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Prey by Linda Howard
In this captivating novel of romantic suspense, New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard brings us deep into the wild, where a smart and sexy outdoor guide and her ruggedly handsome competitor must join forces to survive—and avoid becoming what they never expected to PREY Thirty-two-year-old Angie Powell has always spoken her mind, but in the presence of Dare Callahan she nurses a simmering rage. After all, why give Dare the satisfaction of knowing he can push her buttons and push her to the edge?Three years ago, Dare returned home to rural western Montana and opened a hunting business to rival Angie’s. Complicating matters is the fact that Dare has asked Angie out (not once but twice) and has given her a gift of butterflies in the process. Angie has no patience for butterflies. They only lead to foolish decisions. And now the infuriatingly handsome Iraq war vet has siphoned away Angie’s livelihood, forcing her to close up shop. Before Angie is to leave town, she organizes one last trip into the wilderness with a client and his guest, who wants to bag a black bear. But the adrenaline-fueled adventure turns deadly when Angie witnesses a cold-blooded murder and finds herself on the wrong side of a loaded gun. Before the killer can tie up this attractive loose end, a bear comes crashing through the woods—changing the dark game completely.Luckily, Dare is camping nearby and hears the shots. Forced together for their very survival, Angie and Dare must confront hard feelings, a blinding storm, and a growing attraction—while being stalked by a desperate killer and a ferocious five-hundred-pound beast. And neither will stop until they reach their prey.From the Hardcover edition.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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About the author
Linda Howard
223 books7,170 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 780 reviews
October 17, 2017
If you've ever thought to yourself: I wonder what it would be like to read a story with a POV of a bear! - Have I got the book for you!!
There are pages and pages of the bear's thoughts. Oh, and he's a killer bear. Even better. Nobody wants to read pages and pages of a sweet and cuddly bear's thoughts. That would be boring!
Bear thoughts are strangely existential...
So, killer bear is out to eat people. That's his thing. He wants to eat our h & H, Angie and Dare. Frankly, I want him to eat the author for naming her character Dare.
I couldn't resist, she triple-dog-Dared me!
Angie and Dare are both mountain guides in Montana and have competing businesses. Dare's is winning because who would book a mountain trip with someone named Angie over someone named Dare?
A trip with Angie:
A trip with Dare:
Why yes, there is a bear included in both trips, but one has a bit more pizzazz than the other. Sure, you end up dead - eaten by a bear - in both scenarios, but you'll have more FUN before being eaten with Dare's group.
Bear don't even care. It's a flesh wound. He'll walk it off while he's digesting you.
This book bored the crap out of me. I hate camping and the outdoors has too many bugs for me, so I should have known...The only good part was the bear killings. I would have been a fan of the bear except that he was gross and smelly. In my eyes, there is only one kind of bear worthy of my love and devotion.
There are pages and pages of the bear's thoughts. Oh, and he's a killer bear. Even better. Nobody wants to read pages and pages of a sweet and cuddly bear's thoughts. That would be boring!
Bear thoughts are strangely existential...
So, killer bear is out to eat people. That's his thing. He wants to eat our h & H, Angie and Dare. Frankly, I want him to eat the author for naming her character Dare.
I couldn't resist, she triple-dog-Dared me!
Angie and Dare are both mountain guides in Montana and have competing businesses. Dare's is winning because who would book a mountain trip with someone named Angie over someone named Dare?
A trip with Angie:
A trip with Dare:
Why yes, there is a bear included in both trips, but one has a bit more pizzazz than the other. Sure, you end up dead - eaten by a bear - in both scenarios, but you'll have more FUN before being eaten with Dare's group.
Bear don't even care. It's a flesh wound. He'll walk it off while he's digesting you.
This book bored the crap out of me. I hate camping and the outdoors has too many bugs for me, so I should have known...The only good part was the bear killings. I would have been a fan of the bear except that he was gross and smelly. In my eyes, there is only one kind of bear worthy of my love and devotion.
April 18, 2014
I had been staying away from Howard's most recent releases due to the somewhat lackluster ratings but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I loved this book! Admittedly, it didn't quite reach the five star mark for me but that is really an oddly elusive thing lately, and books that get five stars from me get it for no reason that I can really explain...they just have a little extra wow.
One of my favorite Howard books is Up Close and Dangerous...there's something I love about a couple forced to be in close proximity to each other by some accident of fate that makes them rely on each other for survival in the wild. Maybe because it strips them of their inhibitions and it boils all the details down to nothing. They are each who they were meant to be, without the influence of the world, without anything to worry about other than survival and each other. They struggle to meet basic needs, and when it all comes down to it, our physical and mental well being as humans really comes down to a few things.
Food
Water
Shelter
Companionship
If we have these things, not only are we safe and healthy, but happy too.
I liked how in this book, these MC's started off having legitimate reasons to dislike each other. Well, for the most part. Angie started out feeling flustered and googly eyed over Dare but that spark quickly fizzled when she realized that he was siphoning off her business until she was nearly bankrupt. Dare, on the other hand, is infatuated with her "World Class Ass" and can't understand where her animosity comes from.
So a man eating black bear and a stone cold sociopathic murderer bring these two together...swoon! A love story for the ages, lol....
Dare gets to play hero, but he wasn't so much a chauvinist that he has no faith in Angie's abilities...even when she's injured, he doesn't chalk her predicament up to womanly inexperience or incompetence. He simply swoops in, saves the day, and takes care of the girl until she is able to do so for herself. He was quite the complex guy, although Howard didn't really delve into his psyche all that much.
Angie has a tiny bit of little man syndrome...what woman in her right mind would take two strange men up into the mountains on a week long hunting trip? I'm not really sure I care just how competent I think I am...facts are facts, and generally, men are stronger than women. That's quite the trust you're putting in strangers.
This love story doesn't get romantic for quite some time but the slower pace was quite nice...the story was interesting enough by itself, and the hot sex and slow, timid chemistry creeped nicely along until the time felt right.
I listened to the audiobook an the narrator did a great job...no overacting, she sounded like a young woman but not too young, inflection was great, and I'm hoping she does some more narrating, as I can't find any more books read by her.
One of my favorite Howard books is Up Close and Dangerous...there's something I love about a couple forced to be in close proximity to each other by some accident of fate that makes them rely on each other for survival in the wild. Maybe because it strips them of their inhibitions and it boils all the details down to nothing. They are each who they were meant to be, without the influence of the world, without anything to worry about other than survival and each other. They struggle to meet basic needs, and when it all comes down to it, our physical and mental well being as humans really comes down to a few things.
Food
Water
Shelter
Companionship
If we have these things, not only are we safe and healthy, but happy too.
I liked how in this book, these MC's started off having legitimate reasons to dislike each other. Well, for the most part. Angie started out feeling flustered and googly eyed over Dare but that spark quickly fizzled when she realized that he was siphoning off her business until she was nearly bankrupt. Dare, on the other hand, is infatuated with her "World Class Ass" and can't understand where her animosity comes from.
So a man eating black bear and a stone cold sociopathic murderer bring these two together...swoon! A love story for the ages, lol....
Dare gets to play hero, but he wasn't so much a chauvinist that he has no faith in Angie's abilities...even when she's injured, he doesn't chalk her predicament up to womanly inexperience or incompetence. He simply swoops in, saves the day, and takes care of the girl until she is able to do so for herself. He was quite the complex guy, although Howard didn't really delve into his psyche all that much.
Angie has a tiny bit of little man syndrome...what woman in her right mind would take two strange men up into the mountains on a week long hunting trip? I'm not really sure I care just how competent I think I am...facts are facts, and generally, men are stronger than women. That's quite the trust you're putting in strangers.
This love story doesn't get romantic for quite some time but the slower pace was quite nice...the story was interesting enough by itself, and the hot sex and slow, timid chemistry creeped nicely along until the time felt right.
I listened to the audiobook an the narrator did a great job...no overacting, she sounded like a young woman but not too young, inflection was great, and I'm hoping she does some more narrating, as I can't find any more books read by her.
November 15, 2018
Not to be too third grade, but this was kind of gross.
A suspense/thriller/survivalist story where the heroine is an adventure guide as in ride out for a week to hunt animals when it's really cold outside with sport hunters. I grabbed the book on CD not really knowing what I was getting myself in for.
She takes two men on a bear hunt. Nope, not this
but
.
The heroine gets caught in witnessing a murder and has to flee. The H, who she hates, rescues her. The fact that no one died of hypothermia in Montana in November may be the most fictitious part of the book.
Two villains at work here: one an undeveloped accountant that knows how to hide his inner macho man and a man-eating black bear. The bear eats three people, and it's not pretty. If anyone has ever seen the documentary Grizzly Man you will never look bears the same, or at least that is how it affected me.
I was frustrated with the accountant/villain as what he stole and how he accomplished it would have developed his character more. His peevishness when the heroine escapes and his desire to make her suffer as much as he suffered being rained on and cold struck me as a little petty. Isn't it enough that you wanted to kill her?
If I had known what I was getting into I would have skipped this.
A suspense/thriller/survivalist story where the heroine is an adventure guide as in ride out for a week to hunt animals when it's really cold outside with sport hunters. I grabbed the book on CD not really knowing what I was getting myself in for.
She takes two men on a bear hunt. Nope, not this
but . The heroine gets caught in witnessing a murder and has to flee. The H, who she hates, rescues her. The fact that no one died of hypothermia in Montana in November may be the most fictitious part of the book.
Two villains at work here: one an undeveloped accountant that knows how to hide his inner macho man and a man-eating black bear. The bear eats three people, and it's not pretty. If anyone has ever seen the documentary Grizzly Man you will never look bears the same, or at least that is how it affected me.
I was frustrated with the accountant/villain as what he stole and how he accomplished it would have developed his character more. His peevishness when the heroine escapes and his desire to make her suffer as much as he suffered being rained on and cold struck me as a little petty. Isn't it enough that you wanted to kill her?
If I had known what I was getting into I would have skipped this.
September 14, 2011
*Sigh* How horribly disappointing. This book was flat-out boring. There were actually chapters upon chapters written from a bear's point of view! A bear! Remember Up Close and Personal, where we learned everything we'd ever need to know if we crashed our plane into a mountain? Yeah, well here we learn about bears and camping. I'll give LH props for her research. The woman is an expert on so many things! However, in the end, I had to struggle to finish this. At one point I said to my husband, "Just give me an hour or so, I just *have* to finish this awful book!" Of course he thought I was crazy and still did even after I explained that this was a beloved author and that I wouldn't DNF her.
On the positive side, I did like Dare. He reminded me a little of Sam Donovan and a very little of Wolf MacKenzie. He was grumpy and gruff. He had no filter and just said what he thought. He also never fought his feelings. He liked Angie and then loved her. He accepted it and set out to make her feel the same way. I liked Angie for the first part of the book because she was independent and strong like so many other LH heroines. However, after a while she was just annoying.
Over all, I wouldn't even recommend this to the most die-hard of LH fans. :(
On the positive side, I did like Dare. He reminded me a little of Sam Donovan and a very little of Wolf MacKenzie. He was grumpy and gruff. He had no filter and just said what he thought. He also never fought his feelings. He liked Angie and then loved her. He accepted it and set out to make her feel the same way. I liked Angie for the first part of the book because she was independent and strong like so many other LH heroines. However, after a while she was just annoying.
Over all, I wouldn't even recommend this to the most die-hard of LH fans. :(
April 28, 2018
Take rival adventure guides h/H, murderous clients, feral bears, dangerous storms, a run for their lives, enforced seclusion in a mountain cabin and you get the gist of this typical Linda Howard romantic thriller set up in the Montana Rockies. This is her third survival-up-a-snowy-mountain that I’ve read.
This book had too much narrative in the first half, although I enjoyed the first couple of chapters where we get the H's pov and get to know her as a person but then it got somewhat tedious till the part where all hell breaks loose.
The H is an ill tempered foul mouthed grumpy ex military guy who comes back to their home town and unwittingly draws away most of the h’s clients. So the fiercely independent h has hated his guts these past 2 years and this enmity (from her side) is at its peak, when she realizes that she has no other resort but to sell her failing business and go back to Billings. But for this last bookings by an old client who is bringing another guy interested in hunting down a bear. An old family friend feels uneasy that she would be alone with two unknown males up in the mountains and requests a very reluctant H to look out for her. It all snowballs into a dangerous run for their lives as new and unknown threats get revealed.
But these two manage to steal two alone days in an isolated cabin during a brutal storm to finally give in to their fierce attraction to each other and acknowledge that hate is just another side of the love coin.
The H is immensely likable in a grumpy sexy way and the h is admirable for her strong independence and grit.
As for her story about her failed wedding/marriage is concerned, it was so ridiculous that it was completely believable and relatable. I totally got how this non-girly h would have felt so strongly about the messing up of her makeup and hair on her wedding day. And the ex definitely behaved in an asininely immature way! Why would people only see the funny side and not get her pov on the kiddish humiliation and also the betrayal of a promise.
Two relatable quotes from the book . . .
“Some people instinctively knew the right thing to say, the right thing to do, but she wasn’t one of them. The best she could do was, well, the best she could do, and hope she didn’t screw up too much.”
“That was the best thing about female friends: the instant, unquestioning support, regardless of common sense or practicality.”
And not to forget the H’s contribution . . .
“Fucking nipples on ice! ”
and
“Fuck, shit, yeah!”
September 3, 2011
I'm just continually bummed by Linda Howard these days. In the past she's been so brilliant, but things are hit and miss these days (as I have said many times recently). This book had a FABULOUS concept and the execution wasn't bad. She worked it out so that the scenario seemed plausible, and that was good. She also had characters that were just unique enough to make the story work. (Outdoorsy girl, abandoned by mother, raised by father, bad first wedding, not a quitter. Military man with shrapnel wound to throat and therefore hoarse voice, has a love of cussing, reads books, really grouchy but has a wry sense of humor and a bit of tenderness on the inside.) I liked them. I liked the concept. (Well, except poking around online makes it seem like black bears are the least likely to be maneaters, but I'm willing to suspend disbelief on that point.)
My biggest complaint was how unsuspenseful the whole thing was. I knew the rough plot from the inside cover, and that's about all that happened. There was no build up to the climactic showdown, no running for their lives, no terror. Just a couple of people holed up staying out of the rain, taking FOREVER to finally have sex. (Let's be honest here. In reality, the sex may or may not happen. In a Linda Howard novel, it should happen a lot sooner.) I guess it's good that the reader has something to wonder about, because it's easy to forget about both the maneating bear and the homicidal client for a majority of this very slow moving story. I almost hate to shelve this with suspense. I still love Linda Howard, I like her ideas and her characters and her writing, but the execution just seems to be lacking again.
My biggest complaint was how unsuspenseful the whole thing was. I knew the rough plot from the inside cover, and that's about all that happened. There was no build up to the climactic showdown, no running for their lives, no terror. Just a couple of people holed up staying out of the rain, taking FOREVER to finally have sex. (Let's be honest here. In reality, the sex may or may not happen. In a Linda Howard novel, it should happen a lot sooner.) I guess it's good that the reader has something to wonder about, because it's easy to forget about both the maneating bear and the homicidal client for a majority of this very slow moving story. I almost hate to shelve this with suspense. I still love Linda Howard, I like her ideas and her characters and her writing, but the execution just seems to be lacking again.
August 6, 2019
O carte alertă, multă acțiune alertă, suspans și pericole din plin. Atât din partea umană, cât și urșii pădurii. O poveste despre supraviețuire, salvare și dragoste. Toate la cote maxime. Autoarea a reușit să-mi ofere o poveste captivantă, cu o acțiune mereu în schimbare.
January 5, 2012
I have read every book and novella Linda Howard's written, all 53 of them. I started reading her as a romance author, and stuck with her into the romantic suspense territory, even though I prefer books more centered on human relationships and emotions than action and mysteries. Even with bad guys present, she could describe a bit about his background to make him if not someone I'd like to be around, at least someone I can relate to on some level. But a couple of chapters into this book, the viewpoint switches to that of a killer man-eating bear. Seriously. To which, I throw up my hands and say I can't relate to that. That is just that one step farther from the romance genre I started reading Howard for to make me stop reading the book and pick up something else.
I stopped on page 27. I will probably finish it at some point, I mean the two hot guides have to get together for some steamy sex and eventually marriage at some point, right? But not today. After chugging through 53 of her books, I find it fascinating on one level to know that a bear is my stopping point.
...three months later, I picked up the book and finished it, and ended up really liking it. I'd been reading historicals for the last 2-3 months, so a contemporary was like a breath of fresh air at that point. Also, the bear is barely (ha!) in the rest of the book, and the two guides are indeed hot. I really enjoyed the progression of their relationship, how blunt their personalities were. I do like my male protagonists grumpy, so Dare fit the bill well there. I couldn't give it four stars due to the bear thing, but Angie & Dare's snarky conversations easily brought the overall rating up to a solid 3 stars.
I stopped on page 27. I will probably finish it at some point, I mean the two hot guides have to get together for some steamy sex and eventually marriage at some point, right? But not today. After chugging through 53 of her books, I find it fascinating on one level to know that a bear is my stopping point.
...three months later, I picked up the book and finished it, and ended up really liking it. I'd been reading historicals for the last 2-3 months, so a contemporary was like a breath of fresh air at that point. Also, the bear is barely (ha!) in the rest of the book, and the two guides are indeed hot. I really enjoyed the progression of their relationship, how blunt their personalities were. I do like my male protagonists grumpy, so Dare fit the bill well there. I couldn't give it four stars due to the bear thing, but Angie & Dare's snarky conversations easily brought the overall rating up to a solid 3 stars.
June 2, 2012
Murder, Conflict, Sexual Fireworks
I was rather surprised by the overly harsh reviews I've read on Prey. I'll admit to being a diehard Linda Howard fan so I ignored the reviews and bought the book anyway. After all, as an author, I get bad reviews too, and I like to think that readers are discerning enough to wade through bad reviews if a book's blurb sounds like their kind of book.
I liked Prey. In fact, I stayed up way too late to finish it the other night. Nobody does heroes better than Linda Howard. She writes the kind of man you'd recognize instantly if you met him on the street--that's how real her characters are. The heroines are always likable and are the kind of women I'd enjoy having as friends.
Enter Dare and Angie--two people made for each other if Angie only knew it. Dare does. He's a walking, talking simmering cauldron of longing when it comes to Angie, and he hates the fact that he can't get her out of his mind. Dare was a soldier too long to attempt "polite" speech so his language is peppered with profanities--just like every soldier I've ever known. What a finely drawn character.
Throw in a murder plot, a survival against the cruel Montana weather, and sexual fireworks that go off like the 4th of July, and you've got Prey by Linda Howard.
Go for it! You'll discover this is a pretty darn good book.
I was rather surprised by the overly harsh reviews I've read on Prey. I'll admit to being a diehard Linda Howard fan so I ignored the reviews and bought the book anyway. After all, as an author, I get bad reviews too, and I like to think that readers are discerning enough to wade through bad reviews if a book's blurb sounds like their kind of book.
I liked Prey. In fact, I stayed up way too late to finish it the other night. Nobody does heroes better than Linda Howard. She writes the kind of man you'd recognize instantly if you met him on the street--that's how real her characters are. The heroines are always likable and are the kind of women I'd enjoy having as friends.
Enter Dare and Angie--two people made for each other if Angie only knew it. Dare does. He's a walking, talking simmering cauldron of longing when it comes to Angie, and he hates the fact that he can't get her out of his mind. Dare was a soldier too long to attempt "polite" speech so his language is peppered with profanities--just like every soldier I've ever known. What a finely drawn character.
Throw in a murder plot, a survival against the cruel Montana weather, and sexual fireworks that go off like the 4th of July, and you've got Prey by Linda Howard.
Go for it! You'll discover this is a pretty darn good book.
September 2, 2019
4 stars.⭐⭐⭐⭐
Don't think that I want to come face to face with a black bear ever, whether it's a man-killer or not.
An absolutely TERRIFYING situation!!! (scenes with the bear were so well written)
Romantic suspense set in the wilderness. 🐻
Good pacing, really enjoyed this exciting and adventurous story with it's enemies to lovers romance. 💗
I am becoming such a huge fan of Linda Howard.🥀
Don't think that I want to come face to face with a black bear ever, whether it's a man-killer or not.
An absolutely TERRIFYING situation!!! (scenes with the bear were so well written)
Romantic suspense set in the wilderness. 🐻
Good pacing, really enjoyed this exciting and adventurous story with it's enemies to lovers romance. 💗
I am becoming such a huge fan of Linda Howard.🥀
December 1, 2015
Overall rating: 4.5 stars!
Triggers:
Cheating:
Love triangle:
Sex with om/ow:
Intimate pasts:
Push/pull:
OW/OM drama:
My review:
This was a really good book. I enjoyed that we got multiple POVs. We got the bad guy x 2, Dare and Angie.
Dare was a gruff man, but had such a sweet spot for Angie. He treated her like gold and risked his life for her many times. He showed her with actions first what he would be like to be with him. To be love, safe and protected .... treasured. He also just got her like no one else. Dare knew when he met her, that she was the one for him. He loved her small boobs and her juicy booty LOL! That wasn't his exact words, but the man definitely loved her ass. He had to work really hard at getting her to change his feelings for him from hatred to something else.
Angie was Dare's perfect match in every way. She was a bad ass heroine who never gave up when times got rough and what she went through? That was some really rough stuff!
I want to let everyone know before they pick this book up, this is a romantic suspense with an emphasis on SUSPENSE. The romance comes a little later in the story, but you know without a doubt what Dare's feelings are and you start to see how Angie's feelings change towards Dare. There are only a few intimate scenes with one being full blown sex, but you do know without a doubt that Dare is all in. In fact, you know Angie is too by that point.
I enjoyed the ending as well. I would have loved for a little bit more of an epilogue, but I was very satisfied with the ending.
Funny quote:
Triggers:
Cheating:
Love triangle:
Sex with om/ow:
Intimate pasts:
Push/pull:
OW/OM drama:
My review:
This was a really good book. I enjoyed that we got multiple POVs. We got the bad guy x 2, Dare and Angie.
Dare was a gruff man, but had such a sweet spot for Angie. He treated her like gold and risked his life for her many times. He showed her with actions first what he would be like to be with him. To be love, safe and protected .... treasured. He also just got her like no one else. Dare knew when he met her, that she was the one for him. He loved her small boobs and her juicy booty LOL! That wasn't his exact words, but the man definitely loved her ass. He had to work really hard at getting her to change his feelings for him from hatred to something else.
Angie was Dare's perfect match in every way. She was a bad ass heroine who never gave up when times got rough and what she went through? That was some really rough stuff!
I want to let everyone know before they pick this book up, this is a romantic suspense with an emphasis on SUSPENSE. The romance comes a little later in the story, but you know without a doubt what Dare's feelings are and you start to see how Angie's feelings change towards Dare. There are only a few intimate scenes with one being full blown sex, but you do know without a doubt that Dare is all in. In fact, you know Angie is too by that point.
I enjoyed the ending as well. I would have loved for a little bit more of an epilogue, but I was very satisfied with the ending.
Funny quote:
"Hey, don't mind me," he growled. "I'm just the guy with the hard-on poking at your, not somebody you really need to answer."
And just like that her good intentions fell away, because nobody else had ever been able to jerk her chain the way Dare Callahan did. "Oh, is that what that is?" she cooed. "I thought it was a tube of chapstick."
September 11, 2011
I'm not going to lie - the only reason I gave this book three stars was because I just can't bring myself to give Linda Howard a worse rating. She has been one of my favorite romantic suspense authors ever since I discovered the genre, and I stay pretty loyal to my authors. But this book was a huge disappointment all around.
The book focuses A LOT on how bad the weather is. Of course, that is the main reason why they are stuck together for so long thus making it possible to be with each other and fall in love. But it really took away from the suspense portion of the book. There was no real feeling of imminent danger. They were totally safe from the bad guy for about 98% of the book, with no real possibility of being found. Take the few pages with the killer out, and all you've really got is a contemporary romance in which bad weather and an ankle injury keep two people holed up in a cabin. Well, that doesn't sound too bad, does it? The only problem being, this is not a contemporary romance.
I liked the concept of the characters of Angie and Dare, but never really felt like I knew either of them. So much of the book was focused on the man-eating bear, the horrible weather, and the killer, that we never really got to know the h/h. Sure we know that Angie has bad luck with men (), took over her dad's business when he died, and loved the job. And all of that is leaps and bounds over what we know about Dare. I wondered the whole time why he came back to their town and why, especially since there was already a hunting business in town. The whole thing seemed weird to me for some reason. He had to have realized at some point that he was destroying her business! I feel like Dare had some serious potential for being a totally awesome hero, what with his past with the military and badassness, and Howard did not capitalize on him. I also just never really got on board with their love, or even fully with their passion. I just didn't feel it, and it just was not believable to me.
I was also surprised at how gory the book was. There was an unusual amount of description for a Linda Howard book when it came to describing the bear killing people. It really caught me off guard and kind of grossed me out. Also, at one point, we are actually reading from the bear's perspective. Totally ridiculous!!! Thankfully it only happened the one time (that I remember, maybe I blocked out other times...).
So, all in all, both the romance and the suspense were extremely weak and extremely disappointing.
