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Burn
It’s true what they say: Money changes everything. And in Linda Howard’s red-hot novel Burn, the changes come fast, furious, and filled with the kind of sexy suspense, heart-stopping romance, beautiful people, and risky business guaranteed to give you the most bang for your buck.
Money certainly changes Jenner Redwine’s life when she wins a lottery jackpot. But it also costs her plenty: Her father rips her off and disappears, her fortune-hunting boyfriend soon becomes her ex, and friends-turned-freeloaders give her the cold shoulder when she stops paying for everything.
Flush with new money, Jenner can’t imagine ever finding a place in the world of the wealthy. Seven years later, though, she’s rubbing elbows with the rich, despite the fact she still feels like a party crasher. Luckily she finds an ally–-and a guide to the rarefied realm of privilege–-in shy, kind-hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett, who quickly becomes Jenner’s confidante and surrogate sister.
When Sydney invites Jenner on a charity cruise aboard a luxury liner, Jenner reluctantly agrees. But while she’s expecting–-and dreading–-two weeks of masquerade balls, art auctions, and preening glitterati, what she gets is more like a Hitchcock movie than a Love Boat episode. Taken hostage by a menacing stranger, Jenner must cooperate in a mysterious cloak-and-dagger scheme-–or else. With nowhere to run, and with Sydney’s life as well as her own at risk, Jenner is drawn into a game of dizzying intrigue and harrowing danger. But as her panic gives way to exhilaration, and fear of her captor turns to fascination, Jenner rediscovers feelings she hasn’t had in years–-and realizes she’s found a life worth living. If she survives.
Money certainly changes Jenner Redwine’s life when she wins a lottery jackpot. But it also costs her plenty: Her father rips her off and disappears, her fortune-hunting boyfriend soon becomes her ex, and friends-turned-freeloaders give her the cold shoulder when she stops paying for everything.
Flush with new money, Jenner can’t imagine ever finding a place in the world of the wealthy. Seven years later, though, she’s rubbing elbows with the rich, despite the fact she still feels like a party crasher. Luckily she finds an ally–-and a guide to the rarefied realm of privilege–-in shy, kind-hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett, who quickly becomes Jenner’s confidante and surrogate sister.
When Sydney invites Jenner on a charity cruise aboard a luxury liner, Jenner reluctantly agrees. But while she’s expecting–-and dreading–-two weeks of masquerade balls, art auctions, and preening glitterati, what she gets is more like a Hitchcock movie than a Love Boat episode. Taken hostage by a menacing stranger, Jenner must cooperate in a mysterious cloak-and-dagger scheme-–or else. With nowhere to run, and with Sydney’s life as well as her own at risk, Jenner is drawn into a game of dizzying intrigue and harrowing danger. But as her panic gives way to exhilaration, and fear of her captor turns to fascination, Jenner rediscovers feelings she hasn’t had in years–-and realizes she’s found a life worth living. If she survives.
367 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2009
About the author
Linda Howard
253 books6,980 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
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August 2, 2020
"Holy shit." She swallowed hard. "I've won the lottery."
Burn by Linda Howard
My review:
I love Linda Howard’s books so this one was disappointing .
This book is about Jennifer Redwine, A young hard-working girls who works for the local meat packer in Kansas. Then she wins the lottery. No spoilers here… Not yet anyway… The premise is actually very interesting as is Jennifer.
I mean let’s face it there are not to many of us who will win the lottery and I’ve often wondered what it would mean if I did or if people I know did. What would that mean for us? How would our lives change? How would we change?
I’d like to say I found the answers in this book but I did not. And now here come:
Spoilers!
The book really didn’t tell me anything about Jennifer nor did it really answer any of these questions. Instead the book jumps forward in time and we find that Jennifer has become beautiful successful and of course rich. Very , very rich. The book then more soon to a crime drama with a love story interspersed taking place on a boat. Not exactly what I expected.
While there was nothing inherently wrong with this book, I think that the central premise was so intriguing that it could’ve been a really great one and it stayed with Jen’s life and the ramifications of winning the lottery.
One kind of thinks that’s what it’s going to do in the beginning as we see her friends reactions to her good fortune. We see how differently people start to treat her because of her newly found wealth. I should stress that the beginning of this book is a five.
I was baffled by the big jump in time. And the crime story..the mystery..wasn't all that interesting. Burn turns into a romantic suspense book but it wasn't suspenseful and all I could feel was let down that we do not know what happened in the months after Jenna won the lottery. LOL. I just wanted the book to go back in time and start over, with a different focus. I was extremely frustrated.
So..verdict..not for me at all.
Burn by Linda Howard
My review:
I love Linda Howard’s books so this one was disappointing .
This book is about Jennifer Redwine, A young hard-working girls who works for the local meat packer in Kansas. Then she wins the lottery. No spoilers here… Not yet anyway… The premise is actually very interesting as is Jennifer.
I mean let’s face it there are not to many of us who will win the lottery and I’ve often wondered what it would mean if I did or if people I know did. What would that mean for us? How would our lives change? How would we change?
I’d like to say I found the answers in this book but I did not. And now here come:
Spoilers!
The book really didn’t tell me anything about Jennifer nor did it really answer any of these questions. Instead the book jumps forward in time and we find that Jennifer has become beautiful successful and of course rich. Very , very rich. The book then more soon to a crime drama with a love story interspersed taking place on a boat. Not exactly what I expected.
While there was nothing inherently wrong with this book, I think that the central premise was so intriguing that it could’ve been a really great one and it stayed with Jen’s life and the ramifications of winning the lottery.
One kind of thinks that’s what it’s going to do in the beginning as we see her friends reactions to her good fortune. We see how differently people start to treat her because of her newly found wealth. I should stress that the beginning of this book is a five.
I was baffled by the big jump in time. And the crime story..the mystery..wasn't all that interesting. Burn turns into a romantic suspense book but it wasn't suspenseful and all I could feel was let down that we do not know what happened in the months after Jenna won the lottery. LOL. I just wanted the book to go back in time and start over, with a different focus. I was extremely frustrated.
So..verdict..not for me at all.
August 4, 2009
Rating: 2.5 / 5
This book started off really good, but then stumbled most of the rest of the way. At least for me. After reading the first chunk of the book, I thought I was really going to like it, but then it pretty much completely fizzled. I found myself bored through most of the middle and toward the end. I was really tempted to set it aside and read the new Karen Rose book.
In Burn Jenner Redwine is your average lower-middle-class young woman. She's working a dead-end job just to make ends meet, dating a loser and just getting by. Then she buys a lottery ticket that changes her life completely because she wins 150 million (net). Now, seven years later, she's trying to fit in with the elite rich and not doing the best job of it. She has only one true friend, Sydney, and a bunch of acquaintances. Sydney convinces Jenner to go on a charity cruise with her...and Jenner's life ends up changing again.
