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Long, Tall Texans #40
Merciless
Can she convince a man to let down his defenses when he's set on guarding his heart?
Tall, dark and eligible?
That's all that matters to the women of Jacobsville when it comes to handsome and aloof FBI agent Jon Blackhawk. But if it were up to him, he would never settle down. Luckily, Jon has the best gatekeeper: his efficient and reliable assistant, Joceline Perry. Without her help, he'd be at the mercy of husband hunters�but the more he comes to rely on her, the more he notices how invaluable she really is…
While Joceline can't deny that her boss is attractive, as a single mother with responsibilities she's determined to be professional. But when Jon is accosted by a criminal seeking revenge, she comes to his aid�fueling the spark that is growing between them.
As the attempts on Jon's life increase, Joceline stands by his side. But when the smoke clears, will the man who avoided love realize that all he ever needed was right there all along?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
546 people are currently reading
913 people want to read
About the author
Diana Palmer
1,038 books3,099 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
September 27, 2019
Honestly, I don't know what to do about this. I am going to assume that DP had the flu and was slightly out of it as she wrote this. Or perhaps she read somewhere that her readers, her avid readers I might add, were sick of uber-Alpha, hairy chested, smoking heroes who belittled their little women. I thought I was, but I was wrong!
The H is neither mean nor hairy.
The heroine is not a virgin.
There is no evil OW unless you count the unredeemable mother of the H.
The plots:
A secret plot moppet due to a drug induced ONS. The virginal hero was drugged, and the heroine has been afraid (for four to five years now) to tell him. This is actually the side plot.
The main story is a convoluted, as in needs a diagram, of the investigation of the murder of Kilraven's first wife and child and other people. Kilraven is the H of Dangerous and this H's brother. Now he is mean in that book.
I'll be honest, I skimmed A LOT once I figured out the hero wasn't going to sashay his OW in front of the heroine. In fact he shooed his mother's insanely shallow options away, so I lost interest. Even more perplexing is that when the H finds out about the secret baby he's just grateful. What!
The H is neither mean nor hairy.
The heroine is not a virgin.
There is no evil OW unless you count the unredeemable mother of the H.
The plots:
A secret plot moppet due to a drug induced ONS. The virginal hero was drugged, and the heroine has been afraid (for four to five years now) to tell him. This is actually the side plot.
The main story is a convoluted, as in needs a diagram, of the investigation of the murder of Kilraven's first wife and child and other people. Kilraven is the H of Dangerous and this H's brother. Now he is mean in that book.
I'll be honest, I skimmed A LOT once I figured out the hero wasn't going to sashay his OW in front of the heroine. In fact he shooed his mother's insanely shallow options away, so I lost interest. Even more perplexing is that when the H finds out about the secret baby he's just grateful. What!
September 22, 2011
Too many characters, too many mentions of other cases in other books, too much detail and not enough substance. Joceline had sex with Jon who forgot having had drugs dropped into his drink @ at party. Joceline gets pregnant but never tells Jon because it will "ruin" his FBI career.(for real? Oh please what century is this) Little Markey (hopes his name is really Mark)has asthma, possible ADD a few other health issues and poor Joceline is exactly that. Poor. Then Jon's mother hates Joceline for being an unwed mother (huh?);tries to get rid of Joceline. Then... so many killers that its hard to keep up with who is who tries to kill Jon, threatens to kill Joceline & Markey, and Jon's mother. If that is not enough, Jon is a 30 yr old virgin or so he thinks.Joceline used to be a virgin until she had sex with Jon. Now she just wears really outdated clothes and scuffed shoes. SIGH!!!
This book is a dated formula that Diana Palmer used back in the '80s when it was more typical of the genre at that time. Now it and the characters are tiresome , predictable and boring. I knew by page 14 who the secret "daddy" was. The only switch was whether "daddy" would be furioius and lash out at mommy or be happy and not lash out at mommy. In between throw in several killers who all seemed to be related to each other by blood or marriage. Diana Palmer tried to update her formula by adding video games, ADD,bullying, and the like to her story. Basically these added nothing to the story whatsoever. It was a dud. Her characters are idential from book to book. The only difference I can see over her "Tall Texans" is that these men no longer sit somewhere, brood darkly and smoke cigarettes quietly. As if there is a loud way to do that! (snort) I think I am done with Diana Palmer and I am sorry about it since she used to write a good book
This book is a dated formula that Diana Palmer used back in the '80s when it was more typical of the genre at that time. Now it and the characters are tiresome , predictable and boring. I knew by page 14 who the secret "daddy" was. The only switch was whether "daddy" would be furioius and lash out at mommy or be happy and not lash out at mommy. In between throw in several killers who all seemed to be related to each other by blood or marriage. Diana Palmer tried to update her formula by adding video games, ADD,bullying, and the like to her story. Basically these added nothing to the story whatsoever. It was a dud. Her characters are idential from book to book. The only difference I can see over her "Tall Texans" is that these men no longer sit somewhere, brood darkly and smoke cigarettes quietly. As if there is a loud way to do that! (snort) I think I am done with Diana Palmer and I am sorry about it since she used to write a good book
February 17, 2020
More of a murder mystery than a romance. This story continues from Dangerous, which was about the hero’s brother. They do solve the murder of the Dangerous hero’s child and first wife, but with a lot of red herrings and name-dropping from previous stories. That means I skimmed.
The romance was interesting and also contained red herrings and obvious clues. It was a typical DP boss/secretary – lots of banter to hide sexual tension.
The heroine is inexplicably named a Jezebel by hero and hero’s mother because she is a single mother of an asthmatic four-year-old. The hero is a virgin at 31 because he’s very conservative and hasn’t met the right woman, much to his mother’s despair. But after some anvil-sized hints the identify of the little boy’s father is obvious.
The hero was amazingly chill about the heroine’s secrets and their antagonism faded into nothing as the mystery took over the story. Still, a nice romance for two well-matched characters.
Diana Palmer checklist:
Hairy chest No
Breast Description Firm, dark-tipped
Cigarettes No, hero had asthma as a child and never smoked *anvil*
Alcohol No
Town Descriptions Took place in San Antonia and Oklahoma and at the funeral home in Jacobsville
Gardenia Scent No
LOL detail hero’s ponytail is “elegant”
Cutesy detail heroine won’t make coffee at work
DP hobbyhorse Spell check, importance of knowing history, computer gaming - specifically World of War Craft and Halo, overuse of ADHD drugs.
The romance was interesting and also contained red herrings and obvious clues. It was a typical DP boss/secretary – lots of banter to hide sexual tension.
The heroine is inexplicably named a Jezebel by hero and hero’s mother because she is a single mother of an asthmatic four-year-old. The hero is a virgin at 31 because he’s very conservative and hasn’t met the right woman, much to his mother’s despair. But after some anvil-sized hints the identify of the little boy’s father is obvious.
The hero was amazingly chill about the heroine’s secrets and their antagonism faded into nothing as the mystery took over the story. Still, a nice romance for two well-matched characters.
Diana Palmer checklist:
Hairy chest No
Breast Description Firm, dark-tipped
Cigarettes No, hero had asthma as a child and never smoked *anvil*
Alcohol No
Town Descriptions Took place in San Antonia and Oklahoma and at the funeral home in Jacobsville
Gardenia Scent No
LOL detail hero’s ponytail is “elegant”
Cutesy detail heroine won’t make coffee at work
DP hobbyhorse Spell check, importance of knowing history, computer gaming - specifically World of War Craft and Halo, overuse of ADHD drugs.
November 11, 2017
The only merciless one in this book is the book itself!
The first 6-7 chapters are filler ones with lots of same old DP spiel and preaching, and not much substance. The h is smart-aleckingly annoying and has I-am-a-make-no-coffee-PA-take-it-or-leave-it on loop, which she may think is cute/smart/funny but is actually only irritating as hell!
Still her son is adorable and the H is surprisingly plain nice.
The suspense about the son’s parentage is quite a non-suspense.
The crime/killer angle was difficult to get into unless one has read all the previous books connecting the dots.
All in all a complete skim-o-rama. And I almost dnf-ed.
But then the book shifts into a faster gear and brings on some angst, some sweetness and lots of action. The h improves on familiarity and the H shows no latent asshattery and remains nice and calm!
Patience is certainly a virtue.
An almost dnf/1 star goes onto be an almost 3 star!
The first 6-7 chapters are filler ones with lots of same old DP spiel and preaching, and not much substance. The h is smart-aleckingly annoying and has I-am-a-make-no-coffee-PA-take-it-or-leave-it on loop, which she may think is cute/smart/funny but is actually only irritating as hell!
Still her son is adorable and the H is surprisingly plain nice.
The suspense about the son’s parentage is quite a non-suspense.
The crime/killer angle was difficult to get into unless one has read all the previous books connecting the dots.
All in all a complete skim-o-rama. And I almost dnf-ed.
But then the book shifts into a faster gear and brings on some angst, some sweetness and lots of action. The h improves on familiarity and the H shows no latent asshattery and remains nice and calm!
