Linda Howard

 

Dream Man

Author: Linda Howard

ISBN: 978-0671019754

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Mystery

 

5 Hearts

 

As part of an experiment this weekend I decided to find a good romance book that I could purchase over the internet in audio version. The idea was to try and kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes. Since I waste hours on the internet playing games on Facebook and My Space, I thought instead of listening to music like I usually do why not listen to an audio book. After a quick search I found one of my favorite authors, Linda Howard, and decided on a book I hadn't read yet. Dream Man was the one.

 

For six years Marlie Keen has not had any psychic episode. She has been able to have a relatively normal life, until one night on her way back from a late movie she has a vision from a killer's eyes of him raping and killing a woman. When she goes to the police, of course, they are skeptical. She didn't expect anything less. After all when she was younger she had worked with skeptical police before.

 

Detective Dane Hollister at first thinks Marlie is a quack after media attention, but after he gets to know the young woman he realizes that she isn't what he thought she was. Now he needs Marlie's help to find a serial killer before he strikes again.

 

Linda Howard is great at piecing together a good mystery. She leads her readers on a path to finding the answers to her mystery right to the end filling scenes with suspense and erotic love making. She was also one of the original erotic writers in the suspense genre. Dream Man is an action packed suspense novel that isn't perhaps as gory in the crime scenes as other books that Linda has put out, but it doesn't take anything away from the story.

 

One note on the audio version. I'm sorry but listening to this book on audio really takes away from the suspense style in the book. I'd have to give it very low ratings. The male voice trying to imitate the female lead was at time just so bad I was laughing out loud. She sounded so pitiful when he tried to voice her emotions that she came off sounding like a real wimp, even when the character was supposed to be mad or being stubborn. It might have been better to have a female read this particular book.

 

As far as listening to the audio book while I was playing my Facebook game and such, that part really worked a little too well. I wanted to keep listening to the story, but I didn't have anything else to do on the games. So I wound up putting a picture slide show and watching the pictures pass while I was tethered to my laptop.

 

Description:

Marlie Keen was trying to lead a quiet, ordinary life. She thought the knowing - the clairvoyance that allowed her to witness crimes as they happened - had been destroyed in the nightmare of her past. Then one night it returned with a vengeance, and she desperately needed to find someone to make it stop.

 

Detective Dane Hollister of the Orlando police department had never met anyone like Marlie. He had doubts about her clairvoyance, but there was no doubt how much he desired her. Her soft, sweet scent set his blood afire, and he wanted to wrap her in his arms and chase the sadness from her eyes. To Marlie, Dane was all heat and hard muscle, and he made her body come alive as it never had before. But not even she could foresee where their passion would lead: a hungry quest for the elusive, dreamy ecstasies of love...and a dangerous journey into the twisted mind of a madman who would threaten their happiness and their lives. . .

 

Tears of a Renegade

Author: Linda Howard

ISBN-13: 978-0373200030

Genre: Contemporary Romance

 

4 Hearts

 

Description:

Susan has never known anyone like Cord Blackstone. His pale blue eyes shine with temptation -- and dark menace.

 

Cord has a score to settle with his family—the same genteel clan that sheltered Susan after her husband's death. He will stop at nothing to punish the Blackstones—even if it means ruining the one woman who can't stop loving him.

 

From the author's publisher's Website:

Linda Howard is an award-winning author whose New York Times bestsellers include Open Season, All the Queen's Men, Mr. Perfect, Kill and Tell, and Son of the Morning. She lives in Alabama with her husband and two golden retrievers.

 

My View:

We all love bad boys, but I found bad boy Cord just a bit to on the rough side for Susan's good girl image. That said I think this book was filled with strong characters and a good story line. Cord Blackstone feels he's been done wrong by his family and he is out for revenge. His motives are made quite clear from the start, even though most of the book is told from Susan's point of view. From what little the readers share from Cord's side he doesn't ever seem to redeem himself.

 

Susan is no wall flower, but she is definitely too soft a heroine. I find the biggest character flaw that no one trusts her, yet she is loved by all. That really doesn't match. Even those who seemingly know that she is a good, honest, trustworthy person don't really know her at all. She's stuck in the middle with both sides pushing her too far.

 

To the author's credit this book was written in 1985. A lot has changed in romance books in nearly 25 years, except for the fact that readers love their bad boys. Many times I hear readers complain that books like this seem unrealistic. Perhaps in today's world someone like Cord wouldn't get by, but 25 years ago women loved him. Okay, so maybe even today there are some who will find him irresistible. Just don't tell anyone.