Book Review: Mackenzie's Heroes

I'll have to post more about my Linda Howard shopping spree later but as I was going through her books (all in one box, of course) I found this and realized I hadn't read it and her books are always fast for me so why not?

MacKenzie's Heroes - Linda Howard 

Mackenzie's Pleasure

Navy SEAL Zane Mackenzie was a pro. No mission had ever gotten the better of him—until now. Saving the ambassador's gorgeous daughter, Barrie Lovejoy, had been textbook—except for their desperate night of passion. And though his job as a soldier had ended with her freedom, his duties as a husband had only just begun. For he would sooner die than let the enemy harm the mother of his child.

Mackenzie's Magic

Talented trainer Maris Mackenzie was wanted for horse theft, but with no memory of that fateful day, she had little chance of proving her innocence or eluding the villains behind the prize stallion's disappearance. Her only hope for salvation? The stranger in her bed. 

Well, as it turns out, I had already read MacKenzie's Pleasure before and you can read my more detailed review about it HERE. The quick and dirty of it is that Barrie is "randomly" kidnapped and in some gross terrorist holding building in Benghazi, Libya. Zane, a SEAL who finds himself deployed with his time in action and not in charge because of a training accident injuring some of his team, is sent to rescue her.

I don't have to tell you what happens because it is a really fast read and you'll get through it in a day. My favorite part about Linda Howard books is that while a lot of her books (especially the earlier ones like this) have the cheesiest story line and no way is it realistic but dammit. Here I am and take all of my money.

Out of all of the MacKenzie's though, Zane is maybe my favorite. I take that back. It is really tied between him and his brother Chance but that's another book for another day. I felt like this book though, really had the romance-slash-sex scenes you are wanting when you get into a romance and for being a book written in the mid-90's, its pretty spot on.

Part two of this book is MacKenzie's Magic and it is basically a novella covering the youngest of the MacKenzie family, the only daughter, Maris. I didn't expect a whole lot from this one considering it really is just a novella strapped to the end of an actual novel, but this one fell flat for me. I mean, Maris decides to marry a guy while she is still concussed and doesn't even know his first name.

So that happened.

Her entire story centers around a horse (the family is big into horses but she's living in a different state than them and doing her own career) maybe being a target in an insurance scam and/or murder plot. Of course the FBI is involved and Maris finds herself in the middle of it. Instead of letting the authorities handle it like a normal person, she uses herself as bait and literally all hell breaks loose.

The book, with both stories together, is a 4. I really liked MacKenzie's Pleasure a lot more than MacKenzie's Magic but hey, I'm not going to turn down a novella. I feel like this was written when novellas weren't really a thing people cared about or wanted so I have to cut it a little bit of slack.

I am going to try really hard to start reviewing the books I have on my shelf that I've read but just not blogged about, so stayed tuned for that. Linda Howard really is one of my favorite authors and I don't know if its just because she was the one who really kicked off my reading obsession as an adult, or what? I was a big reader as a kid and then when I graduated high school I kind of got out of it and it was my mid 20's when I can back and it was because of her book Open Season. I don't know.

So if you're in the mood for a romance, maybe even a cheesy one that'll be eye roll worthy enough to make you forget about the quarantine nightmare we're living, go for this one.

   

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Book Review: Now You See Her

If you didn't know, Linda Howard is my favorite author. I don't know why she's my favorite, she just is and I own a lot of her books. I think almost all of them, actually. I should do an inventory on that again, just to make sure. I've had this one on my shelf for a long time, I found it at a library used book sale and got it for $1 but I'm only not getting into it.

Now You See Her - Linda Howard

A talented painter in her early thirties, Paris Sweeney has achieved enviable success: her work sells at an exclusive New York City gallery, and her popularity is at an all-time high. Life is good, and Sweeney, as she prefers to be called, is content.

But lately, Sweeney's dreams -- lush, vivid, and drenched in vibrant hues -- seem to echo a growing restlessness that has taken hold of her. Suddenly, impulsively, Sweeney falls into a night of intense passion with millionaire Richard Worth. Now, the true dangers of her all-consuming urges are about to be revealed where Sweeney least expects it: in her paintings.

After a creative frenzy she can barely recall, Sweeney discovers she has rendered a disturbing image -- a graphic murder scene. Against her better instincts, she returns to the canvas time and again, filling out each chilling detail piece by piece. But when a shattering, real-life murder mirrors her creation, Sweeney falls under suspicion. With every stroke of her brush, she risks incriminating herself with her inexplicable knowledge of a deadly crime. And every desire -- including her hunger for Richard -- is loaded with uncertainty as Sweeney races to unmask a killer.

I have to tell you that this book is set in the mid to late 90's (my copy was published in 1998) so there are some things that haven't aged well. The sexual assertiveness of Richard probably wouldn't sit well in a book published today maybe. Also fun was a small quip about the "millennium compliance" of businesses, which was a big thing back then. Even I remember it! So if you're ultra feminist and won't stand for anything like that, maybe steer clear.

In this one we have Sweeney who has recently, out of nowhere, started seeing ghosts. She has no idea what is causing it and she doesn't see all ghosts, just randomly. Her hometown started looking at her like she's got significant mental health problems so she decided to move to New York City under the assumption that she would fit in a little better, or at least wouldn't stand out as much. All was going well until she started essentially sleep painting. She gets up in the middle of the night randomly and paints. Unfortunately she is painting things like dead people. So, not great.

Enter Richard. He's the soon to be ex-husband of Candra, who runs the art gallery that Sweeney showcases and sells her work. Candra is up a creek without a paddle because when the divorce is final she is likely to be in dire straits so she starts doing some illegal things in order to stay afloat. In the meantime, Richard has taken interest in Sweeney, who is pretty oblivious to sexual attraction all together.

While Richard and Sweeney are heating things up with flirting and almost daily visits, Candra is putting herself in danger by trying to blackmail a senator. All goes to hell when Candra comes up dead and it is up to Richard and Sweeney to basically solve the case especially when they look like the best suspects.

Overall? I really liked this. With most Linda Howard books, I flew through this in two evenings. I always like that I think I can solve who did it but the final unwrapping of it comes together and there is always a little bit I didn't see coming and I appreciate that.

If you are a fan of Linda Howard, you will love this one like you do the others. The writing is good, the characters are pretty alright, and it plays out like a corny Lifetime romantic suspense movie and sometimes that's just what you need. If you're coming here looking for a steamy romance or some real grit to it, probably keep walking. But if you're looking for a quick read that you'll be rooting for Sweeney to get her junk together and just go to bed with the guy already, this is your next read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

   

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Book Review: Mackenzie's Mission (Mackenzie Family #2)

I think I only have two more Linda Howard books unread in the stack I currently own and just a few more to find. I should probably make that list and figure it out soon! Earlier this week I reviewed Mackenzie's Mountain, which was about Wolf but this one is about his son Joe. Joe is all grown up now and thank god because I'm here for it. I actually liked this book even more than the other one just because I really liked Joe and I knew his back story.

Mackenzie's Mission - Linda Howard

Night Wing — the revolutionary test plane with a top secret weapons system — was Colonel Joe "Breed" Mackenzie's number-one priority. And weapons expert Caroline Evans was his number-one distraction. True, the stubborn blonde was giving him the cold shoulder, but Joe hadn't become the best of the best by giving up. Then he discovered someone on the inside was sabotaging Night Wing, and with her late hours and specialized expertise, Caroline seemed the obvious choice. Now Joe had to choose between allegiance to his country and love for his prime suspect...

If you're familiar with Linda Howard books, specifically in this time period (late 80's, early 90's) you know that her go-to trope was domineering/over the top dominant male with an incredibly smart/independent/virgin female. Even still in some of her more recent (mid 2000's) that's something we still see but I can tell she's trying to shy away from it and I'm glad because sometimes that trope makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Of course, plenty of authors use this trope (look at E.L. James with Fifty Shades, she's a millionaire because of it) so I know people like it, but I don't. It's not always one I enjoy.

With that being said, that's the trope used here but I actually really liked this book. Is it cheesy? Of course it is. Could I figure out the who-done-it angle? You bet I did, as soon as the character was introduced, I knew. I saw the entire story set up a million miles away. Did I care at all? NOPE, because that's what I expect out of a Linda Howard book. Knowing that over time her writing would get more sophisticated makes it all the more fun to read these and watch her try to figure out how to do a romance with a small thriller element. For me, that's the best part of reading a favorite author's back catalog, you can see how far they've come and how they're writing style has developed over time, and that's what this book is for me.

In this book we meet the adult version of Joe Mackenzie. In Mackenzie's Mountain we meet him at a hard working, incredibly smart, but also sixteen year old gentleman. He's calm, cool, and collected. As an adult he is still all of those things but he's older and wiser, he's bigger, and he's *ahem* more experienced. As soon as he meets Caroline, who is assisting in the Night Wing project (which is essentially his baby and his entire military career has come to the development of this aircraft and his ability to fly and master it), while she's beautiful, her brains tops her beauty. He sees other men in the workplace circling her and he decides to get the best of both worlds (keep her safe but also spend time with her) he comes up with a plan in which they pretend to be a couple.

(Stop right there, I know you're like, "this would never fly in the #metoo movement!" and you're right, it wouldn't. Everything about this screams "workplace sexual harassment" and I'm with you. When I think about the late 80's/early 90's, I don't think of a workplace that actually gives a damn about any of that so yeah, I could see this happening.)

While the tactic works, it also becomes an excellent opportunity to set Caroline up to look like she's committing treason once some of the key systems fail, someone gets seriously hurt, and the program is almost scraped. In between all of this, Caroline and Joe actually start falling for each other and I'm kind of completely here for Joe. All in.

Overall? I flew through this in a day and I really enjoyed it. The book comes in a 250 pages, it's a light/fun read, and if you like the dominant male genre, also the military romance genre, this might be your jam. Just go into it knowing you'll hit some eye roll moments and just enjoy it for what it is. I'm going to give this a 4.5 start, rounded up to 5 for Goodreads.

   

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Book Review: Mackenzie's Mountain

You probably don't know, but one of my *guilty pleasures* is anything by Linda Howard. I don't remember which book of hers hooked me for life, but I remember her book Open Season was featured in the back of Cosmopolitan magazine or something and there was an excerpt. I wasn't really a reading fanatic like I am now, maybe only read 5 books a year, and the excerpt was good enough for me to run to Target and buy the trade paperback. I loved the book so much I had to read everything. Over the years I've picked them up at yard sales, library sales, second hand bookstores, online if I could find them, and these aren't easy to find when you're looking for a specific one.

