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Blackout
Living nightmare
A month ago Margo Scott was a book dealer with family and friends. Now, suddenly, she can’t remember the last four weeks of her life, everyone close to her has disappeared, and she’s the prime suspect in a murder. When an intruder attacks, she responds with lightning-quick moves she has no memory of ever learning. Undercover agent Jake Wise has her in his sights and can’t decide if this mysterious woman is an assassin or a pawn. Is he tempted to protect her because she’s innocent or because he’s falling for her? Thrust together, these two loners realize that trusting each other is their only hope of survival. Because the good guys and the bad guys have one thing in common. They all want Margo Scott dead—the sooner, the better.
A month ago Margo Scott was a book dealer with family and friends. Now, suddenly, she can’t remember the last four weeks of her life, everyone close to her has disappeared, and she’s the prime suspect in a murder. When an intruder attacks, she responds with lightning-quick moves she has no memory of ever learning. Undercover agent Jake Wise has her in his sights and can’t decide if this mysterious woman is an assassin or a pawn. Is he tempted to protect her because she’s innocent or because he’s falling for her? Thrust together, these two loners realize that trusting each other is their only hope of survival. Because the good guys and the bad guys have one thing in common. They all want Margo Scott dead—the sooner, the better.
354 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2006
9 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Annie Solomon
15 books27 followersA native New Yorker, RITA-winning author Annie Solomon has been dreaming up stories since she was ten. After a twelve-year career in advertising, where she rose to Vice President and Head Writer at a mid-size agency, she abandoned the air conditioners, furnaces and heat pumps of her professional life for her first love—romance. An avid knitter, she now lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 2, 2018
BLACKOUT
Written by Annie Solomon
2006; Forever (354 Pages)
Genre: romantic suspense, mystery, fiction
Rating: 1 STAR
Margo Scott cannot remember the last 4 weeks of her life. She was supposed to be out of the country to buy a book for her shop but doesn’t remember leaving. Anyone who could have helped her put the pieces together are murdered and she is the suspect. Undercover Agent Jake Wise who is unsure of her intentions joins her to find the truth.
A great premise but I gave up after 200 pages. I did not feel anything for the main characters and to be honest did not care who Margo was and how she came to situation. Jake has no chemistry with Margo which sinks the book further. I just could not force myself to read any further.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Life
Written by Annie Solomon
2006; Forever (354 Pages)
Genre: romantic suspense, mystery, fiction
Rating: 1 STAR
Margo Scott cannot remember the last 4 weeks of her life. She was supposed to be out of the country to buy a book for her shop but doesn’t remember leaving. Anyone who could have helped her put the pieces together are murdered and she is the suspect. Undercover Agent Jake Wise who is unsure of her intentions joins her to find the truth.
A great premise but I gave up after 200 pages. I did not feel anything for the main characters and to be honest did not care who Margo was and how she came to situation. Jake has no chemistry with Margo which sinks the book further. I just could not force myself to read any further.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Life
August 12, 2012
This is my first Annie Solomon book, and while not the first Romantic Suspense I've read, I'm definitely still a newbie to the genre, but this is the one that so far I have enjoyed the most.
I think that might be due to the fact that it's got...not paranormal elements, exactly, but there's definitely some weird woo woo stuff going on. Which is more my cup of tea. How else would you explain waking up with almost no memories of your life save for a few dry facts, having the last 4 weeks completely missing from memory (like what you thought was yesterday was a month ago), and having these seemingly instinctive badass fighting skills with no knowledge of any training?
Well, it was all very intriguing let me tell you, and I enjoyed the story, including the romance angle, very much. Your main couple consists of Margo Scott, the one with the memory issues, and Jake Wise, the guy who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
I enjoyed the fact that, as the relationship progressed, it was Jake who wanted it to be more than just casual sex, and Margo was the one that kept trying to keep him at arms' length. It makes a refreshing change and made him seem very sweet and endearing. Which you kinda needed to balance out the deception beforehand. But it did balance out nicely because I liked him very much as a hero by the end of the book. And I liked Margo, too, once we, and she herself, got to know her!
A great suspense-filled read. Recommended.
