**MEDIUM SPOILERS**
The book I read contained two unrelated books. The first was Against the Rules by Linda Howard. The second was Fatal Affair by Marie Force. Both are reviewed here. I gave the book the higher of the two ratings. I do not recommend this compilation.
Against the Rules
Rating 2 stars
This is a standalone book. It was published in 1983 and reflects the social mores of the time as well as a standard romance story from that time period. For example, about halfway through the book, Cathryn thinks “If only David [her deceased husband] were still alive! He had been a warm, sheltering harbor, a quiet, strong man who had loved her and left her free to be herself, instead of demanding more than she had to give. Rule demanded more. He wanted all of her under his control, and the terrible thing about it was that she would glory in being his completely, if only she could be certain of him.” David sounds like a better choice than Rule.
This is one of the author’s earlier books and I believe I had read it before. Her earlier books tend to have very dominant men and women who put up with that attitude. That is true of this book from the start. Cathryn returns home after having been gone for years with only periodic visits. As soon as Rule sees her at the airport, he kisses her without permission. He confronts her on a variety of subjects as they fly home to the ranch that she owns. He demands that she move home to take care of some issues. He kisses her again to show that they still have an attraction but does it in such a way it feels disrespectful and dominating.
His arrogant tone continues through out and he is relentless in his judgmental attitude and statements towards Cathryn. He says things like “I’m not in the mood to put up with any of your tantrums right now. Is that clear?” Cathryn loses her temper quite often in the book. It was a bit tiresome, but the word tantrums implies someone who is childish and not in control. If he thought that way, why would he be attracted to her? Part of the reason he may have felt that way is because he is 11 years older but it was not respectful nor did it convey he saw her as an equal. In addition, there is a scene when she is a teenager where he spanks her. He is not her parent, and it is never ok for a man to hit a woman. He was probably jealous and the way he acted as a result is a red flag. In addition, when he is 28 and she is 17, they have sex and she is a virgin. He tells her later that he was gentle with her when he really wanted it a different way and negatively implies that she is inexperienced. Seriously, if you cannot value someone’s first time, then maybe you are not a good person. These issues resulted in the book losing several stars.
Cathryn’s father married a woman named Monica who has a stepdaughter named Ricky. Ricky is spoiled as well as insecure. It was not a good combination, and she tries to sabotage the relationship between Rule and Cathryn by telling Cathryn that Monica had an affair with Rule and that Rule is only interested in her because she owns the ranch. Ricky is not a sympathetic character. Monica was not fleshed out as a character.
Rule was drafted when he graduated high school and when he came back from Vietnam, he suffered from PTSD. Cathryn’s father helped him through the initial stages of transitioning back into the working world and Rule became unwaveringly loyal to him. The book mentions several times that Rule was with many women and had his pick even when he was drunk and suffering from PTSD. This is a bit surprising because the town they live in does not sound like it was all the big, but the author implies he has an endless supply of women. Rule pushes hard to establish a sexual relationship with Cathryn as soon as she arrives. He suggests having sex without leadup. Cathryn finds it difficult to resist. When they eventually do have s*x, he does not bother with protection and it seems like he would not mind if she gets pregnant so she could stay. She does not think of it either.
I agree with another reviewer who commented that Cathryn felt like she wanted to be in charge of the ranch she owned but did nothing to make it happen. She lived away for years, did not follow the ranch business, etc. In the second half of the book, she begins to try to do so.
The book improves a little in the second half as Rule begins to share some of what he is thinking, and it is a little more obvious that Rule cares about Cathryn and has for a long time. I did like when he finally admits that he loves her. He reveals he cares about her and is willing to do anything for her.
The book is told from Cathryn’s point of view, and I thought some of it should have been told from Rule’s point of view. I know the title of the book was a play on Rule’s name, but Against the Rules implies an adversarial relationship between Cathryn and Rule and that is not a way to success for a long term relationship.
At the end of the book, you find out that Rule has inherited his father’s ranch. It is surprising that this was not known.
I do not recommend this book.
Fatal Affair
Rating 3 stars
This is the first book in the Fatal series although there is a prequel novella. I have read books cowritten by this author and Linda Howard, but I do not think I have read any of the books written solely by her. After reading this book, I do not plan to continue reading her individual works.
Sam Holland is a detective for the DC police and is assigned to work on the murder of a US Senator. This happens just after she makes a decision in an investigation that resulted in a child’s death and has received much criticism for it. The senator’s chief of staff is Nick, a man with whom she had a one night stand several years prior. She decides to keep that former relationship to herself which could compromise the investigation as well as the ensuing criminal case. She does so because she wants to solve a high profile case and turn people’s opinion in her favor both within the department and publicly.
After Sam and Nick’s one night stand, Nick called Sam several times and her roommate, Peter, never gave her the messages. Peter was interested in Sam himself and eventually they got married. It seemed a little unlikely that Peter was the only one who received the messages as there were four people who lived together and any one of them could have gotten one of the calls. Sam and Peter divorced, and she now thinks of him as a jerk and that does not speak well for her ability to judge people. Everyone makes mistakes but her family did tell her that they thought he was a creep. Perhaps I should be more sympathetic on this issue, but it feeds into the larger issue of who she is. Between this and the decision to stay on the case, I was not ready to see her as a great detective or someone who had the greatest ethical standards. At one point, her superior asks her if there is anything he should be told, and she says no.
I found it hypocritical of Sam when she would ask Nick some personal questions and then when he would respond and try to continue into a more personal conversation, she would tell him to stop. She would say that they could not have this type of relationship yet and act as if it were his fault that the conversation began.
Sam’s boss does not like her for unspecified reasons. He is obnoxious and the author uses a fat stereotype to show that he is less than.
I did like the care and attention she gave her father who is wheelchair bound. They have a mutually loving and supportive relationship. When his nurse tells Sam that she and her father are getting married, I was surprised that Sam did not go downstairs to congratulate him.
The book is told mostly from Sam and Nick’s point of view. It is easy to tell when the POV changes.
In many places, Sam speaks with sarcasm. I did not care for that. Some of the dialogue was more descriptive than most people use. For example, Sam’s partner notices the looks and interest between Sam and Nick and says, “…Pregnant pauses, simmering gazes, and of course the entertaining innuendo.” Finally, Sam swears frequently, and I did not think it was necessary for it to be that much.
I did not care for the way Sam would use her badge at times. She had a perfect right to tell suspects that they should not leave town and that someone could speak with her immediately or be taken into the station and it seemed like she was happy to do so. However, at one point, she wants to talk to an employee at a restaurant and the manager protests because they are busy. After she gets him to back down, she says “So much as knock on that door and I’ll haul your skinny a** downtown and put you in a cage with some guys who’d love nothing more than to make you their b*tch.”
Nick, on the other hand, was a great guy. He was supportive, honest, and decent. I really liked him.
I read this book about a dozen years after it was published, and the technology references are dated.
The book should have had an editor. There were missing commas and some typos.
I do not plan to continue reading the series and I do not recommend this book.