Past and Present... Alexi Jordan had come to the old Florida estate to heal the wounds left by a bad marriage--and run straight into trouble. She didn't mind the fact that the mansion was supposedly haunted. What she did mind was her neighbor, Rex Morrow.
For some reason, Rex had appointed himself her protector. True, some pretty strange things were happening, but Alexi was sure she could take care of herself. And even if she couldn't, her heart told her she was in greater danger when Rex was around than when he wasn't. After all, she'd chosen the wrong man once before, and nothing scared her more than the fear that she'd done it again.
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.
Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.
She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.
Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.
I'm about three-quarters the way through and I'm on the fence for this book. This is an older Harlequin, written in the 80s, and it suffers from a lot of the things that I hate most about books from that time.
I don't care a bit about Rex or Alexi. Neither are particularly well developed. Rex is a womanizer masquerading as a hermit. He's arrogant and grating. Alexi is sheltered and spoiled, and every bit a damaged damsel in distress. Any effort in trying to make her a strong woman is completely lost.
There were a lot of disconnects throughout the book. Neither Rex nor Alexi are even half-way competent pet owners. I would go so far to say if two people should not own pets, it'd be them. Then there's the whole too busy to go into town to get supplies, yet shit mysteriously appears in the house?
And the whole ex-husband stalker thing? Ugh.
And sex on the beach? Double ugh.
And what is the most logical thing to do when you discover a stalker has been in the house? Why, leave the helpless female alone in the house and take the big scary dog with him. Duh...
So now I'm done... If I thought the first 90% of the book was bad, the last 10% nearly made me scream. I didn't think Rex could get any worse, but he did. I didn't think Alexi could get even more helpless, but she did.. AND she also turned into a raving lunatic.
"Maybe she shouldn’t have come here, where there was no help, where there was nothing but darkness and the whisper of the breeze and if she screamed forever, no one would hear her."
Normally I’m a fan of the idea of a tropical vacation, but this vacation needed to rethink its whole itinerary.
Alexi Jordan is running away from a failed marriage and doesn’t quite know what to do. It just so happens that her grandfather is wanting help renovating the family home; so she decides to go down there and use some of her snazzy interior design skills fix the place up to its former glory. Being that the estate is in Florida, she’s expecting sun, sand, and a tropical paradise filled with easy living. What she gets instead is a whole lot of aggravation by a certain handsome neighbor and just a touch of mystery which leads to…
This reader being highly, highly disappointed and extremely aggravated.
The book starts out with a prologue set in the 1860s of the previous owners of the land. And then right after that, we’re treated to a fight scene between the Alexei Jordan, the main heroine, and… someone. It isn’t made entirely clear until halfway through the chapter. It was so rushed and out of nowhere that I legitimately believed that she was fighting a ghost. And then we come to know that the person who is attacking her and fighting her is the next-door neighbor and eventual love interest of the book, Rex Marrow. Rex Marrow, caveman extraordinaire, which is pretty typical for a love interest of the 1980s romance. So they get in this fight scene, and then the rest of the book’s plot goes like this:
Rex and Alexei clearly like each other but aggravate each other to no end. There’s a lot of Rex telling Alexei what to do and essentially getting her to do it. What they both really want, though, is to get into each other’s pants. Yeah, there is a little mystery to solve that pertains to mystery footsteps and maybe intruders, but remember… they just need to bang. They have to bang.
THEY NEED THE BANGING TO COMMENCE.
There’s also this little plotline about some lost Confederate treasure, but who has time for that when they so obviously need to find a way to bang each other.
They fight. They bang. They fight some more. They bang some more. Lots of skinny dipping happens. They forget to feed Samson the dog and Silver and Blackie the long-haired kittens.
Oh? What was that? There’s also some home renovations that need to be done, but they have to bang one more time before they can actually commence. And I forgot to mention Alexei’s abusive ex-husband who cheated on her multiple times but that’s an afterthought, dammit.
Alexei Jordan has to be one of the stupidest heroines I have read about thus far because… my goodness. When you start out with her having to break a window into her own temporary residence because she can’t get the key to work when it works perfectly fine astounds me. Is this what romance heroines were made of in the 80s? She claims to be so strong and sure but one little cross-eyed stare from Rex Marrow and she becomes absolute putty.
Speaking of Rex Marrow, he’s the apparently typical hairy-chested man of the 1980s that romance writers know and love. He’s a commitment-phobe with an ego the size of Alaska and is probably one of those dudes who would love a patriarchy society to prevail. He’s also supposed to be this reclusive mystery horror writer in the vein of Stephen King but in claiming that, that’s an insult to Mr. King himself.
I would have loved for there to have been more background into the historical meaning of the house that was being renovated and the treasure, but that all took a backseat to the hate-to-love-to-loathe entirely-to-I-can’t-live-without-your-hot-sex relationship.
The ending of the book was what got me the most. You see, despite the fact that this book was mainly a romance there was still the very small mystery of Alexi’s mysterious stalker who may or may not be scaring her. Or even exist. I thought it was the ghost of the previous owner of the house but instead it was… laughable and perplexing. This person came so out of left field it wasn’t even funny. It was the last person I expected it to be and it was so outrageous that I actually laughed out loud. It was a disappointing end to an even more disappointing book.
This book was 98 percent romance and only about 2 percent mystery, and it took for freaking ever to get the actual mystery plot. It’s teased out like a mouse dangling in front of a cat but it fails to deliver entirely. The relationship between the two main characters wasn’t one to root for and the mystery almost failed to materialize. Needless to say, there are better romantic suspense books out there, and I seriously wouldn’t recommend this one.
And if Alexi and Jordan are listening… feed the cats already!!!
Confederate soilder who hides treasure for his wife in case he doesn't make it home. He knew he was going to die and he planned to help the woman he loved more than life itself. His descendants now live in the house and someone knows the treasure is there & they want to find it before Alexi does.
This is more a romance than a suspense/paranormal book. No hints of ghosts until the very end, since this was written in the 80s some of it's age shows thru, like payphones instead of cellphones; & Rex's attitude which sometimes borders on the not so awesome (but does make him sound a lot like another southerner, yeah he sounded like Rhett).
Overall it's a pretty good book, short, fast, engaging read. Their love was beautiful to read about. It's not as suspenseful as her other books, and certainly doesn't have as much paranormal haunting as it should if it wanted to fit that genre.
I would suggest getting it at the library, it's a quick read, great for a rainy day. Happy Reading
This book was a little frustrating. Alexi Jordan, a famous model needs a break from her life. She talks her great grandpa Gene into letting her do some design changes on the house he owns on the peninsula, and the water. The problem is the other owner of a house their catches her trying to break in, since her key won’t work. He is a famous mystery writer. Strange things begin happening at the house. Lights going in and off, things moved around, footsteps down the stairs, even snakes in the house. Rex tried to help. He is a world renowned Horror/ mystery writer. She doesn’t really trust him, and when they are together they bicker a lot. The couple are ditching screaming, or making love in the sand, or in the water. They both feel that John her ex-husband is pulling the tricks, but when she is pushed down some stairs, Rex feels it has gone on to long. Their is supposed to hidden treasure, but being from the south the money would not be worth much. I guessed who it was , before the book ended although it wasn’t in your face obvious. It had a good ending, and even an Epilogue. She tied up all the loose ends, but no paranormal is really in the book. The constant fighting grew tiresome. I gave it a 3. Stars. It was an early book in her career, but I’m relieved she has improved.
I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. I thought that the characters were lively and jumped off the page. I completely understand with the female main character being scared of snakes, like no way! I usually can pick up reasons on who has done the crime, but this was a twist I did not see coming. Highly entertaining.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Alexi Jordan is a famous beauty known for her ad campaign for the Helen of Troy beauty line. She has escaped to her family's estate after her grandfather's suggestion that this would be a good place for to go and get away. She's trying to heal from a bad marriage and stay away from the media spotlight. She's also trying to hide from her ex who happens to be looking for her . Despite the fact that she's staying at a house believed to be haunted, she's determined to deal with her pain and start a new life for herself. She knows the house has fallen into a state of disrepair and feels that it will be a good way to focus her attentions elsewhere and give her a chance to actually use some of her fallen-by-the-wayside talent for interior decorating. Unfortunately, either the ghost of her great, great, great grandfather doesn't want her there or something far more sinister wants her to leave when a series of frightening events begin to take place after she moves in.