4 Stars! ★★★★
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review
I think that might be due to the fact that it's got...not paranormal elements, exactly, but there's definitely some weird woo woo stuff going on. Which is more my cup of tea. How else would you explain waking up with almost no memories of your life save for a few dry facts, having the last 4 weeks completely missing from memory (like what you thought was yesterday was a month ago), and having these seemingly instinctive badass fighting skills with no knowledge of any training?
Well, it was all very intriguing let me tell you, and I enjoyed the story, including the romance angle, very much. Your main couple consists of Margo Scott, the one with the memory issues, and Jake Wise, the guy who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
I enjoyed the fact that, as the relationship progressed, it was Jake who wanted it to be more than just casual sex, and Margo was the one that kept trying to keep him at arms' length. It makes a refreshing change and made him seem very sweet and endearing. Which you kinda needed to balance out the deception beforehand. But it did balance out nicely because I liked him very much as a hero by the end of the book. And I liked Margo, too, once we, and she herself, got to know her!
A great suspense-filled read. Recommended.
4 Stars! ★★★★
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review
July 18, 2012
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: June 1, 2012 (Reissue)
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Imprint: Forever Yours
Author’s Website: http://www.anniesolomon.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Warm
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. With tons of action, a wonderful mystery, and plenty of plot twist, I couldn’t put it down. Amnesia, romance, spies, assassins, mystery, and adventure, all wrapped up into one fast-paced story.
The presence of forced nudity, and a lack of focus on the romantic elements of the story did pull my final rating down slightly, but I would still highly recommend this book for fans of Suspense/Action with a few Romantic elements tossed in.
A very solid 4.5/5 Stars.
Expected Release Date: June 1, 2012 (Reissue)
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Imprint: Forever Yours
Author’s Website: http://www.anniesolomon.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Warm
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. With tons of action, a wonderful mystery, and plenty of plot twist, I couldn’t put it down. Amnesia, romance, spies, assassins, mystery, and adventure, all wrapped up into one fast-paced story.
The presence of forced nudity, and a lack of focus on the romantic elements of the story did pull my final rating down slightly, but I would still highly recommend this book for fans of Suspense/Action with a few Romantic elements tossed in.
A very solid 4.5/5 Stars.
March 2, 2013
I was a little suspect when its genre was listed as suspense romance. But...I guess that's exactly what it was. It could have been a decent little mystery if not for the random sex scenes that seemed like they were just plunked in so that they could call this a romance novel. This was like decent mystery meets Harlequin Romance. In the end...meh. It was not horrible. It was not amazingly good. It was suspenseful enough to keep me reading to the end. I wanted a little light reading after the holocaust story I had just finished.
December 30, 2009
A nice weekend read about a tough main character (female) who cannot remember her past but is haunted with a memory of screams of a child. She is constantly being hounded by bad guys but can quickly and effortlessly defend herself (not knowing how she learned her skills). The story ended well and I would definitely read another book by this author.
Read
July 16, 2024How can other people not appreciate this book? This is honestly one of the books that I have truly loved! I even had to bear my aching back, for I couldn't let go of the book.
I was immediately captivated by the first pages, so I read further. And it's something I will never regret.
The storyline is unique and just amazing. Plus, there are particular scenes that are just touching- very touching and poignant.
I loved the plot twist, especially when the reason for the female main protagonist's blackouts were revealed.
Read this and you won't regret every second spared.
I was immediately captivated by the first pages, so I read further. And it's something I will never regret.
The storyline is unique and just amazing. Plus, there are particular scenes that are just touching- very touching and poignant.
I loved the plot twist, especially when the reason for the female main protagonist's blackouts were revealed.
Read this and you won't regret every second spared.
July 28, 2020
I'm still trying to figure out why I wanted to purchase some books by Annie Solomon. Someone must have recommended her to me (maybe some enemy). The language is atrocious and very offensive with graphic sex in detail! I'm embarrassed to admit I read all of it, just because I paid so much for them. They are not worthy to be given away, so into the trash where they belong!
May 19, 2024
Good plot with a lot of twists. But it all meshed in the end.