Patience is certainly a virtue.
An almost dnf/1 star goes onto be an almost 3 star!
August 17, 2011
2 stars is generous. I didn't dislike the book but it really isn't anything to write home about. Oh how do I start? I just have to make a list:
1. The book was ridiculous.
2. The reasons for keeping the truth of Markie's parentage a secret were ludicrous and the whole idea that a deeply religious woman has to decide between carrying an illegitimate child or having an abortion is dumb! Heck, I'm not deeply religious but no way in this world would I terminate a pregnancy because I was worried the father would think I was after him for his money! She is so deeply religious she lied to the father about his son. Instead she made up a story (which in itself, is actually believable, surprising, considering the rest of the book) about a soldier KIA in Afghanistan.
3. The hero's mom was a bitch! She was the same way in the previous book with that hero's girl. She became all sweetness and nice at the end after learning Winnie (from the previous book) wasn't after the hero's money. She was the same horrible woman to Joceline in the beginning of this book, but oh, she was just trying to protect her son. Ugh, horrid woman. Not to mention she was in the same situation as Joceline when she was younger. She decided to terminate the pregnancy because she didn't want to tell the deeply religious man who made love to her!!! that she was pregnant because he might be horrified because of how religious he was. Oh yeah, go and abort the baby because that's the more sensible decision. Stupid, stupid reasons!
4. The real killer was so obvious I'm surprised it didn't slap the FBI agent hero across the face.
5. The writing was so poor in this one. I think it is worse than some of the others. I don't recall DP writing like this before. The conversations were so ping-pong it got annoying.
6. This book seemed like it was supposed to be some type of religious devotional except for all of the many different sins constantly committed in this book. I have absolutely no problem with religion but if I wanted to read an inspirational romance I would pick up one.
7. Jon Blackhawk, the hero, was so beta I wanted to puke. I'm not a big fan of beta heroes but he was over the top. I like my romance novel heroes to be men and unfortunately, in this one, he fell quite short.
8. I did not get a sense of any romance in this story. There was so much focus on religion, the "case" they were working on, the secret child, the bitch of a mother, the gaming talk that nothing felt real while reading this book. I had no "awww" moments, nothing that left me wanting more between the H and h.
9. The whole mystery in this one was so confusing. It actually concluded the case from the previous book about the hero's brother. There were so many people involved that every time they talked about the case I just got confused so I skipped right over it.
OK, after this rant, not quite sure why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1. I guess it is because I didn't hate the book but then again it was so absolutely ridiculous! I'm sure there are some things I forgot to include in this review. Believe me, if I can think of them later this baby will get edited!
ETA: This book just may have cured my DP reading, at least as far as these new releases are concerned. Ugh!
1. The book was ridiculous.
2. The reasons for keeping the truth of Markie's parentage a secret were ludicrous and the whole idea that a deeply religious woman has to decide between carrying an illegitimate child or having an abortion is dumb! Heck, I'm not deeply religious but no way in this world would I terminate a pregnancy because I was worried the father would think I was after him for his money! She is so deeply religious she lied to the father about his son. Instead she made up a story (which in itself, is actually believable, surprising, considering the rest of the book) about a soldier KIA in Afghanistan.
3. The hero's mom was a bitch! She was the same way in the previous book with that hero's girl. She became all sweetness and nice at the end after learning Winnie (from the previous book) wasn't after the hero's money. She was the same horrible woman to Joceline in the beginning of this book, but oh, she was just trying to protect her son. Ugh, horrid woman. Not to mention she was in the same situation as Joceline when she was younger. She decided to terminate the pregnancy because she didn't want to tell the deeply religious man who made love to her!!! that she was pregnant because he might be horrified because of how religious he was. Oh yeah, go and abort the baby because that's the more sensible decision. Stupid, stupid reasons!
4. The real killer was so obvious I'm surprised it didn't slap the FBI agent hero across the face.
5. The writing was so poor in this one. I think it is worse than some of the others. I don't recall DP writing like this before. The conversations were so ping-pong it got annoying.
6. This book seemed like it was supposed to be some type of religious devotional except for all of the many different sins constantly committed in this book. I have absolutely no problem with religion but if I wanted to read an inspirational romance I would pick up one.
7. Jon Blackhawk, the hero, was so beta I wanted to puke. I'm not a big fan of beta heroes but he was over the top. I like my romance novel heroes to be men and unfortunately, in this one, he fell quite short.
8. I did not get a sense of any romance in this story. There was so much focus on religion, the "case" they were working on, the secret child, the bitch of a mother, the gaming talk that nothing felt real while reading this book. I had no "awww" moments, nothing that left me wanting more between the H and h.
9. The whole mystery in this one was so confusing. It actually concluded the case from the previous book about the hero's brother. There were so many people involved that every time they talked about the case I just got confused so I skipped right over it.
OK, after this rant, not quite sure why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1. I guess it is because I didn't hate the book but then again it was so absolutely ridiculous! I'm sure there are some things I forgot to include in this review. Believe me, if I can think of them later this baby will get edited!
ETA: This book just may have cured my DP reading, at least as far as these new releases are concerned. Ugh!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2020
This was totally different. The hero was a virgin. And the h had an illegitimate child. It was so cute too. The heroine was very snarky but I loved it. There is a mystery during the book and I think it is part of a series but I still enjoyed it. Jon, the hero never flaunted his chest hair, and there was no smoking at all. There were some secrets but no big misunderstanding, no OW, no OM, and I had to check that it was really 'the' Diana Palmer that wrote it. I just really enjoyed this romance. All the characters were really great. I am going to try and find the other books. Jon was a great hero too. The little boy Markie seemed older than he was which three me off. The hero's Mom was a total biatch and I really got annoyed with her. Her about face was a little too sudden. Lots of twists. Didn't see some of them coming even. Nice way to end a long day.
March 14, 2022
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Liked it!
==================
REREAD===> AUDIOBOOK (VERY GOOD!) March, 2022
=========================================
REREAD===> AUDIOBOOK (VERY GOOD!) March, 2021
=========================================
23/08/2011
Gostei
Confesso que estava com má vontade, pois os comentários no amazon estavam muito ruins e diziam que o livro era péssimo e tal...
No início achei meio sem graça... muitos comentários sobre videogames, jogos de computador, internet e investigações... como nos anteriores desde o "The Maverick". Acho que a titia mudou um pouco o estilo dela.
Mas aí as faíscas começaram a rolar entre os dois...
Terminei de ler e gostei muito... não é um típico DP com mocinho ogro e mocinha ingênua e boboca.
A mocinha é legal e logo de início suspeitamos que algo ocorreu com ela para ter um filho solteira, pois ela é muito tradicional e tal.
O Jon é um fofo e a titia DP não mudou a personalidade dele como fez com outros personagens quando eles ganham um livro próprio. Ele se portou direitinho durante o livro todo, gostei dele mais ainda.
O filhinho da mocinha é um fofo, tem asma e é hiperativo... passei isto com o meu quando era pequeno e sei que é uma barra para qualquer mãe.
A mãe do Jon é uma vaca, mas no final perdoamos as atitudes dela, kkkkkk!
Os personagens coadjuvantes s��o ótimos também e estou louca pelo livro com a história do Rick e do Rourke.
==================
REREAD===> AUDIOBOOK (VERY GOOD!) March, 2022
=========================================
REREAD===> AUDIOBOOK (VERY GOOD!) March, 2021
=========================================
23/08/2011
Gostei
Confesso que estava com má vontade, pois os comentários no amazon estavam muito ruins e diziam que o livro era péssimo e tal...
No início achei meio sem graça... muitos comentários sobre videogames, jogos de computador, internet e investigações... como nos anteriores desde o "The Maverick". Acho que a titia mudou um pouco o estilo dela.
Mas aí as faíscas começaram a rolar entre os dois...
Terminei de ler e gostei muito... não é um típico DP com mocinho ogro e mocinha ingênua e boboca.
A mocinha é legal e logo de início suspeitamos que algo ocorreu com ela para ter um filho solteira, pois ela é muito tradicional e tal.
O Jon é um fofo e a titia DP não mudou a personalidade dele como fez com outros personagens quando eles ganham um livro próprio. Ele se portou direitinho durante o livro todo, gostei dele mais ainda.
O filhinho da mocinha é um fofo, tem asma e é hiperativo... passei isto com o meu quando era pequeno e sei que é uma barra para qualquer mãe.
A mãe do Jon é uma vaca, mas no final perdoamos as atitudes dela, kkkkkk!
Os personagens coadjuvantes s��o ótimos também e estou louca pelo livro com a história do Rick e do Rourke.
