Saturday, October 25, 2008

Take No Prisoners by Cindy Gerard

Abbie Hughes no longer trusts men, but despite her cool indifference, her long legs and showgirl face still draw plenty of attention. Between working as a blackjack dealer, going to school, and keeping an eye on her younger brother, Cory, there's no time for romantic adventures--until the night a sexy, mysterious stranger places a wager at her table...



Sam Lang left Black Ops, Inc. when tragedy struck his family. Although he's determined to retire his M-16 rifle to lead a quiet life on his ranch, a vengeful quest will send him on a manhunt for the ruthless multimillionaire who murdered his sister.



Though Sam suspects Abbie is in on a lucrative gem-smuggling deal her brother made with the enemy, their attraction is undeniable. Now Cory is missing, and together they search the wild Honduras backcountry to find him. With danger on their trail, they must trust each other completely or face certain death alone...



I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this story. Once again, Ms. Gerard leads her readers on an unforgettable romp through both the States and elsewhere. One thing I have to commend her on is the ability to keep the action ongoing without making me dizzy or confused.



Sam was introduced in Dallas Garrett's story at the end of the Bodyguard series. He made an appearance in Show No Mercy, but TNP is his story. Personally, he's not one of my favorite Gerard heroes. He makes a choice near the beginning of the book that really made him look pretty shabby in my eyes and he never fully redeemed himself.



Abbie is another great heroine. Tough, feisty, and not TSTL, her biggest regrets are her disasterous marriage and her little brother. She's working hard on forgetting her ex and from controlling Cory's reckless behavior.



It was great to see the other members of BOI and I can't wait to read Johnny's story. Should be a humdinger. :)





THE BAD:



As I said, Sam makes a choice that really left a sour taste in my mouth. After what had happened to his sister, I could understand his take-no-prisoner attitude (so to speak), but the fact that it affected the heroine of this story really bugged me.



The love. I could understand the attraction and the sex, but I never really saw them in LOVE. I think it was hurried a bit and just came across as a means to an end.





THE GOOD:



Abbie. I love strong heroines. She knew when to follow orders and didn't do anything so stupid that I was yelling at the book. A welcome respite.



The Boys. 'Nuff said. :)



The bad guys. One thing I like about the villains of Ms. Gerard's stories is that they're never 1-Dimensional. There's always depth and a reason behind what they do. Are they good people? Not usually, but they always get their comeuppance. :)



Cory. He started out the story an immature boy/man, but by the end of the book he'd finally grown some and become a man. It took a LOT, but it made him stronger.





All in all, I liked this story. I didn't think it was as good as Show No Mercy, but I liked it. And I've gotta say that she writes some smokin' hot love scenes as well. Really amps up the sexual tension and then KABOOM! :)






My Rating: B

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