DIK Challenge Review: Pursuit

Pursuit
Elizabeth Jennings
Romantic Suspense
Grand Central Publishing/April 2008
Purchased

From the back cover ~

PAIN

A shocking betrayal... her father's murder... and a life-threatening accusation... Heiress Charlotte Court has walked into a waking nightmare - one that sends her running from her wealthy home to anywhere she can hide.

PANIC

Across the border in Mexico, Charlotte creates a new identity and finds refuge in the battle-torn arms of Navy SEAL Matt Sanders. Fleeing his past, Matt yearns to protect her and replace her pain with pleasure. But Charlotte can't trust anyone, not even someone she's starting to love. She knows she's a target - and out of sight, a soulless killer is zeroing in on his prey...

This month's book I picked from Katie's list. I was in the mood for a romantic suspense. Elizabeth Jennings is also known to romance readers as Lisa Marie Rice. I haven't read anything by Rice but have heard good things about her Midnight books. I do have a few on the TBR pile and hope to get to them soon.

The story begins with murder and ends with justice. What happens in between is focused on two scarred and battle weary people who, at the beginning, are just trying to survive. Pursuit was an easy book to get into. It starts off quickly with Charlotte on the run for her life. Meanwhile, Matt Sanders is busy falling on his face at a VA hospital, trying to recover from multiple gunshot wounds. Both Charlotte and Matt are thrown into very different worlds than what they are accustomed to. Charlotte goes from wealthy and privileged to desperate and terrified. Matt goes from unbeatable warrior to broken, lost and in pain. Charlotte and Matt are exactly what the other needs, they just don't know it yet.

Charlotte Court is extremely wealthy but she doesn't flaunt that wealth. Instead she uses her wealth to help others and pursue her love of painting. She was studying in Italy when her father's health began to decline. She loves her father very much and spends the next two years at his bedside, taking care of him. I liked that Charlotte had a good relationship with her father. Too often we see the hero/heroine having strained or distant relationships with their parents. While we only get to know her father through Charlotte's memories of him, it showed how important he was to her. Charlotte is a likable character who overcomes incredible odds and manages to get away from her father's murderer. She travels to Mexico where she meets a man pushing himself to survive and recover.

Matt Saunders was Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy. A highly trained SEAL who finds himself desperately trying to recover not only his physical abilities but his sense of purpose. He goes to Mexico to stay with a friend and try to figure out what to do with his life. I really felt for Matt. Here's a guy who had it all. He was in a position of authority that he had worked very hard for. His whole life was focused on being a SEAL. Then all his plans are gone and he's got to decide what to do with the rest of his life. It's got to be a big blow to the ego to go from being extremely physically fit to being too weak to walk. When he meets Charlotte he's just beginning to recover physically and is completely focused on that.

When Matt figures out that Charlotte is in danger and hiding out in Mexico, it gives him a purpose. He appoints himself as her protector and begins to earn her trust. Charlotte knows who Matt is but she's still very leery of anyone and she certainly doesn't want anyone to find out her real identity. They begin to spend time together and get to know each other. I liked that Matt didn't push Charlotte towards sex. He definitely wanted her but backed off when she said no. He understood that she had gone through something very traumatic and he needed to earn her trust. In someways, they were a normal couple, going on dates and getting to know each other. In other ways they were far from normal with Matt protecting Charlotte and rarely letting her out of his sight. She didn't seem to mind, instead taking comfort from his presence.

While I liked the premise of the story and the hero/heroine I had a couple of problems that kept me from being able to enjoy it. The first is Matt and his lack of money. He talks of how he's never been into designer clothes or fancy cars so you get the impression that he's responsible when it comes to spending his money, that he doesn't spend it freely. He also says that he had lived on the base in the BOQ (Bachelor Officers Quarters) while he was in the Navy. Matt was an officer, a Lieutenant Commander. That's an O4 pay grade with 10+ years of service. According to DFAS his basic monthly pay would be $5799.00 as of January 2008. That's not including allowances, hazardous duty pay, sea pay etc. that he would have gotten. So why does he only have $13,000? I just couldn't figure out what he did with his money. And it's mentioned a number of times that he doesn't have much money and owns very little. This may be nit picking but whenever his lack of money was mentioned it bugged the heck out of me. Whether this bugs other readers, IDK, but with my dh being retired Navy, I'm very familiar with Navy pay. Now I know how Kristie felt with the inaccurate baseball facts. :)

The other thing that got me was the mention of Matt's friend Tom, also a former SEAL, that now heads a security firm in San Diego. What? Did I somehow start reading a Troubleshooters book? I realize not everyone is familiar with Brockmann's series but still... weird.