Because government contract agent, Cael Traylor has learned that one of the boats co-owners is as dirty as can be and has something big planned. So Cael sets up a surveillance operation that involves kidnapping Sydney and getting Jenner under his thumb by using Syd as leverage in order to get close to his subject. It doesn't take long for Jenner to realize that Cael isn't a bad guy, but is doing something very important. And she wants to help. It doesn't hurt that there is an attraction between her and Cael...despite the fact that he is pretty much holding her hostage. But when Cael and his group finally learn what exactly the bad guy is up to, it's a race against time to save everyone's lives, including their own.
Like I said above, this book started out strong. The first chapter (the prologue) is set in the present with Jenner dealing with Syd's kidnapping and what she is supposed to do. Then it jumps into the past, setting up Jenner's life, how she wins a boatload of money, and how everything changes. That section really made me like Jenner, she was smart and savy and strong. I was really looking forward to reading more about it.
But after that, this book began to drag and didn't develop the way I'd hoped. A lot of the middle of this book is sort of the same thing over and over. Jenner and Cael battle it out verbally, she's handcuffed to a chair, the group is surveilling, and nothing is really going on. I was bored and wanted something, anything, to happen. But it was just the same type of thing over and over again.
Which maybe ties into the fact that in general, I don't normally care for books that are glued to one setting - like lost in the woods, stuck in a cabin, or in this case, on a cruise ship in the middle of the Pacific. Those kinds of stories always seem to lack the variety of pace to keep me interested.
On top of that, the romance in this book was flatter than a pancake. I never did feel the romantic vibe of this story. Part of that is also because of my personal preferences in romance novels. I'm not a fan of "secret identity" stories where one character is hiding who they truly are. Which in this case was Cael not telling Jenner he was on official business and instead was acting as a kidnapper thug. For me, that's not a good base for a relationship. And kidnapper/captive romances...so over-used. Enough said on that.
Aside from that, the relationship between Cael and Jenner was horribly underdeveloped. The bulk of their interactions in the story are Cael telling her to shut up and do what he says and refusing to tell her anything, and Jenner mouthing off to him and demanding answers. There was no emotional development between them. They never talk about anything personal, never get to know each other, never really connect beyond the fact that he's kidnapped her. It just left the relationship between them feeling very superficial and I didn't really care much if they ended up together or not. They were just sort of there.
It also kind of annoyed me how Cael refused to tell Jenner anything. I could see initially the point of playing out his little kidnapping ruse. But once it became clear she understood something serious was going on, would it have killed him to just tell her that it was an official investigation, he needed her as cover, but couldn't tell her more? It seemed silly pointless to keep lying to her.
And the last scene of the book was mildly irritating. It didn't exactly leave you hanging, but it made me feel like there was still more of the story yet to tell.
Also, did anyone else feel like the way Howard wrote supporting characters Faith and Ryan's parts was as if she'd told their story previously? I wondered while I was reading if those two had been in another Howard book so I poked around but found no reference to them. It was kind of annoying.
So yeah...an up and down kind of book. Or more like it went up quickly, but then plummeted down and never recovered. It looks like a lot of people liked this book, but I can't say that I did. It wasn't horrible. I didn't hate it, but it was average, at best.
This book started off really good, but then stumbled most of the rest of the way. At least for me. After reading the first chunk of the book, I thought I was really going to like it, but then it pretty much completely fizzled. I found myself bored through most of the middle and toward the end. I was really tempted to set it aside and read the new Karen Rose book.
In Burn Jenner Redwine is your average lower-middle-class young woman. She's working a dead-end job just to make ends meet, dating a loser and just getting by. Then she buys a lottery ticket that changes her life completely because she wins 150 million (net). Now, seven years later, she's trying to fit in with the elite rich and not doing the best job of it. She has only one true friend, Sydney, and a bunch of acquaintances. Sydney convinces Jenner to go on a charity cruise with her...and Jenner's life ends up changing again.
Because government contract agent, Cael Traylor has learned that one of the boats co-owners is as dirty as can be and has something big planned. So Cael sets up a surveillance operation that involves kidnapping Sydney and getting Jenner under his thumb by using Syd as leverage in order to get close to his subject. It doesn't take long for Jenner to realize that Cael isn't a bad guy, but is doing something very important. And she wants to help. It doesn't hurt that there is an attraction between her and Cael...despite the fact that he is pretty much holding her hostage. But when Cael and his group finally learn what exactly the bad guy is up to, it's a race against time to save everyone's lives, including their own.
Like I said above, this book started out strong. The first chapter (the prologue) is set in the present with Jenner dealing with Syd's kidnapping and what she is supposed to do. Then it jumps into the past, setting up Jenner's life, how she wins a boatload of money, and how everything changes. That section really made me like Jenner, she was smart and savy and strong. I was really looking forward to reading more about it.
But after that, this book began to drag and didn't develop the way I'd hoped. A lot of the middle of this book is sort of the same thing over and over. Jenner and Cael battle it out verbally, she's handcuffed to a chair, the group is surveilling, and nothing is really going on. I was bored and wanted something, anything, to happen. But it was just the same type of thing over and over again.
Which maybe ties into the fact that in general, I don't normally care for books that are glued to one setting - like lost in the woods, stuck in a cabin, or in this case, on a cruise ship in the middle of the Pacific. Those kinds of stories always seem to lack the variety of pace to keep me interested.
On top of that, the romance in this book was flatter than a pancake. I never did feel the romantic vibe of this story. Part of that is also because of my personal preferences in romance novels. I'm not a fan of "secret identity" stories where one character is hiding who they truly are. Which in this case was Cael not telling Jenner he was on official business and instead was acting as a kidnapper thug. For me, that's not a good base for a relationship. And kidnapper/captive romances...so over-used. Enough said on that.
Aside from that, the relationship between Cael and Jenner was horribly underdeveloped. The bulk of their interactions in the story are Cael telling her to shut up and do what he says and refusing to tell her anything, and Jenner mouthing off to him and demanding answers. There was no emotional development between them. They never talk about anything personal, never get to know each other, never really connect beyond the fact that he's kidnapped her. It just left the relationship between them feeling very superficial and I didn't really care much if they ended up together or not. They were just sort of there.
It also kind of annoyed me how Cael refused to tell Jenner anything. I could see initially the point of playing out his little kidnapping ruse. But once it became clear she understood something serious was going on, would it have killed him to just tell her that it was an official investigation, he needed her as cover, but couldn't tell her more? It seemed silly pointless to keep lying to her.
And the last scene of the book was mildly irritating. It didn't exactly leave you hanging, but it made me feel like there was still more of the story yet to tell.
Also, did anyone else feel like the way Howard wrote supporting characters Faith and Ryan's parts was as if she'd told their story previously? I wondered while I was reading if those two had been in another Howard book so I poked around but found no reference to them. It was kind of annoying.
