This is the first in a trilogy of loosely connected stories about three marine buddies who find love when they least expect it. I have already reviewed the second book, Getting Lucky. The third book is Hot and Bothered, hardly a title I would want to be seen reading on the bus, but which will no doubt give me a couple of hours of enjoyment once it’s delivered (I’m getting it through a TitleTrader swap).
James Cooper Blackstock has come to this half-brother’s hometown to investigate the murder of his former sister in law. His brother is the prime suspect, and has gone on the run. The dead woman’s sister, Veronica Davis, returns as well, to take care of her niece and to sell the family business, a bar where Coop is working undercover as bartender, in the hope of picking up some useful information about the murder. Sparks fly when they first meet, and continue to fly as passions rise and they become lovers. But Coop has not told her who he really is, and the murderer is lurking, waiting to see how things develop.
This is in some ways a better book than the sequel and in some ways not as good. Coop is a much more human and likeable hero than Zach (not as much of a testosterone jerk), but the interchange between Coop and Ronnie is not as funny and sparkling as that between Zach and Lily. The story sags a bit around the middle, but fortunately picks up again to provide the reader with some action and a satisfying ending.
The glimpses we get into the mind of the killer get annoying after a while. They are very obviously meant to show that he is not as clever as he thinks he is, but yet it is pure coincidence that leads Ronnie to realise his identity and a chance comment that leads Coop to the same discovery, not any kind of clever detective work. This makes the mystery weak, weaker than the one in the sequel.
Rating: A fun, romantic, suspense story. 3 stars.
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About me
What this blog is about:
Reading and books.
If you’re wondering about the name 52 books, it stems from a book-a-week reading challenge I set myself. The challenge is over, but I'm still reading, and will continue to blog about the books I read and my reading experiences, and other stuff connected with books and reading.
I rate the books (if I feel like it), giving them stars ranging from zero to 5.
Books I have already read (sporadically updated):Cover gallery
Note: Some of the entries are linked to the months the reviews appeared in, because I made several entries for each book. I have marked those reviews with an asterix (*). If you want to read the whole review from beginning to end, you must scroll down and read from the bottom up (but you probably already knew that ;-) >