February 7, 2026
A fresh breeze from all the other lovey dovey romantic suspense. I admire army heroine very much
October 18, 2024
3.5 stars. I liked it, but it could have been better.
The writing style took a bit to get used to. There are a lot of time jumps within paragraphs and location changes... "they went to the store then drove to her place, and spent the next few hours...", that sort of thing.
Margo's "blackout" memory is definitely what kept this book interesting. The mystery of her missing month kept me coming back for more, even though I was pretty sure I knew the general idea of who she might be and why she would have a memory gap. And I was correct.
Our hero, Jake, is an undercover agent trying to decide if Margo's memory loss is real or if she's an assassin. And why his boss had assigned him to watch her.
Unfortunately, parts of the book feel more like a draft than a finished story. Especially the last fifth, where we get even more time jumps. Part of this is because we are getting filled in on the truth of what happened, but the way it's done is a bit standoffish, leaving us as readers outside Margo's mind as everything is happening.
As far as the romance portion of the book? While there were parts of Margo & Jake's relationship or partnership that I liked, the romance went from .5 to 10 away faster than I expected, and without any of the usual tension or strained attraction that I often enjoy in suspenseful books.
Also, because Margo and Jake are in the professions that they are, both of them come off as jerks sometimes. Margo snarls a lot, Jake makes snide remarks. None of these in and of themselves is a problem, as these traits are often in this type of book. But the way these traits were done with these characters made it hard to feel for them. Neither of them acted like they needed more than sex from the other person.
So, was I rooting for them? Sure. But was it because I felt a connection that was undeniable between them? ehh, not really.
I was compelled to finish the book quickly though, because I wanted to find out all the missing pieces of the mystery. So I can't complain all too loudly. 🤷♀️
The writing style took a bit to get used to. There are a lot of time jumps within paragraphs and location changes... "they went to the store then drove to her place, and spent the next few hours...", that sort of thing.
Margo's "blackout" memory is definitely what kept this book interesting. The mystery of her missing month kept me coming back for more, even though I was pretty sure I knew the general idea of who she might be and why she would have a memory gap. And I was correct.
Our hero, Jake, is an undercover agent trying to decide if Margo's memory loss is real or if she's an assassin. And why his boss had assigned him to watch her.
Unfortunately, parts of the book feel more like a draft than a finished story. Especially the last fifth, where we get even more time jumps. Part of this is because we are getting filled in on the truth of what happened, but the way it's done is a bit standoffish, leaving us as readers outside Margo's mind as everything is happening.
As far as the romance portion of the book? While there were parts of Margo & Jake's relationship or partnership that I liked, the romance went from .5 to 10 away faster than I expected, and without any of the usual tension or strained attraction that I often enjoy in suspenseful books.
Also, because Margo and Jake are in the professions that they are, both of them come off as jerks sometimes. Margo snarls a lot, Jake makes snide remarks. None of these in and of themselves is a problem, as these traits are often in this type of book. But the way these traits were done with these characters made it hard to feel for them. Neither of them acted like they needed more than sex from the other person.
So, was I rooting for them? Sure. But was it because I felt a connection that was undeniable between them? ehh, not really.
I was compelled to finish the book quickly though, because I wanted to find out all the missing pieces of the mystery. So I can't complain all too loudly. 🤷♀️
June 25, 2012
I’m going 3.5 on this romantic suspense novel. The main story has meat to it and the characters are very likable.
Margo starts our story waking in a fog. She is feeling herself out and is asking herself questions on where and who she is. Its not till the next day in work that she figures out that she is missing what happened to her in the last month. She is even unsure of who she is and walks through the first half of the book in an anxiety filled haze. Jake steps into her life when he decides to do a favor for one of his old friends, a secret ops handler and secretly watch over Margo. He has no idea why he is watching over her. Is it because she is good or whether he is gathering info because she is bad? When Jake’s friend ends up dead Margo becomes the number one suspect but not everything is adding up.
This is what I liked about the story. The characters are truly likable. Most of the story is believable and the attraction between Margo and Jake seems real. I found myself rooting for both of them and never really knowing how it was all going to work out. The meat of the story took a while to unravel but once it did it kept my attention and had me page flipping.
