Reviewed by Stacy Ahlgren
Publisher Signet Eclipse
4 stars

This is the third, and so far final, installment in the Black CAT books by Leslie Parrish, and I’m really hoping there will be more because I hate to see this series end.

Wyatt Blackstone and the rest of his team are devastated by the senseless death of one of their own – Lily Fletcher. Despite working on some pretty horrendous cases, Lily was a sweet young woman who knew way too much about loss. So much so that it colored her world, and affected the way she did her job. Even though she had been walking a dangerous path, there was still no reason she should have died. She was one of the good ones…

But on a bitterly cold January day, he discovers that the horrible tragedy he thought to be true isn’t, and so with the help of a trusted member of his team, Wyatt finds Lily and brings her back to the living, only to sequester her in a safe location so that no one knows she survived a madman who is still hunting for her.

But Lily is not the only “issue” that has to be dealt with. In addition to keeping Lily’s wherabouts a secret, Wyatt is dealing with the fact that the man who kidnapped her has never been found, and now there’s a new serial killer who’s methods are eerily familiar. Plus the bureau is none too pleased with the sting operation that “killed” Lily, and heads are going to roll.

Wyatt has a lot on his plate, and to make matters even more complicated, he’s drawn to the woman that Lily has become after her horrific ordeal. No longer the shy, people-pleasing young woman he knew before, Lily has become stronger, harder, inside and out, and he finds himself attracted to the raw, elemental woman who stands before him. He knows this time she’s not going to break, but Wyatt can’t give her what she needs. Never will he be the type of man to give her the white picket fence, and after everything she’s been through, she deserves a shot at real happiness.

But Lily is not that woman anymore, and what she wants is exactly what Wyatt can give her. If she survives this, when she makes it through to the other side, she has every intention of showing the man she loves just exactly how good they can be together…

My thoughts:

I was so totally engrossed in the first two installments in this series, and couldn’t wait to read “Black At Heart”, even though I knew it might possibly be the last book (I sure hope not!). I was curious to find out about what happens to Lily, and even though I was pretty sure I knew, I still had to believe she wasn’t going to really die after the 2nd book. Even though in the first two books, Lily came across uncertain and not very strong, I empathized with her after losing so much, and thought it would have been cruel to have her die in the end.

That being said, as much as I enjoyed this book, because I really did, it didn’t have quite the same feel as the first two books. Here I felt there was way too much going on, between Lily coming back from the dead, the FBI breathing down Wyatt’s neck, the team trying to track down the man who kidnapped Lily as well as capturing the latest serial killer, and then dealing with Wyatt’s and Lily’s growing feelings for one another. It’s also darker; we see into the souls of two very lonely people who understand firsthand what it is to suffer the violent loss of loved ones, and who can never be content living a “normal” life. So while I wasn’t expecting flowers and rainbows, the story still felt a little too grim for my liking at times. I think it was just the jarring changes Lily went through, which was totally understandable, but at the same time very sad. I suppose this is what had to happen to her in order to become the woman Wyatt could love, and to become the woman who could love a man like Wyatt.

I do think that for anyone who’s read the first two books, reading “Black At Heart” is a must. We see into Wyatt’s past, and he’s been a character who’s intrigued me since the very beginning. We watch the Black CAT team come together as a real family while at the same time using their immense talents to track down some of the most heinous criminals in existence. I love how Leslie continues to primarily focus on the job at hand, though this installment was a little different in that respect since much of the conflict existed between Wyatt and Lily themselves, and the rest fell away while these two were front and center. But it made sense for the story to play out that way in this case. Here we have two people who’ve known each other, who’ve worked together, who’ve gone through some tragic circumstances, both together and apart, and it only seemed right to involve them more intimately and develop their relationship on a stronger, more committed level.

I hope you all enjoyed this series as much as I did, and I’m curious to hear what your favorite story out of the three ends up being. And I am hoping and praying and begging that Leslie gets to write more about those amazing Black CATS!

I liked Alyssa pretty much from the first time I met her, though we find out a little bit about her before she even appears.  ” ‘Find out if Alyssa Locke went to this competition,’ Tom ordered.  SO squadmember Frank O’Leary was only the second best marksman in the U.S, Navy.  Lieutenant Junior Grade Locke had outscored him every single time they’d competed.  She was a robot when it came to taking out a target.” – The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann, page 107-108.

Much later in the book, we find out even more about her: “As Kelly climbed out of her car, Tom hung on to the woman’s hand far longer than he had for his male friends.  She was gorgeous, Kelly realized.  Her skin was mocha colored, but her hair had red highlights and her eyes were a vivid green.  And she had a lithe body that matched the sheer perfection of her face.  She may not have been large breasted, but she was perfectly proportioned and athletically trim.  And she had amazing posture.  Positively regal.” TUH, page 282.

And her infamous exchange with Sam, her future husband “‘There are two things in life I’m sure I’ll never be,’ Locke said far too sweetly. ‘One is a SEAL.  That I regret.  I believe I’d be an asset to the teams.  The other, however, is a redneck asshole.  No regrets there.’  She smiled at him.  ‘Too bad you can’t say the same.’”

Because Alyssa is so incredibly beautiful – I believe I read that Suz used actress Vanessa Williams as her inspiration – she’s had to downplay her appearance to be taken seriously, and this means she’s all business, all the time.   “She stopped smiling at a man – unless he was a close friend – right around the time she’d turned fifteen.” The Defiant Hero by Suz Brockmann, page 10.  She resides in a man’s world, and to measure up, she has put all her time and energy into her career, forgoing much of her personal life, and this gives her a reserved, almost cold air that tends to scare people off.  But not Sam.  He’s never been one to play it safe, and he’s incredibly attracted to the prickly, icy Alyssa, his “Lys”.  She’s just not so fond of him.  At least at first.  In fact it would pretty much seem that she hates Sam.

But at the time time, she grudgingly respects him, and the abilities he’s honed since being a SEAL.  When he manages to evade her time and again, she reluctantly agrees to let Sam teach her how to do the same.  And then something surprising happens, something that leads Sam to realize that Alyssa is not all he thinks she is:  “And when a quick phone call to the maternity ward revealed that Tyra had given birth to a little girl just thirty minutes earlier, and that both mother and child were doing remarkably well, Alyssa Locke, the coldhearted ice bitch, actually started to cry.” TDH, page 227.

So here we finally begin to see the softer side of Alyssa, the beautiful woman who hides behind her gun and a serious expression, the tough as nails markswoman who never misses, who’s job it is to take out human targets.  While it may appear that she’s just a robot, we’re given a glimpse into her mindset, her motivation for bringing down the bad guys.

“She tried to imagine what it must’ve been like to be Sam and have to stand there and listen to that girl getting beaten.  Raped.

And then she thought long and hard about what it must’ve been like to be that girl.

She kept her crosshairs aimed in the middle of her target’s forehead, waiting for the clicks over her headset that signaled the SEALs were in place, waiting for the word from Tom Paoletti: Go.” Over the Edge by Suz Brockmann, page 362.

But underneath it all Alyssa is a woman, one who has finally looked through all the crap and defensiveness and posturing done by Sam and has seen deeper, into his heart, and realizes something very important:

“‘Sam.’

He turned back, surprised she’d used his name.

‘Stay safe.  Take head shots.’

He smiled, touched that she cared.  ‘I will.’

She stepped closer.  Lowered her voice.  But it still wasn’t low enough to keep Jenk and Cosmo from overhearing if they really wanted to.  ‘After we’re done here…Well, I was thinking, um, that, well, that you’re someone I’d really like to get to know better.  And I was wondering if maybe you’d like to have dinner with me.’

Sam glanced at Jenk, who was pointedly not looking at him.  He looked back at Alyssa, into the warm swirl of hope in her eyes, and he was afraid to open his mouth because he didn’t think he could form any coherent words.  He was afraid that a mindless howl of joy would escape, embarrassing her to death.” OTE, page 358.

Yet despite this happy turn of events, it isn’t for several more books that Sam and Alyssa finally get their happy ending.  Now, 15 books later, their relationship, which has evolved into marriage and later, parenthood, continues to fascinate me.  Alyssa has softened some over the years, especially once she became a mother, yet at the same time, at her core is still a strong element of steel and confidence that earned my respect way back in the beginning.  I love how she loves Sam, how being with him has made her more confident, more relaxed, yet she is still very much her own woman, and she’s not so intimidated by her husband that she cannot be an effective leader.  She treats Sam as she would any other person that reports to her, and it’s an extension of their incredible relationship that makes it work so well.  The both lead dangerous lives; that hasn’t changed since having a child, but they’ve managed to make it work for them.  Oh, how I adore these two.

As with Sam’s entry as my favorite hero here at RNTV, I’m not going to comb through every book or short story recapping all there is to Alyssa Locke, because for one thing, there is just too much history to share, and I’m hoping these tantalizing little glimpses into the life of Alyssa and her relationship with Sam will entice you to pick up the books if you haven’t already.  Brockmann to me is the queen at doling out delayed gratification when it comes to creating some of her most memorable couples, with Sam and Alyssa as her crowning glory, and personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way

Have you read the Troubleshooters series?  How do you feel about Alyssa as a heroine?

Reviewed by Stacy Ahlgren
Publisher: Signet
4.75 Stars

After a botched investigation left him wounded and disgraced, Special Agent Alec Lambert was forced to transfer onto Wyatt Blackstone’s team. This former profiler has lost his edge, buried by the guilt he feels over another agent’s death. But he’ll need all his skills when he realizes he’s getting another crack at a case that has haunted him. A serial killer known as the Professor is now using the latest e-mail schemes to lure his victims and the Black CATs are on his trail.

Samantha Dalton didn’t set out to become an online vigilante, until her grandmother was swindled out of everything she owned. Devoting herself to exposing fraud and preventing tragedies from happening to other families, Sam has gained fame and success with her website and a recently released book. A hermit since her ugly divorce, Sam really doesn’t want the outside world intruding on her privacy. Especially not when that outside world is a sexy FBI agent who tells her she has a cyber connection to a murdered teenage boy.

When the killer opens a line of communication with Sam via her website, Alec and his team enlist her help to stop him. There’s one thing they don’t know, however. The Professor doesn’t just see Sam Dalton as an anonymous online foe. He is, in fact, her number one fan. He’s been watching her, waiting for the time to be right to make his move. He just isn’t sure what that move will be.

Take her. Or kill her.

This is the second book in Leslie Parrish’s Black CAT series, and I think I liked it better than the first, which is really saying something. These books are not heavy on romance, but there is an HEA, and the suspense is enough to keep the reader engaged and anxious to find out what happens next. I had a difficult time putting this one down.

The Black CATs are an ostracized group of the FBI, and they handle internet crimes. In this story, the victims are the harmless yet gullible people who fall for those ridiculous internet scams promising millions, or that they will find their soulmate because they believe the wonderful lies told on the other end of the computer from someone they met via an online dating service. Tales too good to be true, but are tantalizing enough to convince those wanting to believe so badly that they could actually be that lucky. That out of the billions of people on the planet, they alone are the recipient of millions of dollars just for “helping” someone in an international country, or find the man/woman of their dreams and promise to run away with them without ever having met them. It’s the fairy tale we all want to believe in, even though we really know better.

The first few pages of “Pitch Black” were enough to give me chills, quite literally. Without giving it away, Leslie taps into one of my greatest fears here, and makes it horrifying enough to really make you fear and hate the villain on so many levels. The Professor has made it his mission to weed out those who are weak, stupid, gullible, by coming up with convincing schemes to tempt people to try and grab that dangling gold carrot, only once they do, the consequences are extremely dire. However the Professor still provides a last-minute escape route: if his victims use common sense and do not lose their heads, there is still a chance they can get themselves out of danger. So he doesn’t really see himself as a killer. He justifies his actions by believing the victim has created their own fate, and will live or die because of their own actions. Survival of the fittest.

Samantha Dalton has personal experience with internet scams as someone very close to her was taken in by one and it was truly devastating. She has made her mission in life as Sam the Spaminator to educate people about the pitfalls of these scams, and via her blog, provides helpful tips and suggestions to avoid being taken in by claims that really are too good to be true. The Professor is quite taken with Sam, and finds her to be intelligent and quite rational, traits he greatly admires, and he looks forward to the day when the two will finally be together. He imagines that it won’t be long before he can convince her of the validity of his actions, and believes she will eventually see the brilliance of his plans to rid the world of “stupid people”. It’s only a matter of time before she concedes to his intelligent nature.

Sam meets Special Agent Alec Lambert when the CAT Team discovers her connection to one of the Professor’s recent victims. Feeling somewhat responsible for the death of a young boy, even though logically there was nothing she could have done, she agrees to work with Alec and his agency to stop a madman from claiming any more victims. She can’t help the instantaneous attraction that sizzles between them, but ignores it to help catch a dangerous killer. Her involvement in the case forces her out of her shell and to face some realities about how she’s let her bitterness over her divorce control her life. Helping Alec and his team has made her face some things about herself she didn’t want to acknowledge, but it ends up being a necessary experience for her. As more time goes by, Sam and Alec grow closer,and the once burning physical attraction deepens into something that neither one of them can walk away from. But their growing relationship is hindered by their hunt for a dangerous madman, one who decides to select his next victim from those a little too close to home…..