So yeah...an up and down kind of book. Or more like it went up quickly, but then plummeted down and never recovered. It looks like a lot of people liked this book, but I can't say that I did. It wasn't horrible. I didn't hate it, but it was average, at best.
July 31, 2018
7.30.18
Revisiting an old LH favorite.....
Originally read: June 2011
4.5 Stars!! Linda Howard is one of my all time favorites, I really enjoyed this story. I love that LH can incorporate humor, suspense, and romance in her books.
March 24, 2017
Fun escape. Good mix of characters.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Great character development for Jenner. She didn’t have an advanced education, but I loved her intuitive smartness which guided her actions and helped her make smart decisions about a number of things. Great plot development. Great emotional pull. Romantically there’s anticipation and clever dialogue. I was laughing and chuckling many times – sometimes at the clever banter, other times because I was surprised at something unexpected happening. The suspense is well done. At the end, on the last page, I felt great! I read the physical book a few years ago and recently did the audiobook.
REVIEWER’S COMMENTS ABOUT OTHER REVIEWS:
A couple of reviewers felt there wasn’t enough romance. I agree that there was not a lot of romance, but there was definitely enough to be able to call this a romance novel. It was a good story which too many romance novels don’t achieve. Someone did not like that there was no secret about what was going to happen to the ship and its occupants. I didn’t mind that. The mystery was “how and when” the good guys would discover the problem and “what” they would do about it. A lot of good stories work this way. Someone complained that the “elaborate kidnap scheme seemed contrived.” I had no problem with it. In fact, one of the reasons I liked this book was that the kidnap scheme was believable, at least to me. One reviewer wanted more character development concerning Cael and the bad guy. Ok, there could have been more, but I was fine without it. I didn’t notice the lack of it until I read that reviewer’s opinion.
STORY BRIEF:
Jenner is a blue collar worker who wins a $295 million lottery. She is street smart from watching her father who was a con man. I think her mother died early. Jenner saw her best friend and coworkers change after she won the lottery. They were jealous and resented her. Jenner moves to Palm Beach and becomes a close friend with Syd, a shy kind-hearted heiress. Syd invites Jenner on a luxury liner charity cruise for two weeks. Aboard the ship, Jenner is taken hostage by a stranger and must cooperate in a mysterious cloak-and-dagger scheme, which involves pretending to be his lover.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
I’ve enjoyed the narrator Joyce Bean in some books but not all books. She has a problem doing men. She sounds weird or loses emotion when she tries to lower her voice to do men. She had the same problem in two other audiobooks: Blue Smoke and Angels Fall by Nora Roberts. In this book her voice for Cael (romantic hero) was wooden with no emotional interpretation.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 365 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 5. Setting: 7 years earlier Chicago, IL and current day Palm Beach, Fl, San Diego, CA, Hawaii and aboard the Silver Mist luxury liner in the Pacific. Copyright: 2009. Genre: contemporary romantic suspense.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Great character development for Jenner. She didn’t have an advanced education, but I loved her intuitive smartness which guided her actions and helped her make smart decisions about a number of things. Great plot development. Great emotional pull. Romantically there’s anticipation and clever dialogue. I was laughing and chuckling many times – sometimes at the clever banter, other times because I was surprised at something unexpected happening. The suspense is well done. At the end, on the last page, I felt great! I read the physical book a few years ago and recently did the audiobook.
REVIEWER’S COMMENTS ABOUT OTHER REVIEWS:
A couple of reviewers felt there wasn’t enough romance. I agree that there was not a lot of romance, but there was definitely enough to be able to call this a romance novel. It was a good story which too many romance novels don’t achieve. Someone did not like that there was no secret about what was going to happen to the ship and its occupants. I didn’t mind that. The mystery was “how and when” the good guys would discover the problem and “what” they would do about it. A lot of good stories work this way. Someone complained that the “elaborate kidnap scheme seemed contrived.” I had no problem with it. In fact, one of the reasons I liked this book was that the kidnap scheme was believable, at least to me. One reviewer wanted more character development concerning Cael and the bad guy. Ok, there could have been more, but I was fine without it. I didn’t notice the lack of it until I read that reviewer’s opinion.
STORY BRIEF:
Jenner is a blue collar worker who wins a $295 million lottery. She is street smart from watching her father who was a con man. I think her mother died early. Jenner saw her best friend and coworkers change after she won the lottery. They were jealous and resented her. Jenner moves to Palm Beach and becomes a close friend with Syd, a shy kind-hearted heiress. Syd invites Jenner on a luxury liner charity cruise for two weeks. Aboard the ship, Jenner is taken hostage by a stranger and must cooperate in a mysterious cloak-and-dagger scheme, which involves pretending to be his lover.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
I’ve enjoyed the narrator Joyce Bean in some books but not all books. She has a problem doing men. She sounds weird or loses emotion when she tries to lower her voice to do men. She had the same problem in two other audiobooks: Blue Smoke and Angels Fall by Nora Roberts. In this book her voice for Cael (romantic hero) was wooden with no emotional interpretation.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 365 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 5. Setting: 7 years earlier Chicago, IL and current day Palm Beach, Fl, San Diego, CA, Hawaii and aboard the Silver Mist luxury liner in the Pacific. Copyright: 2009. Genre: contemporary romantic suspense.
August 13, 2019
Ce se întâmplă când peste noapte câștigi milioane la loterie?
Viața ți se dă complet peste cap, prietenii se poartă cu tine complet diferit... Astfel, Jenner pătrunde în lumea celor bogați și puternici, unde își face o singura prietenă: pe Syd. Împreuna pornesc într-o croazieră... dar destinul le da complet planul peste cap. Jenner, căci doar ea ajunge la bordul navei, este înconjurată de pericol, chiar dacă nu știe exact despre ce e vorba. O carte învăluită în suspans, alertă, bine scrisă, cu romantism suficient cât sa facă această poveste deosebită!
Viața ți se dă complet peste cap, prietenii se poartă cu tine complet diferit... Astfel, Jenner pătrunde în lumea celor bogați și puternici, unde își face o singura prietenă: pe Syd. Împreuna pornesc într-o croazieră... dar destinul le da complet planul peste cap. Jenner, căci doar ea ajunge la bordul navei, este înconjurată de pericol, chiar dacă nu știe exact despre ce e vorba. O carte învăluită în suspans, alertă, bine scrisă, cu romantism suficient cât sa facă această poveste deosebită!
April 2, 2019
Audio book...
Another suspense/thriller from Linda Howard with a feisty heroine and an even feistier hero.
Jenner Redwine, now that's a name I can remember, won millions and millions of dollars and is now friends with a born-rich girl's name I can't remember. They are each kidnapped right before the maiden voyage of a luxury cruise, The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in. Now where have I heard that before?