Anyways. So I came across this and one other in the Mackenzie Family series so I picked them up. I love how completely cheesy this cover is.

Mackenzie's Mountain (Mackenzie Family #1) - Linda Howard

A small Wyoming town is about to learn a few lessons -- from a new schoolteacher with the courage to win the heart of a man who swore he had nothing to give....

Mary Elizabeth Potter is a self-appointed spinster with no illusions about love. But she IS a good teacher -- and she wants Wolf Mackenzie's son back in school. And after one heated confrontation with the boy's father, she knows father and son have changed her life forever.

Still paying for a crime he didn't commit, Wolf Mackenzie has a chip on his shoulder the size of Wyoming. But prim-and-proper Mary Elizabeth Potter doesn't see Wolf as the dangerous half-breed the town has branded him. Somehow she sees him as a good, decent, honest man. A man who could love....

Wolf's not sure he -- or the town of Ruth, Wyoming -- is ready for the taming of Wolf Mackenzie.

Before I start my review I have to remind you that my copy says it was published in 1989 so the cover is cheesy as hell (LOVE) but also this one did not age well. If this was written today not a damn chance would it get published because of some of the derogatory descriptors used by characters, like the main character Wolf repeatedly refers to himself as Indian, half-breed, and white people as Anglo. One character is referred to as "maybe retarded", so just go into this as if this is your grandma with dementia reading it. (But as an aside, it was just really interesting to think of the progress we've made when we talk about people because in my mind, 1989 isn't forever ago, I was only 7, so... 30 years ago. OK, that sounds a lot longer, but really- it's not forever.)

You should also know going into this that I kind of adore cheesy romance novels, so while this one is a four for me, you might think I'm completely crazy. 

I don't care because I love it.

In this book we have Mary, a new to Wyoming teacher, who comes with basically no prejudices. While preparing her class she realizes one of her star students has seemingly quit school, determined to find out she attempts going to his home. Of course, having never driven in snow, she gets stuck and needs to be rescued by Wolf, who is the student's dad. Things get a little fired up between the two of them because he isn't really sociable and nice (for good reason) but before she leaves she manages to talk the student into beginning private tutoring in an effort to get him into the Air Force Academy.

Nobody in town can believe that a white woman would date socialize with the Mackenzies, who are Native American, and Mary sees absolutely nothing wrong with it. Soon enough, she begins to fall for Wolf and that's when all heck breaks out. We have a serial rapist on the loose, prejudices running amok, and Mary trying to get everyone to screw their heads back on to figure out what is really going on in this sleepy town in Wyoming.

It couldn't be anymore cheesy if it tried and I loved every second of it. I have another one in the series so I'm going to talk about that one another day, but I really enjoyed this. Sometimes I need to get away from the books that make me feel like I've been on an emotional tilt-a-whirl, and just read something steady. This was perfect.

   

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Book Review: All That Glitters

I'll blog about Lucy's birthday next week since we're having her "party" tomorrow so I'll have some pictures, undoubtedly of her being adorable. For today I have a book review to keep up with my goal of getting through all of Linda Howard's books and I tell you- the older ones do NOT age well. It's comical at this point.

All That Glitters - Linda Howard

Greek billionaire playboy Nikolas Constantinos intended to conclude the business deal with Jessica Stanton, a.k.a. The Black Widow, as quickly as possible. Love hadn't been part of his plan. A hot affair or a one-night stand was all he'd allow.  Because love would lead to marriage. And marriage to Jessica, a woman with a scandalous past, could ruin him.

But love was the one thing he couldn't control.

This actually started alright, Nikolas is a billionaire who is having trouble with his company and a solution to that would be to buy Jessica's shares, thus eliminating her "no" votes that she consistently does. Jessica knows she can't possibly fight him and honestly, they are just shares so she goes in with the intent to sell them and be done with the guy.

Except it becomes lust at first sight for Nikolas whereas Jessica, who despite being married is still a virgin and an inexperienced woman in all things relationship, so she hightails it out of there. Nikolas won't be deterred so he basically stalks here and shows up while her dog is having puppies and he lends a hand. Somehow this turns into dinner out and the tabloids have a field day with it because Jessica is perceived to be a gold digger, who only married her husband for his money and then he died, leaving everything behind for her. That's exactly how Nikolas sees her as well so he is willing to have an affair but anything beyond that? Not so much.

Well nothing goes as planned and all of a sudden Nikolas is marrying Jessica (honest to god the reason is so absurd you have to read it) and he is coming off like a complete dickhead whereas Jessica is in love and kind of stupid and naive, and the whole thing is crazy pants.

Anyways. There was so much wrong with this book that any modern day feminist would have a coronary so if that's you maybe shy away from this. This was first published in 1982 I think, so back then this was probably romantic and interesting but in 2018 it's nuts and you would have a restraining order and have moved before a guy you hardly know got to this point. So I'm giving this a 2 because it was so bizarre and laughable. Oh man. 1980s romances- you are something else.

