Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011).
Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages.
In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.
Brown was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
I enjoyed this contemporary romance written in 1987. The main characters were well fleshed out, secondary characters interesting enough to propel the narrative. It was nice to read a story with all the dialogue as actual conversations between people instead of via text messages. The probability is high I'll search out more of these as light reading.
Ova izdanja Liber Novusa su bruka i sramota... od prevoda do lekture i nekorekture... :( Od toliko naslova ove autorke mogli su da biraju... i mogli su da objave neki bolji... Ova autorka ima čudne oscilacije u pisanju... Napiše jedan dobar roman pa onda sledeći bude potpuni promašaj pa tako naizmenično... :(
Kirsten Rumm has written a biography of her late husband Charlie "Demon" Rumm. Now a Hollywood movie is being made from her book and actor Rylan North has been picked to portray Demon. To get into character, Rylan asks to move in with Kirsten to immerse himself in the role. Against her better judgement she agrees. Soon Rylan has fallen for Kirsten and must convince her to take a second chance on love.
This is an older Sandra Brown contemporary romance. I didn't care for this story. I thought most of the dialogue felt like an interrogation with Rylan asking Kirsten what Demon said in this situation, or how Demon reacted to something else. I don't know how Rylan and Kirsten fell in love. The characters never really got to know each other. By the end of the book, it was almost like her former husband was a big part of their relationship and they were just acquaintances. My rating: 2 Stars.
Audiobook. Not a huge fan of Sandra Brown and this book didn't change my opinion. First of all, who says indubitably to their honey when they're getting all romantic? And the descriptions of items - ugh! His shoes looked like 2 ship wrecked boats. What?! The author fills the book with these inane descriptions. I would have written them down if I wasn't listening to this in my car. And the heroine was not likeable at all - at first you think she's just a conquest but when he falls in love with her I was wondering why. She's mean, cold, bitter. Maybe that's what floats his ship wrecked boats. Would not recommend this book at all.
Triggers: Cheating: Love triangle: Sex with om/ow: Intimate pasts: Push/pull: OM/OW drama:
HEA:
My review:
This was definitely a good actor romance. The spotlight and it's usual issues were not in your face at all. This hero was obsessed with the heroine from the beginning. There was no question about his intentions. Yes, he started off lusting after her, but his feelings grew into more and he was able to recognize that.
For once, this hero, unlike other actor heroes I have read in the past, did like ALL of the chasing. He didn't resort to ow or partying or anything like that when his advances were continually shunned. In fact, he really didn't even lead his life like that. He didn't respect women like that who would throw themselves at him for fame and fortune. Yes, he had his fair share of casual relationships, but he didn't go into detail about them. Just that he had them.
For once Sandra Brown, I would like you to give me a fabulous epilogue!!! That's my main complaint LOL But this book did keep me interested :)
This story is so stuck in the 80s and not because they don't have cell phones, Facebook or Twitter, but the h and H are stuck in outdated mores and ways of thinking that turn out to be more irritating than charming. It doesn't even qualify as Old School.
The hero, a cross between Daniel Day Lewis, Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis, is portraying the heroine's dead husband in a bio-pic based on the book she wrote. Demon was an ace at stunt flying and died a few years ago in an accident. Or was it? Who cares?
Things to wonder..
1. When did the hero fall in love/lust with the heroine? Did I miss a CD? He's also obsessed with his manhood. I keep seeing Burt Reynolds for some reason.
Okay, that's it on the wondering part, but how they fall for each other is a mystery as they are both so hung up on Demon I wonder they have time for each other. The H is obsessed with finding out what he was like, what their sex life was like, did he commit suicide, and was it her fault? Yes, he actually asks her that then later accuses her of being so frigid it drove the husband to suicide. Way to charm the lady, dude.
She is equally obsessed with her dead Demon husband, and I really felt like the H's moves were simply a replacement. She's also boring.
Outdated issues: They make out, but she calls a halt just when things get interesting, and the H pitches a conniption fit because she's such a tease.
She drinks wine coolers. Sorry.
Alert, alert!
There is other stuff but I'm as bored with this review as I was with listening to this book.
Sandra Brown is generally much better than this.
Speaking of wine coolers, here's a couple with some real chemistry.