Her neighbor Rex Morrow, a famous and rather reclusive suspense writer, has been a friend and neighbor to Alexi's great grandfather. When Alexi finds herself dealing with the frightening events in her family home, Rex finds himself playing the knight in shining armor. Alexi's rather stubborn and determined to take care of herself, but she's finding that she's feeling much safer with Rex around. And this is not something she likes because she's still dealing with her pain over her marriage and is having a hard time learning to trust anyone. She's afraid that she will end up getting hurt with him the way she was hurt before.
AUTHOR Graham, Heather TITLE Strangers in Paradise DATE READ 03/09/19 RATING 3.5/C+ FIRST SENTENCE GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Romance/1988/Dreamscape/7 CD's SERIES/STAND-ALONE SA CHALLENGE GR 2019 Reading Goal 35/111; US States & DC 10/51 GROUP READ CHARACTERS Alexi Jordan/model; Rex Morrow/author TIME/PLACE 1980's/Northeast coast of Florida COMMENTS I was expecting this to be more of a romantic suspense than straight romance…oh well. Alexi is a top model who recently divorced her photographer husband who was very controlling. She escapes to her grandfather's antebellum secluded estate . This is where the story could have been more for me … this historical part was given minor attention and could have given the story more interest for me. Plus, it mentions being haunted by Pierre the civil war soldier who owned the home at one time… this really didn't get much focus. The focus was on the push-pull between Alexi and Rex. I do like Heather Graham, the reason I pulled this one of the library audiobook shelf.
Hahaha. How do I know this was a Harlequin romance written in 1988 there's no way I would've listened to it. The girl seems to think she's Scarlet O'Hara. This guy is totally into her, she has what she thinks may be a stocker, but she doesn't want the guy to protect her. She doesn't give him much but a hard time, even though he has protected her, rescued her from snakes, gave her two beautiful kittens that she adores, all kinds of shit. She's crazy and I don't know why he keeps trying. This is a hot and heavy, rated G sex book, not a relationship that will last. Fast forward to years, and not a shocker, there's a baby that they both love and they are head over heels with each other. Just a dumb book. I was expecting a haunted mystery set in Florida. There's not much about Florida, nothing scary or haunted, and certainly no mystery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I bought this book on my Kobo, and the cover was very different, modern looking. In the preview, I really liked the scenario in the second chapter, which prompted me to buy it. As I kept reading, I thought the female main character was a little…odd. Then I added the book to my goodreads list and the old cover came up. THEN it started to make sense. Yikes, the characterizations are (thankfully) antiquated. I didn’t connect with either of the main characters.
This is one of her earlier works, and it has not much to recommend it. Except for one surprise, that was not that big of one, even the love scenes were kind of blah. But shadows of her Krewe of Hunters series is already visible, since this book talks about possible ghosts and ancestors protecting his family.
Ugh - exactly what I don't like in a romance. The male lead continously physically overpowers the female to do what he wants. She supposedly got out of an abusive marriage, but after one "magical encounter" she is no longer afraid and let's him force her to do things such as picking her up and carrying her somewhere she didn't want to go. Just ugh.
Ok, I picked this up at a pharmacy for a quick read.... I actually liked the characters very much! But, ..it's a stupid story that could be made into a 30 minute corny episode of some t.v show series.
Or lift themselves, or know their own minds. And if that weren't bad enough, the confederacy is glorified and the word boy is used when I'm not sure it means kid. I'd give it no stars if I could.
Plain old product of the 80s. Cave man hero & helpless princess heroine. I spent most of the book wanting to slap both of them. The only redeeming quality is Heather Graham’s good writing, even with the dated terminology. Good thing I read this for free on Hoopla.
There is rumored buried treasure. A beautiful woman getting away and a handsome mystery writer. There is a lovely Peninsula and Love and laughter. This is an enjoyable read
2.5 stars, because their romance was kinda cute; however...
I am SOOOO irritated that the whole premise is that she's "hiding" from her ex-husband, he finds her, acts kind of menacing, but all he wants is her forgiveness. Like, what?!?! That's doesn't make any sense, whatsoever. Hated it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Typical romance with a twist. you can tell it's dated no cell phones only land lines especially women wearing stockings. cute romance with a big twist at the end. great description of the landscape and houses. makes me want to hang out at the beach with a handsome man.
Man over powers a clueless woman (insult to females). 90 % of book makes you wonder where this story is going. The ending wasn’t worth the drudgery of reading to get to the end.