   

Book Review: A Lady of the West

We're back from our mini-vacation! We went to the Wisconsin Dells to Great Wolf Lodge again just for a couple of days and it was just really nice. I'll have pictures and a wrap up of that next week. In the meantime I have another Linda Howard book review and now I only have four books left in my pile. I still need to buy eleven more of her books to complete my collection but that might have to wait because of bills and grown up stuff. Sigh.

A Lady of the West - Linda Howard

Victoria Waverly, noble daughter of the war-ruined South, is sold in marriage to a ruthless rancher. Honor and pride help her endure life as a wife in name only but nothing can quench her forbidden desire for hired gunman Jake Roper. His gaze is hard, but tenderness he can't hide promises to unveil to Victoria the mysteries of love.

Only true love can destroy....

Jake curses his burning need for Victoria, for he wants nothing to stand in the way of his drive to reclaim Sarratt's Kingdom -- the ranch that is his legacy and obsession. But ancient wrongs and blazing passions will bind together the aristocratic beauty and the powerful cowboy. In a bloody land war, they will fight for Jake's birthright...and seize at all costs the love that is their destiny.

I have to be upfront and tell you that a western romance generally is not my cup of tea. Give me a western romance set when the United States was still divided into territories and I'm even less interested. But this is a Linda Howard, I'm determined to read (and own) all of her books so this one made it to the top of my pile so I gave it a chance.

And I unexpectedly loved it. I absolutely could not get enough and I kept thinking about this characters long after I had finished!

This book centers around Victoria, who was sold by her family to wed Major McLain, and Jake, who is sneaking around in order to take back Sarratt's Kingdom from McLain. Jake is working as a hired gun for the ranch and as soon as he sees Victoria he knows that his carefully laid out plans now have a wrinkle. Victoria has brought her sister Celia and cousin Emma to the ranch as well and the three aristocratic ladies band together to make the best of a not so great situation. Soon Victoria begins to feel an attraction to Jake and she feels disloyal to her new husband but it's clear he doesn't actually care about her, he just wants the status of having married a real lady.

The book is divided into two stories, kind of. We have the before, where Jake is trying to get the ranch back, and the after, where Jake has the ranch- a whole new set of drama plays out.

I totally loved this book. It was a bit of a slow start for me but by the time I was a quarter of the way in I was sold and hooked, I couldn't put it down. I kept thinking about these characters and the story long after I had finished and I wanted more. The characters are great and full of angst and misunderstandings, probably a common thing back then, and I just really enjoyed it. It's different than what Linda Howard normally writes and I appreciated that.

   

Book Review: Midnight Rainbow

We are on our last day of our mini-vacation and will be coming home today so hopefully I have some photos to share with you soon! In the meantime, I steadily continue to work through my Linda Howard pile.

Midnight Rainbow - Linda Howard

Grant Sullivan had been one of the government's most effective agents, and he's agreed to rescue Jane Hamilton Greer, a wealthy socialite possibly engaged in espionage. In the time they spent together, questions of guilt and innocence began to fade against the undeniable reality that two people from such different worlds should never have met.

You guys, this is everything that I love about Linda Howard. It has a super tough, ex-military hero, a woman in trouble who isn't quite a damsel in distress, a hasty getaway and danger. It's cheese in all the best ways. I could not have asked for more of this book, I really couldn't.

So we have Grant who is technically retired but has an itch for danger and can't quite walk away. He gets handed a case to rescue and return Jane from the hands of a bad guy. All he has to do is slip in, grab her, get her home to her parents. Easy peasy.

Except it isn't because just as he goes to get her, turns out Jane was going to bust out on her own. They tussle and he comes out ahead and ends up hauling her ass out of there himself. They begin their dangerous journey through the jungle with limited rations at a blistering pace, with a woman who won't stop asking questions. Fortunately for Grant, Jane can hold her own and she isn't some princess scared of danger but she is scared of the dark and snakes, as it turns out. Danger is high, drama is abound, and romance is in the air. Can she tame the all consuming bad boy? Time will tell, but only if they can get out of the jungle in one piece.

I totally loved this. It reminded me a little of her book Heart of Fire because she's reusing the jungle setting but you can tell she had grown as a writer from her early books, the woman is on a more even playing field with the guy and I love it.

   

Book Review: Against The Rules

Alright, alright, alright. THIS is the Linda Howard I know and love. FINALLY.

Against the Rules - Linda Howard

SHE WAS THE PRIZE HE HAD ALWAYS SOUGHT...

At seventeen Cathryn Ashe had fought Rule Jackson and lost her innocence, then fled to the anonymity of the city. At twenty-five she was back, sure of herself and her newfound independence and ready to challenge him again.

But Rule had raised the stakes, and if she lost now the penalty would be high: her heart, the heart that she finally knew had always been his for the taking.

Someone pass the cheese because my plate is empty. Y'all- this book is completely cheesy in all of the best ways. I loved every second of it I really did.

So we have Cathryn, who goes by Cat, who ran off to the big city when she could, mostly to get away from Rule Jackson, the man who took her virginity on a river bank when she was 17. But now the time has come for her to take over the ranch except when she comes back she learns that the ranch is bigger and better than ever because Rule Jackson is kind of amazing at ranching and has been running it this whole time.

They start butting heads because she doesn't know the first thing about how the ranch is run and Rule is a "my way or the highway" kind of guy. He's trustworthy and great, but she realizes her attraction to him  hasn't dissipated no matter how long she's been gone. But before she can give into it she has to figure out if he wants her for her or does he want her to get his hands on the ranch?

