – and it also works for me.What we do know of him though, is that he is now 100% determined to take care of Andie.While naturally very leery of Simon – he was an assassin after all – she finally lets her guard down enough to see how completely alone he is and her love for him becomes her main priority.
It was SO good to read a Linda Howard book that I really enjoyed again and since I read this one in one day, I know I’ll be rereading it, slower this time, to really savour it.
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
You Don’t Know Jack by Erin McCarthy
Why This One:I really enjoyed Flat Out Sexy and decided to give her another go.
Steam Level: This one is real steamy!
Amazon Blurb:Jamie Peters no longer believes in true love. True idiots, true scumbags, true moochers - these she believes in wholeheartedly, and she's got the checkered dating history to prove it. So she's more than a little skeptical when her cross-dressing psychic tells her she's about to meet her soul mate - during an accident. Yeah, sounds about right. And then it happens. A knight in shining armor steps between her and a mugger on a subway platform. Just a regular, honest, upright Jack. The kind they don't make anymore...Jonathon Davidson doesn't believe in destiny - or lying to beautiful women as a rule. But now that Jamie thinks he's just an ordinary guy, how can he possibly tell her that he's really, her roommate's brother, a millionaire to boot, and the jerk who's investigating her application to his grandfather's charitable trust because she may be involved in something illegal? Yeah, rhetorical question. He can't. Not until he knows what's going on. Besides, it would require being able to resist Jamie's luscious curves long enough to say, 'Hi, my name is Big Liar. Let's get naked'. Sometimes, destiny sucks...
My Thoughts: *sigh*I suppose it had to come to an end – this run of good books.While I loved Flat Out Sexy and plan on reading the next one in the series, this one left me cold.I did not like it.At all.
Jack was, well, boring.And Jamie was a ditz.Unlike Drea in the above book who just appeared to be a ditz, Jamie really was one.She was one of those flakes who believes in Destiny – with a capital D.And when a cross dressing former crook turned physic tells her she will meet the man of her dreams, well she just knows that’s going to happen.But when she finds out he lied to her (for believable reasons) why, she just couldn’t give him a chance to explain himself.Again and again and again ad-nauseam we have to read why they cannot be together. Enough already!
The author tries to hard for laughs – that fell totally flat for me, from the cross dressing physic, to the rather nasty obnoxious grandfather – the secondary characters weren’t funny.
And another thing that annoyed the hell out of me – Jack was the brother of one of her roommates.I found it hard to believe they had never met.And I found it hard to believe that Jamie figured if his sister and her roommate knew they were an item, the sister would have been upset so Jamie refused to tell her.Hello – pot – meet kettle.
I count myself as a major Linda Howard fan, and the majority of her books are favorites of mine. But in the last few years, I have found her past releases to be lacking. The last book I read by her that I really enjoyed was Drop Dead Gorgeous that came out in 2006. But since Linda is more well known for her romance suspense novels, I would have to say my last book under that genre was Cry No More back in 2004. It is now four years later and I have anxiously been awaiting for another powerful read much like Cry No More. The books that were published after it were so very disappointing, and when I heard Linda would have a new novel out in August, I was overjoyed. Death Angel had quite a buzz going on and I hoped that it would deliver the thrills and the romance I so look forward to in her books.
Unfortunately I must say that Death Angel is a major pass for me. I was able to finish reading in less than a day and afterwards I felt empty. I was close to making this a DNF, but because of my loyalty to Linda, I finished. Death Angel has an interesting set up, about a mistress of a high powered mobster, and the assassin he hires. The mistress and the assassin end up having a one night stand together. The first chapter grabs you in a way that no other book I have read in recent memory has done. Basically Drea Rousseau has been offered by her mobster boyfriend, Rafael Salinas, as payment to the mysterious assassin he has on his payroll. The assassin wants a few hours with Drea in return for a job well done. Rafael gives his permission and leaves his girlfriend of two years with the cold blooded killer. Drea has no choice but to do what the killer wants, and expects the worst. But Drea is a survivor and will get through this. Expecting the killer to be rough, and the sex painful, he surprises her by being very gentle and gives her the best four hours of intense loving she has ever had. After it is over, he leaves her and Drea is changed forever.
Incredible how great sex can change your outlook on life.
For the next few chapters, we see Drea forming a plan where she will leave Rafael and hit him where it hurts, his bank account. She will steal two million dollars and hide it in her own secret account. Since he thinks she is an airhead, he has no clue how smart Drea really is, because her persona is all an act. Plus, she is a very angry woman who wants Rafael to pay for giving her to another man. She also feels angry at herself, because her four hour lover made her come alive for the first time in her life. She will no longer be anyone’s plaything and make a better life for herself.
Up to this point I was very intrigued and couldn’t wait to see if Drea would get away and if the mysterious assassin would make an appearance again. Drea is able to escape from under Rafael’s nose and with the money. But not before too long, Rafael finds out and wants her dead. He hires the same assassin to kill her. And this is where the story becomes a bit confusing.
It seems to me that Linda had began writing Death Angel one way and then a quarter of the way through, decided to change the plot. What I assumed would be a woman on the run, and the man who must find her, essentially coming to fall in love with her and protect her, becomes a bit of a paranormal in a way. Drea ends up having a car accident where she dies. She sees the white light and is given a second chance. When she comes down to Earth, she is remorseful and has a change of heart. And oh yeah, she now can sense a person’s future. She has the “sight". If she comes in contact with someone, she warns them or gives them advice on their future. Why and how does this suddenly happen? Well, Drea, really named Andie, has seen the light, literally and figuratively.
Also at this time, the assassin, who we come to know as Simon, also has a sudden change of heart. He watched Andie die and now that he knows she has lived, he will watch over her and make sure she is safe. He becomes her angel in a way, her guardian. But he still has his day job as a ruthless killer, even though he takes some time off to make sure Andie doesn’t continue to go on the run or is found alive by Rafael.
Death Angel quickly lost momentum. I am all for an amoral character who changes his stripes, and I guess Simon is the hero, but he is written in such am ambiguous way that as the reader I can’t find myself to like him. Drea/Andie has a bit more merit because her thoughts and actions are more pronounced. I wanted to really like her, but again the way Linda writes Andie’s life change took away from my overall enjoyment of the novel. I even found the sex scenes stale and lacking, perhaps because I couldn’t find any emotional attachment to these two characters who I can barely like? Perhaps I just don’t understand a romance between a hit man and a woman who has risen from the grave, so the speak.
At least I will always have Cry No More and James Diaz, the near perfect Linda Howard hero who has my heart.
1. Comment on this post and ask for a letter.
2. I will give you one.
3. Think of 5 fictional characters whose names begin with that letter, and post their names and your comments on these characters on your blog.
My letter, courtesy LorelieLong, courtesy of Carrie Lofty, was K. I spent two days trying to come up with 5 fictional characters that started with K and I couldn't think of one so I had to go back and ask for another letter. This time I got a different one - R. I still had a tough time, but I did manage to think them up.
Robin Hood
No, no I don't mean the boy Robin in the current BBC series. He hardly stacks up against Guy of Gisbourne. I mean THIS Robin
. When I saw a clip on YouTube, I just had to get the first series with Michael Praed.
Mind you I haven’t watched it yet. Apparently things don’t end so good for this Robin.
And then of course we have the movie Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. I got the extended version of this movie - thought it wasn't really that good. Anyway, I've always liked this movie - despite it being a bit silly. And I do love the soundtrack
Roarke from the In Death books
Is there any better hero really? I know some might take Jamie Fraser but I'd take Roarke any day. Who can resist a bad boy billionaire with a lilt of Ireland in his voice. A hero who will do anything it takes to protect the love of his life. A hero who carries a button around with him as a reminder of that woman. He rocks my socks!
Jackson Rule
Darn! I just gave away my next book for Guess That Book! Ah well, I'll have to think up another one.
Jackson Rule is the hero in the book Jackson Rule by Dinah McCall. I read this one when it first came out - and an number of times since then - and it's remained pretty high up there in my all time favourite books, certainly in the top 15. And we are talking a lot of books through the years people! And the hero is the reason why. Read it - and you will know why this one is so special.
Gray Rouillard
I've said in the past that Faith Devlin is one of my all time favourite heroines. Well Gray Rouillard of Linda Howard's After the Night is one of my favourite heroes. I know many may not agree with me. They may complain he's too alpha, he's a jerk and a player. But let's face it - you have to give props to a hero who is so 'into' a heroine that he will go charging after her into a women's washroom and then bar the door to any other woman who wants to use said washroom until the heroine is composed. Though it's been years and years since I first read this book - that scene causes him to be on my list.
Rob Roy
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Rob Roy. If anyone has seen this movie they have to know why he made it onto my list
"Do you know how fine you are to me Mary MacGregor?"
*sigh*
Now it may be argued that Rob Roy isn't a fictional character. I'm not 100% sure. But one simply MUST watch this video anyway. I can't tell you how many times I watched it last night while writing this up.
So there you have it - my R fictional (or maybe not) characters. If anyone wants to play - just ask for a letter.
This is one sexy cover. :) Remember the date of June 24th because that is when Linda Howard's next release comes out!
Synopsis: A striking beauty with a taste for diamonds and dangerous men, Drea Rousseau was once content to be arm candy for Rafael Salinas, a notorious crime lord. Seeing that a break with Rafael is coming, Drea makes a fateful decision and a desperate move to escape, stealing a mountain of cash from the malicious killer. Though Drea runs, Salinas knows she can't hide - and dispatches a cold-blooded assassin in hot pursuit. Left for dead, Drea miraculously returns to the realm of the living a changed woman. Both humbled and thrilled with this unexpected second chance, Drea embraces her new life. But in order to feel safe and sound, and stop nervously looking over her shoulder, she will need to take down those who marked her for death. Joining forces with the FBI, Drea finds herself working with the most dangerous man she's ever known, yet the closer they get to danger, the more intense their feelings for each other become, and the more Drea realizes that the cost of her new life may BE her life, as well as her heart.
This particular post was inspired by Jace’s recent review of Gabriel’s Ghost.We are now both eagerly waiting for Shades of Dark!The author Linnea Sinclair popped in with some comments and one of them just struck me:
First person POV is a POV I love but I didn't set out to write first person. It was simply that the story could be told no other way. It was never even a question but over the past few years, when I've been confronted by readers who refuse to read Gabriel's Ghost because it's first person, I've given it some thought.
A few years ago that could have been me – the reader I mean – not the author (although I’d never write an author and tell her I wouldn’t read her books – I just wouldn’t read them and not tell her)
When I was younger I used to read a lot of first person books and they never bothered me.If I remember correctly most of Mary Stewarts books were written in the first person and I loved them. Jennie could confirm that but the poor dear has gone to Hawaii.
But that was before I really started reading romance books and since I've been pretty much strictly a romance reader for a while now, first person doesn't allow you to get into the hero's head. We only get one person’s POV.I would pick up a book in a bookstore and if it was written in the first person I would immediately put it back on the shelf.I even have a few books I purchased through a book club not realizing they were first person and when I discovered they were, I put them somewhere else and never even attempted them.
But with a well skilled writer, I've discovered you can get a good enough sense of the hero through the heroine's thoughts.I've read a number of really excellent first person romance books now and I no longer cringe when I realize that's how they are written.It's like a much bigger world has opened up again.
I think there is still a certain prejudice amongst many romance fans against first person books, and even I until very recently had a lingering trepidation myself, but I am discovering that I need to get over that.
I first started weakening when I began reading the Stephanie Plum books.Although not exactly romance books, there was enough romance in them to satisfy me. I love them.I adore them. And for the record – I’m a Joe girl – just wanted to get that out.
But even though I was weakening in my stance with first person books, I still wasn’t a happy camper when I heard that Linda Howard would be having a first person book coming out.Her books were definitely more romance focused.I presumed they wouldn’t be as good as her third person books because one of the things I like best about third person books is getting into the hero’s head during love scenes.When you think about it though, it really isn’t all that credible.Let’s face it – men and women view sex differently and being in the hero’s head in a love scene in a book is really still being in a women’s head as the vast majority of romance books are written by women.
Then, because it was Linda Howard and I just couldn’t pass it up, I read To Die For and even though we never got into Wyatt’s head, it didn’t seem to matter.I loved the book and I think it really worked told from Blair’s POV.I know many readers found her annoying, but I loved her.And I think a large part of that was because it was Blair head we were in.
Then after reading Games of Command last year, I simply had to read more Linnea Sinclair books and the next one on my list was Gabriel’s Ghost and I was pretty much sold after that.I loved it just as much as GOC.I remember reading a review on Jennie’s B(ook) Blog just before I posted my own thoughts.Jennie commented that she didn’t even really clue in that it was first person.I thought that this was very telling.A book can be read and enjoyed written in the first person without it even being an issue.
The next big leap was when Lisa Kleypas wrote her first book in the first person – Sugar Daddy.I confess that even though the wall I used to have was more along the lines of rubble, still, this was Lisa Kleypas.Then I got past my previous bias and thought if Linda Howard could write a first person book that I loved, then so could Lisa Kleypas.And so she did!When I picked up The Blue Eyed Devil, there was no hesitation at all.If two of my favourite authors could write in the first person and I could love the books, then I’m pretty sure even the remaining rubble is gone now. I eagerly picked up Blue Eyed Devil and read it - not a single moment of hesitation. And one of the books I'm really looking forward to is as I mentioned earlier, Shades of Dark which like Gabriel's Ghost is again done in the first person.
So how about anyone else?Do you have that preconceived notion that first books person books can’t be as enjoyable as third person?Have you put a book back on the shelf in the store when you discover it’s first person?And even more important *g* if you are one of those kinds of readers, have I a former first person chauvinist convinced you to give one of them a try?
Or are a reader who has no problems with first person romance books? Which ones are your favourites? Now that I'm cured, I'm open.
Next hurdle - first person, present tense. I hear that Grimspace by Ann Aguirre is the book for this one.
Linda Howard's next release, Death Angel comes out June 24th. She doesn't have a website and there is no picture of the cover as of yet, but if you are a big fan of Howard, like I am I know you will appreciate the synopsis:
"A striking beauty with a taste for diamonds and dangerous men, Drea Rousseau was once content to be arm candy for Rafael Salinas, a notorious crime lord. Seeing that a break with Rafael is coming, Drea makes a fateful decision and a desperate move to escape, stealing a mountain of cash from the malicious killer. Though Drea runs, Salinas knows she can't hide - and dispatches a cold-blooded assassin in hot pursuit. Left for dead, Drea miraculously returns to the realm of the living a changed woman. Both humbled and thrilled with this unexpected second chance, Drea embraces her new life. But in order to feel safe and sound, and stop nervously looking over her shoulder, she will need to take down those who marked her for death. Joining forces with the FBI, Drea finds herself working with the most dangerous man she's ever known, yet the closer they get to danger, the more intense their feelings for each other become, and the more Drea realizes that the cost of her new life may BE her life, as well as her heart."
I have been disappointed in her last few books (not counting her loopy Blair Mallory books). So do we think this will be a hit or perhaps another miss? And if it is a miss, do I put Howard with Garwood and cry myself a river?
I've been remiss in posting about the books I've read. I've been reading pretty good but finally here are my thoughts on some of them. I've been reading some old and some new with bad, good and great results.
First the bad
Come Lie With Me by Linda Howard – published in 1984
Back cover blurb: The accident that temporarily robbed Blake Remington of his ability to walk also took away his will to live.It would take a woman whose soul was as paralyzed as his body to make him care again.
Dione Kelly was Blake’s last chance.She knew that and she knew the challenge his case presented.But what she didn’t realize was that, in healing the broken man he had become, by helping Blake to rediscover his strength, she would expose her own painful vulnerabilities and start to heal herself.
Why this one: It’s Linda Howard
Level of Steam: didn’t really care – but I’d guess lukewarm
My Thoughts: Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.I do so love most Linda Howard books.But when I don’t like one (which isn’t often) I really don’t like it.
Short thoughts: at least I finished it.
Long thoughts: This one started out right from the get go not working for me.First off, the story is told completely from the heroine, Dione’s POV.I like to see the hero’s POV but we never get it in this book.Thus I did not like Blake.He got on my nerves even before we ‘meet’ him with his ‘willing himself to death because he can’t walk’ attitude.Sure it’s a rotten thing to have happened to him.He was a vital and risk taking kind of guy, but to me he was a coward with his attitude and since we never see his thoughts. I couldn’t get past that.We never got to know him in any sense of the word – unlike most Linda Howard books.
I mostly liked Dione, the heroine, although her poor me, I’ll never be a ‘normal woman able to love and bear children’ got a bit wearing after a while.Once we got to see why she was like that, her secrets, it was a bit more understandable
And back to Blake.I often see readers say they doubt the hero/heroine can have a HEA but me being the optimist that I am, rarely see this in a book.But in this book, I wouldn’t give them a snowball’s chance in hell of making it past a couple of years at most without Dione getting therapy.She had been emotionally damaged much earlier in life and although Blake claimed to understand her, he never really did and made a couple of real dumbass mistakes.At one point in the book Dione and his sister shared a look that he caught and insisted on knowing what it was all about.Then, when she wouldn’t tell him (cause it was really none of his business), he got a bit rough with her.At that point, she should have left his sorry ass but she didn’t.And then he put on an annoying display of jealousy and mistrust not long after that.Sorry, but jealousy in a guy is just another way of saying you don’t trust your woman.Then later still he steamrolled all over what she was trying to say – that it won’t work out.He just kept on – not listening to her. Like I said, I finished the book.But I really didn’t like it.For a Linda Howard – I hated it.
