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Long, Tall Texans #30
Outsider
Former black ops CIA operative Colby Lane, now retired from his wild years as a mercenary, has found his new calling as assistant chief of security for the mammoth Ritter Oil Corporation. But the past is never far behind. He's soon enmeshed in plans to trap a notorious drug trafficker, and it seems that his ex-wife, Sarina Carrington—whom he so cruelly left after one day of marriage—may be more involved than she's letting on. Not only that, but Sarina has a six-year-old dark-eyed daughter whose father is mysteriously absent—or is he?
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
115 people are currently reading
1579 people want to read
About the author
Diana Palmer
1,039 books3,097 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
September 4, 2018
I would really love to know DP’s thought processes as she creates her major characters: blind stupidity, no common sense, hairy (the heroes), martyr syndrome, etc… Once they turn into secondary characters in some other train wreck’s book, they seem to turn into rational, happy, shiny people. I guess it works as here I am reading and complaining about my second DP book and its horrible hairy hero in two days.
Colby herein to be referred as Goofus
is one messed up man. Half Apache which is stressed ad nauseum, while obsessed with another woman is caught in a compromising situation with Sarina the h. Her father forces a MOC wherein Goofus falls on the heroine in total lust because he’s sexually frustrated BECAUSE THE OW HAS NOT BEEN AROUND. Given the size of his manly manliness, he hurts the heroine sexually. She’a a virgin and is really 17 neither of which he knew.
Goofus leaves angry with her but also with himself for hurting her ( in fairness he has no idea how bad), the h’s racist, millionaire father finds out about the Apache part and the marriage is annulled. The H then marries what sounds like the bitch from hell who we do not get to meet unfortunately, and is blindly obsessed with her for two years while married and afterwards as he mourns her gold-digging ways as well the sterility she told him about. I guess she got her medical degree from the highly acclaimed Skanky Golddigger University.
A+ for what may be the dumbest chump in the Land of Romance. Goofus meets up with the heroine 7 years later and meets her six yo daughter and can’t add? He’s been paramilitary, a mercenary, ex-CIA, now head of security, and he can’t figure out that the h is NOT a lowly office worker but an undercover agent? The answer to both these questions is NO. It’s not until the 49% part that the shoe drops on the H regarding his daughter. His psychic daughter I might add, and one that he is absolutely brutal to when he first meets her. He's such a bad dad.
The stress of finding outwhat a rotten person he is plus more, oh yes there is more-so much more, is so horrific it throws Goofus into a bout of malaria because after all a 17 year old virtually getting raped on her wedding night to the man she loves, then abandoned by him for a skank he’s been lusting over while he dated the h, then kicked out by her racist father, raising a mixed-race child in what is a hostile environment pales in significance to his pain. It is, of course, all about him.
Sex, another apparent liaison for him that he decides not to clear up with the h because he’s petty and he finally figured out she’s undercover DEA.
When he was alone, Colby’s mood darkened. He’d told Sarina that they shouldn’t keep secrets from each other ever again, and she’d agreed. She’d been lying the whole time. How could she be so intimate with him and not trust him? It destroyed his faith in her.
Goofus, you abandoned her to marry a worthless witch and you’ve been back all of ten minutes.
Sarina is understandably upset about what she perceives is Goofus having another sidepiece, and he…
“Colby,” she began without looking at him, “that blond woman…”
He cocked his head and looked at her, hard. “I haven’t changed fundamentally, even if you are finding out things about me that you didn’t know. Am I the kind of man who goes from one woman to another without conscience?”
Yes! Yes you are. You totally are that man. That's what this whole book is about! Rant, rant, rant!
Final Sentencing:
They deserve each other. They are both self-serving liars. I usually buy the second chance romance, but she’s a second choice now that slutty Maureen has gone on to greener as in more cash pastures and he has no one left. She’s an idiot, and from what I skimmed in Fearless is not one of the sisterhood if you know what I mean as she leads the H from Fearless around by his nose while letting the other h twist in the wind.
A low point even for DP.
Colby herein to be referred as Goofus
is one messed up man. Half Apache which is stressed ad nauseum, while obsessed with another woman is caught in a compromising situation with Sarina the h. Her father forces a MOC wherein Goofus falls on the heroine in total lust because he’s sexually frustrated BECAUSE THE OW HAS NOT BEEN AROUND. Given the size of his manly manliness, he hurts the heroine sexually. She’a a virgin and is really 17 neither of which he knew.
