Troublemaker by Linda Howard

Title: Troublemaker

Author: Linda Howard

Narrator: Tanya Eby

Series: #1 in the Go-Team

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: William Marrow (May 10, 2016)

Source: Audiobook borrowed from the library, Own the kindle copy

Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: For Morgan Yancy, an operative and team leader in a paramilitary group, nothing comes before his job. But when he's ambushed and almost killed, his supervisor is determined to find out who's after the members of his elite squad--and why. Due to worries that this unknown enemy will strike again, Morgan is sent to a remote location and told to lay low and stay vigilant. But between a tempting housemate he's determined to protect and a deadly threat waiting in the shadows, keeping under the radar is proving to be his most dangerous mission yet.

The part-time police chief of a small West Virginian Mountain town, Isabeau "Bo" Maran finally has her life figured out. She's got friends, a dog, and a little money in the bank. Then Morgan Yancy shows up on her doorstep. Bo doesn't need a mysterious man in her life--especially a troublemaker as enticing and secretive as Morgan.

The harder they fight the intense heat between them, the closer Morgan and Bo become, even though she knows he's hiding from something. But discovering the truth could cost Bo more than she's willing to give. And when Morgan's cover is blown, it might just cost her life.

My Thoughts: An explosive beginning that grabbed me from the start coupled with a hero worthy of the title Book Boyfriend.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: So, I loved Morgan Yancy. There I said it. No takesies backsies. Howard created an amazing ex-military special ops hero that could rival Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters men. I only wish we would have got more about his job. Maybe showing him on a mission rather than starting the book state side after finishing up a mission. Even with him on death's door and recuperating couldn't detract from his appeal. As a matter of fact, his recouperation and subsequent rebuilding his strength and stamina made him more appealing. He hated being so unhealthy and unable to even get to the toilet without assistance, but it made him more "real". In so many books we see chest beaters and the "I'll fix everything for you" alpha men so seeing a strong virile man vulnerable and at his weakest was refreshing. However, Bo was mostly unlikable. Her saving grace was her relationship with her dog, Tricks, and Tricks herself was amazing. I love dogs and am so happy Tricks had such a big part in this book. 

Somewhere along the middle the suspense aspect fizzled while Morgan's recouperation and rehabilitation took center stage. The synopsis really highlighted their "intense heat" but honestly it seemed it felt more all of a sudden with Bo "innocently" licking the frosting off her cupcake and Morgan's mind went straight to the gutter. Oh, Bo was certainly not intending to be provocative, but TBH a woman just knows what the licking of anything (be it frosting, ice-cream, popsicles etc.) in front of a man (regardless of if there is attraction or not) looks like to a man. Since she was not characterized as being naive this particular scene stuck out as not being very authentic.

I did like the additional storyline of a young married couple whose marriage imploded in a public way and the asshat husband of the couple (the offspring of the richest man in the area who always had daddy bail him out of everything) took things too far and the day was saved by Morgan (who recovered sufficiently by that time.) I thought the end of the book brought back the suspense of the beginning but perhaps not fully realized as I ended up not fully invested in the suspense part of the story. I really think it took a backseat to the characters and their budding relationship.

The audio version was narrated by Tanya Eby. I really enjoy her narrations and this one was good as well. Her voice for the men was well done and her voice for the women didn't squeak out while I listened to the audio at 2x's the speed.

Full disclosure, I actually read the second book back in 2020 not realizing it was book 2 of the "series". When I finished this book, I immediately went to look for book 2 and while reading the synopsis of book 2 (The Woman Left Behind) I felt it sounded really familiar and after some digging through my library past borrows, I found I did indeed read it 2 years ago. I failed to notate it in GoodReads (which I've remedied now) and I also failed to review it. It's way too late to go back and do that now but as a side note I remember the suspense was intense almost all the way through and the heroine was a badass (or became one at the end.)

In a Nutshell: A good book by Linda Howard with an amazing hero, a wonderful dog, and a lukewarm heroine. I, of course, will continue to read everything she writes and has written.

Running Wild by Linda Howard and Linda Jones

Title: Running Wild
Author: Linda Howard and Linda Jones
Series: #1 in the Men From Battle Ridge series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Ballantine Books (November 27, 2012)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: In book 1 of this steamy new contemporary Western romance series by two blockbuster authors, a cowboy and a woman on the run take a stand and fight for love.

Carlin Reed lives in fear, off the grid, moving from place to place. So Battle Ridge, Wyoming, a small town in the middle of nowhere, seems like a good place to lie low for a while. But after becoming cook and housekeeper to cattle rancher Zeke Decker, Carlin suspects that she’s made her first mistake. Rugged, sexy, and too distracting for his own good, Zeke is pure temptation mixed with something deep and primal that makes Carlin feel almost safe. Soon things are getting way too hot in the kitchen.

Zeke doesn’t challenge Carlin’s terms: cash, dead bolts, and no questions. It is easy to see that she’s a woman in trouble. Problem is, he’s so blindsided by his attraction to her he can’t think straight. Zeke tries to stay all business, no complications—but that game plan is sabotaged the second Carlin gets under his skin. And when her terrifying past follows her to the ranch, Carlin faces a heartbreaking choice: run away from the man she loves, or put him in the crosshairs of a madman.

My Thoughts: A really great contemporary romance with ok romantic suspense elements.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: So what I really loved about this book was the honest romance that took it's time to blossom between Zeke and Carlin. Both Zeke's and Carlin's characters are pretty great and their banter between each other and with the secondary characters were highlights of the story. I did like the suspense aspect of the story but wish it would have more prominent in the middle of the story. The book started out so good with Carlin's stalker hunting her down. The climax of that plot thread was really well done as well. The middle lacked much in the way of the suspense. However, the good romance that built throughout the middle almost made up for it.

In a Nutshell: I really liked this book a lot and wish there was a second book already out in the series. Not sure when there will be a second book in the Battle Ridge series but since it's been so many years since the first one came out a new one doesn't look like it's coming, unfortunately.

Shadow Woman by Linda Howard

Synopsis: Lizette Henry wakes up one morning and makes a terrifying discovery: She doesn’t recognize the face she sees in the mirror. She remembers what she looks like, but her reflection is someone else’s. To add to the shock, two years seem to have disappeared from her life. Someone has gone to great and inexplicable lengths to keep those missing years hidden forever. But the past always finds a way to return.

Strange memories soon begin to surface and, along with them, some unusual skills and talents that Lizette hasn’t a clue about acquiring. Sensing that she’s being monitored, Lizette suddenly knows how to search for bugs in her house and tracking devices in her car. What’s more, she can elude surveillance—like a trained agent.

Enter a mysterious and seductive stranger named Xavier, who claims he wants to help—but who triggers disturbing images of an unspeakable crime of which Lizette may or may not be the perpetrator. With memories returning, she suddenly becomes a target of anonymous assassins. On the run with nowhere to hide, Lizette has no choice but to rely on Xavier, a strong and magnetic man she doesn’t trust, with a powerful attraction she cannot resist. As murky waters become clear, Lizette confronts a conspiracy that is treacherous and far-reaching and a truth that, once revealed, may silence her and Xavier once and for all.

My Thoughts: While I was a little disappointed in the lack of romance I found myself completely involved in Lizzy's newly discovered memories. The more she remembered the more I enjoyed her.

What Worked: The prologue did an excellent job of opening up the book and setting a nice pace for the book. Although political intrigues do not interest me much I was pleasantly surprised that even though the setting is Washington DC and the prologue has the president and first lady in it, the book itself is not about politics but about Lizzy who is trying to figure out why she is missing 2 years worth of memories.

As Lizzy remembers more and more it becomes evident that she is a woman who can certainly take care of herself. In addition the scenes depicting Xavier make him as interesting if not more so than Lizzy herself.

Although the book does tend to lag while Lizzy works out her memory loss once the book got to the half way mark it was no holds bar and took off like a shot. We have multiple teams sent in to kill our heroine and hero and we have a couple secondary characters that could be the bad guys but maybe not. For all Lizzy knows she is actually a bad guy herself. 

What Didn't Work: The prologue set a nice pace but the book came almost to a screeching halt while Lizzy battled with physical ailments to her returning memory. So the first half of the book's pacing was just slow, interesting, but slow.