I did find the antagonist an interesting character. Jennings got us into his head and I found it very cold and creepy how someone can look at murder as just a job. His musings on tracking his prey and getting into the mind of his prey was intriguing but I did think the final "battle" a bit weak.

There was one scene that I thought was so sweet and had such a feeling of contentment. It's a morning after scene with Matt and Charlotte cuddled up in bed. Charlotte is feeling very happy, waking with a smile on her face. Matt tells her "I can hear you smiling". I loved that line. They're both so happy and relaxed after being so stressed out for so long.

Charlotte and Matt's love story is sweet and genuine. I liked how they got to know each other and became a couple. Unfortunately, by the end of the book the problems I mentioned overshadowed the story for me. That and the ending felt too quick after the build up of the killer's abilities. I think I'll try one of the Lisa Marie Rice books next.

Rating: B-

DIK Review: The Man Must Marry

The Man Must Marry
Janet Chapman
Contemporary Romance
Sinclair Brothers series/Book 1
Pocket Star Books/November 2008
Purchased

From the back cover ~

Trying to escape marriage, they are snared by love. When Sam Sinclair's self-made millionaire grandfather sends Willa Ken, a woman none of the three Sinclair brothers have even heard of, as his proxy to an ultra-important meeting of the Sinclair shipping company, most people would think they old man had lost his marbles. But Sam knows his grandfather too well. For some reason, the wily old man has decided that one of his three grandsons should marry Will, and this is his way of trying to force the issue...

So Will and Sam team up on what seems like a wild-goose to find some loophole in Grandfather Sinclair's crazy notion. But as Sam crews Willa's yacht en route to Maine, he finds to his surprise that his grandfather's offbeat scheme is growing more attractive by the moment. Willa is smart, beautiful... and has a wild streak that sends them soaring together above the clouds.

But Willa isn't about to let Sam fly away with her heart until she knows his true motives. If the man wants to marry for money, then the woman in her says that first he must fall in love.

My first Janet Chapman book and the blurb sums it up quite well. For some reason I thought Chapman wrote historicals - with highlanders. It turns out she does but this isn't one of them. :)

The three Sinclair brothers are in shock when they meet Willa Kent. She's not at all what they expected. Willa comes from a completely different world of the luxury and fine living that the Sinclair brother's are accustomed to. She's far happier at home in her small town in Maine than in the crowded and busy New York City. The brothers also want to send Willa back to Maine and keep her out of their business but their grandfather had other plans in mind for Willa and the brothers.

Sam Sinclair is the eldest of the three Sinclair brothers and by default seems to be the designated leader. He can't believe what his grandfather has done but is resigned to play out the farce that has sent this woman who he likens to a partridge into his world. Sam ends up spending time with Willa and quickly realizes how much courage it took for her to come to New York and take on the Sinclair brothers. She really is out of her element and her klutziness is at an all time high. The poor woman can't make it through one evening without loosing her purse, tripping, slipping and in general showing minimal coordination. At first it was cute but it did get to be a bit much after a while.

Willa Kent is a kind person who believes in helping others. That's what got her into the mess she's in now. She befriended Abram Sinclair when he rented the cottage on her property in Maine. It's because of that friendship that she agreed to act as his proxy for voting in the next CEO of Tidewater International. She has to choose between the three brothers but can't make a quick decision so she decides they must go out to dinner, allowing her to get to know them better.

Sam and Willa get to know each other a lot better. With them falling for each other really, really quick. Sam fell so fast I'm surprised he was able to take a breath and tell Willa how he felt. I didn't feel like it was genuine with Sam, it happened too quick. It was like one minute he's thinking of her as plain and clumsy and then he's so hot for her he can't think straight. I just had a hard time believing it.

Willa is portrayed as a strong woman that is used to taking care of everyone. She feels such responsibility for those she loves that she has a habit of sticking her nose in where it's not always wanted or needed. She's also sworn off marriage since her first marriage left her with the feeling that she and marriage just don't work. She's had some rough times in her past that have caused her to make some drastic decisions. I liked Willa but she did seem to cry a lot. At one point it's mentioned that she cried for three hours. Wow. It was after someone close to her had died but still, three hours? Otherwise I didn't get the impression that she was a crier.

The other two Sinclair brothers are not as involved in Sam and Willa's search to find a solution to who will lead Tidewater International. We do get to know them a little bit when Willa first arrives in New York and then later on. Ben is the middle brother and his book, Tempt Me If You Can, is out now. I'm guessing youngest brother Jesse will also get a book. What I did get to know of the Ben and Jesse, I liked Ben the least. He came across as very abrasive. Jesse came across as easy going and fun loving. But I'll just have to wait until I read their books to find out what they're really like. I do have a heroine in mind for Jesse but... I'll just have to wait for his book to come out.