Written in 1987, it shows its' age for a Romance. I've read worse from Sandra Brown's early books, and I've read better. As an audio it kept me company doing mundane housework and running errands. I liked the romance, overall, but there was a definite angst overtone throughout.
Kirsten Rumm is the widow of aeronautical daredevil Demon Rumm (think Evil Knievel) who died in a tragic accident. She has written a biography which was pick up immediately as a move vehicle for Hollywood sexy superstar Rylan North. Rylan is an actor who likes to immerse himself in his character and convinces Kirsten to let him move in with her for a real taste of Demon's life.
He falls for her, she resists. The road to true bliss is pretty rocky, but very sexy. The End. 3 1/2-Stars
This book was OK at best, but I personally liked it because of all the 80's cheese!!! We're talking cut-off shorts, sawed-off shirts, and yes, hairy chests!!! What's not to love? Hehe.
Ok, so maybe the story itself was not great but hey, it's Sandra, she gets an extra star just for that.
In 1987, when this book was written, I was 14 years old and my friends and I had just discovered "smut books"- Harlequin romance books with Fabio type men on the covers and women swept up in their strong embraces. Had I read this book then, I would have loved it, reread the sex scenes and memorized the racy dialogue. The aggressive male character who relentlessly pursued and dominated the female character would have seemed so romantic.
However, I read this book when I was 42 years old. The dialogue was hokey, the plot line was lame, and the characters were annoying. Rylan is playing Kirsten's late stunt pilot husband in a movie about his life and insists on staying at her house to really "get" his character. Why she agrees, I have no idea. He is weirdly aggressive when delving into their personal life. Rylan pretty much assaults Kirsten shortly after arriving at her house (what man touches a woman's breasts when it's clear she doesn't like him?). Oh, but that was not before he parades around her house naked minutes after she greets him. And when she doesn't return his Neanderthal like advances he sneers at her and calls her frigid. Oh, yeah baby.
When I read that Rylan was wearing a half shirt and cut off denim shorts, it almost ruined it for me. I started to imagine him with Eric Estrada hair. Yum.
Another thing that bothered me was the author's blatant pro-life stance. Rylan says he fathered a child, but his ex-girlfriend "killed it." Of course, this was the girlfriend who was pursuing an acting career with him but became discouraged and started doing porn. Because only whores have abortions, right? "He'd wanted to kill the bitch with his bare hands." Wow, dashing. Later he says to Kirsten "Thank you for not lecturing me about a woman's right to choose, et cetera, when I told you about the abortion." Et ceteta? Ugh. It seemed an odd and unnecessary thing to put in the book.
Out of nowhere, there is a plot twist and not a good "Gone Girl" type plot twist. More like a "what the hell???" type plot twist. Another odd and unnecessary addition.
In the end, everything works out. Rylan cures Kirsten of her frigidity. You'll be happy to know that, as Rylan tells his dad over the phone, despite Kirsten being "tiny," she can still carry a child. Oh, happiness.
I enjoy romance novels and I love a strong male lead, but I hope they have evolved since 1987. I am afraid this book has ruined me for this author.
Soooo....picked up this book after finishing "Smashcut", which I adored. I figured, if she does mystery really well, the romance should be just as good, right? Um, wrong.
Honestly the overall book isn't terrible - the plot is (I think) a good one, definitely an interesting idea. But about 80% of the book is about Rylan fantasizing about or actively trying to have sex with Demon Rumm's widow. I did a lot of eye-rolling throughout this one - again, could have been a good, or at least decent, book, but the hokey dialogue, the trashy feel to the story, Rylan's female-like pining just turned me off. I think I'll stay away from this author's romance novels and stick with the mysteries.
Kitaba ilk başlarken şu alışmış olduğum tarzda bir Sandra Brown romanıyla karşılaşacağımı düşünmüştüm ama romantic suspense değil sadece romance çıktı karşıma.. Ama kitabı severek okudum, konusunu görünce zaten ilgimi çekmişti, yazar da gayet güzel işlemiş.. Gizemler çözülene kadar sorunun ne olduğunu baya bir merak ettirdi ki bu da okuma şevkimi arttırdı.. Tek takıldığım konu Rylan'ın gerçek adı.. Ben mi kaçırdım yoksa gerçekten de gerçek adının ne olduğu hiç söylenmedi mi? Sürekli bahsi geçti ama bir sonuca varamayınca muallakta kalmış gibi hissettim... Goodreads puanı öyle çok yüksek değil ama ben 4 yıldız vereceğim.. Karakterlerin hislerini birebir yaşadım okurken.. Ehh yazarı da seviyorum :)
I have a high tolerance for alpha male characters in romance novels but I really couldn’t get behind either of these characters, the hero or the heroine. He is supposed to be some highly successful “sexiest man of the year” winner, most in demand male lead actor in Hollywood and he harasses and intrudes on this poor widow, bullying her, sexually harassing her several times and being immature. It was my first Sandra Brown book and I can’t see myself picking up another. Lots of eye rolling and an unnecessary historical plot containing abortion just long enough for the author to shove her viewpoint down your throat without advancing or adding anything to the main story. Kind of wish I didn’t waste my time finishing it, let me find some Johanna Lindsey to cleanse my palate…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Una novelita genérica que escribió Sandra Brown en los ochenta. Loveswept, n.º 197, que salió en junio de 1987. Tópico harlequinero: segunda oportunidad. Kirsten Rumm es viuda. A regañadientes recibe en su casa al actor Rylan North, que va a interpreter al difunto en un biopic. Como buen actor, Rylan pilla que hay algún secreto que Kirsten no dice. Sabe mantener la intriga de ver qué pasó entre Kirsten y su marido. Para mi, sí que es de las que pasa el corte, para ser ochentera. Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
It was so bad, I actually found myself laughing at parts. I realize that this was written in 1986, but it seemed even earlier. The dialogue was laughable, didn't seem like the characters had any connection other than physical. An her "secret" was absolutely ridiculous. Do not waste your time. This has to be one of the 5 worst books I have ever read.
Eh. This was sold to me a virgin widow trope… and it’s not that. It’s more of a sex-starved widow. 😬
It was ok, but I found it cringey that he wanted to reenact her last days with her dead husband. And he was a method actor so he was using the dead husband’s mannerisms…. Which I felt confused the h… was she really in love with the H or was she just profoundly comforted by his familiarity to her dead spouse?
Bottom Line? Kind of disappointing, but not terrible. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW drama
- h is a widow - not a virgin
- H is an actor with a healthy sex life
- H got an old girlfriend pregnant who aborted their child
Son derece başarısız bir kitap olmuş. İlgi çekici bir konusu olmasına karşın bazı şeyleri çok absürttü. İyi yazılan romantik kitapları gerçekten özledim.
I've previously listened to a Sandra Brown audio book, and wasn't a huge fan. I have now read a book and am sad today that Sandra Brown is just not the author for me.
I found it hard to relate to the characters. I never felt lost in the story, always like I was on the outside. A very simple writing style.
Rylan drove me nuts. He was infatuated with Kirsten but he'd try to push himself on her. She'd say no, you can tell she was missing her dead husband and she had loved him, and Rylan would get mad about it and ask what her deal was. Duh! She misses her dead husband! Not that hard to figure out dummy.
Sandra Brown'un Anılarımla Yatak Odası yazarın hayranlarının diğeri kitaplarına göre oldukça sönük bulacağı bir kitap idi.Yazarın 1987 yılında yazdığı romanlarından..Okurken kadın karaktere sinir oldum.Kitap erkek karakterin bakış açısından anlatılıyordu.. Ünlü bir film yıldızı idi erkek karakter..Kadın karakter ise bir yazar..İki yıl önce bir deneme uçuşu sırasında kaybettiği kocası ile ilgili anılarını yazarken aynı zamanda filmi çekilen eserin senaryosunu da yazıyordu. Rylan North bu gözüpek havacının hayatını oynuyordu..
Rolünde daha başarılı olmak için Kirsten Rumm'ın kocası ile yaşadığı evde bir süre beraber yaşamayı avukatı aracılığı ile teklif eder. Kirsten bu teklifi de avukatı dinleyerek kabul eder.Rylan ilk görüşte Kirsten'e aşık olmuştur. Onu yakından tanımaya başladıkça daha da bağlanır. Bir yandan kocası ve ilişkileri hakkında bilgi edinip rolünün hakkını vermeye çalışırken Charles ve Kirsten'in aralarındaki ilişkilerinde gariplikler hissetmeye başlar.Aralarında kuvvetli bir çekim oluşsa da Kirsten aralarına hep bir duvar koymuştur..