Goofus leaves angry with her but also with himself for hurting her ( in fairness he has no idea how bad), the h’s racist, millionaire father finds out about the Apache part and the marriage is annulled. The H then marries what sounds like the bitch from hell who we do not get to meet unfortunately, and is blindly obsessed with her for two years while married and afterwards as he mourns her gold-digging ways as well the sterility she told him about. I guess she got her medical degree from the highly acclaimed Skanky Golddigger University.
A+ for what may be the dumbest chump in the Land of Romance. Goofus meets up with the heroine 7 years later and meets her six yo daughter and can’t add? He’s been paramilitary, a mercenary, ex-CIA, now head of security, and he can’t figure out that the h is NOT a lowly office worker but an undercover agent? The answer to both these questions is NO. It’s not until the 49% part that the shoe drops on the H regarding his daughter. His psychic daughter I might add, and one that he is absolutely brutal to when he first meets her. He's such a bad dad.
The stress of finding outwhat a rotten person he is plus more, oh yes there is more-so much more, is so horrific it throws Goofus into a bout of malaria because after all a 17 year old virtually getting raped on her wedding night to the man she loves, then abandoned by him for a skank he’s been lusting over while he dated the h, then kicked out by her racist father, raising a mixed-race child in what is a hostile environment pales in significance to his pain. It is, of course, all about him.
Sex, another apparent liaison for him that he decides not to clear up with the h because he’s petty and he finally figured out she’s undercover DEA.
When he was alone, Colby’s mood darkened. He’d told Sarina that they shouldn’t keep secrets from each other ever again, and she’d agreed. She’d been lying the whole time. How could she be so intimate with him and not trust him? It destroyed his faith in her.
Goofus, you abandoned her to marry a worthless witch and you’ve been back all of ten minutes.
Sarina is understandably upset about what she perceives is Goofus having another sidepiece, and he…
“Colby,” she began without looking at him, “that blond woman…”
He cocked his head and looked at her, hard. “I haven’t changed fundamentally, even if you are finding out things about me that you didn’t know. Am I the kind of man who goes from one woman to another without conscience?”
Yes! Yes you are. You totally are that man. That's what this whole book is about! Rant, rant, rant!
Final Sentencing:
They deserve each other. They are both self-serving liars. I usually buy the second chance romance, but she’s a second choice now that slutty Maureen has gone on to greener as in more cash pastures and he has no one left. She’s an idiot, and from what I skimmed in Fearless is not one of the sisterhood if you know what I mean as she leads the H from Fearless around by his nose while letting the other h twist in the wind.
A low point even for DP.
February 19, 2013
Okay. The hero is caught in a compromising situation with a young girl he is dating and is blackmailed into marrying her against his will.
On their wedding night, he rapes her so brutally she needs stiches. Then he leaves. The heroine's father (who was the one who insisted on the marriage in the first place) arranges for the marriage to be annulled - he doesn't know about the rape, but he has found out the hero has Apache blood, which to him is unacceptable.
The heroine discovers she is pregant. Her father throws her out on the streets. When she contacts the hero to let him know about the baby, he doesn't want to know. He was in love with another woman all along - he was only dating the heroine because his real girlfriend was out of town - and now he is married to her.
Fast forward seven years. The hero and heroine are thrown together at work. He is divorced. She still loves him. Yes folks, can you believe, SHE STILL LOVES HIM.
Apart from the hero being a jerk, this story has so many inconsistencies my head was spinning.
The hero is half Apache, and looks it. Why did the heroine's father wait until after the wedding to decide it's a problem?
What kind of man(a multi millionaire, we are told) throws her pregnant daughter out on the streets, particularly as her pregnancy is partly due to his own actions?
The hero manages to date the heroine and get married to her without ever discovering she is only 17.
The heroine is in college when they marry, but then later we are told that her employer and coworkers took care of her while she was pregant.
The heroine, a teenage single mother, becomes some kind of super spy while bringing up her daughter.
The heroine's daughter looks Apache, resembles the hero, and despite knowing she is six years old - the right age counting from his miserable wedding night - it takes him forever to figure out she is his daughter, despite his suspicion that he damaged the heroine so badly she might have avoided sex for a long time afterward.
The reason we are given is that the hero believes he is sterile. His wife told him so after less than 9 months of marriage, of which he spent 7 months on an overseas assignment. There is no explanation as to why he should believe her.
The wedding night between the hero and heroine is described in many different ways: He raped her in anger. Not even his anger could stop his desire for her. It was a night of loving, sensual touching that got out of hand and caused the heroine damage due to the hero's unusual proportions and his failure to understand she was a virgin.
The same confusion surrounds the end of his real marriage. He almost died when his wife left him two years later. The day she divorced him was the worst day of his life. Or: Once the intial physical obsession wore out there was nothing left between them and he only stuck to the marriage out of pride.
I don't mind big drama in romance novels but there should be some level of consistency and logic. This story has too many gaps and too much bad blood between the hero and heroine to really make sense.
On their wedding night, he rapes her so brutally she needs stiches. Then he leaves. The heroine's father (who was the one who insisted on the marriage in the first place) arranges for the marriage to be annulled - he doesn't know about the rape, but he has found out the hero has Apache blood, which to him is unacceptable.
The heroine discovers she is pregant. Her father throws her out on the streets. When she contacts the hero to let him know about the baby, he doesn't want to know. He was in love with another woman all along - he was only dating the heroine because his real girlfriend was out of town - and now he is married to her.
Fast forward seven years. The hero and heroine are thrown together at work. He is divorced. She still loves him. Yes folks, can you believe, SHE STILL LOVES HIM.
Apart from the hero being a jerk, this story has so many inconsistencies my head was spinning.
The hero is half Apache, and looks it. Why did the heroine's father wait until after the wedding to decide it's a problem?
What kind of man(a multi millionaire, we are told) throws her pregnant daughter out on the streets, particularly as her pregnancy is partly due to his own actions?
The hero manages to date the heroine and get married to her without ever discovering she is only 17.
The heroine is in college when they marry, but then later we are told that her employer and coworkers took care of her while she was pregant.
The heroine, a teenage single mother, becomes some kind of super spy while bringing up her daughter.
The heroine's daughter looks Apache, resembles the hero, and despite knowing she is six years old - the right age counting from his miserable wedding night - it takes him forever to figure out she is his daughter, despite his suspicion that he damaged the heroine so badly she might have avoided sex for a long time afterward.
The reason we are given is that the hero believes he is sterile. His wife told him so after less than 9 months of marriage, of which he spent 7 months on an overseas assignment. There is no explanation as to why he should believe her.
The wedding night between the hero and heroine is described in many different ways: He raped her in anger. Not even his anger could stop his desire for her. It was a night of loving, sensual touching that got out of hand and caused the heroine damage due to the hero's unusual proportions and his failure to understand she was a virgin.
The same confusion surrounds the end of his real marriage. He almost died when his wife left him two years later. The day she divorced him was the worst day of his life. Or: Once the intial physical obsession wore out there was nothing left between them and he only stuck to the marriage out of pride.
I don't mind big drama in romance novels but there should be some level of consistency and logic. This story has too many gaps and too much bad blood between the hero and heroine to really make sense.
August 24, 2019
Note to self: This is the one with four stitches after the wedding night.
So many good reviews, so I won’t go into the plot details. This is one messed up H/h, but all my sympathies go to their daughter who suffers because of the self-serving idiots she has for parents.
I’m calling child services on Diana Palmer. Look what she did to this little girl:
*The daughter is being raised in the projects (!) with gang wars even though her mother has a college degree and is a DEA agent. Come on – asthma drugs don’t cost that much.
*She has to sit in the break room for hours after school because her mother can’t afford day care.
*She has the burden of second sight and a empathy link with her self-destructive, violent father.
*She has to rescue her father from a malaria attack in the middle of the night and then sing healing Apache songs to him.
*She is dumped with friends when her mother is in the hospital and no one bothers to reassure her that her mother is okay.
*She is kidnapped after her parents dumped her on a friend.
*She is held at gunpoint.
*Her captor is shot by her father with the bullet coming within inches of her.
*She has to memorize a posthumous apology letter from her dead grandfather to her father because they were both alcoholic, manipulative, selfish, unforgiving assholes to each other.
*I won’t even go into the victimization of being “mixed blood.” The bullying segment was overkill on top of overkill.
*sigh* These are terrible, terrible characters.
Hero deserved every bad thing that happened to him. Heroine was an idiot to take him back. She was second best from the get-go.
Diana Palmer checklist:
Hairy chest Heroine drools over his chest but doesn’t comment on hair
Breast DescriptionSmall and high
Cigarettes No
Alcohol Hero is a recovering alcoholic. Whiskey is his poison
Town Descriptions Set in Houston which consists of large warehouses for drug deals, projects with gang wars and flooding, a gated apartment complex with a security guard, and oil company headquarters employing ex mercenaries, drug dealers and cops.
Gardenia Scent No
LOL detail Seven year old is a good enough forensic artist to sketch the guy who shot the hero in Africa?
Cutesy detail The prosthetic arm not working? The mercs all standing around joking about interrogation proceedings?
DP hobbyhorse Hero gives schoolyard bully a history of the Apache people
DP is trolling us We’re all moving to Jacobsville, home of retired mercenaries.
So many good reviews, so I won’t go into the plot details. This is one messed up H/h, but all my sympathies go to their daughter who suffers because of the self-serving idiots she has for parents.
I’m calling child services on Diana Palmer. Look what she did to this little girl:
*The daughter is being raised in the projects (!) with gang wars even though her mother has a college degree and is a DEA agent. Come on – asthma drugs don’t cost that much.
*She has to sit in the break room for hours after school because her mother can’t afford day care.
*She has the burden of second sight and a empathy link with her self-destructive, violent father.
*She has to rescue her father from a malaria attack in the middle of the night and then sing healing Apache songs to him.
*She is dumped with friends when her mother is in the hospital and no one bothers to reassure her that her mother is okay.
*She is kidnapped after her parents dumped her on a friend.
*She is held at gunpoint.
*Her captor is shot by her father with the bullet coming within inches of her.
*She has to memorize a posthumous apology letter from her dead grandfather to her father because they were both alcoholic, manipulative, selfish, unforgiving assholes to each other.
*I won’t even go into the victimization of being “mixed blood.” The bullying segment was overkill on top of overkill.
*sigh* These are terrible, terrible characters.
Hero deserved every bad thing that happened to him. Heroine was an idiot to take him back. She was second best from the get-go.
Diana Palmer checklist:
Hairy chest Heroine drools over his chest but doesn’t comment on hair
Breast DescriptionSmall and high
Cigarettes No
Alcohol Hero is a recovering alcoholic. Whiskey is his poison
Town Descriptions Set in Houston which consists of large warehouses for drug deals, projects with gang wars and flooding, a gated apartment complex with a security guard, and oil company headquarters employing ex mercenaries, drug dealers and cops.
Gardenia Scent No
LOL detail Seven year old is a good enough forensic artist to sketch the guy who shot the hero in Africa?
Cutesy detail The prosthetic arm not working? The mercs all standing around joking about interrogation proceedings?
DP hobbyhorse Hero gives schoolyard bully a history of the Apache people
DP is trolling us We’re all moving to Jacobsville, home of retired mercenaries.
February 10, 2017
Right, so let's get one thing straight before I start this review, HE IS NOT A HERO!
No way around it.
He was a prick with a dick!
He lied, he cheated, he raped (well it was dubious consent but in the end rape) and he was a complete dead beat dad on top of it all.
He had to lie to get an annulment after he basically raped his wife.
Top it all he was pretending to be married to his mistress while he still married to the heroine.
So the cheated of the year price belongs to him.
Oh and while he and his mistress are living it up, she had his baby and goes on to make a life for herself while he completely ignore her and treats her like shit.
He is the worst hero ever and although he does get nicer it's only because his real lover is not available to him that he tries to make it work with his wife.
The sad fact is that he is not even HOT HERE!
He is missing an arm because he was careless and stupid and a recovering alcoholic!?
Wow what a prince.
She really took the bottom of the barrel this time.
He was the worst. Period!
I liked her and her child but I would have been happier if she had made him suffer more.
A lot more!!!!
He just glossed over the fact that she had to have stitches after he was so hard on her in bed and that being her first time too.
Poor girl, he was just an ass.
I was hoping she would tell him off like Meredith did in True colors but NO!
Omg I was so mad and it was so frustrating.
How could he do that to an innocent girl and how could he be cruel to her?
He should have been on his hand and knees thanking the Gods that she even talked to him.
The sex was eventually good and he does see the errors of his ways, so it did make up for some of it.
But not all, not for me.
I just did not like the hero casual way he used her that was my major problem with this book.
Also, this book was like all of Diana Palmers books it was written with the poor heroine suffering and the hero feeling justified in his poor treatment of the heroine.
Why because in your mind your a God?
Please!
I guess, I read her books mainly because they make me feel something!
Good or bad!
And oh boy did I feel alright!
Not for everyone and I would not recommend it.
However, if you really want a great one armed hero who I loved by Diana Palmer, then Beloved is your book.
No way around it.
He was a prick with a dick!
He lied, he cheated, he raped (well it was dubious consent but in the end rape) and he was a complete dead beat dad on top of it all.
He had to lie to get an annulment after he basically raped his wife.
Top it all he was pretending to be married to his mistress while he still married to the heroine.
So the cheated of the year price belongs to him.
Oh and while he and his mistress are living it up, she had his baby and goes on to make a life for herself while he completely ignore her and treats her like shit.
He is the worst hero ever and although he does get nicer it's only because his real lover is not available to him that he tries to make it work with his wife.
The sad fact is that he is not even HOT HERE!
He is missing an arm because he was careless and stupid and a recovering alcoholic!?
Wow what a prince.
She really took the bottom of the barrel this time.
He was the worst. Period!
I liked her and her child but I would have been happier if she had made him suffer more.
A lot more!!!!
He just glossed over the fact that she had to have stitches after he was so hard on her in bed and that being her first time too.
Poor girl, he was just an ass.
I was hoping she would tell him off like Meredith did in True colors but NO!
Omg I was so mad and it was so frustrating.
How could he do that to an innocent girl and how could he be cruel to her?
He should have been on his hand and knees thanking the Gods that she even talked to him.
The sex was eventually good and he does see the errors of his ways, so it did make up for some of it.
But not all, not for me.
I just did not like the hero casual way he used her that was my major problem with this book.
Also, this book was like all of Diana Palmers books it was written with the poor heroine suffering and the hero feeling justified in his poor treatment of the heroine.
Why because in your mind your a God?
Please!
I guess, I read her books mainly because they make me feel something!
Good or bad!
And oh boy did I feel alright!
Not for everyone and I would not recommend it.
However, if you really want a great one armed hero who I loved by Diana Palmer, then Beloved is your book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2023
.
revisited... 2 stars cause it always disappoints me how utterly stupid Colby was. I really don't understand what Serina sees in him???
Colby the sexy Apache and Serina the woman with secrets.
OK, I have to admit to skimming quite a bit through the first half. I mean, Colby was just so horrible to Serina! Then when they meet again, he's a d*ck to his daughter (of course he didn't know it was his daughter then, but still, who talks to a kid like that??). By the end of the book I felt a lot better about their HEA, but Colby will never be one of my fave DP Heroes. He's flawed and knows it and that's why I forgave him... but it sure is a LOT to forgive.
Colby is forced to marry Serina when she was quite young, but he was supposedly in love with the OW, Maureen. He gets an annulment with Serina after the WORST WEDDING NIGHT EVER!!!, and goes on to marry Maureen and NOT live happily ever after, but live pretty miserably. Serves the Sod right! Maureen is a self centered asshat, who thankfully never makes an appearance in the story. Just hearing everyone talk about her is enough, seriously.
Years later, Colby has been divorced from Maureen for several years and gone on the wagon as he is a raving alcoholic (Maureen has that effect on people). Serina has long since moved on with her daughter about whom she tried to tell Colby, but let me just say one word... Maureen. Anyhoo. They meet again and it ain't pretty but life keeps throwing them together until Colby manages to pull his head out of his arse.
Some lovely groveling and remorse towards the end but... not before Colby makes an ass of himself a couple more times. Serina has her secrets as well, and not just the daughter who has some psychic abilities. I honestly don't know why I liked this one so much? I think a little less 'Maureen' and I would've given it 4 stars... well, that and the god awful wedding night
safety good
revisited... 2 stars cause it always disappoints me how utterly stupid Colby was. I really don't understand what Serina sees in him???
Colby the sexy Apache and Serina the woman with secrets.
OK, I have to admit to skimming quite a bit through the first half. I mean, Colby was just so horrible to Serina! Then when they meet again, he's a d*ck to his daughter (of course he didn't know it was his daughter then, but still, who talks to a kid like that??). By the end of the book I felt a lot better about their HEA, but Colby will never be one of my fave DP Heroes. He's flawed and knows it and that's why I forgave him... but it sure is a LOT to forgive.
Colby is forced to marry Serina when she was quite young, but he was supposedly in love with the OW, Maureen. He gets an annulment with Serina after the WORST WEDDING NIGHT EVER!!!, and goes on to marry Maureen and NOT live happily ever after, but live pretty miserably. Serves the Sod right! Maureen is a self centered asshat, who thankfully never makes an appearance in the story. Just hearing everyone talk about her is enough, seriously.
Years later, Colby has been divorced from Maureen for several years and gone on the wagon as he is a raving alcoholic (Maureen has that effect on people). Serina has long since moved on with her daughter about whom she tried to tell Colby, but let me just say one word... Maureen. Anyhoo. They meet again and it ain't pretty but life keeps throwing them together until Colby manages to pull his head out of his arse.