The bad. I felt like the meat of the story took too long to kick in. Margo’s haze lasted too long and actually got a little annoying. Part of it was the way her haze was worded. There was too many unneeded words. At one point she snaps at Jake and says “I don’t know, I don’t know.” There was testiness there, a rim of anger. She closed her eyes. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to snap.” I could understand that the testiness was there and didn’t need to be told and this was sprinkled throughout the book and took away from me fully enjoying the story.
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to preview this novel through Netgalley.
Margo starts our story waking in a fog. She is feeling herself out and is asking herself questions on where and who she is. Its not till the next day in work that she figures out that she is missing what happened to her in the last month. She is even unsure of who she is and walks through the first half of the book in an anxiety filled haze. Jake steps into her life when he decides to do a favor for one of his old friends, a secret ops handler and secretly watch over Margo. He has no idea why he is watching over her. Is it because she is good or whether he is gathering info because she is bad? When Jake’s friend ends up dead Margo becomes the number one suspect but not everything is adding up.
This is what I liked about the story. The characters are truly likable. Most of the story is believable and the attraction between Margo and Jake seems real. I found myself rooting for both of them and never really knowing how it was all going to work out. The meat of the story took a while to unravel but once it did it kept my attention and had me page flipping.
The bad. I felt like the meat of the story took too long to kick in. Margo’s haze lasted too long and actually got a little annoying. Part of it was the way her haze was worded. There was too many unneeded words. At one point she snaps at Jake and says “I don’t know, I don’t know.” There was testiness there, a rim of anger. She closed her eyes. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to snap.” I could understand that the testiness was there and didn’t need to be told and this was sprinkled throughout the book and took away from me fully enjoying the story.
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to preview this novel through Netgalley.
January 11, 2010
I originally picked up this book because it won the RITA award for best romantic suspense. Wow, I can see why it did. This is the first book I have read by this author and I plan on reading more. You can't stop reading once you start it and the author does an excellent job making the reader relate to the heroine; knowing what it feels like to walk in her shoes.
The romance between Margo and Jake was refreshing. This is not a lovey-dovey romance novel where the hero and heroine fall hopelessly in love and get engaged within a weeks time. Their relationship builds over time; given the situation that they are in. There is angst and emotional push and pull. The romance is realistic with the plot. The ending is also realistic. Some would argue it was not a happy ending, but I thought that it ended just right.
This novel kinda reminds me of the movie The Bourne Identity (with more romance, of course). Both stories keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat. If you like stories like that, you will like this book.
The romance between Margo and Jake was refreshing. This is not a lovey-dovey romance novel where the hero and heroine fall hopelessly in love and get engaged within a weeks time. Their relationship builds over time; given the situation that they are in. There is angst and emotional push and pull. The romance is realistic with the plot. The ending is also realistic. Some would argue it was not a happy ending, but I thought that it ended just right.
This novel kinda reminds me of the movie The Bourne Identity (with more romance, of course). Both stories keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat. If you like stories like that, you will like this book.
February 25, 2009
This books takes advantage of the best elements in Romantic Suspense -- a heroine trying to figure out who she is, dead bodies, a hero with his own agenda, and of course that secretive government agency. Without a doubt my fav Annie Solomon book. The and the heroine Margo Scott is no lightweight. There are so many good scenes in this book between her and the hero Jake Weiss (his name alone is a clue that he is 100% yummy yum yum Alpha male with a gigantic ego and a bigger heart). The dialougue is refreshing for a suspense -- there isn't a lot of technical talk. This is a story of a woman searching for answer about who she is and the closer she gets to the truth the more hard and fearful she becomes -- but she does not fall apart in a weak minded way. And of course Jake is right there with her every step of the way. Together they make a formiable pair. Love them!
September 7, 2015
Black Out reveals stuff that you wouldn't get to know normally and these kind of books are my favorite. Every sentence of the book had me hooked!
The book starts from a woman who seems to wake up sweating and goes for a walk. It is still dark outside but her senses are trained to work in the darkest of the dark hours. She senses someone close by following her and attacks. She gets more surprised than the one being attacked.
Then the story goes much deeper where she is a suspect killer but doesn't remember the last four weeks of her life. Someone wants her dead and soon. She is helped by a man who himself doesn't seem to decide what exactly is the story of the protagonist but helps her anyway.
The plot was intriguing and impressive. A good book with a dose of romance along with suspense and action. I would highly recommend it.
The book starts from a woman who seems to wake up sweating and goes for a walk. It is still dark outside but her senses are trained to work in the darkest of the dark hours. She senses someone close by following her and attacks. She gets more surprised than the one being attacked.
Then the story goes much deeper where she is a suspect killer but doesn't remember the last four weeks of her life. Someone wants her dead and soon. She is helped by a man who himself doesn't seem to decide what exactly is the story of the protagonist but helps her anyway.
The plot was intriguing and impressive. A good book with a dose of romance along with suspense and action. I would highly recommend it.
December 27, 2011
Margo wakes from a nightmare involving flames and a screaming child. She soon discovers that a month has passed that she has no memory of. An intelligence agent whose name I can't recall, was asked to keep her under surveilance, but he doesn't know exactly why he was supposed to be watching her or who she really is. THe only man who may know who Margo really is and what is going on has been murdered and Margo becomes the prime suspect. THis was an entertaining story and I would like to read more by this author.
June 7, 2009
Well done overall. Suspense, romance, plot--all nicely done & kept my interest. Sometimes with a suspense romance, I start skimming because I'm not very interested in the characters but I'm vaguely curious about what the plotline is. This was NOT one of those books. Apparently this is Solomon's fifth book, but the library has only this one volume.
The flap copy made it sound as if it would be the female version of Bourne Identity, but it was better than just a knockoff.
The flap copy made it sound as if it would be the female version of Bourne Identity, but it was better than just a knockoff.
February 7, 2014
This was an entertaining story however, the author builds the female lead to be a tough mercenary type with all sorts of training, and throughout the book she reacts with the "girly, weak, stupid" reactions that portray many female characters. acting "girly/stupid" by a strong female character is a huge annoyance for me because #1 is it so out of character for Margo and #2 it is saying that when push comes to shove all women will become blubbering irrational girly and weak.
August 25, 2016
This was my first book by Annie Solomon. I wasn't disappointed. There were so many twists and turns to the plot and I was constantly kept guessing. I loved Margo and Jake together, neither one of them willing to give to much of themselves and yet pressing the other to give more. It isn't often that we get to read about a kick ass female agent, so this was refreshing for me.
August 21, 2013
Eh. Pretty formulaic romantic suspense spy thriller.
You got the tough female. You got the tough male. You got the amnesia. You got the yes/no/yes/no. You got the double cross. You got the multiple identities. You got the trip to Europe. You got the misplaced guilt.
Need anything else, read a different book.
You got the tough female. You got the tough male. You got the amnesia. You got the yes/no/yes/no. You got the double cross. You got the multiple identities. You got the trip to Europe. You got the misplaced guilt.
Need anything else, read a different book.
August 19, 2016
The premise is interesting, but about halfway in, I realized I'd rather lost interest. The mystery of her identity wasn't enough to sustain my interest, somehow. It wasn't a bad book, and if I'd rad it all in one sitting, it probably would have been fine since I wouldn't have been quite so aware of my lack of interest. As it was, it was just fine.
Want to read
January 14, 200801/14/08 rec via bookmooch
February 24, 2011
Blah. Had to struggle to finish.
October 24, 2011
GREAT BOOK!
July 25, 2012
I liked this story. It flowed well and intrigued me.
November 14, 2013
I loved this book. Unlike anything I've ever read. It kept me intrigued the entire time.
November 11, 2012
Wasn't a big fan of this book. Didn't hold my interest.
February 11, 2015
good airplane book.
May 25, 2015
I did not like the heroine and I did not like the story.
Too many suprises that lead the story on and an too construed reason for the "Blackout" this was just an average read.
Too many suprises that lead the story on and an too construed reason for the "Blackout" this was just an average read.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews