I was torn between calling this "okay" and saying I "liked it." I feel like Linda Howard has had some weird ones lately (some good - like Burn, and some BAD - like Death Angel),and this fell into that category. Unlike the normal Howard (or romantic suspense, for that matter), the characters jumped into bed almost immediately and then had suspenseful-type obstacles thrown at them, rather than falling into bed as a comfort thing in the midst of suspense. So that was different, but not in a bad way.

I also liked the (clearly well-researched) choice of profession for the woman, a wedding planner. The man's profession, police detective, was a bit dull, but not unsurprising for the genre. Both characters had some real spark and depth even. She had trust issues, good female relationships, strong work ethic, love of flavored coffee. He was a smartass, a little dense sometimes, strong and surly but always authentic. Good character writing.

The weakest part of the whole novel was the suspense part. A woman who everyone hates is murdered, and the wedding planner is the immediate suspect. We all know it's not her, and a few (rather obvious) hints make it clear who the responsible party is. And yet as I'm nearing the end, I'm still waiting to learn the motive. And I finish the last sentence, and I never got one. So I know whodonuit, but not why, which is really frustrated. Usually Howard is expert at weaving together romance and suspense, being clever and at times funny and always pulling the threads together so that the danger is averted and the lovers united, but this one just missed the first half of the equation. It didn't ruin the book, but it definitely detracted.

I've been looking forward to this one a long time, so I'm a tad disappointed. I think I need to go back and read some of my favorites, starting with Open Season and Mr. Perfect.

Another Linda Howard book that was just all right. The murder mystery itself kept my attention, although I wasn't a big fan of the main characters - more so the hero. He was pretty misogynistic in a few parts of the book and I don't see how they could have actually fallen in love. He just liked aggravating her and watching her freak out. Not my kind of hero. Still like Linda's writing style, though.

Fairly interesting and kept my attention for the day or so that it took to finish it. Quick read without a lot of thinking.

Kurang seru dibanding dua buku Linda Howard lain yang sebelumnya saya baca. Masih ada kasus pembunuhan, masih ada interaksi romans antara tokoh protagonis cewek baik-baik "korban keadaan" (Jaclyn) dan tokoh cowok penegak hukum (Eric), dan tebak-tebakan siapa sebenarnya sang penjahat.

Selain karena Jaclyn dan Eric udah ketemu dengan "panas" di bagian awal cerita, kisah pembunuhan yang jadi kasus penting di sini kurang jelas banget motifnya. Atau, para penjahatnya sebenarnya nggak niat membunuh', tapi disuruh membunuh oleh Bu Linda #eh

Di luar kasus pembunuhan, kerjaan Jaclyn sebagai WO menghadapi berbagai kliennya cukup menambah info ribetnya sebagian orang Amerika kalau mau nikah.

I am sorry to say that this book was a major disappointment. It falls squarely into the category that I call "fluff." Definitely not the serious crime books that I usually read. It was boring as well. I have read better books by Linda Howard. I cannot suggest this book as I do not think it is worth anyone's time to read it.

Another great romance by Linda Howard!

Not her best as far as intrigue but it was an quick and easy read.