Some lovely groveling and remorse towards the end but... not before Colby makes an ass of himself a couple more times. Serina has her secrets as well, and not just the daughter who has some psychic abilities. I honestly don't know why I liked this one so much? I think a little less 'Maureen' and I would've given it 4 stars... well, that and the god awful wedding night
safety good
August 25, 2019
*Not a book review*
Having read this book after the sequel (Fearless, where this book's om gets his own book), this H didn't seem as big an a**hole as the one in Fearless. So while the ‘Outsider’ seems like a reformed a**hole, the ‘Fearless’ is a snotty snob with some serious delusions of grandeur-more befitting a dowager duchess than a HP H!
DP’s old-fashioned sexist and military/cowboy-macho heroes are my guilty pleasure and even after reading about a dozen or more from the Jacobsville gang, I can still devour some more.
But what is getting wearing is that almost all the J characters keep popping in each and every book. While one wants to concentrate on the un-pc h-bashing/name calling /soft porn-romance, all one gets is a dozen of these ppl popping in and out for a drug cartel/rape-murder case-busting and giving us a peep into their hea-fied lives, leading me to do some serious teeth-grinding and furious page skipping!
And with most h/H acting as the ow/om in a prequel, I am starting to get an incestuously unpleasant feeling - much like a commune. On top of it, each and every of these couples end up settling in Jacobsville- the favored retiring hole for all wounded ex military-merc-CIA types. The demographics down there must be quite interesting!
Having read this book after the sequel (Fearless, where this book's om gets his own book), this H didn't seem as big an a**hole as the one in Fearless. So while the ‘Outsider’ seems like a reformed a**hole, the ‘Fearless’ is a snotty snob with some serious delusions of grandeur-more befitting a dowager duchess than a HP H!
DP’s old-fashioned sexist and military/cowboy-macho heroes are my guilty pleasure and even after reading about a dozen or more from the Jacobsville gang, I can still devour some more.
But what is getting wearing is that almost all the J characters keep popping in each and every book. While one wants to concentrate on the un-pc h-bashing/name calling /soft porn-romance, all one gets is a dozen of these ppl popping in and out for a drug cartel/rape-murder case-busting and giving us a peep into their hea-fied lives, leading me to do some serious teeth-grinding and furious page skipping!
And with most h/H acting as the ow/om in a prequel, I am starting to get an incestuously unpleasant feeling - much like a commune. On top of it, each and every of these couples end up settling in Jacobsville- the favored retiring hole for all wounded ex military-merc-CIA types. The demographics down there must be quite interesting!
September 13, 2018
Seriously? What did I just read? I read Vintage's review. Why didn't I heed it. But, nooooooo I have to see for myself if it's really that bad. Contradictions everywhere, a "hero" who is nothing but a whiny moron. A heroine who ought to know better. A creepy little kid who runs around spouting visions while everyone shrugs like its an every day thing. They are moving to Jacobsville where I'm sure they'll fit in famously. Whatever. I've wasted enough time on this.
October 13, 2010
This book was better than a lot of DPs because the hero knew he was a jerk. I liked the realisim of him having been obsessed with another woman even after having met the heroine. I liked that he knew he'd done the heroine wrong and that it had caused him guilt for years.
But there were what I'd call "cloudy factoids."
At one point the hero states that women had turned him down before because of his size and that is why he had torn the heroine on their wedding night years ago. So I was expecting some discussion of it when they hit the sack this time around. But nope.
The hero's 2nd wife Maureen (the woman he had been obsessed with) had convinced him he was sterile. And he just bought it. Never went to see a doctor. What kind of idiot was he? They had only been married 2 years. That's a short period of time to give up on your fertility.
The time line was hazy. A lot happend in the 7 years they were apart. He went straight from her to Maureen. They were together 2 years then separated for 3 years. So they had only been divorced for 2 years. Yet the hero kept saying he'd been divorced for years and words like that. I guess 2 is actually plural but usually a person would say he'd been divorced a couple of years not for years.
The hero had lost his arm. It was sometime during the years he was separated from Maureen. 2 things here. His daughter by the heroine, Sarina, has visions and had seen it happen. So she was what 2 or 3? And was lucid enough to remember it? And all the other visions she's had of him over the years? Not buying it. Second he states that he hasn't even tried to sleep with anyone since the accident and hadn't seen Maureen except maybe for the divorce. I can't remember exactly. But later when Sarina sees him with his prosthetic off he thinks she is revolted as Maureen had been, implying that he'd had his shirt off in front of Maureen.