The book focuses A LOT on how bad the weather is. Of course, that is the main reason why they are stuck together for so long thus making it possible to be with each other and fall in love. But it really took away from the suspense portion of the book. There was no real feeling of imminent danger. They were totally safe from the bad guy for about 98% of the book, with no real possibility of being found. Take the few pages with the killer out, and all you've really got is a contemporary romance in which bad weather and an ankle injury keep two people holed up in a cabin. Well, that doesn't sound too bad, does it? The only problem being, this is not a contemporary romance.
I liked the concept of the characters of Angie and Dare, but never really felt like I knew either of them. So much of the book was focused on the man-eating bear, the horrible weather, and the killer, that we never really got to know the h/h. Sure we know that Angie has bad luck with men (), took over her dad's business when he died, and loved the job. And all of that is leaps and bounds over what we know about Dare. I wondered the whole time why he came back to their town and why, especially since there was already a hunting business in town. The whole thing seemed weird to me for some reason. He had to have realized at some point that he was destroying her business! I feel like Dare had some serious potential for being a totally awesome hero, what with his past with the military and badassness, and Howard did not capitalize on him. I also just never really got on board with their love, or even fully with their passion. I just didn't feel it, and it just was not believable to me.
I was also surprised at how gory the book was. There was an unusual amount of description for a Linda Howard book when it came to describing the bear killing people. It really caught me off guard and kind of grossed me out. Also, at one point, we are actually reading from the bear's perspective. Totally ridiculous!!! Thankfully it only happened the one time (that I remember, maybe I blocked out other times...).
So, all in all, both the romance and the suspense were extremely weak and extremely disappointing.
October 2, 2011
Nothing like I expected from an author of Linda Howard's caliber. It was a total disappointment. Even the lead characters were less than interesting. The bear indeed had a POV -- which didn't much interest me, either. It hurts to review and rate this book so low because I've been a fan of LH's books for many years. She's had some of the best romantic suspense novels I've ever read. Her heroes are almost always exceptional. However, there's just nothing I can say about "Prey" except I just didn't like it from the first page to the last page.
October 16, 2019
Excellent romantic suspense novel. Ms. Howard never disappoints her readers!
August 1, 2019
"Prey" is the story of Angie and Dare.
A thrilling romance, in which our heroine who organizes hunting expeditions goes on a trip with two strangers witnesses a murder, and then gets chased by a mauling bear, escapes a psychopath, is rescued by her nemesis- the hero. They soon get trapped in wilderness where they fight for their life and ultimately give into their denied passions.
Fabulous mystery with likable characters- we get inner monologues of all the MCs- even the man-slaughtering bear- and the story keeps you on your toes with equal balance of romance and intrigue. The hero and heroine are both strong, likable and perfect for each other, the villains are menacing and the ending is oh so satisfying.
Really enjoyed it!
Safe
4/5
A thrilling romance, in which our heroine who organizes hunting expeditions goes on a trip with two strangers witnesses a murder, and then gets chased by a mauling bear, escapes a psychopath, is rescued by her nemesis- the hero. They soon get trapped in wilderness where they fight for their life and ultimately give into their denied passions.
Fabulous mystery with likable characters- we get inner monologues of all the MCs- even the man-slaughtering bear- and the story keeps you on your toes with equal balance of romance and intrigue. The hero and heroine are both strong, likable and perfect for each other, the villains are menacing and the ending is oh so satisfying.
Really enjoyed it!
Safe
4/5
September 8, 2015
Angie Powell has decided to throw in the towel. Her guide business isn't doing well since Dare Callahan opened his business. But she has one more trip on the books. This one is a bear hunt. She doesn't like bear but she needs it. Dare is asked by a friend to check on Angie so he goes on a fishing trip so he can be close by just in case. But Angie isn't suppose to make it back alive. Meanwhile, there is a man-eating bear out there and he's hungry.
If I were to compare this one to other Linda Howard novels that I absolutely loved then it definitely falls short. But if I compare it to other books of this genre by a multitude of other authors then it really wasn't bad. I think I would have liked to see more of the relationship between Dare and Angie developed and expanded and I felt that the ending got a little hurried along but overall I did like it.
If I were to compare this one to other Linda Howard novels that I absolutely loved then it definitely falls short. But if I compare it to other books of this genre by a multitude of other authors then it really wasn't bad. I think I would have liked to see more of the relationship between Dare and Angie developed and expanded and I felt that the ending got a little hurried along but overall I did like it.
February 4, 2023
I am a big Linda Howard fan. Anything she writes is almost always vastly superior to anything by anyone else. Prey is more of a psychological thriller than anything else. I really liked it and its' different points of view, even the bear. I love when the H/h respect each other and work together to solve their problems. In Prey they communicate and work out their past differences instead of letting them dominate the book.
Angie inherited her guide business in Montana from her father. She loves it, but due to the economy and other factors, a new, hunky guide in the area, her business is dying. She blames Dare and all he wants is Angie, not her clients. On Angie's last guide trip she comes up against a murderer, a rogue black bear, mother nature and Dare. Angie has to put her animosity for Dare aside in order to survive.
Angie inherited her guide business in Montana from her father. She loves it, but due to the economy and other factors, a new, hunky guide in the area, her business is dying. She blames Dare and all he wants is Angie, not her clients. On Angie's last guide trip she comes up against a murderer, a rogue black bear, mother nature and Dare. Angie has to put her animosity for Dare aside in order to survive.
June 24, 2017
**2.5 stars**
Prey wasn't terrible, it was just a lot more about camping than romance. Even the man eating black bear had a POV!
Angie hates Dare because she feels he ran her out of business. They are both wilderness guides in West Montana and when he set up shop, he siphoned a lot of her clients. Angie acknowledges that it's not all his fault - she made a lot of mistakes running the business she inherited from her father - but still hates his guts.
On what she feels will be her last trip she's taking two clients to hunt a bear. Unbeknownst to her, one of her clients is planning to off the other and has no plans to leave a witness. However, the bear gets on the way while the bad guy is committing his evil deeds, giving Angie the opportunity to escape. What follows is a lot of pages of Angie trying to escape, on foot, from the bear and the villain, in a torrential downpour. Once Dare finds her she's injured, and there are a lot more pages about Dare carrying her around, on foot, in a torrential downpour.
When he takes her to his camp, they spend some time together, sharing details about their lives - including Angie's reason for annulling her marriage, which was the stupidest ever. (If I'd been the groom, I'd have sued her). Once they have sex, he confesses his undying love and she does the same. Even though this is the most time the spent together because she never gave him the time of day before! It was so weird.
After that, there was only the business of confronting villain and bear. Not even that was very exciting.
Not recommended.
Prey wasn't terrible, it was just a lot more about camping than romance. Even the man eating black bear had a POV!
Angie hates Dare because she feels he ran her out of business. They are both wilderness guides in West Montana and when he set up shop, he siphoned a lot of her clients. Angie acknowledges that it's not all his fault - she made a lot of mistakes running the business she inherited from her father - but still hates his guts.
On what she feels will be her last trip she's taking two clients to hunt a bear. Unbeknownst to her, one of her clients is planning to off the other and has no plans to leave a witness. However, the bear gets on the way while the bad guy is committing his evil deeds, giving Angie the opportunity to escape. What follows is a lot of pages of Angie trying to escape, on foot, from the bear and the villain, in a torrential downpour. Once Dare finds her she's injured, and there are a lot more pages about Dare carrying her around, on foot, in a torrential downpour.
When he takes her to his camp, they spend some time together, sharing details about their lives - including Angie's reason for annulling her marriage, which was the stupidest ever. (If I'd been the groom, I'd have sued her). Once they have sex, he confesses his undying love and she does the same. Even though this is the most time the spent together because she never gave him the time of day before! It was so weird.
After that, there was only the business of confronting villain and bear. Not even that was very exciting.
Not recommended.
March 10, 2023
This was one of the more fun reads I’ve had in a while. I mean, they pretty much had me at murder bear. This book was incredibly straight-forward. Plain-spoken characters in a low-frills adventure-romance. Exactly what I needed. Love Linda Howard even when she’s totally eye-roll worthy.
Ps - I could have used more murder bear.
Ps - I could have used more murder bear.
October 4, 2011
3.5*
I enjoyed the suspense plot, the bear, the descriptions of the wilderness and the details of being a guide. I liked both main characters and thought Dare's character in particular was humorous. I even liked the romance, what there was of it!
And that's the problem in a nutshell. The story is good, but with more fleshing out and a some layering of the plot lines, it could have been great. It had all the bone structure for a great Linda Howard book. It just needed more meat.
Still, it was fun and I don't regret spending time on it.
I enjoyed the suspense plot, the bear, the descriptions of the wilderness and the details of being a guide. I liked both main characters and thought Dare's character in particular was humorous. I even liked the romance, what there was of it!
And that's the problem in a nutshell. The story is good, but with more fleshing out and a some layering of the plot lines, it could have been great. It had all the bone structure for a great Linda Howard book. It just needed more meat.
Still, it was fun and I don't regret spending time on it.
wish-list
February 12, 2011From Linda Howard's Facebook page:
PREY is about a female hunting guide who takes a party bear hunting -- except the bear is hunting THEM. Throw in a killer, as well as a fellow hunting guide who is also her nemesis, add a pinch of terror (I'm now officially terrified of bears, because I've learned too much about them), a scoosh of sexual tension, a cup of grouchy man, a pound of sex, blend well, bake at 350, and voila! -- a book emerges.
PREY is about a female hunting guide who takes a party bear hunting -- except the bear is hunting THEM. Throw in a killer, as well as a fellow hunting guide who is also her nemesis, add a pinch of terror (I'm now officially terrified of bears, because I've learned too much about them), a scoosh of sexual tension, a cup of grouchy man, a pound of sex, blend well, bake at 350, and voila! -- a book emerges.
August 27, 2016
I had really, really high hope's for this book...after reading Veil I felt that LH was getting closer to her old writing standard....sadly I was wrong, this is the lowest rating I have EVER given to one of her books :(
February 1, 2016
Reread 1/30 2016 Enjoyed this just as much the second time.
First read - November 8, 2011.
Other than the odd pages we spent in the POV of the bear and 5 or so pages in the head of an NPC who immediately got eaten by said bear, I really enjoyed this book.
It was more an action survival book than anything else. The heroine had guts and then some. She had moral fiber to know when to sell out her property and business and she was super tough crawling down a mountain in a storm with a broken ankle to get away from a murderer and a maneating bear.
I enjoyed the interlude with her and the super hot hero. I loved the way he was written, rough around the edges and with a potty mouth. I loved how he took care of her. Maybe we could have know a little more about him but I felt like we knew enough.
The bad guy was realistic. I always appreciate when an author chooses to use something other than a terrorist or a serial killer as a bad guy. And the bear... well let me just say that even though I live in Missouri where black bears are only now making a comeback and moving north, I am scared sh**less of bears. I think I read too many "Drama in Real Life!" stories in the Reader's Digest over the years. So it didn't take much to convince me that the bear was the bigger evil.
The writing was fast pace and absorbing as usual with Ms. Howard. She paints extremely clear word pictures and her stories are always alive in the reader's head. The only thing that was not totally in active voice was the epilogue which seemed almost as if a narrator was telling us "and so gentle reader, our story draws gently to a close...." Minor quibble, that.
If the bear POV put you off, I say go back and give it another try. There's only the one longish scene at the beginning and 2 brief paragraphs further in.
First read - November 8, 2011.
Other than the odd pages we spent in the POV of the bear and 5 or so pages in the head of an NPC who immediately got eaten by said bear, I really enjoyed this book.
It was more an action survival book than anything else. The heroine had guts and then some. She had moral fiber to know when to sell out her property and business and she was super tough crawling down a mountain in a storm with a broken ankle to get away from a murderer and a maneating bear.
I enjoyed the interlude with her and the super hot hero. I loved the way he was written, rough around the edges and with a potty mouth. I loved how he took care of her. Maybe we could have know a little more about him but I felt like we knew enough.
The bad guy was realistic. I always appreciate when an author chooses to use something other than a terrorist or a serial killer as a bad guy. And the bear... well let me just say that even though I live in Missouri where black bears are only now making a comeback and moving north, I am scared sh**less of bears. I think I read too many "Drama in Real Life!" stories in the Reader's Digest over the years. So it didn't take much to convince me that the bear was the bigger evil.
The writing was fast pace and absorbing as usual with Ms. Howard. She paints extremely clear word pictures and her stories are always alive in the reader's head. The only thing that was not totally in active voice was the epilogue which seemed almost as if a narrator was telling us "and so gentle reader, our story draws gently to a close...." Minor quibble, that.
If the bear POV put you off, I say go back and give it another try. There's only the one longish scene at the beginning and 2 brief paragraphs further in.
