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Uneasy Alliance
After ending a relationship gone terribly and unexpectedly wrong, Abby Lyndon is left wary and determined to control her own life. Two years later, she meets a man who doesn't frighten her. When a nightmare from her past resurfaces, Abby has little choice to accept Torr Latimer's help, but his determination to protect her may be a little too close for comfort.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Jayne Ann Krentz
404 books7,263 followersThe author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
March 31, 2021
That the impulsive and independent heroine Abby Lyndon and the overwhelming and serious hero Torr Latimer met in art of Japanese flower class- just made this Romance more unique and alluring! It gets better with a incredibly adorable heroine, a Hot in Pursuit of a sexy hero and a dangerous revenge-obsessed Villian after her.! Yeah it can`t get better...
I love the scenes where Torr throw flowers at Abby`s naked body before ravaging her...its simply so sensual and sexy! A very possessive and demanding lover , Abby simply couldn`t stop his intensions of protecting her and making her his. According to him, she is his and made his possessive intensions clear from the start. Abby is a creature of impulse and that made her face a lot of trouble which Torr saved her from every time. They will have a very loving and passionate marriage life ahead of them..everything but boring.
I love the scenes where Torr throw flowers at Abby`s naked body before ravaging her...its simply so sensual and sexy! A very possessive and demanding lover , Abby simply couldn`t stop his intensions of protecting her and making her his. According to him, she is his and made his possessive intensions clear from the start. Abby is a creature of impulse and that made her face a lot of trouble which Torr saved her from every time. They will have a very loving and passionate marriage life ahead of them..everything but boring.
April 28, 2024
Torr Latimer and Abby Lyndon met at a Japanese Flower Arranging Class. Torr's arrangements were a beautiful, streamlined design. Abby had a more haphazard approach to her flowers. Torr was immediately smitten with Abby and asked her on a date. As they get to know each other, Torr discovers that someone is blackmailing Abby. He vows to protect her and find out who is behind the blackmail.
This was Jayne Ann Krentz's debut novel. I'm happy to say that her writing improved after this effort. This story was first published in 1984 and is very dated. Torr is an Alpha-Jerk who insists on always doing things his way. He is also very possessive. I don't know how many times he made statements like "I'm going to make you mine", "You belong to me", and "You're mine". I would have kicked him to the curb, but Abby was pretty much a doormat and let him get away with it. They did argue a lot throughout the book, but she would always let him have the last word.
The blackmail portion of the story wasn't well thought out. There were only two possible suspects, so it wasn't hard to figure out which person was behind it. Overall, I'd pass on this book unless JAK is a favorite author. My rating: 1 Star.
This was Jayne Ann Krentz's debut novel. I'm happy to say that her writing improved after this effort. This story was first published in 1984 and is very dated. Torr is an Alpha-Jerk who insists on always doing things his way. He is also very possessive. I don't know how many times he made statements like "I'm going to make you mine", "You belong to me", and "You're mine". I would have kicked him to the curb, but Abby was pretty much a doormat and let him get away with it. They did argue a lot throughout the book, but she would always let him have the last word.
The blackmail portion of the story wasn't well thought out. There were only two possible suspects, so it wasn't hard to figure out which person was behind it. Overall, I'd pass on this book unless JAK is a favorite author. My rating: 1 Star.
June 2, 2010
Hmmm... I love this author usually, but although I kind of liked Torr, I found him WAAAAAY too overbearing... I don't mind an alpha hero, but this was taking it a bit far... He walked all over the heroine, and if any man ever treated me like that I would smack him! I'd give it 2.5 stars...
October 8, 2019
3 stars.
I believe I've read this one before but it was still a nice way to while away a few hours.
Abby and Torr are the archetypical JAK H/h albeit the earlier versions with Torr not as zen and Abby not as strong as their later counterparts. Thus on the romantic front, the power parity between H/h is not as evenly matched as some of the later books. Also, I guessed who the blackmailer pretty much from the start so that was a bit of a fizzle as a plot device. I did find certain things pretty funny , so overall, a pleasant read.
I believe I've read this one before but it was still a nice way to while away a few hours.
Abby and Torr are the archetypical JAK H/h albeit the earlier versions with Torr not as zen and Abby not as strong as their later counterparts. Thus on the romantic front, the power parity between H/h is not as evenly matched as some of the later books. Also, I guessed who the blackmailer pretty much from the start so that was a bit of a fizzle as a plot device. I did find certain things pretty funny , so overall, a pleasant read.
June 17, 2011
It was better than I expected. Given everyone's reviews, I was thinking there would be a really 'dominant' scene, but whilst Torr was overbearing at times, Abby was pretty chilled about it all by the end... Some of the current PNR are just as dominant (if not more so) - it's just that because they are werewolves etc, they can get away with it. Remembering that it was a M&B from the earlier '80s etc etc etc - I thought it was pretty good.
May 23, 2020
I really like it. I like the mysterious and dark hero. I like crazy and colorful heroine . I love the hero cornered "the one" - definitely and slowly. I like how she slowly gave up.
May 1, 2023
It was bad! But I kept reading in spite of all the cringey flower references. This couple meets in a Japanese floral arrangement class and it is a silly ride to the end.
February 7, 2017
Some people have complained that this story hasn’t aged well. But, beside the “archaic” dialogue or two, I would politely disagree. Yes, the hero, Torr, was a jackass. Overbearing, dominant, possessive, didn’t take no for an answer when he knew what he wanted or thought he knew what was right. A very Alpha hero. If this story was written twenty or thirty years later as a paranormal, no one would even arch an eyebrow. But I guess, as long as the hero is some ancient immortal being (be it vampire or Alpha shapeshifter), his overbearing nature is oh-so hot and oh-so right. But if it’s a romance written in the eighties, the hero suddenly becomes a Neanderthal and whatever he does to the heroine is borderline rape.
I’d say it was the contrast with the heroine’s character, that made Torr out worse than he actually was. She was a doormat most of the time, letting him do whatever he pleased despite all her protestations about disliking overbearing men. It was her character, contrasting so starkly with his, that made me want to smack him with a cast-iron pan. A good two-handed grip and let loose.
But once the story started rolling, and especially in the end, when it became clear Abby had clear TSTL tendencies, I actually apologized to Torr (in my mind) for wanting to bash him with that pan. No wonder he was the way he was, asserting his will all over the place, telling her what to do and how to do it, determined to protect her no matter what...Because she didn’t know better. She was a flake, all over the place with her vitamins and her I-know-better, I’m-a-woman-and-won’t-be-dictated-to attitude. In the end, I actually felt sorry for the guy.
So, no, the rating has little to do with the hero, quite a lot to do with the heroine (she annoyed me more and more as the story progressed), but mostly the low rating is because the story itself is redundant. The blackmailing scheme could be solved with one simple phone call.
Idiotic premise, redundant story, stilted pacing, annoying heroine, jackass hero...Did I miss anything?
I’d say it was the contrast with the heroine’s character, that made Torr out worse than he actually was. She was a doormat most of the time, letting him do whatever he pleased despite all her protestations about disliking overbearing men. It was her character, contrasting so starkly with his, that made me want to smack him with a cast-iron pan. A good two-handed grip and let loose.
But once the story started rolling, and especially in the end, when it became clear Abby had clear TSTL tendencies, I actually apologized to Torr (in my mind) for wanting to bash him with that pan. No wonder he was the way he was, asserting his will all over the place, telling her what to do and how to do it, determined to protect her no matter what...Because she didn’t know better. She was a flake, all over the place with her vitamins and her I-know-better, I’m-a-woman-and-won’t-be-dictated-to attitude. In the end, I actually felt sorry for the guy.
So, no, the rating has little to do with the hero, quite a lot to do with the heroine (she annoyed me more and more as the story progressed), but mostly the low rating is because the story itself is redundant. The blackmailing scheme could be solved with one simple phone call.
Idiotic premise, redundant story, stilted pacing, annoying heroine, jackass hero...Did I miss anything?