When she was 9 months pregnant and broke and ill Sarina had called him to ask for help and Maureen had said that Colby said that he didn't believe her and wouldn't help her and never call him again. Later in the book they are talking and have discovered that Maureen had made that up. That Colby had been in Africa at the time and never knew she called. But that was just now, all along for those years Sarina had thought that he had really rejected her plea for help. So they have this little conversation.
"Have you thought about how it might have been if Maureen hadn't deliberately ignored your call for help?" he said. She replies "I did, occasionally. I couldn't help wondering what you would have done." WTF? No she didn't wonder. That was the point. In all these years she didn't wonder because she knew/believed that Colby had told Maureen to say those things. No wondering needed. So when exactly did you do that wondering? If the author meant in the last 2 days since she found out then there should have been a scene where she wondered.
Those are just a few examples of the cloudy writing going on.
Still the first half of the book wasn't bad. The second half wasn't as good. It was littered with characters from other books in the series. One or two would have been okay but there were probably 10 to 15 other men who had or who obviously were going to have stories of their own. And the mystery suspense element was the haziest of all. It was like smoke and mirrors. It all seemed like it was written with exclamation points in order to keep you from noticing that it didn't make a lot of sense. I've read a few other books in the series so I did have a vague notion of what was going on. Still it was totally non riveting or suspensful.
There were a lot of people keeping secrets from the hero who was working at a new job as chief of security for a company involved in all this drug running brou ha ha. The owner of the company and others. That made no sense at all. If you want him to catch the bad guys you tell him what all is going on.
And then he discovers that Sarina is working undercover for the DEA and blows a gasket and decides not to tell her he loves her and decides not to clear up a misunderstanding about him and another woman naked in his apartment even though a paragraph earlier he'd been dieing to have her know he hadn't cheated on her. That's grown up of him.
So decent in that the hero wasn't a cold hearted ass. Lots of potential, hazy follow through. If you're a fan you'll like it.
But there were what I'd call "cloudy factoids."
At one point the hero states that women had turned him down before because of his size and that is why he had torn the heroine on their wedding night years ago. So I was expecting some discussion of it when they hit the sack this time around. But nope.
The hero's 2nd wife Maureen (the woman he had been obsessed with) had convinced him he was sterile. And he just bought it. Never went to see a doctor. What kind of idiot was he? They had only been married 2 years. That's a short period of time to give up on your fertility.
The time line was hazy. A lot happend in the 7 years they were apart. He went straight from her to Maureen. They were together 2 years then separated for 3 years. So they had only been divorced for 2 years. Yet the hero kept saying he'd been divorced for years and words like that. I guess 2 is actually plural but usually a person would say he'd been divorced a couple of years not for years.
The hero had lost his arm. It was sometime during the years he was separated from Maureen. 2 things here. His daughter by the heroine, Sarina, has visions and had seen it happen. So she was what 2 or 3? And was lucid enough to remember it? And all the other visions she's had of him over the years? Not buying it. Second he states that he hasn't even tried to sleep with anyone since the accident and hadn't seen Maureen except maybe for the divorce. I can't remember exactly. But later when Sarina sees him with his prosthetic off he thinks she is revolted as Maureen had been, implying that he'd had his shirt off in front of Maureen.
When she was 9 months pregnant and broke and ill Sarina had called him to ask for help and Maureen had said that Colby said that he didn't believe her and wouldn't help her and never call him again. Later in the book they are talking and have discovered that Maureen had made that up. That Colby had been in Africa at the time and never knew she called. But that was just now, all along for those years Sarina had thought that he had really rejected her plea for help. So they have this little conversation.
"Have you thought about how it might have been if Maureen hadn't deliberately ignored your call for help?" he said. She replies "I did, occasionally. I couldn't help wondering what you would have done." WTF? No she didn't wonder. That was the point. In all these years she didn't wonder because she knew/believed that Colby had told Maureen to say those things. No wondering needed. So when exactly did you do that wondering? If the author meant in the last 2 days since she found out then there should have been a scene where she wondered.
Those are just a few examples of the cloudy writing going on.
Still the first half of the book wasn't bad. The second half wasn't as good. It was littered with characters from other books in the series. One or two would have been okay but there were probably 10 to 15 other men who had or who obviously were going to have stories of their own. And the mystery suspense element was the haziest of all. It was like smoke and mirrors. It all seemed like it was written with exclamation points in order to keep you from noticing that it didn't make a lot of sense. I've read a few other books in the series so I did have a vague notion of what was going on. Still it was totally non riveting or suspensful.