The book also had a serious lack of romance. Sure there was sex but the characters weren't even together through most of the book and Lizzy's memories are so spotty that it was hard to accept Lizzy and Xavier's romance. This book would have worked just as well without the romantic element to it.

Carrying on that train of thought, the lack of interaction between the characters worked against the book. Since they were not together at all through the first 3/4 of the book I'd expect that they would spend the last quarter of the book together conquering evil or whatever. Yet, this is not what happens and we find the couple separated once again (although briefly) while Xavier goes about his super secret self appointed missions regarding Al and Felice.

Another thing that comes up a bit murky as how Lizzy's memory was wiped. The book mentions chemically altering memories but it does not explain the procedure only that Lizzy was the third person to have it done.

In a Nutshell: Howard did manage to keep my interest throughout the book because I really liked Lizzy and her change from a mousy girl to a kick butt woman. I was intrigued by Xavier also but wished he would have had more interaction with Lizzy. However, a believable romantic storyline would have been nice.

 

Sarah's Child by Linda Howard

Synopsis....

 A tragic accident took everything that mattered to Rome Matthews -- his wife, Diana, and their two little boys. And it robbed Sarah Harper of her best friend. In the two years since the tragedy, Sarah has wanted to reach out to Rome, but she knew she needed to stay away, guarding the secret she had kept from him and Diana all those years -- that she was in love with her best friend's husband.

But now Rome needs her. And though another woman will hold his heart forever, Sarah agrees to be his wife, knowing that everything has a price, including love. Then something totally unexpected rekindles her hidden hope that a marriage of convenience will become a union of love. Now it all comes down to her husband. Will Rome keep fighting his own growing need for a woman who dares him to believe there are second chances in life . . . or will he give in to the power of love and miracles? 



My Thoughts...

Originally published in 1985 I thought it was a solid book that really didn't come across as too "dated". The love scenes are mild by today's standard which is a nice change of pace really. I found my heartstrings twisting while reading this book. Sarah has loved Rome for over a decade but stepped aside when he became interested in her best friend (whom he later married). As the story opens we find that the best friend has died and left a man completely broken by the loss. (not spoilers by the way this is what is included on the back blurb) After a couple years Sarah and Rome find they have a connection and Rome proposes a marriage of convenience. He makes valid points even though I don't do the plot justice it does make sense from where he is coming from. Sarah decides that even though he doesn't love her she loves him and will take him anyway she can. There is so much more that takes place but you have to read the book to get the full effect.

What I liked....Rome. He was a completely flawed man and I liked it. Not drop dead gorgeous but he had a commanding way about him that makes him very attractive to people. Although he admits he has always found Sarah attractive he never strayed from his commitment he made to his wife. His attitude was often harsh and abrasive but his emotions were so raw that even when he was being a complete jerkwad I understood where he was coming from even if I didn't agree.

What I didn't like...Sarah's unfailing dedication to her love of Rome even after he suggested that he wanted nothing to do with a baby but still wanted to stay with Sarah. Suggesting that the kid should never be near him....as a matter of fact aside from some unforeseen illness where the child should need Sarah's attention, when he gets home from work she should dedicate that time to him and make sure the child is out of his way. I am paraphrasing of course but you get the gist. Sarah would never "not" have Rome's baby nor could she give it up for adoption but to sit around and hope for a miracle is a little much. If that miracle didn't happen that child would have been put in a horrible situation of a "Flowers in the Attic" proportion. Luckily this is a happily ever after romance novel so it all worked out. I just didn't think that realistically this should have or could have happened.

Overall a good book. You are either going to love it or hate it (mostly because of Rome). Because of my frustrations with Sarah I am giving this book 4 Stars.

Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard

I tried to find a synopsis from both Shelfari.com and Amazon.com but all they said was..Wolf Mackenzie is a loner who has a way with horses and a deep distrust of outsiders - until one woman dares to venture onto Mackenzie's Mountain. Schoolteacher Mary Elizabeth Potter is determined to keep Wolf's teenage son from abandoning his dreams . . . and finds herself rescuing Wolf along the way. 

Now, I don't know about you but that isn't a synopsis to me. That is more of a generic sentence used probably more times then not to describe hundreds of romance novels.

So, let me tell you a little more about the book.

Mackenzie's Mountain was written in 1989 by the great Linda Howard. It has been a tried and true romance recommended by one romance lover to another for years. It is the first book in the Mackenzie saga.

Wolf Mackenzie is a quite man who has isolated himself just on the outskirts of a small one horse town on what he considers "his" mountain. The town distrusts him and treats him like a common criminal and in return he rarely ventures to town and doesn't really care to mingle anyway. His 16 year old son Joe has learned to be indifferent towards the town just as his dad does because the town treats him the same way they treat his dad. When Joe decides that he can't even get a decent education because of the poor opinion the town has on the Mackenzies he opts for dropping out of school to help his dad train horses. The new school teacher has other plans and makes it her mission to get Joe back into school and educate him into a better life. And if she has to spend more time around Wolf Mackenzie that wouldn't be such a bad thing either.

My Thoughts.....

After having this book in my TBR pile for years and years I signed up for a reading challenge where I challenged myself to read 24 books (which I pre-selected before the start of the year) from this pile. This was one of the books I put on that list. It's about time I read it too. As I mentioned it has been almost a "staple" of romance readers top favorites for years now and it has been recommended to me time and time again.

What I liked....

I went at it was extremely high expectations and overall I was not disappointed at all. Wolf is an interesting character. Proud, strong, intelligent. It first appears that he is antisocial and is maybe not the hero that you expect from a romance novel. And to tell the truth he isn't. What he is, is a man who has isolated himself based on the reactions from other people for self preservation.

I think what complicates the story is Joe, Wolf's son. At first I had a hard time with the concept of Wolf letting his son drop out of school to help with the horses. That seemed so....wrong. A 16 year old should never drop out of school. I know it happens. My rose colored glasses broke years ago. But I am used to reading books where it is very black and white. Good parents raise their kids to go to college. They raise smart, funny and beautiful children. Bad parents run out on their kids. They let them drop out of school and do who knows what because bad parents don't care. This book does not fall into the black or white. Once I accepted that I was able to really embrace this book.

Mary is a strong female character who is intelligent yet knows her limitations. She sets her sights on getting Joe his education and like a bulldog she stubbornly refuses to give in. She also sets her sights on Wolf. She finds him attractive, intriguing and mistreated by town. She ends up being the Mackenzies' champion when it comes to staring down the town and putting the town folks in their place.

In addition to an interesting set of characters there is a little bit of a mystery and danger involved which always makes a story even better for me.

What I didn't like....

I didn't understand the big Tah-doo about Wolf being an Indian (Howard continued to refer to Wolf as either an Indian or a Breed...usually when either Wolf referred to himself or one of the town's people referred to him or Joe). Anyway, this book was written in the late 80's (on the cusp of the 90's) and was set as a contemporary romance. With this in mind, why on earth would an entire town and Wolf himself feel the need to continually point out his being Native American? And in such a negative way too (trust me on this....they do). It really confused me. In addition, Mary (although I really liked her character) was something straight out of the 1800's. She felt better in long dresses and sensible shoes. She is in her late 20's but yet still a virgin and I believe she thought herself a spinster.

Between Wolf being a "dirty Indian" and Mary being a spinster if it hadn't been for the fact that Mary drove a car up Mackenzie's Mountain in the opening I would have sworn I was reading an historical romance. Don't get me wrong, I love historicals, but this wasn't one and I think that any book should follow certain rules. This book was written about a 1990 relationship between a white woman and a Native American and I expect the attitude of the characters to reflect what is socially acceptable at that time. If a book were written about a white person dating an African American in 1950's America I would expect a small town of folks to be outraged and hateful (I am not condoning this, just acknowledging that this was the way things were at the time).

So, despite the weird little timeline issue I am overall pleased with the way the book progressed. I am glad I read it. Not sure if I would read it again. I think I might actually if she decided to release another Mackenzie book (there are 4 and I have only read 2 by the way). I think that I would read them all in anticipation (or a quick reminder of who and what each book was about) if she ever did release another one.

My rating 4.5 Stars.

After the Night by Linda Howard

Faith Devlin is the daughter of the town tramp and a drunk. She learns at an early age that despite who she is or might become a town as small as Prescott, Louisianna lables you based on what family you come from. For Faith, this means the people of the parish treat her as if she were a tramp like her mom and sister, a drunk like her father or a thief like her brothers. This is not who or what Faith is but to everyone in the town it doesn't matter.

Gray Rouillard is the son of the wealthiest man in Prescott, possibly even in half the state. He is also the golden boy football player from LSU. To Faith he is the idol she has loved from afar for as long as she could remember.

Faith and Gray's paths rarely crossed. Faith being dirt poor and taking care of her special needs little brother and Gray being groomed to take over his father's business one day. One night their paths did cross. Faith's mother was Gray's father's mistress and on this one night both she and Gray's father left Prescott never to be seen again. On that night Gray and Faith's worlds collided. He called her trash and she was forced to leave the only home she ever knew.

12 years later Faith Devlin returned to Prescott to get answers. Answers to where Renee Devlin and Guy Rouillard went that night and perhaps to show the town of Prescott that she was not like the rest of her family.

I very much enjoyed this book. My heart went out to Faith's struggles when she was a young girl. As a woman my heart went out to her even more when she went back to the town that labled her to show them that she was a successful woman and not a product of a horrible family.

The mystery aspect of this book was great. It captivated me and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering who the bad person was and what exactly happened on the night that Renee and Guy disappeared.

If you have never read a book by Linda Howard this book is a good introduction to her writing. This isn't my first book by her and it definitely won't be my last.

Drop Dead Gorgeous: A Novel (Blair Mallory) by Linda Howard

Synopsis: Blair Mallory has already survived one murder attempt. Now, while planning her wedding and dealing with holiday season madness, she once again dodges a bullet. Or, more precisely, a Buick. And although the driver's identity remains a mystery, his or her murderous intentions are all too clear.— Or are they? After all, Blair's homicidal ex-husband and his partner in crime/wife are safely behind bars. And even Wyatt Bloodworth, Blair's police detective groom-to-be, isn't inclined to believe she's being targeted again. All of which makes Blair wonder if her close call was simply a mishap. But the wondering stops when she narrowly cheats death again in another seemingly innocent accident. Two strikes is all it takes to convince Blair that she's back in someone's cross-hairs. And the only thing more frightening is that Wyatt still doubts her. That means this time no one will be watching Blair's back when she sets out to get the drop on her would-be killer -- before whoever it is finally drops her.

My Thoughts: Another looking into Blair Mallory's life is the premise for this book. As sequels go this one was good. After reading some of the other reviews I would have to say that yes, this book was kind of a rehash of the first book but as I read To Die For quite a few years ago it wasn't fresh in my mind. I might suggest that a reader might space these two books out a bit unless you really don't mind repetition.

Blair loves her boyfriend Wyatt and is thrilled with the thought of marrying him. She also loves tormenting him and trying to get the upper hand in their verbal battles. With a cop as a boyfriend this is often difficult but she loves the sport of trying anyway. In one of these attempts she fails to be the victor and finds her wedding date decided by Wyatt. Either plan a wedding of her liking to take place in 30 days or off to Vegas they go. For a high maintenance gal like Blair Vegas is so "Out". After all Britney did it and who wants to follow her crazy example.

I loved reading about Blair again. I get her. Yes she is pretty high maintenance but she maintains herself thank you very much and doesn't expect anyone else to do it. She has a quirky habit of listing Wyatt's current transgressions which she leaves on the kitchen counter for him to read at a later time. After all, he is a man and really doesn't have a clue as to what he does wrong most of the time. She also has a tendency to list all tasks she needs to do starting with the ones she feels she can easily do and then working her way to the heavy stuff that she doesn't feel ready to handle. So her lists tend to say thins like...

1-Find Dress For Wedding (going shopping in 10 minutes)

2-Get Jazz and Sally back together (arrange meeting with Jazz later)

3-Figure out who tried to run me over with a Buick (maybe tomorrow)

As a list maker I highly approve of her ways. I enjoyed her taking me on a journey through on crisis after another and then, finally, her wedding day.

As a romance book I would say that this might not satisfy some readers. It isn't about boy meets girl and falls in love. It starts with the couple already there. It is now the journey to their happily ever after. Also this book is written in the first person. This can be off putting to some. I had forgotten that her first book was in the first person so it took me a bit to get use to it but after a chapter or two I really enjoyed seeing the world through Blair's eyes again.