April 17, 2016
Aslında romantik gerilim ama gerilim kısmı o kadar az ki... Bir de yazarın bizde daha önce çıkan Fırtına kitabına da bir hayli benziyor. İlişkilerin bu kadar hızlı olması, her şeyi baştan bilmek de pek hoşuma giden şeylerden değil.
July 1, 2016
3.5 yıldız :) Eksikleri olsa da fena değildi.. Konu güzeldi ama daha çok macera beklerdim.. Bir dağ kulübesinde beklemektense doğada daha çok zorluk yaşayabilirlerdi.. Herşey çok oldu bitti ye gelmiş.
Read
May 24, 2016Bir ayının bakış açısıyla da kitap okudum ya..Benden mutlusu yok :P
December 2, 2013
Updating book review to add audio review. I waver between 3 and 4 stars. Abby Craden's narration is quite good for Angie, but her voice for the hero (Dare) is a bit too gravely, strained, and rough (she does this on purpose because he had a throat injury). As for how the audio story flows, the first 8 chapters are slow, with too much time devoted to Angie's thoughts, and few scenes with Dare. The action on the stormy ice-cold mountain with a man-eating bear and a ruthless killer begins at chapter 9. Even so, it's sometimes slow, with boring sections describing Angie's thoughts, about how to escape and survive. I liked reading those scenes, but on audio, the pace felt too slow. However, the pace picked up when Dare finally entered the picture for good, at the end of chapter 10.
So... 3 stars for audio version, but 3.75 for text.
Review of the text only:
Horrifyingly gruesome at times, this is an absorbing, suspenseful, and detailed survival story with strong themes of tenacity, trust, and passionate unyielding commitment. Dare and Angie get my vote for most likely to succeed at ... anything and everything!
I liked this book better the second time around (but this time I totally skipped over the really gory scenes and the 5 pages with the bear's point of view -- what was LH thinking!?).
The first time I read it, the horror and survival aspects overwhelmed the romance and relationship, so I rated it 3 stars. However, on this second read, I concentrated on Dare and Angie, and felt like I really got to know the characters -- and more importantly, they began to bond with each other. A trusting, devoted relationship developed nicely, even though the entire book -- except for the epilogue -- takes place in about 48 hours.
Ummm, well, actually...Dare has had his eye on Angie for the past two years. In fact, he's "had his eyes on her world-class ass" since the first time they met. But she wanted nothing to do with the guy who was "stealing customers" from under her nose. As you might guess, the course of true love (yada yada yada).
Now, two years later, Dare goes up the mountain to keep covert watch over his hostile love, who is leading a hunting expedition with two men. Good thing, too.
I'll probably never forget that scene in the dark, when Dare is desperately trying to find Angie, who is cowering in the icy rain, ankle on fire, body layered in mud, hiding from monsters with two feet and four.
All his protective instinct kick into high gear.
Dare -- former army -- is alpha all the way, so he rescues her, but Angie does her part, too -- she's not a quitter and stubborn to the core, despite suffering pain, fatigue, shock, and borderline hypothermia. Beating the odds is soooo not easy for these guys! Lots of intense survivalist stuff goes on for many pages, but I liked that. So many of these modern romantic suspense books make the big rescue look like a piece of cake. (or not...Angie's worst nightmare features a piece of wedding cake, so maybe not the best metaphor).
Once the immediate danger is alleviated, they recuperate for a while. In between rest periods, Dare FINALLY gets his girl to look at him, talk to him!! So...lots of lovely relation-shipping (J) is packed into two cloistered days in a cabin, leading to a fabulously passionate love scene. There is also plenty of sexual banter. I chuckled several times.
But...the danger is still there, and they gotta get off that mountain.
In the epilogue, they get married (of course) and celebrate with a "big-ass wedding cake" (you'll see, the white icing is important).
Note: The man-eating bear is really nasty. The stench. Then, we get to hear his POV for about 5 pages or so. Ick.
(Adult content: explicit sex, several truly gruesome deaths, lots of F-bombs and such, minimal profanity.)
So... 3 stars for audio version, but 3.75 for text.
Review of the text only:
Horrifyingly gruesome at times, this is an absorbing, suspenseful, and detailed survival story with strong themes of tenacity, trust, and passionate unyielding commitment. Dare and Angie get my vote for most likely to succeed at ... anything and everything!
I liked this book better the second time around (but this time I totally skipped over the really gory scenes and the 5 pages with the bear's point of view -- what was LH thinking!?).
The first time I read it, the horror and survival aspects overwhelmed the romance and relationship, so I rated it 3 stars. However, on this second read, I concentrated on Dare and Angie, and felt like I really got to know the characters -- and more importantly, they began to bond with each other. A trusting, devoted relationship developed nicely, even though the entire book -- except for the epilogue -- takes place in about 48 hours.
Ummm, well, actually...Dare has had his eye on Angie for the past two years. In fact, he's "had his eyes on her world-class ass" since the first time they met. But she wanted nothing to do with the guy who was "stealing customers" from under her nose. As you might guess, the course of true love (yada yada yada).
Now, two years later, Dare goes up the mountain to keep covert watch over his hostile love, who is leading a hunting expedition with two men. Good thing, too.
I'll probably never forget that scene in the dark, when Dare is desperately trying to find Angie, who is cowering in the icy rain, ankle on fire, body layered in mud, hiding from monsters with two feet and four.
All his protective instinct kick into high gear.
Dare -- former army -- is alpha all the way, so he rescues her, but Angie does her part, too -- she's not a quitter and stubborn to the core, despite suffering pain, fatigue, shock, and borderline hypothermia. Beating the odds is soooo not easy for these guys! Lots of intense survivalist stuff goes on for many pages, but I liked that. So many of these modern romantic suspense books make the big rescue look like a piece of cake. (or not...Angie's worst nightmare features a piece of wedding cake, so maybe not the best metaphor).
Once the immediate danger is alleviated, they recuperate for a while. In between rest periods, Dare FINALLY gets his girl to look at him, talk to him!! So...lots of lovely relation-shipping (J) is packed into two cloistered days in a cabin, leading to a fabulously passionate love scene. There is also plenty of sexual banter. I chuckled several times.
But...the danger is still there, and they gotta get off that mountain.
In the epilogue, they get married (of course) and celebrate with a "big-ass wedding cake" (you'll see, the white icing is important).
Note: The man-eating bear is really nasty. The stench. Then, we get to hear his POV for about 5 pages or so. Ick.
