Dangerous by Diana Palmer ~Review and Contest

DANGEROUS
Long, Tall Texans
Hardcover
HQN Books
ISBN-10: 0373774591
ISBN-13: 978-0373774593 Buy link
 
Tall, lean and headstrong, FBI agent Kilraven lives by his own rules. And one of those rules includes keeping his hands off Jacobsville’s resident sweetheart, Winnie Sinclair, no matter the temptation. Shy and innocent, Winnie couldn’t handle a man like him—a merciless man with a haunted past. And this small town may hold not only the woman he fights to resist, but the answers to a cold case that is very personal to Kilraven....

Winnie has had her own share of sorrow and senses Kilraven’s pain. Even though she tries to deny it, the gentle 911 operator feels a connection with the darkly handsome agent. When he makes the disturbing discovery that her family’s unsavory past might have a bearing on his case, Winnie is determined to help him crack it...and the ice around his heart.

As they combine forces in a dangerous investigation, the stakes rise ever higher. Winnie’s life is on the line, and she’ll need Kilraven more than ever. But if they are to have a future together, her ruthless Texan will need to confront his past and risk it all for their love.

My Thoughts:

Kilraven, a CIA agent working undercover in Jacobsville, Texas, has had an extremely rough hand dealt to him. Facing, or should we say not facing, the deaths of his wife and three year old daughter he is bent on revenge and justice. The killer is still at large and it seems that these two senseless deaths are linked to several other murders that have taken place over the last few years. Opening his cold case, two officers are attacked, and there is a small break in the case.

Kilraven needs Winnie's, a local 9-1-1 dispatcher, help to interrogate a Senator's wife. He is well aware of young Winnie's feelings for him and her innocence, but he doesn't care who he uses or the depths that he must go in order to find the person responsible for his family's murders.

 I have to admit that I am struggling with this "review". I am always pleased to be considered to read and review new releases, whether it be a well known author or a new comer to the scene, but Dangerous is the first one that I really wish I had passed on to the next willing reviewer. In excepting the offer I have an obligation to both my followers and the author to give an honest review, which includes my feelings on the book. With that in mind, please remember that these are my thoughts and opinions and you should by no means let them cloud your reading expectations of this well known author and her current new release.

Dangerous fell flat for me. I had a lot of hang ups while trying to read this book. It has been many years since I have read a book by Diana Palmer, so many in fact that I can not remember the names of the books that I read. I know she has a huge following, but after finishing Dangerous I have to wonder why.

The relationship between Kilraven and Winnie made me feel like I was back in high school. The boys will say anything to get into the girls pants. Yes, Winnie is suppose to be innocent, but at 22 years old you would think that she would have some inclination as to what a boy, or in this case a man, would say or do to girl/woman who he wants to get into bed, yet have no strings attached. I am fine with the fact that Kilraven wants to marry Winnie to gain information for his murder investigation and want an annulment as soon as the investigation is over, it does make for good story line and provides a way for the hero and heroine to get together. But in the same sentence he also suggests that they take liberties and indulge themselves and actually share the marital bed and get a divorce instead of an annulment just seemed a  little callous and again I was transported back to high school.

The constant repetition of thoughts, comments, etc really had me pulling my hair out.  For example, and this one is just a minor one:

"...Her face was flaming, and not only from the intimate position. She hadn't dreamed that men would say such blatant things to women! 'Im not on the pill!'

That stopped him dead. His mind wasn't working. It was enslaved to the throbbing hunger in his lower extremities. he didn't have anything, either. He didn't carry prophylactics because he never slept with women. She could get pregnant. Just for an instant, he thought about a baby in her arms and his whole soul felt grief like a lance. No! Never again!

...'It amazes me,' he said.
'What?' she asked.
'How very innocent you are,' he remarked quietly, staring straight into her dark eyes.
She colored prettily. 'I'm getting less innocent by the day' she said tautly.
He grinned. 'Didn't know men said such blatant things to women?'"

Like I said, this example is very mild but it occurs throughout the book. One person is thinking something or saying something and in comes another person with the same comment or voicing the thoughts of the other. Palmer also has the annoying habit of explaining everything and leaving nothing to your imagination. I could have gone with out several scenes while Winnie was at work or the couples walks to the car. Let me add here that I read not the finished product but the "Advanced Uncorrected Proof."  I really hope that the finished product has eliminated the problem (in my opinion) areas.


While I was struggling in the beginning, wanting to put the book down and move on to the next, I decided I would surf the net and try to find another review of Dangerous. My initial search found only one giveaway and one review in blog land. I recently did another one and found another review. One is pretty negative and the other pretty positive. So here are the links to the reviews:

Positive Review

Negative Review

The overall story line was descent and if I could have just gotten past my own hang ups with the repetition and "telling" of the story I think I would have enjoyed Dangerous more.

My rating: 3 stars

Now for the contest

Thanks to the publisher I have two books to giveaway. 

All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment. 

Contest is open until May 31

Opened to United States and Canada only.

I will post the winners June 1

The Darkest Fire by Gena Showalter

He is the guardian of hell, more monster than man. She is the goddess of oppression, more angel than woman. Together they will enter the flames to battle a dangerous horde of demon lords — and discover a passion unlike any other….








My Thoughts:

The Darkest Fire is the prelude to the Lords of the Underworld series. That being said, if you don't read e-books or you are like me and don't like anthologies, you won't miss out on anything by not reading this story.

Geyron traded his soul to the devil to save his wife's life, now he the task of guarding the gates to Hell have been bestowed on him. He is transformed into a hideous beast that with one swipe of his claw can poison any foe.

Kadence is the Goddess of Oppression. The Gods have demanded that she be the keeper of the wall to Hell. For years she walks the wall delicately touching and restoring it, making sure that none of Lucifer's demons are allowed to escape.

When the wall shows sign of tumbling Geyron and Kadence must work together to fix the wall and round up the demons who seek to destroy the wall.

I gave this story a 3 star rating. I am sure it has to do with my bias against anthologies and short stories, but the story progressed much too quickly for my taste. I guess, however that 200 years (I think) of being in each others presence without any communication or physical contact could attribute the desire and attraction that the hero and heroine felt for each other. All in all it is a decent story that sets up the series wonderfully.

The Frasers- Clay by Ana Leigh

The Frasers: Clay book one in The Frasers series by Ana Leigh April 2004 ~ Pocket Star ISBN 0-743-46994-1 When Yankee beauty Rebecca Elliot discovers that single women aren't allowed on the wagon train bound for California, she takes desperate measures. Spying handsome Clay Fraser, she puts her flirty plan into action and wakes, the next morning, with a wedding band on her finger.

Clay Fraser, a former Confederate soldier, is horrified to discover that he somehow got married last night—and worse, to a Yankee. Worst of all, his new wife refuses to share his bed! Sparks fly and attraction burns as the wagon train heads west, but it will take a love as expansive as the Western sky to show Rebecca and Clay how to claim the passionate new life that is their destiny. ***from the author's website*** My predicament: I was in a mood where all I wanted to read was a book set in during the Civil War. I was also in one of those moods where I didn't want to wait for a book to be shipped to me or drive into Kennesaw or Rome for the closest book store. Yes, the bug had hit me...I want it and I want it now!!! So I went to Shelfari.com and asked for help. I wasn't having any luck doing my own searches, all the books I was finding were out of print or not available on Kindle (the fix for gotta have it now). Any how, the lovely ladies there came to my rescue and gave me suggestion after suggestion. By this time I had gone to the garage and found the last remaining box of books that my mother dumped on me, ok so she didn't dump them on me I willingly took them off her hands. I mean half of them were mine and the other half my cousins and we had used her as a storage facility. Ok running of course again!! What I found in the last box... And One Wore Gray by Heather Graham. This is the second book in her trilogy set during the Civil War. I can't remember if I read it or not. I went back to Shelfari and inquired after the two ladies suggesting this series if I really needed to read the series in order. It was unanimous, I had to read in order. But I was bound and determined to read a Civil War romance, so I grabbed the book and put it in my purse. I had to take my son to the doctor after an extremely long night of some really disgusting stuff that I won't really mention and battling a fever of 102. I get to the doctor sign my son in and sit down. I try to start reading while holding this 73lb crying boy in my lap while rubbing his head and rocking. I give up and put the book back in my purse. They call us back... I attempt to read some more while waiting. Well my son was not feeling well at all. He had all the nurses worried about him, and I'm thinking geez, its just the stomach flu. NO I am not unsympathetic to my child, I was really worried, but I had never seen these nurses flock to a sick kid like this before. Which in turn made me worry even more. Doctor comes in.... blah blah blah... Im sending you to Scottish Rite. Anybody familiar with Atlanta--- She is sending my baby by ambulance to the children's hospital. Heart plummets. My husband was worried "Swine Flu", no the doctor thinks Appendicitis. So I got my first ambulance ride along with my son's first ambulance ride last week. My husband, bless his heart, works about 30 mins south of us and we passed him on the road. He slides in behind the ambulance and is standing at the door when they let us out. Long and short of it.. I tried all day (my son was sleeping peacefully finally) to read that darn book without any success. My son is fine... it was indeed the stomach flu. He is back to playing football and knocking little boys around on the field like they are flies. But right now I think that the book is going to be buried in my TBR pile...is there such a thing as a bad luck book? I head back over to Shelfari and look for the other suggestions and found Ana Leigh and she had one available on Kindle. So I am going to get my fix!!! Now on to my thoughts on the book! The book takes place shortly after the end of the Civil War. Rebecca is in desperate need of a husband so she can make the journey West with the last wagon train out of Independence. She is a Yankee through and through, lost her husband at the very beginning of the war when he was shot on the battlefield. In searching the crowd of men, she is disgusted with them. She can either choose a filthy Yankee or a dirty Rebel (who at least takes a bath). She eyes Clay and his brother Garth and finagles dinner with them. Clay and Garth are headed West to find their sister who ran off with a Yankee that had been quartered at the family plantation. They have very little money left to their name, so they decide to sign on with the wagon train. This is playing right into Rebecca's devious little mind. She chose to trick Clay into marrying her. From here we witness the trials of being part of a wagon train, the turbulent air around Rebecca and Clay, and we watch them eventually fall in love. This marriage is suppose to be a business agreement but will they make it to California and be able to sever all ties. Over all it was an enjoyable read that kind of fit the bill. I was really looking for more of abook set during the War and not at the end. I was a little thrown off by some of the scenes, for example When did Clay run across the cabin? I really felt like I should have known there was a cabin there. It was almost like it was an afterthought, Oh its storming I have to have somewhere for the H/H to sit it out and finally come to terms with what is going on between them. There were only a few instances like this, but it didnt take from the story. Rating:3

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Published 2007
400 pages

Back Cover: Chicago quarterback Dean Robillard is the luckiest man in the world. But life in the glory lane has started to pale, and Dean has set off on a cross-country trip to figure out what's gone wrong. When he hits a lonly stretch of Colorado highway, he spies something that will shake up his gilded life in ways he can't imagine. A young woman...dressed in a beaver suit.
Blue Bailey is on a mission. As for the beaver suit she's wearing... Is it her fault that life keeps throwing her curve balls? Witness the expensive black sports car pulling up next to her on the highway and the Greek god stepping out of it.
They're soon heading for his summer home, where their already complicated lives and inconbenient attraction to each other will become entangled with a charismatic but aging rock star; a beautiful, fifty-two -old woman trying to make peace with her rock and roll past; an eleven -year-old who desperately needs a family; and a bitter old woman who hates them all.
Natural Born Charmer... for anyone who's ever thought about leaving their old life in the dust and never looking back. Susan Elizabeth Phillips takes us home again... and shows us where love truly lives.

Review: I have been wanting to read a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book since some of they lady's in a Shelfari group started raving about her. I must say that this must not have been the best one for me to start with. Had I not checked this out on audio I don't know that I would have finished this book. The first two chapters were really rough for me, not only was the story really bad but the the reader was awful. I hated the voices that she put to some of the side characters.
Fortunately the book and the reader did get better! I can at least rate this book at a 3. The relationship between Blue and Dean was just so-so. I hated the nickname "the Beave" that Dean insisted on calling Blue during the beginning of the book. Blue reminded me of a mix of Sandra Bullock characters in Two Week Notice and Miss Congeniality, you know the ones where she is a constant smart ass and not particularly smart or pretty person... the one you kind of feel sorry for but in the end you are certainly rooting for her. There are abandonment issues in both courts, but what Dean demanded of Blue to prove herself was selfish and mean.
It was just OK. Not a book that I recommend running out immediately to read this book. I will eventually read another SEP book, it just won't be anytime soon.