By Hook or By Crook

by Linda Morris

Heiress Ivy Smithson is determined to keep her flaky sister from making the worst mistake of her life: marrying the wrong man. Clearly, the guy is just after the family's money. To stop her, Ivy teams up with her father's gorgeous, wisecracking, and supremely difficult security consultant, ex-cop Joe Dunham. Ivy's way too uptight to be his style, but she's had his attention from the first -- maybe because Joe always pays attention where women are concerned. Bickering all the way, off they go on a mission to Vegas to track down Ivy's sister and stop the wedding. When Ivy and Joe anger the wrong people, their lives get dangerous, but guns and gangsters aren't the only threat they face. Ivy knows Joe isn't her type, so why does falling for the wrong guy feel very, very right?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Ebooks

322 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Linda Morris is a writer of contemporary romance. She writes stories with heart and heat, with a joke or two thrown in. Her book Melting the Millionaire’s Heart was an Amazon Top 100 Series Romance bestseller. Hard Hitters, her series about a fictional minor-league baseball team in southern Indiana, is available from Berkley. Her latest, a contemporary romance called Bump and Grind is, written under her alter ego Jessica Martyn. It's coming March 27, 2018.
When she’s not writing, working as a freelance editor and technical writer, or mommying, she’s doing yoga, reading, working in her flower garden, or baking delicious things she probably shouldn’t eat. She believes that there are two kinds of people: pie people and cake people, and she is definitely one of the former. Her years of Cubs fandom (and their 2016 World Series win!) prove lost causes aren’t always as lost as they seem. A beat-up old copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Ashes in the Wind was her gateway drug into the world of romance novels, and she’s never looked back.

Linda loves to hear from readers. Contact her via email at linda@lindamorrisbooks.com or via Facebook at facebook.com/lindamorrisbooks.

Reviews

[Gem Cocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first this book was a bit slow and put it down for a few weeks, When I picked it back up I fell in love with the characters and loved the would they wont they story line.

Lots of twists and turns that made me not want to put it down in the end.

Thanks to this book I need lots of coffee to keep me awake I stayed up way past my bedtime last night as the story grabbed me in and I couldn't put it down til I had finished it. I would like to see a sequel to see how all their lives plan out

[XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

By Hook or by Crook is a beautifully written and complex story about a woman of means that has been hurt in the past and has allowed her experience to color her view of the world. What I respect most about this book is the fact that it doesn’t try to soften the blow in its characters imperfections. I felt like the development of the story was able to give me a complete purview as to of why the characters thought or behaved a certain way. This is important to allow us to connect with the characters and to remain engaged in the story. The plot was interesting and kept us wondering what would happen next. I really liked some of the unexpected surprises within the story, such as some of the dialogue with Pock. I felt that neither Ivy nor Daisy really addressed the major issues with their father and that was a bit disappointing. Joe was a sexy leading man with scorching scenes but at the end I felt that I knew “of” him but that there was definitely more to him. I would have liked to see growth in Ivy and Daisy evidenced through the achievement of a resolution that didn’t involve their father. It has strong potential and is a good weekend read.

[Jim Cangany · Rating 4 out of 5]

All trust baby Ivy Smithson wants to do is catch up with her younger sister to talk her out of marrying someone wrong for her. All former cop Joe Dunham wants to do is get Ivy to her destination so he can get paid. Something gets in the way during the mission, though - their unexpected feelings for each other. In this fast paced romp involving money, gangsters and a few other oddball characters, opposites really do attract. The question is whether or not they can in time to save the day If you like your romance with a serving of danger and a side of humor, give By Hook or by Crook a try.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I plan to read more by Linda Morris. This book was a really fun read. It was sexy and romantic. I loved the story line and the way the author developed the charaters was wonderful. I really felt connected to the charaters and was feeling and lliving their experiences. What a great read, I really would recommend this book to any one!!

[Laura † · Rating 4 out of 5]

so cute!

[Lindsey]

Amazon (ebook) freebie 2/13/13

[Jen_C · Rating 4 out of 5]

3-1/2

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is a great book to read

[Nicole Sholly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morris has a knack for creating real and tangible characters. Ivy and Joe are no exception; they're sharp and witty and share sparkling chemistry. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.

[Jess Schira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, fast paced romantic intrigue.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring.