Amanda's Blue Marine

by Doreen Owens Malek

AMANDA'S BLUE MARINE marks the return of Doreen Owens Malek to publishing after a 12 year absence. In late 2011 Doreen paved the way by introducing selected works from her 40 plus backlist of titles. By January 2012 readers had downloaded over 50,000 copies of her books. It is with great pleasure that Doreen presents her new, never before published contemporary romance AMANDA'S BLUE MARINE.SYNOPSISWhen Amanda Redfield, an assistant district attorney from a wealthy and prominent Philadelphia family, is being harassed by a mysterious stalker, she meets Brendan Kelly, the police detective assigned to her case. Smart and capable but deeply troubled, Kelly protects Amanda while he works to find her tormentor, but his disturbing presence and rogue behavior disrupt Amanda's settled life. She is helplessly drawn to the sexy and charming but barely controlled cop, and as their passion grows she must choose between her prosperous and settled past and an uncertain future with a man whose own life is spiraling out of control. How she draws on her wits and resources to eventually rescue Kelly emotionally in the same way that he rescues her physically makes for a powerful and satisfying love story.REVIEWARC Review of Amanda’s Blue Marine by Doreen Owens EntréeEven though Amanda Redfield had come from a privileged background, her life wasn’t all about designer shoes and charity luncheons. Amanda was a well respected attorney with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. She also had a stalker who was sending her nasty notes of the incredibly scary and threatening variety. Rookie Detective Brendan Kelly was about as far from Amanda’s social circles as a person could get and still remain on the planet. An ex-Marine who had put in some hard time in the Iraqi war and the son of an alcoholic cop who had been kicked off the force, Kelly was a hard drinking, womanizing, time bomb. As the case, circumstances, and chemistry draw the pair closer together, the inevitable happens and feelings develop. But there are huge hurdles to clear before this couple can have even the slightest chance at happiness. I was absolutely over the moon when I found out one of my favorite authors was returning to the publishing world after a decade of silence. And when I was offered the opportunity to review her newest work, well if that didn't butter my biscuit, nothing would. Doreen Owens Malek writes about people who have real issues and real flaws. There are no cookie cutter characters or otherwordly scenarios to move the story along. She relies on her natural talent to give the reader a entertaining, compelling story that will pull them into her books by their heartstrings. I also love the fact that her books use a realistic time frame. This book takes place over years, and you can see the evolution of the characters. When I first encountered Amanda, I'll be honest, I wasn't her biggest fan. She was sheltered, and even though she was in a tough profession, she lacked the independence I like in my heroines. By the end of this book, I was her biggest fan. When she decided to take control of her life and her future, she did it with a vengeance.Now, it's no secret that I am a huge fan of the bad boy, damaged hero. But realistically they come with a lot of baggage that is not going to disappear overnight. And while I believe love can conquer most problems, I still think it requires a proactive approach and a lot of work to keep it going. Ms. Malek takes the reader through these stages. She knows that it is highly unlikely that the bad habits of a lifetime are just going to magically fade away without some big bumps in the road and a few hurt feelings. Her villains likewise have both good and bad, some more than others. So it's not always easy to come down quite so hard on the bad guys. It's all in the intent. Amanda's mother and her BFF had varying shades of grey. This offering is as top of the line as it gets. Welcome back, Doreen.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Mystery

308 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

aka Faye Morgan

{From Amazon} "I am Doreen Owens Malek, author of over forty books and lifelong fan of romantic fiction. I live in PA with my husband and college student daughter, a mini dachshund and a sun conyer parrot. I would like to tell you a little about myself.

I came to writing by a circuitous route, starting out as an avid reader of JANE EYRE and WUTHERING HEIGHTS and GONE WITH THE WIND and REBECCA and any other similarly themed books I could find. I first worked as a teacher and then graduated from law school when I desired a more lucrative and independent career. I had always been discouraged from pursuing a writing career by the volatile nature of the business and the relatively poor chance for success. But the realization that I needed a focus for the future encouraged me to do what I had always wanted to do. I sold my fledgling novel to the first editor who read it, and I have been writing ever since. I have written all types of books for all types of people, but my favorite literary pursuit is and always has been romance. Nothing is as rewarding as hearing from my readers, so please use my website to communicate your thoughts and criticisms, as I am always eager to learn from you.

A romance novel rarely disappoints me: in an uncertain world filled with tragedy and sadness, reading about an appealing woman finding a strong man to love her and share her life is the perfect escape. I like to read and write stories in which the main characters overcome obstacles to get together, and then stay together because their mutual devotion cannot be denied no matter what else is happening around them. They always HELP each other and reinforce the quaint but enduring notion that love conquers all - at least in the fictional universe of my imagination. So pull up a chair and take down a book- or pick up a Kindle- and join me in a world where the heroes are tough and headstrong but never boorish and the heroines are feminine and sympathetic but never helpless."

Reviews

[LadyCalico · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great choice of a novel for people who like their romances with a well-developed and realistic plot as well as real and human characters. Both the H/h were likable and sympathetic and were both gutsy people trying to do the best the could with the hand they'd been dealt. Both characters had their share of problems and obstacles to overcome--Amanda trying to hold onto her independence while trying not to be overwhelmed by the machinations of her selfish control-freak mother and fiance, and Brendan trying to hide his insecurities and PTSD with the walls he'd built as an adult child of an alcoholic. The book had several plots going at once and built to two satisfying denouements--the first having to do with Amanda's stalker and the second with her ploy to deal with the manipulative Tom. However, after that the last 5% or so of the book seemed to go on too long after the intriguing stuff was over. I can congratulate the author for wanting to see things through to the end without being unrealistic or rushed and not just jumping straight to the second epilogue, but I personally could have done just fine without the first long epilogue--too much repetition and rehash for a book that had been so exciting up to that point, but as I said, it did serve a purpose and tied up loose ends.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book.. it would have been great if she could have edited it a bit.. the story seemed to go on and on.

[Melissa Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book somewhat of a let down. Don’t get me wrong – it is a good book, just not quite what I wanted. I wanted a well-written book that followed a pretty standard storyline, but adapted it somehow. The adaptation was good, but it could have been worked a lot better in my opinion.

The story follows Amanda and Brendan. Amanda is a well-born woman who went to school to become a lawyer so she didn’t have to live off her trust fund. In her job as an assistant at the DA’s office, she picked up a stalker. She gets the red carpet treatment at the police station thanks to her father and ends up assigned to Brendan. Brendan helps to find her stalker and keep her safe, with the two of them falling for each other every step of the way. This causes problems with Amanda’s fiance, Tom. Amanda ends up choosing Brendan (not really a spoiler since it’s a romance novel). After they get together, Tom comes after them with a vengeance.

The characters could have been developed a little more strongly. Amanda is a solid character, well-developed and relatable. However, she is the only one. You don’t really learn anything about Brendan until the very end. He’s there and you know what he feels for Amanda and his job, but not a whole lot else. You don’t really know anything else about him until the end, and it’s mostly just a lot of background on him thrown into conversations. He goes through a lot at the end, but you never get a feel for what he is going through, how hard it is, what he is dealing with, or how Amanda is helping him through it. I think that would have been a great way to work this book, really get into how he was dealing with the issues at the end of the book.

The core of the book is good though and you cheer on the couple most of the way through. It could have been developed a little deeper, complicated the storyline a little more, but not a bad book. I’d recommend it to anyone who wanted a simple summer read or likes the books where the lady falls for her protector.

https://bookmouseblog.wordpress.com/2...

[Rjsmommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brendan Kelly is an ex-marine now serial-dater police detective is assigned to Amanda's stalker case at the last minute. Amanda happens to be an ADA and her wealthy father is the police lt's golfing buddy. The stilted professional relationship between Kelly and Amanda quickly develops into something quite else but there's plenty of obstacles to overcome. These include finding Amanda's stalker, her fiancee the congressman, her wealthy and disapproving mother, Her father's business deal being tying up with her fiancee, and Kelly's past including an alcoholic father, violent tendencies and his refusal to aknowledge his PTSD. I liked most of the novel but the weakest part was the the stalker plot which was kind of disappointing. I did love both Brendan and Amanda though.

[SheLove2Read]

"That kid is a computer whiz, like one of those people who can tell you whether or not it rained on March 10, 1945 but can't look you in the eye or tie their shoes."
"Autistic?"
"Right. Except Frank's not weird."

Being that my son is "one of those people" who has Autism, and being that he also cannot tie his shoes but is definitely NOT "weird", I choose to DNF this before I waste any more time. Sincerely hope this author considers sensitivity training before writing another book, even if it is "only the character speaking." Author? Not cool at all.

[Lynelle Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story.
Both main characters was sincere. I think what touched me the most was that the hero Brendon Kelly, the personification of what a man and hero must be also knew his weaknesses and was willing to admit and deal with it. Even if it meant that he had to seek professional help.
Amanda, the young lawyer saw through all the masculinity his heart and captured him. Enabling him to face the demons within. Beautifully written, and I can recommend it to all readers.

[107rinoNeko · Rating 3 out of 5]

BrendanはAmandaを頭が良いと思っていたが、彼がそう思っている間、一度もAmandaがそれを裏付ける理性的な行動を取らなかったため、全く信憑性がなかった。実際のところ後半に入るまで、Amandaの行動はいつも愚かしく、事態を悪化させるばかりだった。
それに、Amandaはいつまでも婚約者Tomと話をつけないままで、TomにもBrendanにも誠実ではなかった。彼女にはTomがお似合いよ！と何回も思った。
後半にBrendanが問題行動を見せ始めてからAmandaの事態が好転した。２人の同棲、結婚生活の様子はとても魅力的（同意できないが）だった。
余計なお世話だが、この作者は恋人の話を書くより夫婦の話を書いた方が良いのではないか。子持ち夫婦の私立探偵とか書いたら面白いのではないかと想像する。

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book feels like three short stories cut and pasted into a novel. Overly wordy at times, dull and uninteresting at others. Author needs significant work on dialog and internal character monologues. Points of this novel felt like someone trying to roll a baby carriage down a steep hill and losing grip - nowhere to go but downhill, to an ugly end.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was in amongst all the freebies I downloaded onto my kindle when I first bought it. I have been pruning the books- but decided to give this one a try. A detective is assigned to make sure that a da's assistant is safe after she receives threatening messages. They fall for each other and she has to extricate herself from an engagement to a politician with links to her family.

[Rachel Sides · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Malek. I read it on my Kindle so I don't know how many pages it was, but I felt like the story was over before it ended. It is the first book I've read with 2 epilogues.

[Katie O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely story. The characters were believable, and it cast a lot of light on the problems of post traumatic stress syndrome. I always enjoy a novel where the characters can see beyond the surface to the person who hides beneath.
A good read. (Though I wasn't fond of the title.)

[Mackenzie Baquiran]

I really enjoyed the story, but not the author's writing style. She would randomly jump from Kelly's POV to Amanda's, and then would suddenly be from some random waitress's POV.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, light read.

[Michelle [Helen Geek]]

Free on Amazon 05/18/2012.