October 15, 2011
What to say?I am a long time Diana Palmer fan since she started writing in the old Silhoute romance line.She has a formula and sticks to it,you know what you are going to read when you open the pages.That said,I brought this book to read on my Nook because it is so much cheaper than the HB version.I liked this story alot.It was old fashioned romance as only Diana Palmer can write.AT times though ,I felt that I was in infomational land as the characters tells you everything about the particular topic at hand or just tosses out random bits of info,I did not mind that,but other reader may.The characters were made for each other, the little boy was cute.I guessed the big "secret" about the h write away.For a change of pace this DP H was not a total jerk,he was kind to the h who was not a typical DP doormat.She sassed him when needed.The mystery of the murders of Killraven's 1st wife and child were finally cleared up and the killer revealed.Only a very brief visit to Jacobsville this time.I will continue to read her as I have this addiction to her books ,as with many authors ,some books are great,meh,or bad.If you want a nice sweet oldfashion book, this is the romance for you.It was a nice change from the books that I have been reading.
July 27, 2012
MEH! Not so much!
The story was just okay, and the narration was bad, bad, bad! The "voice" was so distracting that I could barely concentrate on the plot. I thought if I listened long enough I would get used to it. Um...didn't happen!
Did you ever see the movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar? Well Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes played drag queens in the movie and that was what the voices sounded like! A man pretending very hard to sound like women with a southern accents! YIKES...like nails to a chalkboard!! Not to mention that in my mind all I could see was Patrick Swayze as Vida Boheme, and the ugliest drag queen I've ever seen, Wesley Snipes as Noxeema Jackson...EGADS!! My aching brain!! I loved the movie, but I didn't care for this book or how the narrator messed with my mind!
Phil Gigante's voice for the men was not much better. They sounded like they were gasping for air. Instead of trying so hard to create voices for the characters, he should just have read the story with his God given voice and softened it up for the woman. I'm not even going to go in to what 4 year old Marky sounded like, it wasn't pretty!! My ears are still hurting!
The story was just okay, and the narration was bad, bad, bad! The "voice" was so distracting that I could barely concentrate on the plot. I thought if I listened long enough I would get used to it. Um...didn't happen!
Did you ever see the movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar? Well Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes played drag queens in the movie and that was what the voices sounded like! A man pretending very hard to sound like women with a southern accents! YIKES...like nails to a chalkboard!! Not to mention that in my mind all I could see was Patrick Swayze as Vida Boheme, and the ugliest drag queen I've ever seen, Wesley Snipes as Noxeema Jackson...EGADS!! My aching brain!! I loved the movie, but I didn't care for this book or how the narrator messed with my mind!
Phil Gigante's voice for the men was not much better. They sounded like they were gasping for air. Instead of trying so hard to create voices for the characters, he should just have read the story with his God given voice and softened it up for the woman. I'm not even going to go in to what 4 year old Marky sounded like, it wasn't pretty!! My ears are still hurting!
July 25, 2016
Pretty classic DP- filled with a quirky heroine and a sweet(and finally not grumpy boss), fun banter, loads of mysteries, - some sad moments and a hea!
I would have loved more chemistry and less rushing towards the end.
Safe read
3.5/5
I would have loved more chemistry and less rushing towards the end.
Safe read
3.5/5
February 12, 2021
Fair warning, I’m not in the mood for review writing, but have three of these bad boys to get through before I forget, so here goes… Merciless is FBI agent, Jon Blackhawk and his assistant Joceline’s book. The majority of the plot is dedicated to settling the mystery introduced in his ½ bro’s (FBI agent Kilraven) book, Dangerous. (Tracking down the murderer of his wife and child) A few parts of the mystery were a bit interesting, but the majority is a snoozefest. I got through with pro-level skimming.
DP has a formula that works, but this one’s missing ingredients.
❌👨 Jon is not worldly, hairy or broody. He doesn’t drink, smoke, or toss insults. He’s also not experienced, and a 30-yr old virgin.
❌ 👩 Joceline is not sweet, timid, or a virgin. She’s mouthy and wears ballet slippers to work.
❌🎮 There’s WAY TOO much gaming talk. Gamer abbreviations, games, etc.
❌💋 There’s no manipulative wannabe OW, unless you count his snooty mom Cammy.
❌ 👷♂️ There’s no development. The relationship/chemistry POOFS from nowhere. The “big reveal” is met with unemotional instant acceptance. The reason for said “big reveal” was ridiculous even for soap. And, the “big sexy moment” was cringy AF.
It’s coming,” he whispered hoarsely. “It’s coming…!” “Jon,” she cried out, arching. “Oh, Jon…!” He ground down into her, clenching his teeth, driving for satisfaction, frantic for release. “I’m sorry, it’s too quick…!” “No…it’s…not!” she bit off. She matched his rhythm with quick, sharp movements of her hips, shifting so that he was there, right there, right there…! 😨
❌👩🍳 Too many cooks in the kitchen. Jon, Kilraven, Marquez, Cash, Annie, Rourke…Too many baddies. Dan Jones, Jay Cooper, Bart Hancock, Peppy, Phyllis, Harold Monroe, Sloane Callum...
Bottom Line- This one was a dud. I skimmed a ton just to get through.
DP has a formula that works, but this one’s missing ingredients.
❌👨 Jon is not worldly, hairy or broody. He doesn’t drink, smoke, or toss insults. He’s also not experienced, and a 30-yr old virgin.
❌ 👩 Joceline is not sweet, timid, or a virgin. She’s mouthy and wears ballet slippers to work.
❌🎮 There’s WAY TOO much gaming talk. Gamer abbreviations, games, etc.
❌💋 There’s no manipulative wannabe OW, unless you count his snooty mom Cammy.
❌ 👷♂️ There’s no development. The relationship/chemistry POOFS from nowhere. The “big reveal” is met with unemotional instant acceptance. The reason for said “big reveal” was ridiculous even for soap. And, the “big sexy moment” was cringy AF.
It’s coming,” he whispered hoarsely. “It’s coming…!” “Jon,” she cried out, arching. “Oh, Jon…!” He ground down into her, clenching his teeth, driving for satisfaction, frantic for release. “I’m sorry, it’s too quick…!” “No…it’s…not!” she bit off. She matched his rhythm with quick, sharp movements of her hips, shifting so that he was there, right there, right there…! 😨
❌👩🍳 Too many cooks in the kitchen. Jon, Kilraven, Marquez, Cash, Annie, Rourke…Too many baddies. Dan Jones, Jay Cooper, Bart Hancock, Peppy, Phyllis, Harold Monroe, Sloane Callum...
Bottom Line- This one was a dud. I skimmed a ton just to get through.
February 1, 2012
Let me first say to publishers out there, PLEASE start telling us readers when a book is part of a series. This book was not clearly not a stand alone novel. There were so many references to books that came before this one that it was hard to follow it at times. There were also too many characters and it was hard to keep them straight. I didn't even have a hope of figuring out any of the mystery because I felt like I was missing too much back story. But I digress...
Honestly, I'm not sure why I finished this book. I have never read a book by this author before, so I thought I would try it out. When it was finished, all I could think was how bad it was. I think I rolled my eyes after every chapter. How bad was this book? Let me count the ways. The heroine, Joceline, has a son and the father is not in the picture. The book was written in 2011. After having numerous characters mention that she has a child out of *gasp* wedlock, I had to check back to make sure this wasn't a re-issue. Really? Do people really care in this day and age? I was surprised that this was such a huge issue in a book written in this time period. The identity of the father was so obvious from the start that I can't understand why he didn't figure it out along with the rest of the world. Talk about clueless. The way he figured it out was very giggle worthy because it was so ridiculous.
I really feel like this one could have been a short story. There were so many unnecessary and boring conversations that they started to feel like filler to make the book longer. Most of them did nothing to advance the mystery or love story and really should have been edited out. That also includes all of the pop culture references. Nothing ages a book more than references to popular games or TV shows of the time in which the book is written. In my opinion, this makes it harder for it to survive the test of time. Also, the characters kept adding in small facts about things during "casual" conversations. They started to sound like walking encyclopedias. Who does that?
Let us not forget the characters. I think Markey (the son who is 4, yet acts and sounds like he is 10) was the only one who really had any personality. The mother, Cammie, was such a witch. Her hatred for Joceline was way over the top. When it is finally revealed why she felt this way toward Joceline, I was puzzled. I felt the reason should make her more sympathetic and understanding toward Joceline. Also, I had a hard time believing that a federal agent would allow his own mother to verbally abuse his administrative assistant. Especially when, later in the book, John and Jocelyn have a conversation about bullying. Isn't that just what his mother is doing to her? John was just way too passive for my taste. He wasn't even a beta male in my eyes.
I think I should stop my rant now. Trust me, I could go on and on. I always try to find something positive in a book. So, I will say that the twist at the end was a nice touch. Also, some of the banter between the Hero and Heroine was amusing. It just wasn't enough to save the book for me. Will I read another by her? Probably, but I think I'll start back at the beginning. 30+ (?) books back! *sigh*
Honestly, I'm not sure why I finished this book. I have never read a book by this author before, so I thought I would try it out. When it was finished, all I could think was how bad it was. I think I rolled my eyes after every chapter. How bad was this book? Let me count the ways. The heroine, Joceline, has a son and the father is not in the picture. The book was written in 2011. After having numerous characters mention that she has a child out of *gasp* wedlock, I had to check back to make sure this wasn't a re-issue. Really? Do people really care in this day and age? I was surprised that this was such a huge issue in a book written in this time period. The identity of the father was so obvious from the start that I can't understand why he didn't figure it out along with the rest of the world. Talk about clueless. The way he figured it out was very giggle worthy because it was so ridiculous.