Anyhoo, Jenner has a surprise for her male captor Cael. She is an ever loving nightmare that can dish it out as good as she can get. It's the Ransom of the Red Chief all over the place, and the interaction between Jenner and Cael is hysterical. He is a big, bad rough and tough typical Linda Howard hunky hero, and just hopes he can accomplish his mission without strangling the h.
The suspense story is pretty weak. A m/billionaire with cancer wants to make a statement by bringing down the Titanic, I mean the luxury liner with all the rich people.
Points off for completely forgetting about Jenner's best friend who is kidnapped and trapped on land as Jenner enjoys the cruise and baiting Cael, the hero. The books starts off with them talking each day, but loses track. LH lost a great opportunity for that character to have a parallel story to Jenner and her kidnappers.
Narration is well done by Joyce Bean.
Another suspense/thriller from Linda Howard with a feisty heroine and an even feistier hero.
Jenner Redwine, now that's a name I can remember, won millions and millions of dollars and is now friends with a born-rich girl's name I can't remember. They are each kidnapped right before the maiden voyage of a luxury cruise, The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in. Now where have I heard that before?
Anyhoo, Jenner has a surprise for her male captor Cael. She is an ever loving nightmare that can dish it out as good as she can get. It's the Ransom of the Red Chief all over the place, and the interaction between Jenner and Cael is hysterical. He is a big, bad rough and tough typical Linda Howard hunky hero, and just hopes he can accomplish his mission without strangling the h.
The suspense story is pretty weak. A m/billionaire with cancer wants to make a statement by bringing down the Titanic, I mean the luxury liner with all the rich people.
Points off for completely forgetting about Jenner's best friend who is kidnapped and trapped on land as Jenner enjoys the cruise and baiting Cael, the hero. The books starts off with them talking each day, but loses track. LH lost a great opportunity for that character to have a parallel story to Jenner and her kidnappers.
Narration is well done by Joyce Bean.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2021
After 7 years, I figured this one was up for a reread.
The book starts out great, but I admit to skimming a lot near the end. We meet Jenner, a poor factory worker who is barely getting by. She's dating a leech and soon kicks him to the curb. But not before buying a lottery ticket while she's out getting him his beer. She finds out the next day that she won hundreds of millions. Her life is about to change. This part of the book was solid and set us up to get to know Jenner and her awesomeness.
The book then moves forward 7 years. Jenner and her best friend are going on a charity cruise with a bunch of other rich people. Both of them are kidnapped and their takers use them to control each other. "Do what we ask and behave and we won't hurt your friend." We get POV from Jenner, Cael (her love interest and captor), and the villain (which I rarely like). It should've been great, suspenseful stuff, but it just bored me--thus the skimming.
I won't say anymore. If you like Linda Howard, you may like this book. It's got a sexy H and Jenner, the h, was truly amazing. She didn't take crap and she was smart and funny.
Safety
The book starts out great, but I admit to skimming a lot near the end. We meet Jenner, a poor factory worker who is barely getting by. She's dating a leech and soon kicks him to the curb. But not before buying a lottery ticket while she's out getting him his beer. She finds out the next day that she won hundreds of millions. Her life is about to change. This part of the book was solid and set us up to get to know Jenner and her awesomeness.
The book then moves forward 7 years. Jenner and her best friend are going on a charity cruise with a bunch of other rich people. Both of them are kidnapped and their takers use them to control each other. "Do what we ask and behave and we won't hurt your friend." We get POV from Jenner, Cael (her love interest and captor), and the villain (which I rarely like). It should've been great, suspenseful stuff, but it just bored me--thus the skimming.
I won't say anymore. If you like Linda Howard, you may like this book. It's got a sexy H and Jenner, the h, was truly amazing. She didn't take crap and she was smart and funny.
Safety
July 17, 2009
Jenner Redwine knew winning the Mega Millions lottery was going to change her life. But after her ex-boyfriend tries to sue her, her father robs her, and her best friend ditches her once the gravy train has been cut off, she's not entirely certain it was all for the best. Cutting her ties to her former life, Jenner tries her luck in Florida and enters the fringes of the Palm Beach elite, guided along by Sydney Hazlett. Seven years later, this former meat packing worker turned multimillionaire is about to set sail for her first cruise when her oh-so-helpful-stewardess calmly informs her that her friend will not be joining her as planned because her associates are holding her hostage, and that if wants to see her friend again, she must do as they say. Stunned and terrified, Jenner realizes that the people holding both her and Sydney captive are ruthless and not to be trusted. She's frantically looking for a way out that will leave both her and Syd alive when she is swept up into the arms of the most masculine and menacing stranger she's ever met. She may be angry. She may be scared. But she will not be contracting the Stockholm Syndrome any time soon.
At first, once I read the prologue, I had hoped that this book was going to be like the movie Red Eye, starring Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams, but only like one of those fanfiction stories I've shamelessly read where it ends in a HEA between Lisa and Jackson. But the more I read, this book reminded me more and more of LH's Mr. Perfect. I would say that this book has the same amount of time spent on the romance and the suspense as compared to Mr. Perfect. The emphasis on the friendship between Syd and Jenner reminded me of the friendship between the four ladies, and the smartass comments Sam and Jaine were always tossing about were easily interchangeable with the smartass sparring of Cael Traylor and Jenner. Which for someone who really enjoys smartass characters, I thought this book was enjoyable. Until I realized that sparring aside, this book doesn't have a whole lot of substance to it. The plot itself was pretty weak. I don't believe for one second that a real black-ops team would chance their mission on what they believed were two spoiled rich girls (can you imagine the fate of the world being held in the hands of Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie???) and the villain's gleeful ruminations got darned boring after awhile. Since the only one left in the dark is Jenner, I didn't have a whole lot of sympathy for her while she continually begged to be let in on what was happening. Everything is laid out for us and so we end up playing the waiting game throughout most of the book. Waiting for the villain to make his move. Waiting for Cael & Associates to figure it out. Waiting for Cael and Jenner to realize they love each other and fall passionately into each other's arms. . . Blah, blah, blah.
Cael Traylor starts off very aggressive in the prologue. Since the book kicks off right in the middle of the book, I was really confused when I was bombarded with all the characters right off the bat. At first I didn't know if the guy was the villain or the hero. I assumed he was going to be a Simon-like character from LH's Death Angel, but he quickly turned into a "Yes, Dear" kind of guy. While I enjoyed reading about his attempts to keep Jenner in line, I kind of missed the scarily aggressive male from the beginning. Instead of Simon, Sam or Jackson Rippner, I ended up with a pussywhipped Ricky Ricardo.
The sex in this book was also quite a letdown. I know Linda Howard can set my panties afire but in this book all I got was a painfully dry Insert Tab A into Slot B scene and another that read like a fade to black scene. Neither sex scene lasted more than a page or two. Complete letdown.