The main problem I had with the story is the falling in love of Sam and Willa. Like I mentioned, Sam went too quick and Willa was in denial until "boom" she loves him. They just never seem to really fit together for me. And they played these games with Willa dating someone else and Sam pretending he didn't mind.

I did like the small town setting of Willa's home in Maine. The characters were colorful and typical of small towns, always wanting to know every one's business. Willa has a great and unique job that showed her creative side. I also liked that Willa didn't stay a klutz but while sailing she was sure-footed and a better sailor than Sam.

A few problems, mainly with the quick fall of the hero and the over done aspect of the klutzy heroine but overall a decent read. I do hope to read the stories of the other two Sinclair brothers and find out what happens to them.

Rating: B-

DIK Review: Open Season

Open Season
Linda Howard
Romantic Suspense
Pocket Books/July 2001
Purchased

From the back cover ~

Be careful what you wish for...

On her thirty-fourth birthday, Daisy Minor decides to make over her entire life. The small-town librarian has had it with her boring clothes, her ordinary looks and nearly a decade without so much as a date. It's time to get a life - and a sex life. The perennial good girl, Daisy transforms herself into a party girl extraordinaire - dancing the night away at clubs, laughing and flirting with abandon - and she's declared open season for manhunting. But her free-spirited fun turns to shattering danger when she witnesses something she shouldn't - and becomes the target of a killer. Now, before she can meet the one man who can share her life, first she may need him to save it.

This month's DIK Challenge book was chosen from Ms. Moonlight's list. And she has great taste in books. :) This one and the Simone Eckeles are the only ones on her list I haven't read. I do consider myself a fan of Linda Howard even though there are still a number of her books I have yet to read. Open Season was one of them but not any more.

Open Season starts with a young girl hoping for a better life. She trusts the wrong person and things don't go as planned. The opening is dark with a look at one of the ways illegal immigrants are abused and how those abuses have far reaching affects. The affects are not only felt at the border but by people who live beyond it. Even small town librarians.

Daisy Minor is such a fun, interesting heroine. She's one of those women that, if she were real, I would like to have as a friend. And she's a librarian, which gives her bonus points in my book. :) She's been stuck in a rut for a very long time. Living with her mother and her aunt doesn't exactly help her social life either. She's grown accustomed to going to work, never late, and then spending her free time mostly at home. Her life changing moment is her birthday. Odd that it wasn't her 30th but her 34th. I guess she was deep in that rut. When Daisy's mother and Aunt Jo find out about Daisy's decision they decide to help and enlist someone who they think knows all about makeovers. Here's a fact I didn't know - If you're not sure if a man is gay, ask him what color "puce" is. The things you learn when reading a romance novel. LOL

Before Daisy undergoes her transformation Jack Russo, the Chief of Police takes a notice to Daisy. He needs to use the library and Daisy's there to help. Jack isn't Daisy's type, he's very athletic and well muscled. And Daisy isn't exactly Jack's type either but he does notice her and seems to take pleasure in ruffling her feathers.

Jack is an alpha all the way. He is a former SWAT officer with the Chicago and New York police forces and while he enjoys police work, he decided he needed a change. So he chooses to slow things down and take the job of Chief of Police in the small town of Hillsboro, Alabama. Jack soon finds himself involved with Daisy in more ways than he imagined. Jack is a tough alpha on the outside but a real sweetheart on the inside. He's bossy when it comes to Daisy's safety, doesn't understand what she's talking about half the time and still manages to make her feel special.

Daisy and Jack together were a mismatched pair but Howard made them work. They were funny, often laugh out loud funny with their arguments and sexual escapades. Yep, escapades. For these two, just choosing a condom turns into an episode of "What Not to Wear". I completely delighted in Daisy and Jack's sex scenes and near sex scenes. Between the sexual tension, the humor and the tenderness, their relationship totally worked and I could see them being together long after the book ended.

There is still the problem of what Daisy may have seen and now has someone trying to kill her. That's where Jack comes in and starts to unravel the pieces of the mystery of who and why. Daisy is helpful in getting information and together they are able to keep Daisy safe and discover the darker side of small town life. This for me was the weakest part of the book. It was fairly obvious from early on who was in on what. I prefer my suspense to be more suspenseful. That part of the plot just didn't hold my interest as much as Jack and Daisy's developing relationship.

Even with that minor issue I'm still very thankfully I finally read Open Season and would certainly recommend it to any Linda Howard fan or fan of romantic suspense.