(Adult content: explicit sex, several truly gruesome deaths, lots of F-bombs and such, minimal profanity.)
November 24, 2014
this is really a short story (at most a novella) which has been padded, stretched and filled with a lot of repetition to make a regular-length novel. There is a great line in the last chapter which sums it up nicely -- the arc of the story is told in about 20 words.
I was actually able to skim through large parts of the story without missing anything.
I was actually able to skim through large parts of the story without missing anything.
October 21, 2011
Good story, but I found it a little slow moving. It ended well, but overall not my favorite one by Ms. Howard. Parts just dragged for me.
October 29, 2017
Angie Powell is a wilderness tour guide, and she heads out with accountant Chad Krugman, and his client, Mitchell Davis, little realising that Chad is using the opportunity to murder Mitchell, because Mitchell has found out he's been siphoning funds from him!
Dare Callahan, a rival who has just about put Angie out of business (so she hates him), heads out as well, as a favour for the friend of one of Angie's late father, to keep an eye on her. Good thing he does, because of course Chad does shoot and kill Mitchell, and needs to also kill Angie, the only witness. However, Angie is saved by the interference of a vicious black bear that tears the dead body of Mitchell to shreds! She escapes into the stormy wilderness, where Dare eventually finds her, bringing her to the safety of his cabin. They spend the remainder of the novel getting romantic, until Linda Howard remembers that there's both a human killer and an animal killer out there, and quickly brings them all back together for a final battle.
Phew. What a stinker! While the three sequences (three, in a 3oo plus page novel) involving the bear delivered the goods, they certainly weren't enough to save the rest of this snorefest! You should probably read the first 150 pages and then the last 30, because everything in between that is a complete bore. It's long, long, long drawn-out descriptions of Chad fumbling through the wilderness, or of Angie and Dare sleeping, drinking coffee, going to the toilet etc. It was a chore to get through. I'd rather climb a mountain! Well, actually, no I wouldn't, but this book certainly made me feel like I was trawling through the mud!
The book's biggest sin is a sequence in which Dare, after snuggling with Angie overnight so they can both stay warm, makes a comment about morning erections and how they're unavoidable. Angie makes a sarcastic comment about its size in return. So Dare grabs her hand and puts it on his erection.
I nearly threw the book at the wall in shock, outrage and distaste. The only thing that stopped me was the fact it was a library book!
How utterly disgusting, revolting and piggish (and several other adjectives). I knew then, no matter how could the book might turn out to be (and I had already suspected it wouldn't get any better), it was an automatic 1 star!
Maybe if they were already in a relationship, or had even shared a kiss, and he had given some prior indication he would do this, it might be acceptable. Maybe. But as a response to her making a jibe about the size of his penis? Nope, nope, nope. Would Dare do the same to a man if a man had made a similar comment? I doubt it. Dare is a disgusting pig and I hated him from that point on. That pages later Angie is thinking of him as a gentleman because he let her get changed without spying on her just made me feel in.
I can't believe a woman wrote this disgusting garbage!
On top of this, it's just loaded with non-sensical silliness:
If Chad wants to kill somebody, why is he going into the fucking wilderness to do it, without some sort of prior recon to get a lay of the land? And why during encroaching bad weather conditions, knowing how unpredictable nature can be? The whole book's set-up is based on its villain being a complete idiot!
Angie is still shamed by her first marriage, which she annulled, because her groom stuffed wedding cake into her face when she asked him not to.
Oh yeah, and Dare is a gross, disgusting, juvenile pig!
But the few brief sequences with the black bear were good. If there were more of that, this might have been salvageable. Though I doubt it.
That being said, does anybody know of any good horror books out there featuring a killer bear? I'd read that!
Dare Callahan, a rival who has just about put Angie out of business (so she hates him), heads out as well, as a favour for the friend of one of Angie's late father, to keep an eye on her. Good thing he does, because of course Chad does shoot and kill Mitchell, and needs to also kill Angie, the only witness. However, Angie is saved by the interference of a vicious black bear that tears the dead body of Mitchell to shreds! She escapes into the stormy wilderness, where Dare eventually finds her, bringing her to the safety of his cabin. They spend the remainder of the novel getting romantic, until Linda Howard remembers that there's both a human killer and an animal killer out there, and quickly brings them all back together for a final battle.
Phew. What a stinker! While the three sequences (three, in a 3oo plus page novel) involving the bear delivered the goods, they certainly weren't enough to save the rest of this snorefest! You should probably read the first 150 pages and then the last 30, because everything in between that is a complete bore. It's long, long, long drawn-out descriptions of Chad fumbling through the wilderness, or of Angie and Dare sleeping, drinking coffee, going to the toilet etc. It was a chore to get through. I'd rather climb a mountain! Well, actually, no I wouldn't, but this book certainly made me feel like I was trawling through the mud!
The book's biggest sin is a sequence in which Dare, after snuggling with Angie overnight so they can both stay warm, makes a comment about morning erections and how they're unavoidable. Angie makes a sarcastic comment about its size in return. So Dare grabs her hand and puts it on his erection.
I nearly threw the book at the wall in shock, outrage and distaste. The only thing that stopped me was the fact it was a library book!
How utterly disgusting, revolting and piggish (and several other adjectives). I knew then, no matter how could the book might turn out to be (and I had already suspected it wouldn't get any better), it was an automatic 1 star!
Maybe if they were already in a relationship, or had even shared a kiss, and he had given some prior indication he would do this, it might be acceptable. Maybe. But as a response to her making a jibe about the size of his penis? Nope, nope, nope. Would Dare do the same to a man if a man had made a similar comment? I doubt it. Dare is a disgusting pig and I hated him from that point on. That pages later Angie is thinking of him as a gentleman because he let her get changed without spying on her just made me feel in.
I can't believe a woman wrote this disgusting garbage!
On top of this, it's just loaded with non-sensical silliness:
If Chad wants to kill somebody, why is he going into the fucking wilderness to do it, without some sort of prior recon to get a lay of the land? And why during encroaching bad weather conditions, knowing how unpredictable nature can be? The whole book's set-up is based on its villain being a complete idiot!
Angie is still shamed by her first marriage, which she annulled, because her groom stuffed wedding cake into her face when she asked him not to.
Oh yeah, and Dare is a gross, disgusting, juvenile pig!
But the few brief sequences with the black bear were good. If there were more of that, this might have been salvageable. Though I doubt it.
That being said, does anybody know of any good horror books out there featuring a killer bear? I'd read that!
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