Though it sounds like I didn't enjoy this book, I did. The action in the book picks up at the end and makes you feel like you've been tossed onto the set of Titanic, and I, weirdly enough, enjoyed the death scene of one of the 'good' characters. But it was the sparring matches between Jenner and Cael that carried this book to a generous four stars.
At first, once I read the prologue, I had hoped that this book was going to be like the movie Red Eye, starring Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams, but only like one of those fanfiction stories I've shamelessly read where it ends in a HEA between Lisa and Jackson. But the more I read, this book reminded me more and more of LH's Mr. Perfect. I would say that this book has the same amount of time spent on the romance and the suspense as compared to Mr. Perfect. The emphasis on the friendship between Syd and Jenner reminded me of the friendship between the four ladies, and the smartass comments Sam and Jaine were always tossing about were easily interchangeable with the smartass sparring of Cael Traylor and Jenner. Which for someone who really enjoys smartass characters, I thought this book was enjoyable. Until I realized that sparring aside, this book doesn't have a whole lot of substance to it. The plot itself was pretty weak. I don't believe for one second that a real black-ops team would chance their mission on what they believed were two spoiled rich girls (can you imagine the fate of the world being held in the hands of Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie???) and the villain's gleeful ruminations got darned boring after awhile. Since the only one left in the dark is Jenner, I didn't have a whole lot of sympathy for her while she continually begged to be let in on what was happening. Everything is laid out for us and so we end up playing the waiting game throughout most of the book. Waiting for the villain to make his move. Waiting for Cael & Associates to figure it out. Waiting for Cael and Jenner to realize they love each other and fall passionately into each other's arms. . . Blah, blah, blah.
Cael Traylor starts off very aggressive in the prologue. Since the book kicks off right in the middle of the book, I was really confused when I was bombarded with all the characters right off the bat. At first I didn't know if the guy was the villain or the hero. I assumed he was going to be a Simon-like character from LH's Death Angel, but he quickly turned into a "Yes, Dear" kind of guy. While I enjoyed reading about his attempts to keep Jenner in line, I kind of missed the scarily aggressive male from the beginning. Instead of Simon, Sam or Jackson Rippner, I ended up with a pussywhipped Ricky Ricardo.
The sex in this book was also quite a letdown. I know Linda Howard can set my panties afire but in this book all I got was a painfully dry Insert Tab A into Slot B scene and another that read like a fade to black scene. Neither sex scene lasted more than a page or two. Complete letdown.
Though it sounds like I didn't enjoy this book, I did. The action in the book picks up at the end and makes you feel like you've been tossed onto the set of Titanic, and I, weirdly enough, enjoyed the death scene of one of the 'good' characters. But it was the sparring matches between Jenner and Cael that carried this book to a generous four stars.
September 1, 2024
Lottery winner Jenner Redwine didn't know what to do with all of the money she won. When her new friend, wealthy heiress Sydney Hazlett, talks her into going on a Charity Cruise on a luxury liner, she thought it sounded like fun. But when Jenner arrives she realizes Syn never made it to the ship because she was kidnapped. Now Jenner must do everything a menacing stranger tells her to do or Syd will be hurt.
Linda Howard is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Her plots are original, her characters are interesting, and her stories move fast. This book is no exception. I loved the setting on a cruise ship. Even if Jenner gets away from Cael and his team, there is nowhere to go. The dialogue is great. Jenner and Cael are both well-drawn characters and make the romance believable. The supporting characters are fun too and make me wish this book was the first in a series instead of a standalone. My rating: 5 Stars.
2024 Re-read: This time around I listened to the audiobook narrated by Joyce Bean. Bean does a stellar job bringing the characters alive in this book. I still loved the unique setting on the cruise ship. The romance was well done and believable. The supporting characters were great. My only problem was the first few chapters. I was confused by who Cael and the kidnappers were and what exactly they were trying to do. I wish it could have been clearer. Still, an entertaining story. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Linda Howard is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Her plots are original, her characters are interesting, and her stories move fast. This book is no exception. I loved the setting on a cruise ship. Even if Jenner gets away from Cael and his team, there is nowhere to go. The dialogue is great. Jenner and Cael are both well-drawn characters and make the romance believable. The supporting characters are fun too and make me wish this book was the first in a series instead of a standalone. My rating: 5 Stars.
2024 Re-read: This time around I listened to the audiobook narrated by Joyce Bean. Bean does a stellar job bringing the characters alive in this book. I still loved the unique setting on the cruise ship. The romance was well done and believable. The supporting characters were great. My only problem was the first few chapters. I was confused by who Cael and the kidnappers were and what exactly they were trying to do. I wish it could have been clearer. Still, an entertaining story. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
November 11, 2015
**2.5 stars**
This book has the most annoying heroine in the history of heroines. Who the hell sasses up kidnappers? Yeah, I got it. They kidnapped you, and scared you so now you want to make them pay. But could you be less annoying about it?
Pretty much nothing happened in this book as the hero's job is to watch the bad guy. You can imagine how exciting that was. Most of the "excitement" consisted of the heroine trying to annoy the hero for kidnapping her. I really don't know how she could have fallen for him under this circumstances - I mean really, he was handcuffing her right and left! (And not in a sexy way.)
The worst part is that the bad guy got away with a lot. Given that 85% of the book had been so boring, I was hoping that at least they would have been able to discover the villain's plot on time to save mostly everybody. Well, that didn't happen.
Definitely not one of Linda Howard's best. I say skip it.
This book has the most annoying heroine in the history of heroines. Who the hell sasses up kidnappers? Yeah, I got it. They kidnapped you, and scared you so now you want to make them pay. But could you be less annoying about it?
Pretty much nothing happened in this book as the hero's job is to watch the bad guy. You can imagine how exciting that was. Most of the "excitement" consisted of the heroine trying to annoy the hero for kidnapping her. I really don't know how she could have fallen for him under this circumstances - I mean really, he was handcuffing her right and left! (And not in a sexy way.)
The worst part is that the bad guy got away with a lot. Given that 85% of the book had been so boring, I was hoping that at least they would have been able to discover the villain's plot on time to save mostly everybody. Well, that didn't happen.
Definitely not one of Linda Howard's best. I say skip it.
April 3, 2017
This was a pretty middle-of-the-road book. The premise was great, but the delivery just didn't live up to that potential. I had trouble connecting with both the main characters and their romance felt unfounded. So while there wasn't anything about the book that really pissed me off, there wasn't anything I loved either so it averages out to a "meh" rating.
All in all it could have been a great story but instead was just okay.
All in all it could have been a great story but instead was just okay.