Rating: A-

DIK Review: Darkness Calls

Darkness Calls
Marjorie M. Liu
Urban Fantasy
ACE/July 2009
Hunter Kiss/Book 2 (Plus 2 novellas)
Purchased

From the back cover ~

They are the obsidian shadows of my flesh - tattoos with minds, hearts, and dreams. By day, they protect me. But when night calls to them, they leave my body, dissolving into their true form - as demons…

Nomad born and bred, demon hunter Maxine Kiss has always relied upon herself to fight the darkness that surrounds her, the predators-human, zombie, and otherwise - who threaten the earth. But one man has penetrated her lonely life: Grant, the last of his kind. With music he is able to control any living creature…including demons. And now his life is in danger.

Haunted by the past, determined to change the future, Maxine soon understands that to save Grant, she has only one choice-to lose control, and release her own powers of darkness…


My first DIK Challenge review and my pick is from Aymless' list. I read the first book in this series, The Iron Hunt and enjoyed it so it was easy to choose Darkness Calls. An added bonus - it was already on my tbr pile. :)


First off there is a lot going on in Darkness Calls. Familiar characters along with some new ones are added to the mix. Could it be read w/o first reading The Iron Hunt? Yes... but I would recommend reading the series in order. There are a number of threads going through the story as well as the continuing relationship between Maxine and Grant. IMO, by reading the series in order you get a full view of the world and characters that Liu has created. She does do a good job with catching the reader up with previous events from the past books, so if you have a short memory like me it's easy to get right back into Maxine's world.

Darkness Calls starts off with Maxine and the boys, as Maxine calls them, hunting zombies. The zombies in Maxine's world are demons who take possession of human bodies and it's Maxine's job to exercise the evil demon and save the host. The boys are what you could call Maxine's guardian demons. While they are separate beings they are very much a part of Maxine and who she is. Even when they sleep, she is aware of them.

By day Maxine is covered in tattoos and by night those tattoos become demons that hunt with Maxine and help protect her. If she dies, they die. Unless she has a daughter to take her place. Liu has given these demons very distinct personalities. Zee is the leader of the five and he's the only one who speaks to Maxine. There's Raw and Aaz who I think of as scouts and soldiers. They, along with Zee, take to the shadows, looking for their target. And there's Dek and Mal. They tend to stay close to Maxine. Dek and Mal also like to hum songs that are oddly appropriate to the situation. All of the boys speak "demon" among themselves. They are thousands of years old with intelligence and ruthlessness on their side. They will do whatever it takes to keep her alive.

I shuddered, unable to control myself. It was almost sunset, and I pushed up my sleeve, revealing tattoos that glimmered in the air with strikes of silver light; scales, claws, red, glinting eyes shining like chips of rubies; and though the boys were not yet smoke, they were close, so close that when they surged upon my skin, I saw them ripple; and I knew the men saw, too. I slid a knife over my arm, sharpening the blade. Feeding steel to the boys. Sparks lit the dim air. The men flinched, and choking hunger bubbled up my throat, making my heart break open like the cloud of a burning storm. page 73

I love the visual Liu gives of the moments right before sunset, right before the boys are freed from Maxine's skin.

Maxine isn't the only one with special abilities. Grant Cooperon is a former priest and a man who can save souls with his music. He is also Maxine's lover. They live together at the shelter Grant runs, The Coop. This shelter is different from others because it not only shelters humans but also the occasional zombie. The zombies that come to the shelter come in the hope of being saved by Grant. This doesn't sit well with Maxine, in her mind the demons that inhabit the zombies are to be killed. Period. It's something that she's had to deal with since falling in love with Grant.

I love the way their relationship is evolving. Maxine isn't used to staying in one place but for Grant, she's willing to try. She does feel guilt over this because as far as she knows, she's the only one of her kind. To settle in one place means the other places go unguarded and she was taught to stay on the move, not to form any bonds with anyone. Grant is a complex character that Liu does a good job making him alpha when he needs to be but he never overshadows Maxine. Grant's gift is different in that he heals where Maxine kills. They are an odd couple that work surprisingly well together. It's the respect that they have for each other that makes them believable as a couple.

Throughout the story I found myself fascinated by the way Liu wove the different players into the finale. The different worlds come together for the battle of good vs. evil. Maxine and Grant are not up against everyday demons but against something far more sinister, more evil than anything they have experienced. With help from some unusual sources, they are able to keep from being killed by the big bad that stalks them. What surprised me about the plot is that I had no problem following along. It's complex and told from Maxine's POV so the reader only knows what Maxine knows but it's written well and the logic holds it together. In the end there are still things we don't understand because Maxine doesn't have all the answers yet.

Darkness Calls sets a fast pace with Maxine and Grant sometimes being the hunters, searching for answers, at other times being the hunted. The times when they were able to have a few moments of peace they revealed how strong their love for each other is. How no matter what, it will survive. Overall an exceptional addition to the series. Next up in the series is the novella, Armor of Roses in the anthology Inked, released this month.

Rating: A