May 10, 2011
I usually enjoy a JA Krentz book, but this early attempt (1984) is really bad! I'm very glad I got it as a library book.
May 28, 2017
One of her earlier works. The female protagonist could be a little less helpless.
March 2, 2010
baguuuuuss.....
April 13, 2024
**MINOR SPOILERS**
This book is an early work by the author. I bought it because I enjoy the later books written as Jayne Ann Krentz and under other pseudonyms. I do not recommend this book at all and found it hard to read. I read it decades after it was published.
The book is overly dramatic both in events and dialogue. The book takes place over a few days which seemed rushed and allowed for little relationship development.
Torr and Abby meet in a flower arranging class. Torr is attracted to Abby and offers to give her a ride home. It is a little surprising she does not have a car. When she gets to her apartment, she rather foolishly invites him up to her apartment. He tells her that he wants to go to bed with her and she says no. He begins to touch her without permission, including her chest, and then kisses her. When she tells him to stop he does, but it was inappropriate. He then asks if she already belongs to another man. I was glad that she said that she does not belong to any man and never would. However, he wants her to belong to him. Despite a past with a man who wanted to be controlling, she does not get freaked out about his word choices or his attitude.
Torr at one point says “You will do what I think best in this situation.” It is both specific to the situation they were dealing with as well as his attitude in general. Though he cares for Abby, if they have a disagreement, the resolution always had to go his way. In another spot, he says “Couldn’t you follow one single little order?” Again, he has determined that he is the boss and they are not equal partners. Finally, he also says “You are a woman and you need a man to keep you out of mischief.” Just no.
At one point late in the book, Torr threatens to put Abby over his knee. That is never ok. In addition, it is clear he believes he should be in charge of everything in their relationship. The book was a two star prior to that but dropped to one.
I do not recommend this book.
This book is an early work by the author. I bought it because I enjoy the later books written as Jayne Ann Krentz and under other pseudonyms. I do not recommend this book at all and found it hard to read. I read it decades after it was published.
The book is overly dramatic both in events and dialogue. The book takes place over a few days which seemed rushed and allowed for little relationship development.
Torr and Abby meet in a flower arranging class. Torr is attracted to Abby and offers to give her a ride home. It is a little surprising she does not have a car. When she gets to her apartment, she rather foolishly invites him up to her apartment. He tells her that he wants to go to bed with her and she says no. He begins to touch her without permission, including her chest, and then kisses her. When she tells him to stop he does, but it was inappropriate. He then asks if she already belongs to another man. I was glad that she said that she does not belong to any man and never would. However, he wants her to belong to him. Despite a past with a man who wanted to be controlling, she does not get freaked out about his word choices or his attitude.
Torr at one point says “You will do what I think best in this situation.” It is both specific to the situation they were dealing with as well as his attitude in general. Though he cares for Abby, if they have a disagreement, the resolution always had to go his way. In another spot, he says “Couldn’t you follow one single little order?” Again, he has determined that he is the boss and they are not equal partners. Finally, he also says “You are a woman and you need a man to keep you out of mischief.” Just no.
At one point late in the book, Torr threatens to put Abby over his knee. That is never ok. In addition, it is clear he believes he should be in charge of everything in their relationship. The book was a two star prior to that but dropped to one.
I do not recommend this book.
April 5, 2017
I knew when I picked up this book that it was old and the romance would be dated, but I still wasn't prepared for just how creepy and abusive the hero, Torr, was.
The story begins with Torr and Abby sitting next to each other in a flower arranging class. He's controlled and disciplined, she's flighty and disorganized, yet she "fascinates" him. Even though they haven't spoken more than a few polite words to each other, he decides that he's going to become her lover whether she agrees or not and goes about forcing that to happen. He strong-arms her into letting him drive her home that night and baldly states that he wants her in his bed. She says "no thanks, I'm not interested, please leave." Instead of leaving, he forces a kiss on her, making sure to grind his hips against hers so she can see how much he wants her. That appears to settle the matter for him and he insists that she end any other relationships she might be having at the time because he refuses to "share" her with anyone else. She claims to be upset by his arrogant assumption that she now belongs to him, but her arguments are just lip service. She still lets him do whatever he wants in the relationship from that point on.
She starts getting blackmail letters and is planning to get out of town for a while when Torr intercepts her on the way out and demands that she come with him. This is after they've shared one kiss and a single dinner date in which he wouldn't let her choose her own food. She has made no commitment to him, yet because he's decided he wants to "possess" her, she is not going to be allowed to leave town without him. Despite barely knowing Torr and being aware of his pathological desire to "own" her, she still gets in his car and lets him drive her out of town to a lonely cabin in the woods. If this were a mystery novel, she'd have been murdered in that cabin. It's completely ridiculous for her to go with him. And the worst part is, she actually KNOWS how crazy it is! She spends the whole drive there and the first few days in the cabin being desperately afraid of him! She's literally giving it a 50:50 chance that he could turn out to be a psycho killer! This is not what romance is built on people!!!
Their first time sleeping together happens on the first night at the cabin and makes no sense whatsoever. She's constantly on the verge of a panic attack when she's around him because she recognizes that she barely knows him and he could turn evil at any moment. And she's anticipating him pouncing on and raping her at any time because he's been so candid about how she belongs to him and that he WILL be her lover in short order. A little later in the book we find out that Abby dated a man about 2 years ago who turned into a possessive psycho, constantly accusing her of cheating on him and even beating her at times. She had to quit her job and move to another town to get away from him and yet here she is with Torr who behaves just as possessively?! It makes no sense! She basically lets him bully her into sleeping with him the first time and she even panics just before he takes the last step and changes her mind about going all the way but he tells her it's too late. She's not allowed to back out now because she belongs to him.
And things never really get better. Even after their first night together, Abby is still afraid of Torr. Especially when the blackmailer sends her newspaper articles that suggest Torr might have killed his wife 3 years ago. Abby is totally able to believe the possessive, domineering Torr who insisted she belonged to him after only one kiss is capable of killing a woman who defied him. She is on the verge of running off into the night just to get away from Torr when he pounces on her. He physically restrains her from leaving and even thinks in his inner monologue that he'd never give her "her freedom" because she belongs to him. It's such an abusive, stalkerish, psychotic rapist way of thinking! And then later that same night she decides in her mind that she's in love with him. WHAT?! She's spent the better part of a week afraid of him and that entire day worried that he might be a murderer, and he's physically blocked her from leaving and promised that he'll never let her go and yet we're supposed to believe that she fell in love with him somewhere in there? It's Stockholm Syndrome. It has to be.
The story progresses and the blackmailer is revealed.
The story begins with Torr and Abby sitting next to each other in a flower arranging class. He's controlled and disciplined, she's flighty and disorganized, yet she "fascinates" him. Even though they haven't spoken more than a few polite words to each other, he decides that he's going to become her lover whether she agrees or not and goes about forcing that to happen. He strong-arms her into letting him drive her home that night and baldly states that he wants her in his bed. She says "no thanks, I'm not interested, please leave." Instead of leaving, he forces a kiss on her, making sure to grind his hips against hers so she can see how much he wants her. That appears to settle the matter for him and he insists that she end any other relationships she might be having at the time because he refuses to "share" her with anyone else. She claims to be upset by his arrogant assumption that she now belongs to him, but her arguments are just lip service. She still lets him do whatever he wants in the relationship from that point on.
She starts getting blackmail letters and is planning to get out of town for a while when Torr intercepts her on the way out and demands that she come with him. This is after they've shared one kiss and a single dinner date in which he wouldn't let her choose her own food. She has made no commitment to him, yet because he's decided he wants to "possess" her, she is not going to be allowed to leave town without him. Despite barely knowing Torr and being aware of his pathological desire to "own" her, she still gets in his car and lets him drive her out of town to a lonely cabin in the woods. If this were a mystery novel, she'd have been murdered in that cabin. It's completely ridiculous for her to go with him. And the worst part is, she actually KNOWS how crazy it is! She spends the whole drive there and the first few days in the cabin being desperately afraid of him! She's literally giving it a 50:50 chance that he could turn out to be a psycho killer! This is not what romance is built on people!!!
Their first time sleeping together happens on the first night at the cabin and makes no sense whatsoever. She's constantly on the verge of a panic attack when she's around him because she recognizes that she barely knows him and he could turn evil at any moment. And she's anticipating him pouncing on and raping her at any time because he's been so candid about how she belongs to him and that he WILL be her lover in short order. A little later in the book we find out that Abby dated a man about 2 years ago who turned into a possessive psycho, constantly accusing her of cheating on him and even beating her at times. She had to quit her job and move to another town to get away from him and yet here she is with Torr who behaves just as possessively?! It makes no sense! She basically lets him bully her into sleeping with him the first time and she even panics just before he takes the last step and changes her mind about going all the way but he tells her it's too late. She's not allowed to back out now because she belongs to him.
And things never really get better. Even after their first night together, Abby is still afraid of Torr. Especially when the blackmailer sends her newspaper articles that suggest Torr might have killed his wife 3 years ago. Abby is totally able to believe the possessive, domineering Torr who insisted she belonged to him after only one kiss is capable of killing a woman who defied him. She is on the verge of running off into the night just to get away from Torr when he pounces on her. He physically restrains her from leaving and even thinks in his inner monologue that he'd never give her "her freedom" because she belongs to him. It's such an abusive, stalkerish, psychotic rapist way of thinking! And then later that same night she decides in her mind that she's in love with him. WHAT?! She's spent the better part of a week afraid of him and that entire day worried that he might be a murderer, and he's physically blocked her from leaving and promised that he'll never let her go and yet we're supposed to believe that she fell in love with him somewhere in there? It's Stockholm Syndrome. It has to be.
The story progresses and the blackmailer is revealed.
January 9, 2022
Diawal ceritanya bikin penasaran, pertengah cerita agak rada membosankan, dan gampang di tebak siapa pelakunya. Belum lagi kata-katanya para tokoh pas lagi ngerayu, aneh bin ajaib maksudnya sih ngombal tapi jadi ilgil banget aku bacanya. Padahal terjemahanya bagus, apa emang begitu maksudnya biar romantis gitu kali ya.
Mulai di akhir-akhir cerita mulai seru, mengalir lancar, permasalahanya simpel, dan cukup memuaskan.
Abby Lindon dan Torr Latimer sama-sama mengikuti kelas merangkai bunga ikebana. Disitulah awal mula pertemuan mereka. Pada saat pertama bertemu Torr sudah tertarik dengan Abby, tapi abi justri menjaga jarak.
Mereka sama-sama memiliki masa lalu, yang bisa dikatakan pahit. Kegigihan dan sikap Torr yang posesif membuat Abby gugup, bingung, dan bimbang....
March 15, 2020
I love reading the first or early books of a favorite author, especially in the romance genre. Mostly it fascinates me that we have such willingness to accept the dominant, controlling male who sweeps the female off her feet. No mention of condoms either. What I still enjoy in Krentz’ work evident from the very early ones is the fully formed intelligent female—even is she is swept a little too easily. Always with some unique traits or interests and always a natural inquisitiveness.
June 7, 2017
I love Jayne Ann Krentz. Saying that, this has to be one of her very first books because it is not good. Let's just say she got A LOT better at writing.
November 29, 2018
It was good but have read other books by her that were better.
July 28, 2019
As usual with her older books I had to skip the sex scenes: they are unreadable with extremely cheesy language, absurd dialog, overall bad writing.
July 28, 2019
Lengvas romaniukstis.
August 1, 2020
—No esta bien mofarse de la gente que se toma la vida enserio— la reprendió Torr.
March 29, 2022
HT #11 = 3+ stars
January 7, 2023
Read this decades ago, just going back and documenting my backlist. I do remember the hero being excessively domineering, but I did enjoy the Japanese flower arranging subplot
December 15, 2023
I get the genre, but Torr is too possessive.
March 21, 2014
This book one of the very worst ones I've ever read. It's a total waste of paper - someone should call Greenpeace to protest this wanton destruction of trees.
Torr and Abby meet in a Japanese flower-arranging class. Abby's arrangements are chaotic and wild. Torr's are clean and austere, a model of restraint. So, of course, they are attracted to one another. He is possessive and over-protective - she is impulsive and not to be restrained. Uh-huh. First thing he does is to tell her that if there any other men in her life, they must be gotten out. Now. Immediately. Because they are going to be lovers, no matter how she tries to get away from him.
In the first love scene he tells her - and here is where uncontrollable laughter began - that she reminds him of a flower. Her "waist is as slim as a daffodil". Her breasts "are like two very delicate, very luscious orchids". (Side comment: I have seen lots of orchids. None of them has ever made me think of breasts. But then, maybe it's man thing. Not.) Next..."and your sweet little rear makes me think of a gladiolus." A GLADIOLUS??? At this point, any sane woman would be kicking his butt out the door, but no-o-o-o. SHE replies..."not a Venus Flytrap?" By now I am nearly sick.
Other deathless lines are:
"You are a woman and need a man to keep you out of mischief."
"The woman is a menace. She ought to be chained to the kitchen sink with a leash that's just long enough to reach to the bedroom. I plan to invest in some long, sturdy chains."
And my personal fave, on her first visit to Torr's home....."With a woman's unerring instinct, Abby headed straight for the kitchen".
It gets no better. Torr keeps insisting that Abby "belongs" to him, even when she explains that a former abusive lover has made her wary of such behavior. He claims to be logical and restrained (he should be restrained with a court order, but hey, that's just me.) At the end he tells her that he will be "...demanding and possessive and overbearing and possibly (ya THINK??) even downright domineering at times. But I will love you as long as I live and that, my wary little wife-to-be, will make all the difference."
Difference to what, may I ask? Surely not to the plot.
Read at your own risk.
Torr and Abby meet in a Japanese flower-arranging class. Abby's arrangements are chaotic and wild. Torr's are clean and austere, a model of restraint. So, of course, they are attracted to one another. He is possessive and over-protective - she is impulsive and not to be restrained. Uh-huh. First thing he does is to tell her that if there any other men in her life, they must be gotten out. Now. Immediately. Because they are going to be lovers, no matter how she tries to get away from him.
In the first love scene he tells her - and here is where uncontrollable laughter began - that she reminds him of a flower. Her "waist is as slim as a daffodil". Her breasts "are like two very delicate, very luscious orchids". (Side comment: I have seen lots of orchids. None of them has ever made me think of breasts. But then, maybe it's man thing. Not.) Next..."and your sweet little rear makes me think of a gladiolus." A GLADIOLUS??? At this point, any sane woman would be kicking his butt out the door, but no-o-o-o. SHE replies..."not a Venus Flytrap?" By now I am nearly sick.
Other deathless lines are:
"You are a woman and need a man to keep you out of mischief."
"The woman is a menace. She ought to be chained to the kitchen sink with a leash that's just long enough to reach to the bedroom. I plan to invest in some long, sturdy chains."
And my personal fave, on her first visit to Torr's home....."With a woman's unerring instinct, Abby headed straight for the kitchen".
It gets no better. Torr keeps insisting that Abby "belongs" to him, even when she explains that a former abusive lover has made her wary of such behavior. He claims to be logical and restrained (he should be restrained with a court order, but hey, that's just me.) At the end he tells her that he will be "...demanding and possessive and overbearing and possibly (ya THINK??) even downright domineering at times. But I will love you as long as I live and that, my wary little wife-to-be, will make all the difference."
Difference to what, may I ask? Surely not to the plot.
Read at your own risk.
February 24, 2011
Ok so what this book lacked was the development of the characters and their relationship. As the reader I felt jilted at the lack of seeing their relationship bloom and evolve into something special. The man in this story is very possessive, domineering, and down right bossy. Now I can get behind that kind of a man to an extent. There was a few times the things he said and did were just a tad extreme when you take into account how much the chic was fighting him on it. Plus add to the fact that the two characters really didn't know each other well, and you as the reader had no relationship development to be able to accept his possessive behavior. Women generally do like a possessive man....as long as she feels the same way about him. Women only want to be independent and separate from a man if she is not 100% head over heals in love with him. Don't get me wrong, you still need some alone time, but after a couple nights I end up missing my husband terribly. I never felt that the characters connected. The guy def showed more interest in the chic, but the chic seemed to only show attraction when he was seducing her or being extremely sweet and comforting. Mostly he was bossy, demanding, and yelling at her to do what he tells her. HA! As if! I would have enjoyed this book more if the author had developed the characters more, their developing relationship, and toned back the bossiness with the guy. Then it would have been a good book. By the way, totally figured out the whole stalking/blackmail thing right away. Thought that both characters were kinda dumb not to have been thinking of the guy right out of the gate, but whatever.
January 19, 2016
Uneasy Alliance was originally published in 1984 by Harlequin as part of their Harlequin Temptation series. As a long time fan of Jayne Ann Krentz and all of her other pseudonyms, it was interesting to read one of first books. Ms. Krentz's talent shines through in a book that while out of date in some ways, the quality of the writing is there. It was a thrill to watch the verbal back and forth between Mr. Buttoned Down Sexy aka Torr Latimer and Spunky Gal Abby Lyndon. However I had to roll my eyes at times as Torr had to get all macho manly and step in to deal with the big bad and stupid blackmailer, as Abby was freaking out and in need of Mr. Rich Business Man Boyfriend to handle the problem. I could accept reading such howlers in characterization and plot, because this was basically par for the course in contemporary romances from the mid 1980s.
November 26, 2013
The story line is good, the writing and setting is good but the hero is ABUSIVE, mentally and verbally and he alludes to physical at points throughout the book. This is probably the only book of hers that I don't like, but there it is. This is not an alpha male, this is someone you should get a restraining order against. The blurb on the older paperback I have is different and doesn't hint at any of this in the story either. It's a shame because I think with some fine tuning, some of the more offensive content could have been removed or modified and this could have been a much better read, though close to the edge still, certainly.
I would try Full Bloom by this author, instead, or just about anything else. She really is a great author.
I would try Full Bloom by this author, instead, or just about anything else. She really is a great author.
August 21, 2018
This is definitely one of her older ones where the Alpha Male is woefully overbearing, but while it's a long way from as good as my favorite JAKs, I enjoyed it for what it is. He's overbearing, not cruel.
It does kind of make the argument that men who are demanding and possessive and overbearing and sometimes downright domineering are fine so long as they love you, which I am not a fan of. If that's the kind of relationship a couple wants, fine, but when a guy seems to think that, if he loves a woman, that gives him the right to domineer her before she's even made a commitment, that's something else again. I think in the end it's reasonably clear that this hero is type one (based on his actions in another relationship), but he kind of skirts the edge pretty close sometimes.
It does kind of make the argument that men who are demanding and possessive and overbearing and sometimes downright domineering are fine so long as they love you, which I am not a fan of. If that's the kind of relationship a couple wants, fine, but when a guy seems to think that, if he loves a woman, that gives him the right to domineer her before she's even made a commitment, that's something else again. I think in the end it's reasonably clear that this hero is type one (based on his actions in another relationship), but he kind of skirts the edge pretty close sometimes.
September 15, 2014
Abby Lyndon meet Torr Latimer. Torr Latimer meet Abby Lyndon. Meeting Place: Evening class in the art of Japanese flower arrangement. That might sound like the beginning of "just another" contemporary romance. Trust me as I don't add spoilers to my reviews but this is definitely NOT any ordinary contemporary romance. Jayne Krentz is a master artist at keeping the reader on the edge of his/her seat, on the precipice of indecision about Torr Latimer. Is Torr Latimer someone Abby can trust? Is Torr Latimer someone Abby can love? I had to finish the book in less than 12 hrs. as I had to find out.
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