September 9, 2021
Romantic Suspense / Contemporary
Publication Date: July 7, 2009
The characters were intriguing and interesting. The plot should have been fast-paced and interesting...instead it was kinda boring. I disliked that the story-telling switches so often from character to character. Some of the tension got lost thanks to that. You already know what Cael and his team are doing on the boat. You know where his intentions lie, why he kidnapped Jenner. But you get to read page after page of Jenner musing over these questions. Unfortunately, with no mystery to the reader, being forced to read on and on about her trying to figure it out becomes tedious and boring.
Likewise, it's very obvious, very quickly exactly what the villain is up to and why he plans what he plans because we read from his viewpoint so often. Ms. Howard could have easily created a suspenseful, fascinating and tension-filled novel had she limited her character viewpoints to Syd and Jenner. Then there would have been real MYSTERY and you could have wondered along with Jen what was going on.
The interactions between Jenner and Cael are passionate and funny (reminded me of Jane and Sam in Mr. Perfect). Those scenes are well worth the read and enjoyable. But sandly not much exciting or interesting happens in the begginning/middle of the book.
Publication Date: July 7, 2009
The characters were intriguing and interesting. The plot should have been fast-paced and interesting...instead it was kinda boring. I disliked that the story-telling switches so often from character to character. Some of the tension got lost thanks to that. You already know what Cael and his team are doing on the boat. You know where his intentions lie, why he kidnapped Jenner. But you get to read page after page of Jenner musing over these questions. Unfortunately, with no mystery to the reader, being forced to read on and on about her trying to figure it out becomes tedious and boring.
Likewise, it's very obvious, very quickly exactly what the villain is up to and why he plans what he plans because we read from his viewpoint so often. Ms. Howard could have easily created a suspenseful, fascinating and tension-filled novel had she limited her character viewpoints to Syd and Jenner. Then there would have been real MYSTERY and you could have wondered along with Jen what was going on.
The interactions between Jenner and Cael are passionate and funny (reminded me of Jane and Sam in Mr. Perfect). Those scenes are well worth the read and enjoyable. But sandly not much exciting or interesting happens in the begginning/middle of the book.
July 24, 2013
Jenner Redwine wins the lottery and it changes her life in unexpected ways. People she once considered friends showed her different sides, forcing her to take control of her life and money. She creates a new identity in Florida and finds a new best friend in Sydney Hazlett, an heiress who talks her into accompanying her on a special cruise. It ends up being the cruise from hell when both are held against their will and Jenner is forced to be the "girlfriend" of one of the captors.
Jenner's spunk and feistiness made this story more interesting. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, sometimes to her detriment. Cael gave as good as he got and their developing relationship didn't happen overnight. I enjoyed their banter and later romance. Frank Larkin was an evil, despicable character and added a sinister aspect to the story. The secondary characters were interesting and I wished there had been more to their stories before the book ended.
I enjoyed the intrigue and the romance. The ending was climactic, though a bit short.
Jenner's spunk and feistiness made this story more interesting. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, sometimes to her detriment. Cael gave as good as he got and their developing relationship didn't happen overnight. I enjoyed their banter and later romance. Frank Larkin was an evil, despicable character and added a sinister aspect to the story. The secondary characters were interesting and I wished there had been more to their stories before the book ended.
I enjoyed the intrigue and the romance. The ending was climactic, though a bit short.
October 10, 2021
Responsible lottery-winner-millionaire heroine goes with ploy to pretend to be secret-ops lover in her spunky, don't-mess-with-me way to ensure her hostaged-BFF's safety because the secret-ops group wants to bug the room of owner of the cruise ship who has ties to North Korean terrorists & heroine & her BFF were booked for the room next door.
Good romantic suspense but more focused on suspense. Good sexual chemistry & hot sex scenes.
Good romantic suspense but more focused on suspense. Good sexual chemistry & hot sex scenes.
August 26, 2016
I really liked it. Compared to her other works it did fall a little short but still much better than a lot of stuff out there today. I could have done without the "flashback" to 7 years before but I understand why the author put it in there. It just went on too long for my personal taste. I wasn't real pleased with the ending either. I felt it got wrapped a little too quickly.
April 5, 2023
What would you do if you won the lottery? I hope that I would be at least a tenth as smart as our heroine. Probably not, though.
Seven years after choosing the right numbers randomly the life of our heroine has completely changed. She lost a few friends and made some more. She has also learned to become a savvy businesswoman. Her best friend convinces her to take a cruise to benefit charity. Unfortunately, some people have a twisted idea about charity. Now her life is about to take another drastic change.
Seven years after choosing the right numbers randomly the life of our heroine has completely changed. She lost a few friends and made some more. She has also learned to become a savvy businesswoman. Her best friend convinces her to take a cruise to benefit charity. Unfortunately, some people have a twisted idea about charity. Now her life is about to take another drastic change.
September 1, 2009
When I first started reading BURN, with each flip of the page I kept thinking about that damn Blair from Drop Dead Georgeous (Jenner - the heroine in Burn HAS to be a clone of that despicable Blair!). I thought "Oh Lord, Linda has jumped the shark!". But, being a die hard Howard fan, I refused to put it down, figured it was my fault the book sucked because I was comparing every word to thoses she penned in Death Angel. I remained faithful. Half way through the book, suddenly everything shiffted. I was smiling again! I was overjoyed 'cause Howard did it again!
Burn starts slow as a damn turtle, the heroine Jenner is a pain in the but (I kept picturing Peg Bundy of the Bundy's). Then everything changed, Jenner no longer pissed me off, and she took on a more pleasant persona i.e. she grew on me. Howard's hero's are always sometimey, like they hold back not only from the heroine in the book, but the author as well because you never really know what is going on inside their head so you yearn for them all the more.
It's hard to describe what happens in the book. The sysnopsis on Amazon does a pretty good job. Ignore the group of newly formed Howard bashers (they're haters!), and invest in this book (wait for the paperback -- I brought the hard cover and I kinda wish I had waited for the paperback because 1/2 the book sucks), because the second half of the book is pure Howard at her sneaky best. Particular the last several chapters of chaos aboard the luxury liner where the action takes place. It is so detailed and well written, it was very easy to visulize.
I'm looking forward to her November release. I am still a fan.
Burn starts slow as a damn turtle, the heroine Jenner is a pain in the but (I kept picturing Peg Bundy of the Bundy's). Then everything changed, Jenner no longer pissed me off, and she took on a more pleasant persona i.e. she grew on me. Howard's hero's are always sometimey, like they hold back not only from the heroine in the book, but the author as well because you never really know what is going on inside their head so you yearn for them all the more.
It's hard to describe what happens in the book. The sysnopsis on Amazon does a pretty good job. Ignore the group of newly formed Howard bashers (they're haters!), and invest in this book (wait for the paperback -- I brought the hard cover and I kinda wish I had waited for the paperback because 1/2 the book sucks), because the second half of the book is pure Howard at her sneaky best. Particular the last several chapters of chaos aboard the luxury liner where the action takes place. It is so detailed and well written, it was very easy to visulize.
I'm looking forward to her November release. I am still a fan.
February 4, 2015
There are few authors who can "set the stage" like Linda Howard. Her background for Jenner makes her cynic attitude believable. Cael is so intriguing, I haven't been this taken with a hero since Kell Sabin. When I finished the Kell Sabin - Rescues books I really wished for more. Burn is so like those books, I just love it. Unfortunately, the romance is not of the very hot, sensuous variety that Linda Howard can write so well. That is a big disappointment.
Jenner, Chicago a meat packer living paycheck to paycheck, wins the lottery for $295 million. She won big, but she also lost a lot too. Her father and best friend end up looking at her as a big piggy bank and Jenner doesn't like that at all. Fast forward seven years, Jenner has relocated to Palm Beach, FL and is making her winnings grow and living the life in high society. She is alone except for Sydney, an heiress who becomes her only friend. Syd's father has booked a charity cruise and can't go. Syd talks Jenner into going with her.
Cael is on assignment to get close to the cruise organizer and co-owner of the ship, Larkin. There is something off about the guy. His group has taken Syd hostage to compel Jenner's cooperation. Cael needs access so he basically moves in with Jenner. There is a lot more going on with this cruise than anyone knows.
Jenner, Chicago a meat packer living paycheck to paycheck, wins the lottery for $295 million. She won big, but she also lost a lot too. Her father and best friend end up looking at her as a big piggy bank and Jenner doesn't like that at all. Fast forward seven years, Jenner has relocated to Palm Beach, FL and is making her winnings grow and living the life in high society. She is alone except for Sydney, an heiress who becomes her only friend. Syd's father has booked a charity cruise and can't go. Syd talks Jenner into going with her.
Cael is on assignment to get close to the cruise organizer and co-owner of the ship, Larkin. There is something off about the guy. His group has taken Syd hostage to compel Jenner's cooperation. Cael needs access so he basically moves in with Jenner. There is a lot more going on with this cruise than anyone knows.
October 19, 2017
Boleh dibilang novel ini retelling dari kisah tragedi Titanic yg kandas di Samudra Atlantik. Jack Dawson si penjudi, di novel ini diperankan oleh Jenner Redwine, OKB krn menang lotre. Kalau Titanic tenggelam krn menabrak gunung es, sedangkan di novel ini diakibatkan seorang sakit jiwa yg sedang sekarat berusaha mengubur semua orang yg berada di atas kapal pesiar, supaya mati berjamaah bersama dirinya.
Saya suka plot dan jalan ceritanya, mengalir lancar dan lumayan menegangkan. Juga saya suka interaksi Jenner dan Cael yg cukup mengundang tawa krn keributan-keributan kecil yg mereka buat sendiri. Chemistry mereka dari benci namun cinta, ucapan-ucapan sarkastis yg terlontar dari mulut Jenner sangat menghibur.
Sayangnya, novel ini lumayan banyak narasi angst nya terutama di awal-awal cerita. Untungnya tertolong oleh jalan cerita yg lumayan menegangkan dan seru utk dibaca.
Saya suka plot dan jalan ceritanya, mengalir lancar dan lumayan menegangkan. Juga saya suka interaksi Jenner dan Cael yg cukup mengundang tawa krn keributan-keributan kecil yg mereka buat sendiri. Chemistry mereka dari benci namun cinta, ucapan-ucapan sarkastis yg terlontar dari mulut Jenner sangat menghibur.
Sayangnya, novel ini lumayan banyak narasi angst nya terutama di awal-awal cerita. Untungnya tertolong oleh jalan cerita yg lumayan menegangkan dan seru utk dibaca.
January 24, 2015
I started this book two or three years ago but the first 25% were so slow and boring that I just couldn't finish it. Now I gave it a second chance and after the first few chapters the story was much better. Still, I would like it to be less Jenner introspections and more action. The plot and characters were nice.
February 25, 2013
Ghastly, minus stars???
This is the worst book i have ever read. Don't buy it, don't read it, just.......don't have anything to do with it.
This is the worst book i have ever read. Don't buy it, don't read it, just.......don't have anything to do with it.
February 18, 2019
I did laugh a lot reading this book. But as soon as I put it down I realized how flimsy it is. The plot is pretty much unbelievable, you need to go undercover from the bad guys, not as a rule of thumb. And the kidnapping was way over the top to achieve what was needed. Above all you can't believe that the kidnapped or their families wouldn't retaliate or wouldn't go to the police because they were seeing with you and so go unbelieved. Wth?
Reading I simply enjoyed the banter, but like jenjn79 I thought the beginning way the best part of the book. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Midway both book and heroine went down the drain as the plot killed the suspence and the romance. Pity.
Still an enjoyable read.
Reading I simply enjoyed the banter, but like jenjn79 I thought the beginning way the best part of the book. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Midway both book and heroine went down the drain as the plot killed the suspence and the romance. Pity.
Still an enjoyable read.
July 15, 2019
Fast read...good characters....would read more by Linda Howard.
July 14, 2009
I had this book originally tagged as romance but I think it is more appropriate as a thriller/suspense romance hybrid. I think people who are looking for straight romance will be a bit disappointed with the fact the the main female & male characters don't really "meet" until about 1/2 into the book.
The book take place in three acts.
The first act is the fairly straightforward story of a decidedly working class, blue collar meat packer named Jenner Redwine who has a deadbeat boyfriend, a con artist father and a best friend with whom she goes to the local bar to let off steam on Friday nights. This first part is all set up, we get to know the plain, streetwise, Jenner and the people who surround her. She hits it big in a mega-millions lotto and we get to see how the three people closest to her react to her win as well as those in her small circle of acquaintances. We also get to see what Jenner is made of as she comes to terms with winning a humongous amount of money with no knowledge of how to manage it.
Then we are abruptly thrust into the second act. Fast forward seven years and Jenner's life has completely changed. She's moved from Chicago to Sunny Miami, has a new best friend, a shy heiress named Syd and a whole lot of cynicism. This second part is markedly different from the first part of the story. So much so that you feel like you are reading a completely different book. The first part almost read like a sober character study of a person with a very hard knock, hard scrabble life and very little joy. This second part kicks into high gear and becomes a cloak and dagger adventure with a fine thread of humor and wit underneath. Jenner and Syd are supposed to be on the maiden voyage of a very fancy cruise ship (think a modern day Titanic) for a charity cruise. Only Syd gets kidnapped before she can make the ship and her safety and well being are used to force Jenner to participate in a charade on board. The reasons for the kidnapping and forced participation are described in serpentine detail and make up a large part of this second act plot.