My thoughts:

Can I just say how much I absolutely love this series? I thought the first one was amazing but this one totally caught my attention right from the first page and I was hooked. I’m not a huge reader of romantic suspense, but I think I might have to change that. Leslie Parrish’s Black CAT series is one I can’t rave about enough. Just when I think I might have figured it all out, she throws another wrench into the mix and I have to start all over again, and it’s that suspense that kept me glued to the pages. That and the fact that she creates believably flawed characters who are smart and clever, and – I can’t believe I’m saying this like it’s a good thing – spend more time actually solving the case instead of ripping each other’s clothes off everytime they’re alone. I get that the adrenaline and sense of immediate danger can be a seductive aphrodiasiac, but when the characters are too busy hittin’ it and the bodies are piling up left and right, I lose all respect. Leslie blends the perfect level of fear and urgency with a potent level of tension and attraction to keep readers on their toes and impatient to see where this is going next. With a secondary plot carried over from the first book, “Fade To Black” – which is not required reading before “Pitch Black” but it sure does help – intertwined with the current case involving the Professor, Leslie writes an engaging, absorbing story that is sure to please fans of romantic suspense, as well as those new to the genre looking for something refreshing and/or relevant in today’s society. As we become more and more connected, what with the advent of new and advanced technology all the time, internet crimes are sure to become more and more prevalent, especially when we don’t have that face-to-face contact – body language – to use as an additional filter when getting a vibe off another person. Working for a financial institution, we see people who fall for these fraudulent claims rather often, so to take it to the next level and turn it into a gage of human behavior is fascinating to me. It actually makes a bizarre kind of sense.

As in “Fade To Black”, I liked the characters in this book quite a bit. Not just Alec and Sam but also the other agents on the CAT Team. It seems they are all damaged in some way, and the little pieces into their lives we see just makes me crave more. There is unfinished business left over which I’m sure is to be resolved in the 3rd (and hopefully not final!) installment.

Those who are looking for more of a romantic storyline won’t necessarily find it here, but for me, I’m satisfied in the slow buildup of the relationship between Alec and Sam here because for one thing, it’s not the main focus of the book. We learn a lot about Sam especially, and why she’s so gun-shy, and we see what Alec has been through just prior to being assigned to the Black CAT team, and together their painful pasts forge a connection that builds slowly with the more time they spend together, trying to solve this particular case that they feel personally drawn to for different reasons. I really appreciated that their relationship isn’t rushed, but evolves naturally. It totally makes sense within the construct of the story, and allows the reader to concentrate on the case at hand, and the crucial undertaking of capturing a formidable opponent.

If I haven’t said it enough already, I’m going to repeat myself one additional time here and strongly encourage you to pick a copy of this book. I, for one, want to continue reading this series after book 3, and I’m hoping everyone else will, too. It’s really gotten me excited for more romantic suspense, and I think Leslie’s deft hand with the genre is going to take her far. I think others will agree once they’ve given it a try.

Reviewed by Stacy Ahlgren
Publisher: Penguin
4.5 stars

In the first few pages of the story, we see that the killer is just in the middle of his first kill. And we also discover that he has decided to videotape his victim’s final moments. Despite his mostly calm demeanor, this is not a cold, unemotional murder; the killer is remembering cruel taunts and digs he’s suffered, and lashes out against his prey with all the rage and impotence that’s been building for years. This is his revenge. Now he had finally found his place, and what he was meant to do.

Seventeen months and several deaths later, the bloody crimes have been discovered, and on the internet of all places. Now it was up to CAT, a specialized division of the FBI who deal with cyber crimes, to stop a maniac before he kills any more people. Using video footage from the eight deaths uncovered, Special Agent Dean Taggart follows the trail to Hope Valley, the small town where the first victim resided, and teams up with the very dedicated and very female sheriff, Stacey Rhodes. Working side by side to stop a madman straight out of one’s worst nightmare, Dean and Stacey keep hitting a brick wall, because now the time between murders is becoming shorter, and despite the Reaper having less time to prepare for his kills, the trail isn’t getting any easier to track.

Stacey knows what it’s like to live with the haunting images left over from a gruesome tragedy. That’s why she’s returned to Hope Valley, where she doesn’t have to deal with such horrific acts of violence. But now it seems such a crime has come to her town, and she has to not just help track a brutal killer who keeps upping the bloody stakes with each crime, but also deal with the aftermath of grief when the crime hits so close to home. If that weren’t enough, there’s also the having to deal with the distracting presence of the sexiest man she’s ever known on a daily basis. Sensing a mutual attraction, Stacey decides the only thing to do is act on it, and decides on a temporary fling is just what’s needed to help her relax and maybe even forget, for just a little while, the horror of the man they are tracking.

But before Dean and Stacey can figure out where their feelings are headed, the team must try and stop the Reaper from committing his most disturbing murder yet. Time is working against them, and if they don’t figure out who is responsible for these heinous crimes, the results could be more devastating then they can deal with….

My thoughts:

Not too much. Not too little. It was just right. What I mean is, there’s not an abundance of gratuitous violence, there are no TSTL characters, and the hero and heroine don’t drop everything to have raging hot sex every time someone dies. I’ll admit, I kept waiting for something bad to happen, like Dean all of a sudden morphing into a complete jerk or that Stacey forgets she’s a competent policewoman, more than capable of taking care of herself and her town, but wilts under the intimidating glare of the hero. But it never did. Whew, how wonderful that was to experience: regular people who acted like you hoped they would.

Probably one of the best things about this book is the way the heroine is written. Stacey is exactly the kind of woman I would want to be. She’s strong, brave, intelligent, and she comes with a boatload of common sense. She’s also very forthright and can hold her own against any man, even one that hates her guts. She doesn’t cower behind Dean when the hint of danger is lurking about. Definitely not the helpless female type is our Stacey. In fact she’s the one that initiates their fling, figuring there’s no reason to wait for the guy to make the first move. In fact that’s just her way – she is definitely a take charge type of person, and even when it comes to sex, she’s not afraid to put herself out there. I think it impressed the heck out of Dean, too.

And speaking of which, the perfect match for her is a guy just like Dean. Sure he’s got baggage – ex-wife, a kid he hardly gets to see, vast experience with solving violent crimes – but he’s got his head on straight and he knows what’s important. Above all else, he loves his son and will do whatever it takes if it means he can spend more time with him. And then he has this rather adorable crush on Stacey – his heart stops whenever he sees her – yet he plays it cool. He doesn’t act like a chest-beating bully with something to prove.

I think Leslie did an amazing job of bringing these two people together and letting them simmer but not boiling over and make a complete mess. The action was suspenseful enough to keep me turning the pages yet not too gory and explicit that I had to close my eyes or put the book down. She also kept me guessing as to the identity of the killer, as several possible suspects were paraded throughout the story for very legitimate reasons, so I appreciated that it wasn’t immediately known, at least to me, who was commiting the crimes. It made the action more suspenseful and heightened the level of urgency to catch him. And the story was told in such a way that the existence of such a place like Satan’s Playground is completely believable, and probably does actually survive out there in the real world (shudder), which makes this book even more compelling.

I am definitely recommending that you give Leslie’s new series a try. I’m so excited that she decided to branch out into the suspense genre, and am thrilled that this first story worked so well for me, and I’m sure many other readers. There was just a little bit of a lag about 3/4 of the way through, but it was just minor compared to how much I really enjoyed this book. I think she’s going places. Kudos to Leslie

Reviewed by Stacy  Ahlgren
Publisher: Penguin
4 Stars

Nola Grainger is living a great life in Chicago. She’s built her photography business into something to be proud of, she has wonderful friends and an amazing lover. But when her grandmother dies, she might have to give it all up and go live in Resnick, the small town in Georgia where she grew up, in order to get her inheritance. Nola’s not interested in any money, but Lochhaven, the lovely southern home she grew up in, would be all her’s. There’s just one small catch: Nola has to be married in order to claim her inheritance, and she’s got 30 days to get it done, or otherwise the house along with everything that goes with it will go to someone else.

Of course Nola is shocked by such an archaic demand to gain her inheritance, and even moreso when she discovers her grandmother’s will is airtight. As much as she’d love to turn her back on the stipulation, she knows deep in her heart she would regret losing Lochhaven, so after much consideration, she decides that she is going to do everything she can to fulfill the terms of the will. She doesn’t have much time, so she immediately sets about dealing with her life in Chicago, and tying up loose ends. This takes longer than she anticipated, so by the time she reaches Resnick, she’s tired, stressed, and feeling the pressure like a lead weight in her stomach.

Part of the stress that is affecting her is that Nola decides that the man she’s going to marry is going to be for keeps, not just a solution to an immediate problem. She figures if she can find a man who can set her sheets on fire, that he will be most compatible, and they can work on the rest later. She already has at least one candidate in mind: her high school sweetheart, Billy. Finding out he’s available gives her hope that they can re-kindle the romance they had so many years ago. But though he’s a more likely choice, she decides not to limit her options, especially when her current lover Marc has expressed interest in taking their relationship to the next level, and then there’s Tanner, her grandmother’s sexy handyman, who totally flips her switch.

So with the clock ticking, Nola must decide which man she is going to potentially spend the rest of he life with, work on restoring Lochhaven to its former glory, and, oh yeah, try and figure out who’s trying to kill her before they succeed…

My thoughts:

This book is a bit unique in that it’s set up to be a traditional romance, yet the heroine has been spending time in the beds of three different men. Normally this type of behavior puts me off the book, but under the circumstances – using an old plot device in a contemporary way – I was able to put aside my personal feelings and work let the storyline play out.

Why I think it worked for me was because of the situations in which two of the men played a part in her life. Marc was already her current lover, though at first she really didn’t see him as potential husband material, and Billy was her first lover, back when they were in high school. So the idea of her being sexually intimate with three men didn’t bother me as much as it might have if she just recently met these three men and decided they were the most likely candidates for a husband.

Now the story was written in such a way that all three men were very viable choices for a husband. It was also written in a way that Nola had reason not to choose any of them for very valid reasons. So here’s Nola, desperate to find a husband and not lose the legacy that meant so much to her, yet because of a variety of reasons, her decision was not going to be an easy one. She had to get to know these men intimately, both physically and emotionally, in order to know in her heart which man was the one for her. She was not looking for a temporary arrangement – she wanted a permanent, happy relationship that she could build on with her husband. As archaic as her grandmother’s wishes were, once she came to realize what she could be forfeiting, Nola had every intention of honoring the terms of the will.

As for the man she fell in love with, let’s just say that I knew from the minute I “met” him who I wanted her to choose, and fortunately I was right. Each man had his own set of qualities and attributes that appealed to Nola in different ways, but there was only one man whom she felt was the one she is meant to be with. Once she knew in her heart, she didn’t allow herself to continue to have sex with the other two, and this was because she’d consciously made a commitment; she had fallen in love, so even though she still cared deeply for the two other men she might have married, and was still attracted to both of them, she had made her choice and couldn’t break her vow, even if it was just to herself.

This story was refreshing in that it let the heroine explore her sexuality, her feelings, and didn’t have Nola feeling guilty for getting physical with more than one man. It’s a very contemporary attitude, and I’m sure each of us know at least one friend, or maybe even are that person, who has more than one lover at a time. Nola was also as upfront with her lovers as she could be, not sugarcoating the fact that she was being intimate with other men, and because no promise of fidelity and exclusivity had been made, I felt she was well within her right to have a little fun, as long as she was careful and took precautions, which was definitely made known that she was.

While this story may not appeal to everyone’s tastes, I think it’s a brave move on Ms. Maynard’s part to write about a modern woman who embraces her sexuality and at the same time, honors her small-town roots. Sexy and charming, I think many readers will still see Janice’s familiar style and enjoy a bolder storyline with a likable heroine and the men who love her.

Reviewed by Stacy Ahlgren
Published by: Avon Red
4 1/2 out of 5 stars

I’ve been a fan of Jess Michaels, a.k.a. Jenna Petersen, work since I read “Ancient Pleasures” in a Secrets Volume. Then I read “Everything Forbidden” and “Something Reckless” and really enjoyed her steamier, romantic stories that focused more on the relationship than on secondary plotlines. And I believe that “Taboo” is her best book yet.

It has been four years since Nathan Manning and Cassandra Willows have seen each other, before she stood him up on the night they planned to elope. Heartbroken, he sails off to India, where he stay for several years. Now that Nathan has returned to England and has seen Cassandra, his anger and sense of betrayal still burn strongly in his heart, and he realizes that she still has the power to arouse him to great passion. He figures he can exact his revenge and still satisfy his lust if he uses the knowledge of her “side job” as the creator of sex toys to blackmail her into his bed.

Cassandra has moved on since she was unable to meet Nathan that fateful night and run away to begin their life together. She is now a popular seamstress who is highly sought after by the ton, and her intimate creations are also in high demand. As long as she’s able to keep her identity a secret, she can hold her head up high to those who come to her for her incredible talent with needle and thread. Never did she ever imagine she’d see Nathan again, or that he’d demand such a high price from her. But unless she wants the whole world to know about her “toy” business, which would ruin her, she is to once again share his bed whenever he wants her there.

The thing is, though she’s not happy about Nathan’s blackmail, she still wants him, so the idea of having sex with him is certainly not a repugnant one. But Cassandra’s just afraid of the emotional implications from once again being intimate with the man she loved so long ago and never forgot. And Nathan is still so angry with her, so she sees this whole situation as something just waiting to blow up in her face. She doesn’t see any good coming out of it, yet comprehends that with Nathan’s mood such as it is, she doesn’t have much of a choice.

The passion between them burns hotter than ever, and Nathan is both seduced and frustrated with the level of experience his former fiancee’ has gained from the beds of other men. Once a shy virgin, Cassandra is now a confident, aggressive woman between the sheets, due to the variety of lovers she’s taken over the last several years. It galls him to know other men have known what previously he was the only one to discover: that Cassandra is a passionate, creative partner in bed, one who fully enjoys sex and the pleasure to be found in it. But as much as that bothers him, he cannot help but re-discover the woman he once loved, and sees she’s still the same woman who intrigues him with her intelligence, humor, and incredible spirit. He knows at some point he must give her up, especially since he’s in search of a wife, but for right now, the only thing that matters is being with her.

My thoughts:

As I mentioned, out of the 3 full-length Jess Michaels’ books I’ve read, this one is my favorite. I love the total focus on just Nathan and Cassandra. We get to find out how they met and fell in love, that they engaged in an affair and planned to be married. Only Nathan’s parents didn’t like Cassandra, a mere commoner, which is why they decided to run off to Gretna Green. And we find out why Cassandra never made it to the meeting place that night.

Cassandra was a beautiful woman, and after Nathan left for India, believing she’d forsaken him, she eventually moves on to the bed of other men. She initially becomes a mistress, and saving enough money to open her own shop. While she never falls in love again, she does make several gentleman friends and later, once her shop is running sufficiently, she takes lovers at her discretion. It was refreshing to have a heroine who doesn’t deny her sexuality, but instead gains much pleasure from the men she goes to bed with. It’s not known exactly how many she’s been with, but I get the impression that it’s been with several, and all of her choosing. The point is, she’s an experienced woman with a thriving career and while she’s not a member of the ton, she’s also well-respected as a businesswoman.

Watching Nathan coming to terms with her sexual experience and numerous lovers is interesting because he happens to know some of them, and it’s uncomfortable for him to know that they’ve shared her bed. It’s difficult for him to think of other men touching her, knowing her body as intimately as he does. But when he starts falling in love with her again, he decides that he loves her as she is, and is fortunate for what she’s been through to become the strong, amazing woman he respects and admires. Good man, that Nathan.

“Taboo” is very sexy, but not as erotic as other stories I’ve read. But that’s totally okay. That meant more time was invested in the relationship between these two slightly damaged people, and you know I’m totally all about that. It’s brimming with emotion and angst, and I was totally rooting for them to get back together. So yeah, I’m a total sap because this book gave me the warm, okay, more like the hot fuzzies, and I enjoyed it so much. I was sorry to see it end.

So if you like your romances with a lot of steamy sex and watching the emotional struggle from the characters trying not to risk their hearts, then “Taboo” is definitely the book for you. I think Jess Michaels keeps getting better and better, and remains on my auto-buy list.

Reviewed by Stacy Ahlgren

4 Stars

CAUGHT BETWEEN DUTY AND DESIRE . . .

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, has finally moved on. After seven years mourning the loss of her husband, Garrett, at Waterloo, she has married his best friend and heir, Tristan. Sophie gives herself to him body and soul. . . until the day Garrett returns from the Continent, demanding his title, his lands-and his wife.
TORN BETWEEN TWO HUSBANDS . . .

Now Sophie must choose between her first love and her new love, knowing that no matter what, her choice will destroy one of the men she adores. Will it be Garrett, her childhood sweetheart, whose loss nearly destroyed her once already? Or will it be Tristan, beloved friend turned lover, who supported her through the last, dark years and introduced her to a passion she had never known? As her two husbands battle for her heart, Sophie finds herself immersed in a dangerous game-where the stakes are not only love . . . but life and death.

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“Hint of Wicked” is mostly the story of Sophie, who had married her childhood sweetheart Garrett and tragically lost him – or so she thought – at Waterloo. Naturally, she’s devastated, and grieves a long time for the wonderful man she married. Several years later, after Garrett is declared legally dead, she finds it within herself to love again, and the man who has captured her heart is Tristan, another childhood friend, someone who loved Garrett almost as much as she did. Together they begin a new life, one filled with love, and promise, and incredible passion.

But just as Sophie and Tristan have found happiness and are enjoying their new life, they are shocked by the return of a most beloved friend from their old one when Garrett returns to England, stunning them both. And it’s no surprise that Garrett wants his life – and his wife – back.

Of course now that Tristan is married to Sophie, this causes a huge rift between the once close friends. Garrett and Tristan now look upon each other as the enemy, and Sophie is caught in the middle of the two men she cares for deeply, torn in her loyalties. While she’s ecstatic and relieved that Garrett is alive, and loves him still, she married Tristan, and now loves him as her husband. But Garrett is determined to regain his life back and all that went with it, so he petitions the court to make a decision on who is Sophie’s actual and true husband.

Garrett is not the same man that Sophie married. Time and his mental condition have changed him, as well as the fact that while he was away, he was not residing as the Duke he was, but rather laboring as a farmer in Belgium, unaware of his life and responsibilities in England. Yet once he begins to remember his former life, he immediately makes his way back to Sophie, only to discover his lovely wife has remarried his best friend.

And Sophie is not the same young, innocent woman she was when she married Garrett. Growing up, he was always her protector, the one who looked out for both her and Tristan, yet since his disappearance, Sophie has had to make many adjustments in her life, including raising a child on her own, and these changes have made her the strong, resilient woman she is now. Tristan has become her best friend, the person she tells her deepest secrets to, and he’s the only other person in the world who truly understands the sense of grief and loss she experienced when Garrett never returned home after Waterloo. She falls in love with him and they marry. When Garrett does return home, she acknowledges that she loves and desires two men, yet refuses to be the one to choose between them.

Tristan has always loved Sophie, but never revealed his true feelings when it became evident that Garrett and Sophie loved each other. He stepped aside, never revealing the depth of his feelings for Sophie. But now that she is his wife, he refuses to step aside again, and vows to fight for the woman he believes should be his. But will this tug of war destroy them all?

My thoughts (possible spoilers):

I knew right off that this book was going to be a little different by the way Sophie and Tristan first learn that Garrett is alive, and it’s incredibly uncomfortable and emotionally wrenching for all of them. This understandably sets the tone for future confrontations between the three, resulting in hostile, bitter exchanges that resolve nothing, and resentment stirs in both Tristan and Garrett. I’ll admit I had to read this book twice before I could collect my thoughts and write this review, and it was easier the second time around, obviously because I now knew what to expect.

Sophie is perhaps my favorite character, infused with strength and compassion and the resolve not to hurt those she loves. It’s been mentioned in other reviews about her refusal to choose between Garrett and Tristan, and how her decision is not based on inaction nor a weak nature, but rather because she does care so much for each man and cannot be the one to cause either additional pain. Sophie is determined to make the best of the cards that have been dealt, all the while knowing that her fantasy of loving two men will never come to fruition, and she must eventually make a choice as to which man is her true husband. And she does, but never once is it an easy decision. It breaks her heart.

Tristan is a man of honor, the friend who stood by years ago and watched the woman he loved marry his best friend. He cares deeply for them both and is at peace with his choice, if not exactly happy about what he’s sacrificed, but he moves on and builds a life of his own, and he is content. He grieves as much as Sophie for the loss of Garrett, and believes in his heart that being with Sophie is something Garrett would have wanted. Throughout the story we see evidence of Tristan’s honor warring with his heart’s desire. His strongest impulse was to grab Sophie and the children and run away with them, but he knows he cannot, and that is partially why I loved him so much. He still did the right thing, even when it tore him away from Sophie. He could never live with himself if he broke her spirit.

Garrett. I had a heck of a time warming up to him in the beginning. There were times when he was cruel and unforgiving, though we learn the reason for some of his behavior later in the story. But when he first returns, he’s cold, uncompromising, with a deadly edge to him. There is little of the old Garrett left, but Sophie clings to the belief that deep-down, he hasn’t changed that much for the young man she fell in love with. And as we get to know Garrett, both from glimpses of his childhood as well as his experiences in the war and afterwards, I felt more compassion towards him. Here is a man who’s returned home after being gone for eight long years, which must have felt like an eternity to someone who cannot remember his past. When he returns, it’s not just to discover his wife remarried, but also to his seven-year-old daughter, and a sister who is no longer a child. And, there’s a very good chance he’s completely mad…

Ms. Haymore does not shy away from the intimacy issue. Here is Sophie, a sensual woman who’s experienced sexual pleasure in the bed of both her husbands, and her desire does not cease to exist when her first husband returns, complicating her life greatly. In her deepest fantasies, she longs to experience the pleasure of making love to the two men she loves at the same time, yet rationally she knows it can never happen. Tristan and Garrett are not the type of men to share the woman they love. She knows in her heart she must say good-bye to one of them. The love she has for her two husbands is as much a physical part of her as it is an emotional one, and she expresses her feelings with her body as well as her heart. So yes, Sophie does have sex with Tristan, and later with Garrett, and it’s deeply pleasurable for her each time. She doesn’t let guilt or shame taint her time in their beds. Sophie is a woman who passionately loves two men, and she won’t regret loving either of them.

I think this story would have been incredibly compelling if it had concentrated solely on the heart-wrenching dilemma between these three people, that it could have delved deeper into the emotional complications they had to work through. Instead, there is a secondary plot that closely intertwines with Garrett’s return and partially explains his strange behavior. I wish there hadn’t been so much time invested in this aspect of the story, even though it did make for interesting suspense, but I felt the story would have been more effective without all that subterfuge. Still, “A Hint of Wicked” is a powerful story in many ways, and while the romance angle is resolved, it is not without its share of heartache. Jennifer Haymore wrote an unforgettable story that stayed with me long after I put the book down.

Reviewed by Stacy Ahlgren
Publisher: Avon
41/2 stars

The perfect daughter. The perfect prom queen. The perfect wife. Jenny Tolliver’s been the good girl all her life, and it’s gotten her nowhere. Now that her marriage has been busted up by her cheating ex, she’s decided it’s time to regroup and rediscover herself. This summer she’s headed back to her hometown of Destiny, Ohio, to the very lakeshore cottage where she grew up, to figure out what life holds in store for her next.

She never dreamed the answer would be Mick Brody, Destiny’s #1 hellraiser. He comes from the wrong side of the tracks (or in his case, the lake), and he’s landed in hot water more times than he can count. He’s exactly the kind of guy Jenny’s always kept her distance from … but soon the good girl and the bad boy are caught in a raw heat that’s out of control. Too bad Mick’s got a secret that threatens to tear them apart and ruin Jenny’s perfectly, passionately reckless summer …

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This is book #1 in a new series by Toni Blake, and fans are sure to be pleased in her latest release, “One Reckless Summer”.  Toni excels at telling stories about everyday women who decide to break out of their protective little shells and take a chance on passion, and ultimately, love.

When Jenny Tolliver discovers her husband is cheating on her, she begins to question the way she’s been living her life.  Always the good girl, doing what’s expected, Jenny realizes that even the safest path can still lead to heartache.  Taking the summer to re-evaluate her options, Jenny decides to leave the city and go home to Destiny, where she has family and friends.  She’s grateful to have her father and her best friend, Sue Ann, who are there when she needs a shoulder to lean on and to provide unconditional love.  But even the comfort of small-town living can be a little stifling.  The one thing she can turn to when she needs to be alone is her love of the stars.  Magnificent, vast and awe-inspiring, Jenny’s love of the night sky is her passion, and Destiny, with its grand skyline and lack of city lights, is the perfect place to indulge.  Oh, but the view would be oh, so much better across the lake…

…where the old Brody cabin sits.  Years ago, Jenny had been out tanning on her side of the lake when she encountered Mike Brody and his questionable companions out on their boat, and while she knows he’s dangerous, she can’t curb the little thrill his nearness gives her.  But that doesn’t mean she’s ready to live on the edge.  Even now, years later, the thought of Mick Brody can still make her nervous, and not just in a good way.  But he’s been long gone, so it couldn’t hurt to row over to his side of the lake and get a better view of the stars, could it?  After all, no one will know what she’s up to, right?

But of course who happens to be there but Mick Brody himself, and he’s not too pleased to find someone snooping over on his land, even if it is that pretty, good girl he was never able to forget.  Mick has something to hide however, and he can’t take the chance on anyone finding out what it is.  Yet the sparks between him and Jenny are potent and won’t be ignored, and with one touch, they both go up in flames.  And what starts out as a scorching affair turns into something neither one of them can walk away from.

I thoroughly enjoyed ”One Reckless Summer”.  It made me think of going barefoot, enjoying the feel of the sun on my face, and the blistering humidity that can make one feel a little, well, reckless.  Jenny was someone who’d always taken the safe path, the right path, and when it ends badly, she suffers a huge blow to her self-esteem.  Even being the prom queen and marrying the right guy doesn’t mean your life is going to turn out perfect.  Her marriage lacked passion.  With Mick, she not only finds passion, but someone who cares for her just as she is.  She can talk about her dreams, and the pain of losing her mother, and what it’s like when everyone expects her to be good all the time.  She can be cranky and sexy and funny with Mick and it’s totally okay. He doesn’t mind one bit.

In fact Mick thinks he must have done something right somewhere to end up with someone as amazing as Jenny.  If it weren’t for this one secret that threatens to tear them apart, he could maybe let himself imagine them having a future together.  He never knew what that was like before, to have someone to come home to, but now realizes he wants to find out.  But there might just be one too many obstacles and too much pain to get past.

These are two very likable characters who are drawn to each other by a strong attraction but discover that maybe there’s more between them than just incredibly hot sex.  Jenny is basically a nice person, a little too concerned with pleasing others, especially her father, yet she cannot deny her feelings for the bad boy of her fantasies.  And Mick was exactly that, going down a path of bad choices that could have landed him in jail if he hadn’t realized early that he was getting nowhere fast.  And because of his past, he didn’t let people get close to him.  Jenny is the first person who Mick actually trusts enough to let in, someone he wants to get to know better.  She soothes him, and makes him feel like someone actually cares about what happens to him.  And what starts out as a scorching fling turns out to be so much more for both of them.  It’s unexpected and scary, but no less real.

“One Reckess Summer” celebrates the good girl that lives in most of us, who never really goes away but does let herself be just a little bad from time to time.  And in doing so, sometimes she ends up finding real love.

]]> http://www.romancenovel.tv/2009/05/19/one-reckless-summer-by-toni-blake/feed/ 9 http://www.romancenovel.tv/2009/04/18/marked-by-passion-by-kate-perry/ http://www.romancenovel.tv/2009/04/18/marked-by-passion-by-kate-perry/#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:01:59 +0000 Stacy http://www.romancenovel.tv/wordpress/2009/04/18/marked-by-passion-by-kate-perry/ Reviewed by Stacy Ahlgren
Grand Central Publishing
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

In this sexy but frustrating paranormal romance, the ancient and powerful Chinese scroll of Earth couldn’t have found a more unwelcoming new Guardian than Gabrielle Sansouci Chin, a San Francisco free spirit who tends bar to support her painting career. Unfortunately, her title is inherited, so upon her father’s death she gets the scroll. In spite of a sudden infusion of scary, unfocused power, the appeals of her dead father’s spirit and the arrival of sexy treasure-hunter Rhys Llewellyn, Gabe dodges responsibility until nearly the end of the book, repeatedly-and repetitively-ignoring clues about the danger closing in on her and the patently obvious machinations of the villain. Perry’s breezy writing style and steamy love scenes may carry some readers along,…

Reviewed by Stacy Ahlgren
Grand Central Publishing
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

In this sexy but frustrating paranormal romance, the ancient and powerful Chinese scroll of Earth couldn’t have found a more unwelcoming new Guardian than Gabrielle Sansouci Chin, a San Francisco free spirit who tends bar to support her painting career. Unfortunately, her title is inherited, so upon her father’s death she gets the scroll. In spite of a sudden infusion of scary, unfocused power, the appeals of her dead father’s spirit and the arrival of sexy treasure-hunter Rhys Llewellyn, Gabe dodges responsibility until nearly the end of the book, repeatedly-and repetitively-ignoring clues about the danger closing in on her and the patently obvious machinations of the villain. Perry’s breezy writing style and steamy love scenes may carry some readers along, but most will feel like they’re driving a car that’s stuck in first gear. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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My review:

When we first meet Gabrielle Sansouci Chin, she is working her usual shift as bartender at the Pour House, and she’s just been handed a special delivery.  Thinking it is the much anticipated contract from Gallery 415, an art gallery that has recently commissioned her paintings, she’s stunned to find that instead, it is actually an ancient scroll, specifically the one her family has been entrusted to protect for many centuries.  It is only handed down to the next worthy protector when the current one is no longer living.  Receiving the scroll could only mean one thing:  her father is dead.

Having not seen him in years, she is nevertheless regretful to learn of his passing as now she believes now it’s too late for them to ever mend fences.  Only she finds out that though he is in fact dead, his spirit is somehow tied to the scroll, and he is there to help teach her the ways of the Guardian, something he never got to finish doing while he was alive.  Gabe and her father Wu must learn to put aside their differences so he can help her protect the scroll, and learn how to bend with its immense power.

Almost immediately, Gabe begins to notice she is being followed, and one man in particular, the utterly gorgeous Rhys Llewellyn, seems to be watching her every step.  And while she’s wildly attracted to Rhys, she’s not buying what he’s selling.  Everytime she turns around though, he’s there, watching her, making her want things she shouldn’t.  He somehow seems to be connected to her, and knows how to subdue the excruciating effects of the scroll, and while she’s grateful for his assistance, she can’t trust him one bit.  Too bad he’s the only man who’s ever made her burn.

Along with Rhys, others are watching, waiting for the moment when they can take the scroll from her.  Placing it in a location she’s sure no one would ever look, she tries to ignore it’s seductive pull, and concentrate on painting the several pieces she’d promised the art gallery.  But her muse appears to be on vacation, and she spends her days bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, and her nights working at the bar, getting deeper involved with the power of the scroll and not completely understanding its power.  She even tries to get rid of it, willing to give it away to someone who wants it way more than her, someone more worthy of being a Guardian.  But that’s not how it works, and Gabe must figure out a way to keep the scroll safe, finish her paintings, and not end up dead.

This story is told in first person POV, and while that’s not a style preferred by many readers, I didn’t mind it.  I was rather intrigued by the synopsis for this story, and fascinated by Gabe’s varied  background.  She’s part Chinese, having been schooled in martial arts since she could walk, and she’s also fluent in French.  She’s a tough woman, knows how to handle herself but isn’t hard or bitter.  She’s a loner who recently has found herself reaching out to people and establishing a real friendship Carrie, with one of her co-workers, which both confuses and delights her.  I found Gabe to be very likable and caring.

Rhys was sinfully wonderful – dangerous, sexy, rich – with a broody British accent and the ability to get past Gabe’s defenses too easily for her liking.  He wants Gabe from the minute he sees her, but she refuses to make it easy on him, and that definitely intrigues him.  At the same time, he’s determined to get what he wants.  He knows things, and this drives Gabe crazy, though most of the time he’s willing to share his knowledge with her.  Another thing I liked about him is that though he’s very protective of her, he doesn’t treat her like a breakable piece of crystal, and begrudgingly lets her be as independent as she ever was.  It might bother him to have her walking the mean streets of San Francisco at night, but he knows that this is who she is, and he doesn’t want things to be easy, not if he can be with her.

One thing that drove me a little nuts about this story was as much as I liked Gabe, she spent a lot of time doing nothing.  She kept putting things off – her painting, dealing with the scroll, confronting her father.  In a story like this where her destiny meant that she had life and death responsibilities to handle, she spent an awful lot of time trying to avoid them.  I wanted to grab her and shake her and demand that she do something, anything, instead of trudging through her days, exhausted, disillusioned, wary.  Here was an opportunity to learn more about her history, and that of her family, and what it all meant.  Some of the events that occur in the story are rather predictable, but I didn’t mind that as much as I minded Gabe’s inability to act.

“Marked by Passion” is the first book in Kate Perry’s Guardian series, and by the end of this story, there were some unanswered questions, about her family specifically, and I don’t know if these will be answered in the next book, which sounds like it will have a new heroine and hero.  However, I’ve decided that I’m curious enough to want to find out.

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He is the one and only Sam Starrett.  Okay, his real name is actually Roger, and if you’ve read the Troubleshooter series by Suzanne Brockmann, you understand how he becomes known as Sam, which it’s the name most people call him.  Sam is a southern good ole boy from Texas, sexy, good-looking and extremely popular with the ladies.  Now I have to be honest here – southern gentlemen have never been my thing, but with his quick temper and colorful language, Sam can hardly be called a gentleman, and that’s how women like me prefer him.    Oh don’t get me wrong, he definitely has his own brand of charm, otherwise he wouldn’t be the irresistible bad boy that he is.  And when he finally meets the one woman who stands out above all the rest, the one he can’t stop thinking about, even when it seems hopeless, he falls HARD.

We first meet Sam in “Unsung Hero” (p 283): “A sleek, athletic-looking woman came out of the front passenger side, and a long-haired twenty-something man with a handlebar mustache and goatee, mirror sunglasses, and chains on his boots emerged from the back, stretching his long legs and yawning”.    And this is the first time we see Sam and the eventual love of his life, Alyssa Locke, together.  Yet within just a few moments, and in typical Sam fashion, he opens his big mouth and makes his opinion known:

“And the man called Sam sidled up to Locke. ‘I just want to take this opportunity to remind you that just because you’re working with us in this situation doesn’t mean you’ve got your foot in the door at Coronado.  A woman in the teams is never going to happen.’  His voice was low but Kelly overheard quite clearly as she passed by.

‘Gee.’ Locke’s voice was edged with sarcasm.  ‘It’s so nice that you’re concerned for me, Roger.”’

Yes, not quite one of his finest moments.

Despite his dumb ass comments, which he makes on a regular basis, he does manage to get under Alyssa’s skin, and in her bed, though at first it does take her a bit of liquid courage to let him in. Reluctantly, she has to admit she finds him attractive.

(”The Defiant Hero”):
“From a safe distance, Locke could understand and even appreciate his appeal.  He was handsome but not too pretty, with a face that was all masculine angles and edges.  He wore his hair much too long for a Navy officer, tied back in a pony tail.  She knew that meant he still spent much of his time in extremely hostile, dangerous places where looking like a U.S. Navy officer would have been bad for his health.  On one level – a very distant level – she had to admire him for that.

He was taller than most men, and well built, with long legs, narrow hips, broad shoulders, and the kind of muscles that meant he used his arms for picking up more than a pen and paper.  He wore a snug black T-shirt tucked into a pair of worn-out blue jeans that were stacked over – what else?  Cowboy boots.”  

(Whew! Fanning self.  I don’t know about you, but I’m sold).

And of course this is THE book that has the infamous chocolate syrup scene in it.  Cuz see, my boy Sam here has a bit of a sweet tooth (as if I didn’t already love him enough) and can’t get enough of its yummy goodness.

“Oh he liked the sound of that.  He liked the way she was looking at the syrup, looking at him.  His body was responding enthusiastically, even though it was still just a little too soon.  But give him fifteen more minutes with Alyssa Locke and a bottle of chocolate syrup…Oh baby, he’d be ready for anything.

She opened the top, squeezed some of the syrup onto one finger.

He took her hand, looked directly into her sea green eyes, and slowly licked her finger clean.
Alyssa shivered.

And Sam knew that no matter how much he’d loved chocolate in the past, from now on, it was going to hold and even more special place in his heart.” 

But things end up going downhill from there, with Sam’s pride and Alyssa’s stubborn attitude keeping them apart.  Yet despite Alyssa’s aversion to him, he just can’t stop thinking about her.  He knows he’s been a jerk, getting her dander up by calling her “sweet thing” and relentlessly trying to get her back into bed.  The guy is so lucky she doesn’t just shoot him.  And of course that’s no surprise because he is a guy.  But Alyssa thinks they’re toxic together, and believes it’s best they part ways.  Easier said than done, yet Sam does his best, and seeks solace in the arms of another woman, one who look nothing like the one he can’t stop thinking about.  And he’s not sure why he can’t stop thinking about her, until his best friend Ken Karmody clues him in

(”Over The Edge”):
“Willdcard stared at Sam, realization and a deep perception in his dark eyes.  ‘Jesus, man, I had no idea you’re freakin’ in love with her!   This is what’s been making you act like a lunatic, isn’t it?  You’re freaking out because she’s here, but she doesn’t want you.  And the shit I’ve been giving you – that’s just making it worse.  God, I’m sorry, buddy.  Where you’re at right now, I’ve been there, done that, and it wasn’t fun, that’s for damn sure.’

Sam stared at his best friend.  You’re in love with her.  Oh, Holy Christ, Wildcard was right.  He was completely in love with Alyssa Locke.  That’s what these feelings were, this achingly awful sense of misery.  The nearly bipolar mood swings to joy when Alyssa so much as smiled at him.” 

Yet even realizing the depth of his feelings for Alyssa does not mean he has it easy.  Complications in many different forms keep the two apart.  I’m not going to re-cap each book, but essentially the two don’t get their HEA until book six, “Gone Too Far”.  But during this time, we see the changes in Sam, how he matures and accepts responsibility for his actions, how he comes to terms with the circumstances of said actions and makes good on them and becomes a man, how his once derogatory comments towards a gay FBI agent named Jules Cassidy evolves into one of the closest friendships he’s ever known.  Sam had some growing up to do before he was ready to be with Alyssa for the rest of his life, and it’s an amazing transformation to watch take place.  Now I could go on and on, and share tidbits from each book as to the wonder of Sam, but I think these brief moments give you a good idea of what Sam is all about, and let me tell you, he only gets better with age.

Now I know some readers don’t care much for Sam.  The most common reason I’ve seen is that he cries at the drop of a hat.  I guess they think he’s weak because of it, especially being a Navy SEAL.  There’s no crying in the military, or so some believe.  But I’ve always found that to be one of Sam’s most endearing qualities.  He does feel strongly, and most times it’s not expressed in the form of tears.   Sam is one of those people who says what he feels at that moment in startlingly graphic detail.  He gets angry quickly, but can just as easily burst out laughing.  He can be raw and uncouth and totally piss people off, but he loves with his whole heart and then some.  I find this side of him combined with his Alpha personality to be utterly fascinating.

According to Brockmann’s website, she had plotted out their story back when she wrote “The Unsung Hero”.  I loved that it took so many books for this one-of-a-kind couple to reach their HEA.  Sam will always be a badass, even married with children.  Reading his story now, after 14 books, is an incredible experience because he’s not the same guy we met all those years ago;l he’s even better.  And he will always, always, have a special place in my heart.  Sam Starrett, rock on, you bad boy, you

It took 6 books to tell Sam’s & Alyssa’s love story, and it’s still going strong.  What series tells the tale of your favorite bad boy?  What did he go through to finally get his HEA?