Hikaye boyunca Rylan bu duvarı aşmaya çalışır Kirsten ise kaçmaya..Tam aralarında yakınlaşma olurken kadının mevcut korkular bu korkularından dolayı engel koymaları hep devam etti.. Kadın karaktere sinir oldum. Tabii ki sonun da aşk kazandı ve adamcağız sabrının mükafatını gördü..
Kadın çoğunlukla ölen kocası ile Rylan'ı aynı kefeye koysa da hatasını anladı.. Sandra Brown'un o güçlü kurgulu romanlarına benzemiyordu açıkçası.Bana biraz da beyaz dizi kitaplarının kurgularını anımsattı... Tekrar okur muyum hayır..Sanmıyorum..Vakit geçirmek için çerezlik kitaplardan. Fazla beklentiye girmezseniz okurken hoş vakit geçirebilirsiniz...
It seems I chose my first Sandra Brown romance poorly, because although the romance scenes are tasteful (dated wording aside), I was so so excited by the premise.
Unfortunately, making a self-absorbed, tantrum throwing “Alpha Male” the narrator robbed this book of all potential. Had this been from Kirsten’s POV, the book could have been an intense, intricate, and emotional character study, and not going that route feels like a cop-out.
What I wanted: Kirsten is widow to a famous stuntman, taken by a tragic accident two years ago. Now, she’s stuck living with Rylan, the intense method actor cast to portray her late husband in an upcoming film. Attraction brews, buried secrets are unearthed, and the line between the two men becomes blurred…
What we got: HOWDY, I’M CANT-KEEP-IT-IN-MY-PANTS RYLAN AND IM NOT USED TO WOMEN TELLING ME NO. WHY DOES KIRSTEN KEEP YELLING AT ME FOR GROPING HER?? OH I KNOW, SHE MUST BE GAY! HUH, SHE’S NOT? WELL IN THAT CASE I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO HIT IT AND BY GOD I’M GONNA HIT IT.
This book made me wonder if romance novels are starting to lose their appeal to me (I find this sad).
(Note: possible spoiler alerts). The fact that instantly all Rylan North wanted to do is get in her pants because she was beautiful & petite was "love" to him was odd to me. He started thinking Kirsten was frigid right away when the JUST MET. He had all these theories about the woman he is "in love with" but she didn't give him any substance to be in love with - it was all about her appearance. But I suppose no one would read a book if the handsome actor went after an average looking woman with weight on her that he overlooked because he really enjoyed the person not the appearance. Maybe because I've met too many guys like him. But then after a few things he said/did, I wondered what was wrong that Kirsten would ever speak to him again after some of it. So they deserve each other after all. HA!
This was the first Sandra Brown romance book I've read. I didn't even know she wrote romance novels. Maybe I'm just not enamoured with the genre, but I had mixed feelings about this book. There were parts I found entertaining and the plot was somewhat interesting, but I was annoyed by the oftentimes gratuitous sex, the chauvinistic and shallow attitude of the lead male character and the submissiveness of the female character. I'm not an ultra-feminist, but parts were ridiculous to the point of being insulting.
Yazarın ilk romanı 1981 yılında yayınlanmış ve bu kitapta 1987 yılında çıkmış. Yani yazarın ilk kitaplarından. Zaten kitapta da tuhaf kelimeler vardı. Mesela sevişmek yerine aşk yapmak gibi :D Rylan karakteri kadar sığ bir karakter daha var mı bilmiyorum. Kitabın başından beri kocasının yasını tutan bir kadını arzuladı. Onu her gördüğü zaman vücudunu betimlemesi çok iticiydi. Kadın karakter de tam bir sır küpüydü. Sonu da neydi öyle? Şeytan Rumm 'ın ölme nedeni bu olamaz dedim içimden. Cidden çok basit bir nedendi.
And here I was, wondering why the male lead is an ogre who can't keep his hands and his opinions to himself. Then I read the publication date (1987) and everything made sense. I can see why the author is famous; her writing is very good. However, this book is not aging gracefully. It is not even cute in an old-fashioned way, just plain terrible. Then again, what do I know? I am just a jaded feminist...
I could not take the shallow characters in this book. I hung in there for the mystery and because I kept thinking it would get better. It really didn't. I have liked other Sandra Brown books (her more recent ones). If you are new to Brown don't start with this book. Start with Lethal.