Finally the third act kicks in. By this time all the secrets have been revealed to all the players and everyone on ship is forced to evacuate in a very nicely written, nicely plotted set of chapters that rally do bring to mind the doomed Titanic. It is all tense action and timing. Again very different in tone and intent from the first two parts of the book.
In the end, Jenner finds love and a new purpose in life. The end scene sets up a possible sequel. Possibly the novel Ice coming out in November?
This is Linda Howard in fine form. I did like the book. I enjoyed the second and third parts better than the first, but only because I liked the lightness of spirit these parts had in comparison to what seemed a heaviness in the beginning.
I recommend.
The book take place in three acts.
The first act is the fairly straightforward story of a decidedly working class, blue collar meat packer named Jenner Redwine who has a deadbeat boyfriend, a con artist father and a best friend with whom she goes to the local bar to let off steam on Friday nights. This first part is all set up, we get to know the plain, streetwise, Jenner and the people who surround her. She hits it big in a mega-millions lotto and we get to see how the three people closest to her react to her win as well as those in her small circle of acquaintances. We also get to see what Jenner is made of as she comes to terms with winning a humongous amount of money with no knowledge of how to manage it.
Then we are abruptly thrust into the second act. Fast forward seven years and Jenner's life has completely changed. She's moved from Chicago to Sunny Miami, has a new best friend, a shy heiress named Syd and a whole lot of cynicism. This second part is markedly different from the first part of the story. So much so that you feel like you are reading a completely different book. The first part almost read like a sober character study of a person with a very hard knock, hard scrabble life and very little joy. This second part kicks into high gear and becomes a cloak and dagger adventure with a fine thread of humor and wit underneath. Jenner and Syd are supposed to be on the maiden voyage of a very fancy cruise ship (think a modern day Titanic) for a charity cruise. Only Syd gets kidnapped before she can make the ship and her safety and well being are used to force Jenner to participate in a charade on board. The reasons for the kidnapping and forced participation are described in serpentine detail and make up a large part of this second act plot.
Finally the third act kicks in. By this time all the secrets have been revealed to all the players and everyone on ship is forced to evacuate in a very nicely written, nicely plotted set of chapters that rally do bring to mind the doomed Titanic. It is all tense action and timing. Again very different in tone and intent from the first two parts of the book.
In the end, Jenner finds love and a new purpose in life. The end scene sets up a possible sequel. Possibly the novel Ice coming out in November?
This is Linda Howard in fine form. I did like the book. I enjoyed the second and third parts better than the first, but only because I liked the lightness of spirit these parts had in comparison to what seemed a heaviness in the beginning.
I recommend.
October 6, 2009
I love Linda Howard books for a reason, and that reason is CHEMISTRY. Man, can this lady write a great romance novel! The chemistry between the characters burns the pages up and the character's senses of humor are out of this world - I ended up laughing out loud throughout the whole book. Favorite line of the book went something like: "when you wake up in the morning and your feet hit the ground the Devil must say "oh $*#& she's awake!!".
I myself also love a book where somebody ends up winning or being given a ton of money, maybe because in my own personal fantasy world, that's what happens to me. Also I thought it was really interesting to see the OTHER side of a lottery winner's story, you know that all kinds of "family" comes out of the woodwork but you don't realize how even your loyal, loving family and friends can turn against you.
Highly recommend this and any other Linda Howard book!
I myself also love a book where somebody ends up winning or being given a ton of money, maybe because in my own personal fantasy world, that's what happens to me. Also I thought it was really interesting to see the OTHER side of a lottery winner's story, you know that all kinds of "family" comes out of the woodwork but you don't realize how even your loyal, loving family and friends can turn against you.
Highly recommend this and any other Linda Howard book!
November 12, 2010
seemed like two separate books. The first half was interesting with her winning the lottery and how she learns to deal with that. Then suddenly it is romantic suspense. The whole first half of the book had nothing to do with the second half except to set it up so she's rich enough to go on the cruise. So that could have been done with a paragraph of "Having won the lottery.." and on with the story.
July 5, 2009
Her best book in quite some time. I read it in one afternoon.
September 12, 2023
Definitely not my favorite by Linda Howard. It was too slow for majority of the book, it wasn't sexy when it wanted to be and it feels like part of a series but it's not which is annoying. I'm not one for suspenseful thrillers with spy teams either so I won't hold that against the book, on the positive side, it was something new to try.
It's split into three parts. The first is 23-year-old Jenner (which distracted me too, honestly, just give me Jenny or Jenna or Jenn) winning the lottery. This part feels the most like the previous books I've read by Howard. It was slow, not sure we needed to know every detail of Jenner setting up her financial future but at least we know we were getting a heroine with some sense...but until she refused to collect her winnings anonymously.
The second part is seven years later and most of the action on the cruise including being shanghaied into being Cael Traylor's fake lover so he can keep surveillance on the psycho in the next stateroom. While there were funny moments of fighting and arguing between the two, there was very little action moving the story forward. It took too long to discover what the villain was up to, there wasn't enough action for the team and Jenner dissolved into a whiny, annoying character.
I found the love story pretty blah. They fought and bickered so much and for so long, Howard could've just skipped the romance altogether. It really was kind of too little too late.
The last third of the novel was four chapters of the main action and honestly, I couldn't wait to get it over with.
It's split into three parts. The first is 23-year-old Jenner (which distracted me too, honestly, just give me Jenny or Jenna or Jenn) winning the lottery. This part feels the most like the previous books I've read by Howard. It was slow, not sure we needed to know every detail of Jenner setting up her financial future but at least we know we were getting a heroine with some sense...but until she refused to collect her winnings anonymously.
The second part is seven years later and most of the action on the cruise including being shanghaied into being Cael Traylor's fake lover so he can keep surveillance on the psycho in the next stateroom. While there were funny moments of fighting and arguing between the two, there was very little action moving the story forward. It took too long to discover what the villain was up to, there wasn't enough action for the team and Jenner dissolved into a whiny, annoying character.
I found the love story pretty blah. They fought and bickered so much and for so long, Howard could've just skipped the romance altogether. It really was kind of too little too late.
The last third of the novel was four chapters of the main action and honestly, I couldn't wait to get it over with.
November 13, 2017
Linda Howard is one of my long time, go-to authors who never let's me down. She mixes a bit of intrigue with a mystery and LOTS of steamy romance thrown in.
THIS book had me turning pages to figure out what was actually the plot but the way Linda writes holds my interest for more....
Take a woman held captive by a handsome guy for no apparant reason but to use her suit on a cruise ship to keep tabs on the neighbor. Is her captor a good guy or bad......read to find out!!!
THIS book had me turning pages to figure out what was actually the plot but the way Linda writes holds my interest for more....
Take a woman held captive by a handsome guy for no apparant reason but to use her suit on a cruise ship to keep tabs on the neighbor. Is her captor a good guy or bad......read to find out!!!
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