I really feel like this one could have been a short story. There were so many unnecessary and boring conversations that they started to feel like filler to make the book longer. Most of them did nothing to advance the mystery or love story and really should have been edited out. That also includes all of the pop culture references. Nothing ages a book more than references to popular games or TV shows of the time in which the book is written. In my opinion, this makes it harder for it to survive the test of time. Also, the characters kept adding in small facts about things during "casual" conversations. They started to sound like walking encyclopedias. Who does that?
Let us not forget the characters. I think Markey (the son who is 4, yet acts and sounds like he is 10) was the only one who really had any personality. The mother, Cammie, was such a witch. Her hatred for Joceline was way over the top. When it is finally revealed why she felt this way toward Joceline, I was puzzled. I felt the reason should make her more sympathetic and understanding toward Joceline. Also, I had a hard time believing that a federal agent would allow his own mother to verbally abuse his administrative assistant. Especially when, later in the book, John and Jocelyn have a conversation about bullying. Isn't that just what his mother is doing to her? John was just way too passive for my taste. He wasn't even a beta male in my eyes.
I think I should stop my rant now. Trust me, I could go on and on. I always try to find something positive in a book. So, I will say that the twist at the end was a nice touch. Also, some of the banter between the Hero and Heroine was amusing. It just wasn't enough to save the book for me. Will I read another by her? Probably, but I think I'll start back at the beginning. 30+ (?) books back! *sigh*
May 18, 2013
OK, I think me and Ms. Palmer need to part ways. I listen to books while at work everyday and I don't think hers are good enough for me to justify all the talking to myself and character irritation I deal with while listening.
The heroine...good grief. Her irreverantattitude with the boss/love interest was completely at odds with her prudish, stick up the butt attitude. At one point, I checked the publication date because this book is completely out of step with ANYTHING published in the last 20 years. She is the object of so much outright persecution over simply having a child out of wedlock, its unbelieveable to me. This woman spends so much time lying and explaining how she came to be an unwed mother its ridiculous. And she's usually justifying it to people who have no business even questioning her about it! The plot; well, I'm 1/3 of the way through andI know without a doubt who the informant is and the baby daddy is so obvious I'm not sure its even SUPPOSED to be inknown to the reader. She mentally admits to being in love with the man, yet mentally refers to him as "Mr. Blackhawke"????? I mean, c'mon. On the job is one thing- but in you own head when you a.) Love the guy and b.) He's your baby daddy???
Ya, no more Palmer for me. I just. Finished Lawman and that one damn near gave me fits too.
The heroine...good grief. Her irreverantattitude with the boss/love interest was completely at odds with her prudish, stick up the butt attitude. At one point, I checked the publication date because this book is completely out of step with ANYTHING published in the last 20 years. She is the object of so much outright persecution over simply having a child out of wedlock, its unbelieveable to me. This woman spends so much time lying and explaining how she came to be an unwed mother its ridiculous. And she's usually justifying it to people who have no business even questioning her about it! The plot; well, I'm 1/3 of the way through andI know without a doubt who the informant is and the baby daddy is so obvious I'm not sure its even SUPPOSED to be inknown to the reader. She mentally admits to being in love with the man, yet mentally refers to him as "Mr. Blackhawke"????? I mean, c'mon. On the job is one thing- but in you own head when you a.) Love the guy and b.) He's your baby daddy???
Ya, no more Palmer for me. I just. Finished Lawman and that one damn near gave me fits too.
August 30, 2011
I was SO bummed that I didn’t like Merciless more. The premise was one of my faves – the assistant falls in love with the boss, but miscommunications and general mayhem ensues.
I loved the humor and the witty banter, and I thought that the plot was handled well, but what wasn’t handled well? The heroine! I hated (HATED!) how Diana Palmer used such a heavy hand on the sex before marriage plot.
Everyone feels free to treat Joceline as if by having a child without (1) marriage, or (2) even a man in her life, she has horrible morals and deserves to be treated like she is worthless. She has to work harder to prove herself at almost everything, and people pity her (and why should they?). I couldn’t even count the number of times that this was focused on, as if this (her “bastard” son) is how she should be defined.
I don’t know about other readers, but it almost seems that the more recent the DP novel, the more she focuses on morals (and not just sex, but alcohol) almost as if she is attempting to single handedly make abstinence and being drink-free the only way in life. But this leaves out a large chunk of people who have strong morals, but who make good choices.
I am so bothered by this that I can’t even put all my thoughts into words, except to say that I’m grateful I borrowed this book, rather than purchased it.
I loved the humor and the witty banter, and I thought that the plot was handled well, but what wasn’t handled well? The heroine! I hated (HATED!) how Diana Palmer used such a heavy hand on the sex before marriage plot.
Everyone feels free to treat Joceline as if by having a child without (1) marriage, or (2) even a man in her life, she has horrible morals and deserves to be treated like she is worthless. She has to work harder to prove herself at almost everything, and people pity her (and why should they?). I couldn’t even count the number of times that this was focused on, as if this (her “bastard” son) is how she should be defined.
I don’t know about other readers, but it almost seems that the more recent the DP novel, the more she focuses on morals (and not just sex, but alcohol) almost as if she is attempting to single handedly make abstinence and being drink-free the only way in life. But this leaves out a large chunk of people who have strong morals, but who make good choices.
I am so bothered by this that I can’t even put all my thoughts into words, except to say that I’m grateful I borrowed this book, rather than purchased it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2017
2.5 stars
November 25, 2012
This book had a lot of potential that was, among other things, lost in the authors insistence on putting personal beliefs above character development and plot. Did we really need to have two separate conversations about the evils of child car seats? Can we get a tally of how many times 'out-of-wedlock' and 'illegitimate' are associated with the main female character? The 'romance' is laughable since the development of any kind of 'romantic' relationship doesn't being until well past the mid-point of the book when the male protagonist is SHOT! I could go on and on, but I felt a certain level of pleasure when I slammed this book closed and threw it at the wall.
Of course, it is fine for an author to make a statement about abortion (or, in this book 'termination') or any other social issue, but this book was far off from respecting the intelligence of reader and in the very least it could have been written in a way that was far more interesting. Nothing hurts worse than time wasted on a bland book with flat characters whose spirits are swallowed by the authors spewage of personal beliefs.
Of course, it is fine for an author to make a statement about abortion (or, in this book 'termination') or any other social issue, but this book was far off from respecting the intelligence of reader and in the very least it could have been written in a way that was far more interesting. Nothing hurts worse than time wasted on a bland book with flat characters whose spirits are swallowed by the authors spewage of personal beliefs.
August 30, 2011
I can't do it. I usually try and be fair in my negative reviews, but I honestly can't find anything good to say about this one. The blurb sounded interesting, but the story is completely implausible and the characters shallow and one-dimensional. The big secret for why Joceline keeps the paternity of her son a secret? Predictable and lame. There is also at least one mildly explicit sex scene.
I did not care for any of these characters and felt like I'd been dropped into the middle of a soap opera after having missed the first several hours of drama. The video gaming vernacular and the history-obsessed characters and their need to spout facts were annoying. I finally skimmed the book enough to realize I wasn't missing anything.
Diana's fans may enjoy this one as it's apparently necessary to have read her previous books to understand who everyone is and how their stories fit together. The book, however, is not billed as part of a series, so I'd have no idea which books to read, if I had the desire to do so.
I did not care for any of these characters and felt like I'd been dropped into the middle of a soap opera after having missed the first several hours of drama. The video gaming vernacular and the history-obsessed characters and their need to spout facts were annoying. I finally skimmed the book enough to realize I wasn't missing anything.
Diana's fans may enjoy this one as it's apparently necessary to have read her previous books to understand who everyone is and how their stories fit together. The book, however, is not billed as part of a series, so I'd have no idea which books to read, if I had the desire to do so.
January 30, 2021
Any time Palmer has a hero worth even a hint of Native American background, prepare yourself for a lot of drama about him reconciling things about his past and culture.. And until he has done that, the h needs to wait patiently.
September 15, 2011
As you know, I have been on a romance novel kick as of late. I have read some good ones. Sadly, this is not one of them. The story centers on Jon, a Native American FBI agent, and Joceline, a feisty, sharp tongued single mom as his secretary.
I’ll cut right to the chase: here are the bad parts. Jon is boring. I completely disliked him (and that was before I found out he was a 30 year-old virgin. Don’t get me wrong, I can understand abstinence. Fact is I respect it. What I can’t understand is his how clueless he is when it comes the act of sex, especially during the losing the virginity scene. Granted, I don’t know too many virgins, especially in their late 20s so I may be off the mark but I’m pretty sure the dude does not yell “It’s coming! It’s coming!” It’s? Ooooooo-kay. Apparently, he hasn’t masturbated either. (Now, come on. What guy hasn’t masturbated at least once? He’s 30 fer Pete’s sake. Did he skip right over puberty and his adolescent years? I apologize, I digress.) He is completely married to his job, is bossy and has a moral compass that seems to be tuned to jackass.
The thriller/mystery that forms the backbone of this novel is mediocre at best. There was plenty of back-story but it reads more like the second book in a series. There was too much about what happened in the past and not enough substance to hold this storyline together. As far as I can see, this is a standalone novel. Also, there were way too many characters. Who killed who, who was related to who, etc. I like having a notebook handy when I read for jotting down passages that move me, not to create a diagram because I can’t keep the characters straight. Lastly, the dialogue is elementary. It’s as if each character is reading from a script and not saying what would come naturally.
Enough with the bad, onto the good. Among all those characters, there was one that I adored: Our anti-hero Rourke, the South African hired to protect the fair Joceline. Now that was chemistry! I loved the scenes between those two. You could feel the genuine dislike simmering on attraction Joceline felt for Rourke. And you knew how Rourke felt hands down. It came across the page in each word Ms. Palmer used. I could have read 1000 pages of him trying to convince her to take a chance on him. There was a real attraction there. Sadly Ms. Palmer missed the mark with this. They had all the making of a classic romance novel super couple. Unfortunately, their romance will exist only in my imagination.
I also enjoyed Joceline immensely. She was a fantastic dame in distress who knew how to take care of herself. She took responsibility for decisions she made in her life and did the best she could. She was a great mother to her son, a great worker for Jon, and she was quick witted, sharp and funny. I won’t begrudge her the choice she made in pining for Jon, I guess the long haired thing works for some.
I’m not exactly mad I read this novel, I just wish that as my first foray into Diana Palmer’s novels was something better than this one. If this will become a series, I will definitely read the next one, especially if it is about Rourke. As far as her other novels, I will read her again though next time some of her earlier work. Hopefully the second time will be the charm.
I’ll cut right to the chase: here are the bad parts. Jon is boring. I completely disliked him (and that was before I found out he was a 30 year-old virgin. Don’t get me wrong, I can understand abstinence. Fact is I respect it. What I can’t understand is his how clueless he is when it comes the act of sex, especially during the losing the virginity scene. Granted, I don’t know too many virgins, especially in their late 20s so I may be off the mark but I’m pretty sure the dude does not yell “It’s coming! It’s coming!” It’s? Ooooooo-kay. Apparently, he hasn’t masturbated either. (Now, come on. What guy hasn’t masturbated at least once? He’s 30 fer Pete’s sake. Did he skip right over puberty and his adolescent years? I apologize, I digress.) He is completely married to his job, is bossy and has a moral compass that seems to be tuned to jackass.
The thriller/mystery that forms the backbone of this novel is mediocre at best. There was plenty of back-story but it reads more like the second book in a series. There was too much about what happened in the past and not enough substance to hold this storyline together. As far as I can see, this is a standalone novel. Also, there were way too many characters. Who killed who, who was related to who, etc. I like having a notebook handy when I read for jotting down passages that move me, not to create a diagram because I can’t keep the characters straight. Lastly, the dialogue is elementary. It’s as if each character is reading from a script and not saying what would come naturally.
Enough with the bad, onto the good. Among all those characters, there was one that I adored: Our anti-hero Rourke, the South African hired to protect the fair Joceline. Now that was chemistry! I loved the scenes between those two. You could feel the genuine dislike simmering on attraction Joceline felt for Rourke. And you knew how Rourke felt hands down. It came across the page in each word Ms. Palmer used. I could have read 1000 pages of him trying to convince her to take a chance on him. There was a real attraction there. Sadly Ms. Palmer missed the mark with this. They had all the making of a classic romance novel super couple. Unfortunately, their romance will exist only in my imagination.
I also enjoyed Joceline immensely. She was a fantastic dame in distress who knew how to take care of herself. She took responsibility for decisions she made in her life and did the best she could. She was a great mother to her son, a great worker for Jon, and she was quick witted, sharp and funny. I won’t begrudge her the choice she made in pining for Jon, I guess the long haired thing works for some.
I’m not exactly mad I read this novel, I just wish that as my first foray into Diana Palmer’s novels was something better than this one. If this will become a series, I will definitely read the next one, especially if it is about Rourke. As far as her other novels, I will read her again though next time some of her earlier work. Hopefully the second time will be the charm.
December 27, 2013
Ughhh what an awful, awful book!!! What just happened here?!?!?!
Written and takes place in 2011, but sounds like it takes place half a century earlier! It is constantly mentioned how the heroine had a child out of wedlock - ooohh myyy, how shocking!! I really couldn't get over how shocked and tactless everyone was when talking about this. Is this not a very common occurence now-a-days?? Who is still shocked by an unwed 30-something single mother in this day and age? Then the hero admits he is a virgin, because he is sooo religious, but he's "even had petting sessions over the years" - NOoooo, really??? How risqué of him!
Wow, im sorry, did i pick up a religious Christian inspirational novel without even knowing it ?!? Soooooo obnoxious!
Then, the fact how the heroine is sooooooo poor is constantly mentioned, as well. Ummmmm, she works for the FBI - how bad are the salaries there?!?!?! Yet, she constantly complains that she cant afford treatments and medication for her asthmatic son ?!?! Ummm how pathetic are those police benefits if she has to pay asthma treatments out of pocket?!?!
And I dont mean to sound ignorant but Jon's bitchy mother, Cammie, is Native American and says she grew up on an Indian reserve - so how and where does she then get her "holier than thou" WASPish snobby attitude ? Why is she described acting, talking and reasoning as a snobby , rich , white , blue-blooded Bostonian that you just want to slap across the face?! I've met many, many Native Americans and A) most of them are not even bible pushing, moralistic Christians, and B) do not talk and act like snobs of Beverly Hills!!! So i'm honestly not sure what type of Natives Ms. Palmer is writing about...
Finally, the mystery was stupid and all over the place. Unless you read the previous books in the series it is quite confusing as to who is who and who is whose daughter, cousin, wife, husband, relative... The dialogue between the characters is full of information dumping and useless back-and-forth!
Example:
Character#1 - "Remember when Senator Bla Bla was almost shot and killed last year?"
Character#2 - "Yes, of course. He was attacked by that killer who turned out to be Bla Bla's niece, and then this and this and this happened..."
Character#1: "But it all ended well when I shot the killer and saved the day. Now the Senator has a new wife and 2 lovely kids..."
Ummmm - what?! Why are you talking about this?!?! Who cares!?!? The whole book is FULL of this type of dialogue and random info-dumps! The only reason why I wasted time finishing it was because I have NEVER left a book unfinished. (I really should have learned my lesson with this one)
Written and takes place in 2011, but sounds like it takes place half a century earlier! It is constantly mentioned how the heroine had a child out of wedlock - ooohh myyy, how shocking!! I really couldn't get over how shocked and tactless everyone was when talking about this. Is this not a very common occurence now-a-days?? Who is still shocked by an unwed 30-something single mother in this day and age? Then the hero admits he is a virgin, because he is sooo religious, but he's "even had petting sessions over the years" - NOoooo, really??? How risqué of him!
Wow, im sorry, did i pick up a religious Christian inspirational novel without even knowing it ?!? Soooooo obnoxious!
Then, the fact how the heroine is sooooooo poor is constantly mentioned, as well. Ummmmm, she works for the FBI - how bad are the salaries there?!?!?! Yet, she constantly complains that she cant afford treatments and medication for her asthmatic son ?!?! Ummm how pathetic are those police benefits if she has to pay asthma treatments out of pocket?!?!
And I dont mean to sound ignorant but Jon's bitchy mother, Cammie, is Native American and says she grew up on an Indian reserve - so how and where does she then get her "holier than thou" WASPish snobby attitude ? Why is she described acting, talking and reasoning as a snobby , rich , white , blue-blooded Bostonian that you just want to slap across the face?! I've met many, many Native Americans and A) most of them are not even bible pushing, moralistic Christians, and B) do not talk and act like snobs of Beverly Hills!!! So i'm honestly not sure what type of Natives Ms. Palmer is writing about...
Finally, the mystery was stupid and all over the place. Unless you read the previous books in the series it is quite confusing as to who is who and who is whose daughter, cousin, wife, husband, relative... The dialogue between the characters is full of information dumping and useless back-and-forth!
Example:
Character#1 - "Remember when Senator Bla Bla was almost shot and killed last year?"
Character#2 - "Yes, of course. He was attacked by that killer who turned out to be Bla Bla's niece, and then this and this and this happened..."
Character#1: "But it all ended well when I shot the killer and saved the day. Now the Senator has a new wife and 2 lovely kids..."
Ummmm - what?! Why are you talking about this?!?! Who cares!?!? The whole book is FULL of this type of dialogue and random info-dumps! The only reason why I wasted time finishing it was because I have NEVER left a book unfinished. (I really should have learned my lesson with this one)
August 26, 2011
I had a really difficult time getting into Merciless by Diana Palmer. The first two chapters sat well with me, but then it really went downhill from there. The two main characters, FBI agent Jon and single mom Joceline, are seemingly in love with one another but neither will admit it. When their lives are threatened and they are forced to hide out together, the two finally decide to be with one another and Joceline spills a big secret that is really pretty obvious from page one. The dialogue in the book really got me. The characters would constantly state the most obvious things, and the historical facts made it sound like they were reading out of a book. When the dialogue is discussing someone’s pregnancy and then the dialogue tag reads “she said, alluding to her pregnancy,” well, that is a little unnecessary. And maybe it’s just because I’m younger, but the old fashioned views that were constantly talked about seemed a bit overboard. In every chapter it’s mentioned that Joceline has a child out of wedlock and what a horrible person she is because of it. After the first few chapters I had trouble staying with the book, but the kicker was when (SPOILER-ISH ALERT) Joceline confides to Jon that Markie is his son. This happens right after Jon’s mother is shot and killed. What is the appropriate response? To have sex and really leave it at that. I was completely baffled. I can’t say I would recommend Merciless, but I have heard that Diana Palmer’s earlier works are said to be better.
February 12, 2012
WTHeck??? He's on the phone while his mother is shot and it was just a setup? Hell no!! Foul! Foul! There are other ways to stage a murder that do not involve her son/stepson whatever being on the phone while she is shot! Just MHO.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2012
Rating: 2.5/5
I've read better books by Palmer. This one just seemed off.
Series Note:
Oh what a tangled web the Jacobsville books are. This book is part of Palmer's "Long, Tall Texan"/Jacobsville series. Which is just books connected by characters and location with Western themes. But it's such a complicated series with many many many books. Really, this books should not be read as a stand alone, but honestly, trying to backtrack and find a spot to jump in would be nearly impossible. There's so much backstory in this book that I think new readers would get confused. I've read I think all the recent Jacobsville books and I was still confused. So yeah, take that however you want.
Summary:
Joceline Perry has been FBI agent Job Blackhawk's administrative assistant for years. She's also been in love with almost as long, but doesn't believe he'd every accept that she truly wanted him so she hid her feelings. And kept a deep dark secret from him. But now a case has put not just Jon's life in danger, but also her life and her son's life.
As Jon tries to keep Joceline safe, he's forced to face the feelings he's had for her. The two finally realize how much they care about each other. But secrets, meddling family, and the threat against their lives will make it hard to move on to a future together.
Review:
I've read a lot of Diana Palmer books. She's not an author who appeals to everything. Her stories are a bit antiquated, have lots of religious references, are very formulaic, and just have characteristics not everyone would like. Something about her stories have always appealed to me, though. I don't know what it is. They're just something different, and I can appreciate that she sticks to an older code of conduct where not everything jumps into bed and says outlandish stuff. Usually when I read her books, I can sort of shift my mind to a different track where her books don't come off so utterly out of date.
But this one? Something about this book came off wrong for me. Not necessarily bad, but just off.
On the one hand, I appreciated the fact that she deviated a little from her recent strict formulaic standards. The heroine isn't a virgin, there are multiple references to her small breasts or to the heroine's hairy chest, and for once the hero doesn't treat the heroine downright nastily in the spirit of romantic conflict. That last one surprised me. I kept waiting for it and waiting for it, thought I knew just where/why it would happen. Then it didn't. Color me shocked. I liked those difference in this story from others. Palmer tends to stick to her formula without fail so it was nice to get some variation.
Other than that, though, there wasn't a whole lot about book that I liked. Being the hedonistic atheist that I am, the religious element didn't do it for me. Palmer's books have increasingly used religion in them as a way to play off the characters' moral ethics but in this one it seemed even more prominent. I didn't care for it.
And the suspense plot was confusing. The recent Jacobsville storylines have been very intertwined across books, whether it be the longer HQN releases or the short HQ releases. Lots of interwoven storylines, continuing storylines and all that. So it was hard to remember all that had happened before to lead up to the main storyline in this one. Besides that, there's a boat load of characters mentioned in this book, and it was really hard to keep track of who was was, what was what, who did what, why things happened, etc. I just had a very hard time trying to keep track of it all and make sense of it.
The characters were okay. Didn't love them as I have some past characters. I didn't really find anything remarkable about either of them. They were just characters. I had a hard time buying into Jon. He came off as utterly antiquated. Because of his religious upbringing, he's an early 30's (supposed) virgin...which yeah, I find hard to believe, but aside from that, he's just antiquated. The way he dresses, talks, makes him seem like he's in the wrong era. It just doesn't work in this modern day in age.
But really, the thing that stood out for me the most in this book was that the whole thing felt like it was in the wrong era. It's not unusual for a Palmer book to come off old fashioned but this one literally felt to me like it was written ages ago. Part of me wondered if this book was written in some form years ago then edited to be more fitting for today. And part of me wondered more than once if a ghostwriter had written the book and in trying to emulate Palmer's typical old-fashioned writing had gone a bit too far.
Why? There were just things about the writing that came off wrong. Aside from the antiquated characters and situations, the way the characters spoke was awkward and at times completely un-modern. There were situations that felt like they were written with no modern reference. There's one scene where the heroine talks about an answering machine likes it's a novelty, linking it to high ticket items like plasma TVs. I mean, really? Answering machines are a dime a dozen these days. And overall, the writing felt choppy at times and lacked the smoothness you usually find in Palmer's books that make them so easy to read.
All of it just made this book feel wrong. Part of me really does wonder if she's got a ghostwriter trying to emulate her style and doing a poor job of it. Either that, or Palmer is another author rebelling against the "freeness" of today's modern romances by going more the other way, more old fashioned and religious (like Catherine Anderson seems to be doing).
Whatever the whys, this book just didn't really do it for me. I didn't hate it. It wasn't terrible, but it's by far not the most enjoyable book of her that I've read.
I've read better books by Palmer. This one just seemed off.
Series Note:
Oh what a tangled web the Jacobsville books are. This book is part of Palmer's "Long, Tall Texan"/Jacobsville series. Which is just books connected by characters and location with Western themes. But it's such a complicated series with many many many books. Really, this books should not be read as a stand alone, but honestly, trying to backtrack and find a spot to jump in would be nearly impossible. There's so much backstory in this book that I think new readers would get confused. I've read I think all the recent Jacobsville books and I was still confused. So yeah, take that however you want.
Summary:
Joceline Perry has been FBI agent Job Blackhawk's administrative assistant for years. She's also been in love with almost as long, but doesn't believe he'd every accept that she truly wanted him so she hid her feelings. And kept a deep dark secret from him. But now a case has put not just Jon's life in danger, but also her life and her son's life.
As Jon tries to keep Joceline safe, he's forced to face the feelings he's had for her. The two finally realize how much they care about each other. But secrets, meddling family, and the threat against their lives will make it hard to move on to a future together.
Review:
I've read a lot of Diana Palmer books. She's not an author who appeals to everything. Her stories are a bit antiquated, have lots of religious references, are very formulaic, and just have characteristics not everyone would like. Something about her stories have always appealed to me, though. I don't know what it is. They're just something different, and I can appreciate that she sticks to an older code of conduct where not everything jumps into bed and says outlandish stuff. Usually when I read her books, I can sort of shift my mind to a different track where her books don't come off so utterly out of date.
But this one? Something about this book came off wrong for me. Not necessarily bad, but just off.
On the one hand, I appreciated the fact that she deviated a little from her recent strict formulaic standards. The heroine isn't a virgin, there are multiple references to her small breasts or to the heroine's hairy chest, and for once the hero doesn't treat the heroine downright nastily in the spirit of romantic conflict. That last one surprised me. I kept waiting for it and waiting for it, thought I knew just where/why it would happen. Then it didn't. Color me shocked. I liked those difference in this story from others. Palmer tends to stick to her formula without fail so it was nice to get some variation.
Other than that, though, there wasn't a whole lot about book that I liked. Being the hedonistic atheist that I am, the religious element didn't do it for me. Palmer's books have increasingly used religion in them as a way to play off the characters' moral ethics but in this one it seemed even more prominent. I didn't care for it.
And the suspense plot was confusing. The recent Jacobsville storylines have been very intertwined across books, whether it be the longer HQN releases or the short HQ releases. Lots of interwoven storylines, continuing storylines and all that. So it was hard to remember all that had happened before to lead up to the main storyline in this one. Besides that, there's a boat load of characters mentioned in this book, and it was really hard to keep track of who was was, what was what, who did what, why things happened, etc. I just had a very hard time trying to keep track of it all and make sense of it.
The characters were okay. Didn't love them as I have some past characters. I didn't really find anything remarkable about either of them. They were just characters. I had a hard time buying into Jon. He came off as utterly antiquated. Because of his religious upbringing, he's an early 30's (supposed) virgin...which yeah, I find hard to believe, but aside from that, he's just antiquated. The way he dresses, talks, makes him seem like he's in the wrong era. It just doesn't work in this modern day in age.
But really, the thing that stood out for me the most in this book was that the whole thing felt like it was in the wrong era. It's not unusual for a Palmer book to come off old fashioned but this one literally felt to me like it was written ages ago. Part of me wondered if this book was written in some form years ago then edited to be more fitting for today. And part of me wondered more than once if a ghostwriter had written the book and in trying to emulate Palmer's typical old-fashioned writing had gone a bit too far.
Why? There were just things about the writing that came off wrong. Aside from the antiquated characters and situations, the way the characters spoke was awkward and at times completely un-modern. There were situations that felt like they were written with no modern reference. There's one scene where the heroine talks about an answering machine likes it's a novelty, linking it to high ticket items like plasma TVs. I mean, really? Answering machines are a dime a dozen these days. And overall, the writing felt choppy at times and lacked the smoothness you usually find in Palmer's books that make them so easy to read.
All of it just made this book feel wrong. Part of me really does wonder if she's got a ghostwriter trying to emulate her style and doing a poor job of it. Either that, or Palmer is another author rebelling against the "freeness" of today's modern romances by going more the other way, more old fashioned and religious (like Catherine Anderson seems to be doing).
Whatever the whys, this book just didn't really do it for me. I didn't hate it. It wasn't terrible, but it's by far not the most enjoyable book of her that I've read.
March 21, 2020
Lettura amatoriale!!!
Era una vita che volevo leggere la storia dell'agente Blackhawk, ma solo facendolo amatorialmente si può. Bello, dolce, intrigante, misterioso, come solo Diana Palmer sa fare nei suoi romanzi, e sopratutto in questa lunga serie!!! Con questo romanzo si giunge alla fine della storia che si inizia a conoscere in "Pericolosa passione". I protagonisti infatti li abbiamo conosciuti in questo romanzo, lui è il fratellastro dell'agente Kilraven.
Non capisco perché pubblicare un libro e non l'altro e lasciare le storie incomplete. Questa rimane la mia amarezza delle pubblicazioni in Italia.
Era una vita che volevo leggere la storia dell'agente Blackhawk, ma solo facendolo amatorialmente si può. Bello, dolce, intrigante, misterioso, come solo Diana Palmer sa fare nei suoi romanzi, e sopratutto in questa lunga serie!!! Con questo romanzo si giunge alla fine della storia che si inizia a conoscere in "Pericolosa passione". I protagonisti infatti li abbiamo conosciuti in questo romanzo, lui è il fratellastro dell'agente Kilraven.
Non capisco perché pubblicare un libro e non l'altro e lasciare le storie incomplete. Questa rimane la mia amarezza delle pubblicazioni in Italia.
March 2, 2019
Jon Blackhawk you cant help but be fascinated by him and his relationship with his secretary. Unknown to him when he got sick they slept together and had a baby boy. His mom doesnt like her and tries to get rid of her. She loves Jon but doesnt want him to be with her just for their son. You have fake deaths, bad guys, fleeing, and love what more can you ask for.
July 15, 2025
This book was written in 2011 but every other page vilifies the heroine for having a child out of wedlock. Don’t even get me started on the virginity culture.
September 22, 2011
Sorry...
Readers have been fans of Diana Palmer for quite a while now. This is a woman who writes romance novels that have made the New York Times and USA Today’s bestseller lists. Her characters have become beloved in many romance sectors, however, this new one is a bit…dull.
Jon Blackhawk is one of those stunning, rigid, quiet lawmen who really wants to be left alone in his home of Jacobsville. He is an FBI agent who specializes in helping children and throwing kidnappers and child traffickers in prison as fast as he possibly can. This is a man who is truly - well, the way he’s written - a saint, apparently. He is the ultimate bulldog when it comes to his job, and the rumor around town is that he has ‘saved himself’ for marriage.
His rich mother, Cammy, is a true bulldog as well. All she wants is for her son to marry and give her grandchildren. In order to do this, she sends some of the most ridiculous women straight into his office to try and woo him in order to get him down the aisle. These women want the big, tough guy, but all they seem to know about for conversation is haircuts, the latest fashion in Paris, and other things that Jon couldn’t care less about. On top of that, they all want to change Jon and make him stop playing so many video games like Halo, World of Warcraft, etc. Jon is fed up with his mother, especially since his half brother has just gotten remarried with a baby on the way; and as far as Jon is concerned, that should be enough.
Joceline, pretty much the only character with some serious backbone and sense of humor, is Jon’s paralegal and administrative assistant. There is no one smarter and no one better at her job. There is also no one better at sarcasm that she uses to get the little ‘princesses’ Cammy sends, out of Jon’s office, and has the ability to banter with her boss until he becomes so frustrated he can barely speak. But he puts up with her (even though she refuses to do menial tasks like make the office good coffee).
Joceline has her own difficulties. She is a single Mom of a little boy and she is shunned by most of the town. Rumors and gossip abound where Joceline’s private life is concerned, so she keeps speaking the story about how she was engaged to a military man who went off to war and never came back; that’s why she is a single mother. But, of course, Joceline has a secret that she can never tell.
Cammy despises Joceline. She is always coming to the office or calling and saying hideous words about this wonderful young woman who is completely in love with her boss, but is struggling to make sure that her asthmatic son is well, and there is enough money in the bank to take care of him.
When a monster that Jon put away gets out of prison and threatens everyone who was involved with putting him there in the first place, Jon and Joceline are in the path of his rage and must leave town in order to make sure that they remain safe. Add in a seven-year-old murder that happened to Jon’s half brother’s first family, and the story does it’s best to add a ‘thrill’ into the plot.
This book would’ve worked a great deal better if the setting had been about fifty-years-ago and not present-day. The reason for this is that all the characters in the book are amazingly self-righteous, and make the subjects of single parenting, sex before marriage, and racial issues into something huge, which is definitely not twenty-first-century thinking.
If you are a Diana Palmer fan you will love the book. But for some readers the story is just a bit too outdated, and the characters all seem to be running for “saint of the year.”
Readers have been fans of Diana Palmer for quite a while now. This is a woman who writes romance novels that have made the New York Times and USA Today’s bestseller lists. Her characters have become beloved in many romance sectors, however, this new one is a bit…dull.
Jon Blackhawk is one of those stunning, rigid, quiet lawmen who really wants to be left alone in his home of Jacobsville. He is an FBI agent who specializes in helping children and throwing kidnappers and child traffickers in prison as fast as he possibly can. This is a man who is truly - well, the way he’s written - a saint, apparently. He is the ultimate bulldog when it comes to his job, and the rumor around town is that he has ‘saved himself’ for marriage.
His rich mother, Cammy, is a true bulldog as well. All she wants is for her son to marry and give her grandchildren. In order to do this, she sends some of the most ridiculous women straight into his office to try and woo him in order to get him down the aisle. These women want the big, tough guy, but all they seem to know about for conversation is haircuts, the latest fashion in Paris, and other things that Jon couldn’t care less about. On top of that, they all want to change Jon and make him stop playing so many video games like Halo, World of Warcraft, etc. Jon is fed up with his mother, especially since his half brother has just gotten remarried with a baby on the way; and as far as Jon is concerned, that should be enough.
Joceline, pretty much the only character with some serious backbone and sense of humor, is Jon’s paralegal and administrative assistant. There is no one smarter and no one better at her job. There is also no one better at sarcasm that she uses to get the little ‘princesses’ Cammy sends, out of Jon’s office, and has the ability to banter with her boss until he becomes so frustrated he can barely speak. But he puts up with her (even though she refuses to do menial tasks like make the office good coffee).
Joceline has her own difficulties. She is a single Mom of a little boy and she is shunned by most of the town. Rumors and gossip abound where Joceline’s private life is concerned, so she keeps speaking the story about how she was engaged to a military man who went off to war and never came back; that’s why she is a single mother. But, of course, Joceline has a secret that she can never tell.
Cammy despises Joceline. She is always coming to the office or calling and saying hideous words about this wonderful young woman who is completely in love with her boss, but is struggling to make sure that her asthmatic son is well, and there is enough money in the bank to take care of him.
When a monster that Jon put away gets out of prison and threatens everyone who was involved with putting him there in the first place, Jon and Joceline are in the path of his rage and must leave town in order to make sure that they remain safe. Add in a seven-year-old murder that happened to Jon’s half brother’s first family, and the story does it’s best to add a ‘thrill’ into the plot.
This book would’ve worked a great deal better if the setting had been about fifty-years-ago and not present-day. The reason for this is that all the characters in the book are amazingly self-righteous, and make the subjects of single parenting, sex before marriage, and racial issues into something huge, which is definitely not twenty-first-century thinking.
If you are a Diana Palmer fan you will love the book. But for some readers the story is just a bit too outdated, and the characters all seem to be running for “saint of the year.”
September 26, 2024
READ: SEPTEMBER 2012
RE-READ: DECEMBER 2014
RE-READ: SEPTEMBER 2024
Okay, I've been re-reading nonstop. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for romance novels. And that Diana Palmer is one of my favorites.
Jon Blackhawk is an FBI agent who works on violent crimes and specializes in human trafficking. And he isn't ready to settle down yet and certainly not with a woman whom his mother Cammy deems appropriate. Joceline Perry is a single mom of a 4 years old little boy. She has been in love with Jon and has worked for him for five years. She also has a secret, one that could change Jon and her life. And when a vengeful criminal vowed to take revenge against Jon and started targeting Joceline and her son, it drove them closer. Will Joceline finally have the courage to reveal the truth behind Markie's birth? Or will Cammy and the killer will succeed in keeping them apart?
I enjoyed both Jon and Joceline. They were such lovely and refreshing characters. I enjoyed their witty banters and their sense of humor. I loved how adamant she was in not doing menial tasks such as making coffee, as it was not in her job description.
"Send him to the canteen and show him where the coffeepot is."
"That would be a menial chore, Sir. As you know, I don't perform menial chores. It's not in my job description."
I liked Jon. I liked the way he treated Joceline. So far, he's the only Diana Palmer hero who didn't mistreat the heroine, was not verbally abusive, and didn't act like a jerk. In fact, Jon has never had a woman, but it is not from the women's lack of trying. It was just that both Jon and his brother Kilraven were arch-conservatives in just about everything, and neither of them had ever been known for licentious living.
Overall, I enjoyed Merciless ; it has twists and turns and a host of bad guys that will keep you more interested. If you're a DP fan, you will surely enjoy it.
“One day, I’ll have you hung on the flagpole!” he growled.
“Temper, temper,” Joceline said, sticking her head in the door. “You’ll ruin the finish on your desk. I asked Agent Barry to show the visitor to the coffee.” She gave him a smug look.
“Apparently, agents don’t mind making coffee. Is that in your
job description?”
He picked up a magazine and hefted it with glittery black eyes.
She closed the door with a snap. “Assault with a deadly weapon…!” came through it.
“A gaming magazine isn’t a deadly weapon!"
RE-READ: DECEMBER 2014
RE-READ: SEPTEMBER 2024
Okay, I've been re-reading nonstop. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for romance novels. And that Diana Palmer is one of my favorites.
Jon Blackhawk is an FBI agent who works on violent crimes and specializes in human trafficking. And he isn't ready to settle down yet and certainly not with a woman whom his mother Cammy deems appropriate. Joceline Perry is a single mom of a 4 years old little boy. She has been in love with Jon and has worked for him for five years. She also has a secret, one that could change Jon and her life. And when a vengeful criminal vowed to take revenge against Jon and started targeting Joceline and her son, it drove them closer. Will Joceline finally have the courage to reveal the truth behind Markie's birth? Or will Cammy and the killer will succeed in keeping them apart?
I enjoyed both Jon and Joceline. They were such lovely and refreshing characters. I enjoyed their witty banters and their sense of humor. I loved how adamant she was in not doing menial tasks such as making coffee, as it was not in her job description.
"Send him to the canteen and show him where the coffeepot is."
"That would be a menial chore, Sir. As you know, I don't perform menial chores. It's not in my job description."
I liked Jon. I liked the way he treated Joceline. So far, he's the only Diana Palmer hero who didn't mistreat the heroine, was not verbally abusive, and didn't act like a jerk. In fact, Jon has never had a woman, but it is not from the women's lack of trying. It was just that both Jon and his brother Kilraven were arch-conservatives in just about everything, and neither of them had ever been known for licentious living.
Overall, I enjoyed Merciless ; it has twists and turns and a host of bad guys that will keep you more interested. If you're a DP fan, you will surely enjoy it.
“One day, I’ll have you hung on the flagpole!” he growled.
“Temper, temper,” Joceline said, sticking her head in the door. “You’ll ruin the finish on your desk. I asked Agent Barry to show the visitor to the coffee.” She gave him a smug look.
“Apparently, agents don’t mind making coffee. Is that in your
job description?”
He picked up a magazine and hefted it with glittery black eyes.
She closed the door with a snap. “Assault with a deadly weapon…!” came through it.
“A gaming magazine isn’t a deadly weapon!"
February 9, 2012
Reviewed by RBtWBC reviewer, Shadow.
Shadow's Review:
Do you enjoy a book where the characters exchange verbal banter? Do you like a book about the boss and assistant falling for each other? How about a book that has law enforcement men dishing out justice and catching the bad guys? Then look no further! Diana has once again weaved a story that captures the readers attention and stolen a piece of our heart! Jon Blackhawk is Joceline Perry's boss and they have worked together for five years, needling each other and throwing words back and forth. I really liked the characters; their personalities were fun and enjoyable to read.
Joceline is a woman after my own heart! She's efficient with her job but doesn’t do anything that’s outside her job description; like make coffee, which drives her boss crazy. Joceline's a single mom raising a four year old but the dad is no where in site. He went missing in action....or did he?
Jon is working on a case to put the bad guys away that killed his niece and sister-in-law. As he gets closer to the killers, the bad guys start targeting his family and close friends. First they shoot him, then brake into Joceline's apartment and finally do away with his mom. Where does he go from here? He calls in his friends and they make a plan.
Through this story, Jon and Joceline realize that they love each other. Jon is more than happy to become the family man and a daddy to Markie, Joceline's son. But what will Jon say when he finds out Joceline's secret??
Through this story, I always had a smile on my face. The story flowed nice and had a surprise or two in store. I've been a huge Diana Palmer fan for years and this story is definitely in my love pile. Diana creates stories that have action, mystery, love and passion and her stories haven't disappointed me yet! This books is part of an on going series “The Long, Tall Texans” and she gives a hint or two about how past character's are doing and I love that!
Shadow's Review:
Do you enjoy a book where the characters exchange verbal banter? Do you like a book about the boss and assistant falling for each other? How about a book that has law enforcement men dishing out justice and catching the bad guys? Then look no further! Diana has once again weaved a story that captures the readers attention and stolen a piece of our heart! Jon Blackhawk is Joceline Perry's boss and they have worked together for five years, needling each other and throwing words back and forth. I really liked the characters; their personalities were fun and enjoyable to read.
Joceline is a woman after my own heart! She's efficient with her job but doesn’t do anything that’s outside her job description; like make coffee, which drives her boss crazy. Joceline's a single mom raising a four year old but the dad is no where in site. He went missing in action....or did he?
Jon is working on a case to put the bad guys away that killed his niece and sister-in-law. As he gets closer to the killers, the bad guys start targeting his family and close friends. First they shoot him, then brake into Joceline's apartment and finally do away with his mom. Where does he go from here? He calls in his friends and they make a plan.
Through this story, Jon and Joceline realize that they love each other. Jon is more than happy to become the family man and a daddy to Markie, Joceline's son. But what will Jon say when he finds out Joceline's secret??
Through this story, I always had a smile on my face. The story flowed nice and had a surprise or two in store. I've been a huge Diana Palmer fan for years and this story is definitely in my love pile. Diana creates stories that have action, mystery, love and passion and her stories haven't disappointed me yet! This books is part of an on going series “The Long, Tall Texans” and she gives a hint or two about how past character's are doing and I love that!
June 26, 2012
This is a horrible book. I don't recall ever having read a Diana Palmer book before and believe me I won't ever pick up another one.
Merciless has to be a book in a series, that is the only way anyone would be able to understand half the book. The characters are one dimensional, the plot is so grossly underdeveloped and yet so obvious to anyone with half a brain it's really just insulting to read.
The reader is introduced to Jon Blackhawk who is a thirty year old FBI agent who is a virgin(maybe?) who plays video games. Joceline Perry is his administrative assistant who is completely beaten up by everyone for having a child out of wedlock. Yes, you read that correctly, everyone in this book takes a shot at her and it's setting is in this century.
This novel seems to be a mess of loose end tie ups from another book or books, names of suspects and past crimes are thrown willy nilly, there seem to be a plethora of Senators and their wives committing murders and in the midst of all this we are expected to believe Jon and Joceline fall in love. It is not written at all well.
This is supposed to be a romance book but there is no romance.
This enraged me.
All in all a horrendous book full of outdated ideas, an author trying to stay 'hip' with outdated video game references, and flimsy one dimensional characters. It's just an all around crap book.
Merciless has to be a book in a series, that is the only way anyone would be able to understand half the book. The characters are one dimensional, the plot is so grossly underdeveloped and yet so obvious to anyone with half a brain it's really just insulting to read.
The reader is introduced to Jon Blackhawk who is a thirty year old FBI agent who is a virgin(maybe?) who plays video games. Joceline Perry is his administrative assistant who is completely beaten up by everyone for having a child out of wedlock. Yes, you read that correctly, everyone in this book takes a shot at her and it's setting is in this century.
This novel seems to be a mess of loose end tie ups from another book or books, names of suspects and past crimes are thrown willy nilly, there seem to be a plethora of Senators and their wives committing murders and in the midst of all this we are expected to believe Jon and Joceline fall in love. It is not written at all well.
This is supposed to be a romance book but there is no romance.
This enraged me.
All in all a horrendous book full of outdated ideas, an author trying to stay 'hip' with outdated video game references, and flimsy one dimensional characters. It's just an all around crap book.
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