I loved this. I read it in a day because this is what a classic Linda Howard book is, it's totally cheesy characters thrown into what a classic romance novel gives you. It's alpha male going up against a wannabe alpha female. Love it. I'm giving this one a 4 star.

   

Book Review: Heart of Fire

I am pretty thankful that Jackson has tennis lessons for another five weeks because I get an uninterrupted hour of reading in every day and that's been kind of nice. But today I'm having my endoscopy done so I'm giving you a book review because I've been a bit of a basket case in anticipation. Tomorrow I'll have another book review but that one is a FIVE STAR one that I couldn't put down!

Heart of Fire - Linda Howard

A fabulous lost Amazon city once inhabited by women warriors and containing a rare red diamond: it sounded like myth, but archeologist Jillian Sherwood believed it was real, and she was willing to put up with anything to find it -- even Ben Lewis. Ruffian, knock-about, and number one river guide in Brazil, Ben was all man -- over six feet of rock-hard muscles that rippled under his khakis, with lazy blue eyes that taunted her from his tanned face. Jillian watched him come to a fast boil when she refused to reveal their exact destination upriver in the uncharted rain forests -- and resolved to stand her ground. Neither of them could foresee what the days ahead promised: an odyssey into the fiery heart of passion and betrayal, and a danger that would force them to cast their fates together, immersed in the eternal, unsolved mysteries of love....

I'll start by saying I totally enjoyed this one and it reminded me a little of her Cover of Night book where the man takes over extreme conditions to save the woman but the woman is no slouch herself. This was different in that it takes place along the Amazon River in Brazil and they are dealing with  murderer closely while searching for the treasure that may or may not be there. Jillian is absolutely sure that it is and is determined to find it to not only salvage her working reputation but that of her late father's. Ben is the guide up the river and back and he's curious only because of who is financing the trip, a known criminal with a reputation who has brought along a murderous thug as hired help. Once they find the Stone City things start to unravel quickly and it's a race to get back to civilization before they are murdered. But in the middle of it all, Ben and Jillian strike up an unlikely romance that's as hot as the jungle itself, but with a relationship clouded with deception, it's anyone's guess if they make it.

I know next to nothing about the Amazon River but Linda Howard's writing puts you right in the middle of it, and all of the discussion about heat and humidity makes this a perfect summer read! It's 309 pages but I made it through in a few hours (actually 4 of Jackson's tennis lessons plus one evening session but that makes it sound longer than it really was) and enjoyed it. 4 stars.

   

Book Review: A Game of Chance

The best part of Jackson having tennis in the summer means it's a guaranteed hour to myself to read. I occasionally look up to make sure he's still out there but for the most part I'm reading because I don't understand tennis. Their scoring is bizarre. Anyways, I'm going through my old Linda Howard books that I just ordered and I faintly remember reading this one long ago but I could be wrong.

A Game of Chance - Linda Howard

Romantic suspense, originally published by Silhouette Intimate Moments. The last book in the Mackenzie Family series focuses on Chance Mackenzie, a feral, homeless adolescent until rescued and adopted by Wolf and Mary Mackenzie. The stunning and aloof half-breed has built a career in undercover ops, first as a Naval Intelligence Officer, then as a private consultant. However, one particularly vile terrorist has always eluded the law. Chance and brother Zane find a way to lure Crispin Hauer in: They'll use his daughter Sonia as bait. First step: Make Sunny fall in love with Chance. What could be simpler? 

Alright, the general premise of this is almost identical to Loving Evangeline in that it's a guy seducing a girl to get information out of her with the intentions of walking away afterwards. It doesn't happen because the girl is so seductive and amazing that he can't imagine a life without her. This one has a more modern take at relationships and the guy doesn't speak to the woman as if she's a helpless moron so already it has that going for it.

The other perks being that if you're into a military romance, this hits the mark because Chance is a Naval Intelligence Officer, posing as an ex-Army Ranger turn charter pilot. Sunny is a courier on the side but always on the run from her father who happens to be a terrorist. Chance is after her, and information about her father, and prepared to use her as a bait to get it. He has a traumatic back story, as does she, so they end up being a great match for each other.

Overall I'm giving this one 4 stars. It's the Linda Howard I enjoy, it's short and a relatively fast read, it's got an interesting story with complex characters and it was a fun little read. Great for the beach or tossing into your purse to read little bits at a time, though there are parts you won't want to put it down!

   

Book Review: Loving Evangeline

The absolute best part about reading really old romance novels is that they almost never stand the test of time. Surely you can get over fashions and such but the voice of characters is fantastically hilarious and I forgot how much I love it.

Loving Evangeline - Linda Howard

Evangeline Shaw is the key to the conspiracy that threatens Robert Cannon's company. Classified software developed by Cannon's group is being sold to a foreign government without his approval. It isn't just theft or a case of corporate espionage -- it's treason. And the trail leads straight to Shaw -- who by all accounts has both the means and the motives.

Determined to handle his own investigation, Cannon tracks her to a small town in Alabama. But as he tries to untangle the knot that surrounds her, he finds himself questioning he's believed. The facts still seem pretty black-and-but his heart tells him she's no Mata Hari...

I have to give this one a 5 star basically because it's as cheesy and ridiculous as it gets. I had so much fun reading this and I suppose it was probably racy and sexy back in the day but now, especially in the era of #metoo this is so wrong it's fabulous.

So in this gem we have unsuspecting Evie Shaw, owner/operator of a marina, widow of 12 years, pretty, and pretty clueless about men. Then we have Robert Cannon, CEO of everything in life, steely gray eyes, lean like a panther (seriously, the amount of times you read the panther comparison is TOO MUCH! HA!), mean as a fox but also pretty sure he's figured out which employee is selling compromised information for money on the side. Which leads him to where Evie is, a small rinky dink town in Alabama. He's sure that she's somehow in on it because she followed the rogue employee a few times so in order to find out and break the case, he's on it himself. Forget the FBI or other authorities, this guy will circumvent them all and do it himself. As he's sleeping with her (which was amazing ridiculous) he's slowly ruining her life and putting her in a financial tail spin to get her to confess or something, that was never really clear. Of course, she isn't in on it and that's obvious from the word go but he's pretty laser focused on her guilt. It all goes to shit pretty quickly, he breaks her heart, and he struggles to see where he went wrong. It's just nuts.

Anyways. He says incredibly condescending things to her, he assumes that he would just take over her life and she would practically trip on herself to marry him, and he assumes that she can't think on her own. It's really enough to make you put the book down except it was so entertainingly hilarious and eye roll worthy I couldn't stop.

I am SO glad I spent $10 on a ton of backlist Linda Howard books because I'm diving all in now!

   

Book Review: Troublemaker

If you know me at all, you know that my favorite author is Linda Howard. I have many of her books and the ones I don't have I'm currently searching for online in the hopes to have the entire Linda Howard library. Because I'm a fan, y'all. So recently while shopping I came across this one and the sequel, grabbed them because I didn't have them and I squeezed this one in between my review books. 

Troublemaker - Linda Howard

For Morgan Yancy, an operative and team leader in a paramilitary group, nothing comes before his job. But when he’s ambushed and almost killed, his supervisor is determined to find out who’s after the members of his elite squad—and why. Due to worries that this unknown enemy will strike again, Morgan is sent to a remote location and told to lay low and stay vigilant. But between a tempting housemate he’s determined to protect and a deadly threat waiting in the shadows, keeping under the radar is proving to be his most dangerous mission yet.

The part-time police chief of a small West Virginian mountain town, Isabeau “Bo” Maran finally has her life figured out. She’s got friends, a dog, and a little money in the bank. Then Morgan Yancy shows up on her doorstep. Bo doesn’t need a mysterious man in her life—especially a troublemaker as enticing and secretive as Morgan.

The harder they fight the intense heat between them, the closer Morgan and Bo become, even though she knows he’s hiding from something. But discovering the truth could cost Bo more than she’s willing to give. And when Morgan’s cover is blown, it might just cost her life.

My favorite Linda Howard books are all of them, but especially ones that feature a military-esque guy and a plain jane gal who isn't helpless. Those are my favorite, and that is what this one is. Where this one doesn't win is the plot ending, it didn't have the satisfied ending that I wanted but then the more I thought about it, it's kind of refreshing to not have everything tied up neatly. When does that ever happen in real life, anyways? 

So in this book we have Morgan, fresh off a mission out to enjoy a day a fishing only to end it by being shot and almost dying in a parking lot. Then we have Bo (can I just mention here I hate her name? I hate it.) a would be town sheriff with a side job who suddenly finds a recuperating Morgan on her doorstep (literally) thrust upon her. Her ex-stepbrother is the ringmaster here and offers her an ungodly amount of money to just let this guy crash at her house,  help him out, and that's it. Financial security and the fact that the guy looks like he's going to pass out on her step wins out and she reluctantly agrees. 

Commence shenanigans. 

They are a rocky duo, neither one of them are cut out for being with others for an extended period of time but he's in no shape to do anything different and she gave her word (and accepted the money). Time goes on, months, and they start to like each other, then like each other, but the greater question of why Morgan was shot is unanswered and until then, he can't go back. 

We find out the kind of why's, we figure out the who's but nothing really comes of it in my opinion so that was kind of meh for me. I wanted real justice but I suppose it's the way things operate in the world we don't really know about, right? The romance is slow and steady and what's great about these books is that while there aren't any overt sex scenes with descriptions of things, you know what's going on and it's enough. Maybe that's what I like so much about her books. Overall though, I'm giving this one 3.5 stars only because I wasn't sold on the plot. 

   

Weekend Shopping (My Top 5 Linda Howard books)

If you know anything about me, you know that my favorite author is Linda Howard. I know, some people strongly don't like her, most don't know her, and a few love her.

NOBODY LOVES HER LIKE ME.

I've always been a reader but when I discovered Linda Howard, I bought every book I could find of hers. I have read all of these countless times and I love them so much. So for this week's Weekend Shopping, I give to you....

My Top 5 Linda Howard Books

It's so hard to put her books in order of favorites, and I struggled with this list even though I narrowed it down to just five books I think you'll really like.

5. Open Season

I picked this one to start this list off because this is actually the first book of hers that I read. It was featured in an issue of Cosmopolitan under a "hot reads" column and the one chapter I read sold me. It's about Daisy, who is kind of a naive and sheltered gal, and she's in her mid-30's. Wanting to revamp her life and maybe make it a little more exciting, she transforms herself into a party girl. It gets the eye of the new Sheriff in town but also the eye of a killer. She finds herself in danger, the good guy saves her and it's just a really fun read. I enjoyed this one a lot. 

4. Cover of Night

I'm going to be 100% up front- the plot line in this book is RIDICULOUS. It absolutely would never happen, but I don't care, I kind of wish it would. We have Cate, a widowed mother running a bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere Idaho. We have Calvin, retired from the military, quiet guy, who kind of has a crush on Cate but he's happy to help her out anytime instead of just telling her how he feels. SUDDENLY! We have bad guys come to town, stuff happens, they think Cate has something of theirs so Cate and Calvin find themselves trying to save the entire town (cut off from all communication, obviously) and they land in dangerous situations in the mountains. The love story between Cate and Calvin is what seals this book for me and Calvin is the hero I'd go for.

3. All the Queen's Men

There is actually a book before this that introduces all of these characters, but you don't have to read that before you read this one. The first chapter or so is a good summary of that book and gives you an idea of why the characters in this book are the way they are. Easily one of the hottest characters in all of Linda's books is none other than John Medina. He's Black Ops CIA, he's lethal. His new mission requires the expertise of Niema, who's husband (who was killed during a mission) was a team mate of John's, and there's some history. She reluctantly agrees to help out knowing the greater good, and it turns out to be an excellent decision. The heat between Niema and John is strong and when we finally get to some romance... it's pretty great. I finished this book wishing SO much that we'd see John Medina in future books but so far, that hasn't happened.

2. Up Close and Dangerous

We are also going to put this in the "never going to happen" category, but dammit if it didn't make me re-evaluate what I pack in my bag when I fly. In this book we have sexy pilot Cam, who finds himself as the last minute change of pilot to escort rich and snobby Bailey to her destination. They can't stand each other so they keep the conversation minimum but! (Dun dun dun) Their plane goes down in the snowy mountains and though injured, Bailey finds herself having to rescue Cam and nurse him back to health. The best part of this book is how they used ordinary, stupid items to survive and of course, even though he's on the brink of hypothermia, his penis still works and wants to play. Why did the plane go down? Was it intentional? If so, why? Do they survive? This was a pretty fast read for me and it involves snowy mountains, so it would be a great winter read. Or, of course, a great airplane read. You can think about what you would do if your plane goes down and all that.

1. Cry No More

If you asked me what my absolute, hands down, no questions asked, favorite Linda Howard was, it will always be this one. This book had everything you want in a book, we have romance (obviously), we have suspense, we have murder, we have kidnapped babies and a mother's heart wrenching search for her child. The first couple of chapters were tough for me to read simply because I don't know what I would do if my child were ripped from my arms in the middle of a market and I never saw them again. What would you do? Well, Milla forms a non-profit agency who search for missing children like her own. She gets desperate and finds herself speaking with the elusive and mysterious James Diaz, who flies under the radar but is really good at finding people Soon Milla and James are on the trail to finding who took her son and where her son is. I'm going to spoil it and tell you two of my favorite sex scenes of all time happen in this book, one on the banks of river and one in a shower towards the end when Milla is in just extreme grief. Ugh... just thinking about that makes me want to read the book right now. Though the book is their mission to finding Milla's son, it poses the moral dilemma of what would you do? If you found the child, and they are happy in a home- do you separate them from that? Would you sacrifice your happiness for your child's? I really loved this book so much, for so many reasons, and James Diaz was perfect. He almost surpasses John Medina in favorite male hero. Maybe they are tied. Ah! I can't decide. I just really loved this book. If you are new to Linda Howard, I want you to try this one for sure.

Stay tuned for next weekend! I think I might do another round up like this one for another author. Oh.. yes! I just looked at my calendar and YES. I already have it planned out. STAY TUNED! 

Dream Man

One of my goals this year was to complete my book reviews of all of the books I've read that are currently on my book shelf at home. This might take quite a while.

Dream Man - Linda Howard

Detective Dane Hollister of the Orlando police department has never met anyone quite like Marlie Keen. While he has doubts about her supposed clairvoyant powers, she sees crimes as they're being committed, there is no doubt about how much he desires her. To Marlie, Dane is all heat and hard muscle, and he makes her body come alive as it never has before. But not even she can foresee that their passion will lead them on a dangerous journey into the twisted mind of a madman who will threaten their happiness and their lives.

I loved Dane. I'm just going to say it. I will say that though this is penned as a romantic thriller, it didn't have a whole lot of romance? I mean, we have sex scenes but you don't have this intense development of feelings and honestly? That was OK. It really worked here and it still had me frantically reading to figure out what was going to happen while simultaneously wishing it wasn't going so fast. 

Marlie is a psychic essentially and Dane is skeptical. Marlie is used to people not believing in her abilities but what she is not used to is the physical attraction she feels towards Dane. After a serial killer has been out and about, Marlie goes to the police department to offer her abilities and Dane, at a loss for leads, is basically told to entertain this option. He does more than entertain it, though and thank the lord for it. 

The murderer is a total nut job who meticulously studies his victims, all of which are in need of being "taught a lesson". Which, creepy. There are passages in this book where we are in the killer's point of view and while disturbing, it's fairly well written and it brings something to the book. But easily the most disturbing part of this book, which is also incredibly fascinating, is that while the killer is stalking and murdering his victim, Marlie is in his head at that moment. Which freaks Alpha Male Dane out who tries to balance the fine line between police officer and lover and it's just so good. 

If you are looking for a solid romance with an interesting story line that keeps you going to the end, this is your pick. You are welcome. 

Killing Time

While I'm out on my fabulous South Dakota road trip vacation, I'm not leaving you totally empty handed! I'll have book reviews to keep you going. Of course I would! I'm such a giver.

Killing Time - Linda Howard

Returning to the entrancing supernatural territory of her popular novels Dream Man and Son of the Morning, New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard has written a sizzling new novel that is her most daring, exciting, and original yet. 

In 1985, with much fanfare, a time capsule was buried under the front lawn of a small-town county courthouse, to be reopened in 2085. But just twenty years later, in the dead of night, the capsule is dug up, its contents stolen. That same night, one of the contributors to the capsule is brutally slain in his home–with no sign of forced entry or indication of a struggle. One by one, others who had placed items in the time capsule are murdered.

Besides his suspicions about the sudden, mysterious appearance of Nikita Stover, the chief investigator, Knox Davis, has absolutely no leads. And while Nikita’s no murderer, she seems to be hiding plenty of secrets. With more at stake than anyone else realizes, the smart-talking Nikita is determined to catch this cunning killer–while at the same time battling her own deepening feelings for a man and for a world in which she doesn’t belong. 

When readers crave a seductive novel of unrelenting suspense with a paranormal twist, Linda Howard delivers time and again . . . make that Killing Time–a captivating, character-rich story that races along on a breathless plot full of action and intimacy, romance and danger, thrills and intrigue.

I am such a fan of Linda Howard and I keep saying it and it just will never get old. What I love about her books is that she perfectly mixes some romance in with some thriller and it's just enough to keep you going and you'll be left looking for her next book and sad that it ended. 

In this book we have Nikita who is really from the future coming back into the past to stop a killer. We have Knox who is a present time investigator trying to figure out the murders as well and he comes into contact with Nikita, having no idea who she is or that she's from the future. Then they start developing feelings and we have a couple of really steamy scenes. The only issue I had was that there were some holes in the story where clues could have been put into the story to keep the reader guessing. At the end of this I almost felt like there was a part two that could have been written because I didn't fully understand the motive of the bad guys. I mean, I do... but there could have been a lot more explained. What you will get out of this is a fast read, a decent story line compared to other books like it, and the ending isn't totally what I expected. I guess I didn't expect Nikita to pick the time period that she did and Knox not put up a fight? But maybe I would have felt the same way had the tables been turned? I'm not sure. 

Is it the best book in Linda Howard's arsenal? No, not even close. I wouldn't start your Linda Howard addiction with this book unless you know you'll continue reading. She has done so much better but honestly, I didn't dislike this book as much as others have. I'm always entertained by Linda. 

Mackenzie's Pleasure

EEK, one of the best finds (for me) at my local library book sale this spring was easily this book from Linda Howard. I didn't have it, didn't know it was out there and now I find it's third in a series? Hello discount book sites on payday- I'm coming for them all! Because honest to goats, this is easily one of my favorite romance authors, hands down. I love her.

Linda, I love you. Totally like we could be best friends and I would wear a "I heart Linda" shirt. All day.

Mackenzie's Pleasure - Linda Howard

Barrie needed a saviour. The terrorists holding her hostage surely wouldn''t tolerate her silence much longer. Instead they would silence her. Then out of the darkness he arrived. Rugged and dangerous, he led her straight into his sheltering arms.'

I love Linda so much I don't even read what the book is about, I impulse buy and just... enjoy them. All. I enjoy them all. The scenarios are cheesy as all get out and I don't even care because there has never been a Linda Howard book I have not loved and this one is no exception. Because Linda can write and she just gets all of the feelings and you just want to be the girl and you just want your husband to be the guy or if you're single you'll switch your online dating profile to select guys who are Navy SEAL's or CIA and that slims it down but these books? These books make you want that. 

*swoon*

So this book is about Barrie, daughter of an embassy big shot who just happens to get herself kidnapped. Enter Zane, Navy SEAL sent to rescue her, who is just the epitome or studly man and you'd literally try to get yourself kidnapped if you knew he'd be the one coming for you. They have a short lived time together but a LOT of danger and sexy times happen and then she's thrust back into "normal" life. Except she hates it and she wants to be with Zane. And it's beyond a Stockholm Syndrome or hero complex, she developed actual feelings for him. 

And so had Zane. But he struggled with getting in touch with her because her father put the stops on everything. Until he realized something and somehow, finds her. BUT THEN! Danger ensues because as it turns out, the people who kidnapped Barrie are still out there and it turns out to be closer to home than she realized. 

It's a good book. It's not very long and I got through it on one afternoon without an issue. I'm totally in love with this one so I'm obviously going to get the others in the series, which are all stand alone titles such as this one. 

You can find other books by Linda via her publisher site HERE. If you are fan of romance novels at all, please check out Linda- you surely won't be disappointed!