Back Cover Blurb: What would a hotshot architect like Race Bennett want with a kennel? That was what Vicky Wood needed to know when she discovered her late business partner had given half his property to his illegitimate son. Her dream had been almost within reach, but not she found that Race had other plans - and they didn't include two hundred yapping dogs! Though he was clearly skeptical, Race gave Vicky's business one summer to succeed - otherwise they would try things his way. Vicky was determined to wipe the smirk off his wickedly attractive face, but one sulty summer only proved the passion between them steamed - and that the only partnership possible was one for life
Level of Steam: enough to make me happy
Why this one: I’ve read a few Laura Leone books and loved ‘em.I thought I would try and get more in her back list.I ordered some on Amazon and Renee sent me a couple.
My Thoughts: Not a bad little book. It was her first book and shows great promise. Vicky Wood, kennel owner, finds she has inherited half the kennel when her partner dies. The owner of the other half, Race Bennett was the previous owners illegitimate son who has his own plans for the land. Both are appealing characters, especially Race and this is a charming, quick read.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5
Guilty Secrets by Laura Leone - published 1990
Why this one: see above
Level of Steam: see above
Back Cover Blurb: Leah McCargar had almost believed sexy Adam Jordan was making a pass at her when he barged int o her bedroom and taken her into his arms (note: I don't know where they got this from. Didn't happen in the book I read). But then Leah was perversly disappointed - but she was also a bit relieved. There was something mysterious about her aunt's literary collaborator. He acted like a man with something to hide...
Adam's reactions were hardly premeditated - he hadn't even been able to enjoy them! But though the pretty Ms. McCargar piqued his masculine interest, his common sense reminded him to keep his distance. Because Leah was as brainy as she was beautiful - and she was smart enough to figure out that Adam Jordan was not at all what he seemed!
My Thoughts: This one was very similar to One Sultry Summer but I liked it a little better.Leah wasn’t quite a prickly as Vicky from OSS and as was Race in OSS, Adam was a charmer.There were a number of unusual pets and they alone were quite funny. I have more of her early books to read and while I think her later books such as Fallen From Grace were much richer, still, these two made excellent summer reading and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of her early Harlequin books. Bit of a rant here.I remember reading somewhere that one of the reasons she still isn’t writing under Laura Leone is because she couldn’t find a publisher.What is wrong with publishers today!There are so many talented writers who just aren’t being given the opportunity to write books that readers will surely enjoy!I would LOVE to see more romance from this author.I think Fallen From Grace was her last one and that is truly a shame.
I haven’t read any of her books written under Laura Resnick.Has anyone else?And if you have, what do you think?Is there romance in them, enough romance to satisfy a primarily romance reader?
Back Cover Blurb: It's been five years since Lacey Burnham saw Sean Logan, and in that time her son Calvin's best friend has turned from a surly youth into a handsome, self-assured young man. Crushed with grief over Cal's sudden death, Lacey offers Sean a place to stay while he's in town - an innocent proposal that quickly becomes anything but. Lacey is stunned and confused by the yearning he ignites with a single kiss... Beautiful, warmhearted Lacey Burnham was a haven of comfort in Sean's troubled youth. Now, against every shred of logic she possesses, Lacey is falling hard for Sean and for a heady carnal bliss she's never experienced before. But the ghosts of the past are waiting. And sooner or later, every shadow must face the light of day....
Why this one:KarenS has had an effect on me and made me see I was ignoring a whole segment of books by not reading AA authors.When I saw the buzz on this one, it had a story line that is one of my favourites – younger man/older woman, well I was sold. I promptly ordered it from Chapters and thankfully it arrived nice and quick.
Level of Steam: nice and steamy
My Thoughts: I loved it! It was different than anything I've read before. I really liked the fact that Calvin hadn't made it to the 'other side' and that we got to see his thoughts and reactions. While the age difference was a tad much for me - Sean the hero, was the same age as her son, it didn't dimish my enjoyment of this book at all. I thought Ms. Cullars did a very good job of explaining the attraction Sean felt for Lacey and the attaction she felf for him. I was really drawn into this story and read in in just over a day. Now I'm quite anxious to try another Sharon Cullars that has gotten pretty good buzz - Again
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After the Night by Linda Howard