There were a lot of people keeping secrets from the hero who was working at a new job as chief of security for a company involved in all this drug running brou ha ha. The owner of the company and others. That made no sense at all. If you want him to catch the bad guys you tell him what all is going on.
And then he discovers that Sarina is working undercover for the DEA and blows a gasket and decides not to tell her he loves her and decides not to clear up a misunderstanding about him and another woman naked in his apartment even though a paragraph earlier he'd been dieing to have her know he hadn't cheated on her. That's grown up of him.
So decent in that the hero wasn't a cold hearted ass. Lots of potential, hazy follow through. If you're a fan you'll like it.
May 14, 2013
My gas, the angst!!
There are things I liked in terms of characterization and drama, plus the whole Byronic thingy (yes, there is violence! surprise!). However, since this is supposed to be romance, it would be blasphemy on my part to give it any more than this because ---- ugh the hero is not hero-material!!
How is it sensible to love a guy who raped you on your first night together - you being a virgin - that you had to be given 4 stitches after? Not to mention that you had to carry his child alone for 7 years because he denied paternity of the baby?
@____@ T____T @____@ --> This is my cycled reaction for the first 100 pages
But I like the relationship of the mother and the daughter. And I really like the heroine and her strength of character. I just wish that she be given a normal hero, and not this angsty excuse for a human being.
There are things I liked in terms of characterization and drama, plus the whole Byronic thingy (yes, there is violence! surprise!). However, since this is supposed to be romance, it would be blasphemy on my part to give it any more than this because ---- ugh the hero is not hero-material!!
How is it sensible to love a guy who raped you on your first night together - you being a virgin - that you had to be given 4 stitches after? Not to mention that you had to carry his child alone for 7 years because he denied paternity of the baby?
@____@ T____T @____@ --> This is my cycled reaction for the first 100 pages
But I like the relationship of the mother and the daughter. And I really like the heroine and her strength of character. I just wish that she be given a normal hero, and not this angsty excuse for a human being.
September 8, 2017
"His Marriage Ultimatum" is the story of Carter and Liberty.
When Liberty crashes her car into Carter, after a harrowing experience of visiting her mother, she never expects she would meet the man who'll show her how to fall in love..
We have
- a reluctant to love, shy, virginal heroine
- a determined, respectful, strong hero
- a Couple not giving up on one another, especially the hero
- a sweet journey of them falling in love
Tbh; after a point the self deprecation of the heroine gets annoying, but I'm glad the hero didn't give up on her.
Ends in a really sweet last chapter.
Safe
3.5/5
When Liberty crashes her car into Carter, after a harrowing experience of visiting her mother, she never expects she would meet the man who'll show her how to fall in love..
We have
- a reluctant to love, shy, virginal heroine
- a determined, respectful, strong hero
- a Couple not giving up on one another, especially the hero
- a sweet journey of them falling in love
Tbh; after a point the self deprecation of the heroine gets annoying, but I'm glad the hero didn't give up on her.
Ends in a really sweet last chapter.
Safe
3.5/5
April 8, 2010
Straight to the point, Colby Lane is a total jerk. Why any woman would want this "hero" is beyond me. He treats the heroine and her daughter like crap almost all the way through. I had to stop reading it was just too much!
This is the 4th Diana Palmer book I've read and her heros are asses and her heroines have little to no self respect.
This is the 4th Diana Palmer book I've read and her heros are asses and her heroines have little to no self respect.
October 1, 2016
Boring with a ridiculously annoying heroine.
November 1, 2021
This is the one with the gory wedding nigh.
Just the right thing for Halloween.
It would be a sad story but DP is our favorite drama queen and is able to make us laugh even in dramatic situations.
The 17 yo heroine and the hero are surprised by the heroine's rich father while kissing, he insists that they get married. The hero was frustrated because he was obsessed with ow (and sadly this thing is repeated ad nauseam for all the book, thank you very much for reminding us that the hero was osbessed yes, but with another woman) and was drunk while kissing the underage heroine, was then very angry because he had to marry her, so he basically raped her on their wedding night with his ultra large bamboo aaaaand as a consequence she had to be stitched (4 stitches!!!!)
The morning after, he left her and went back to ow, her father asked her to have an annulment and she accepted, but when she found out she was preggars her father asked her to have a termination because the hero was half apache... The heroine refused, her father threw her out of the house so she was alone, pregnant, with no money and the sob hero had already married ow and was somewhere in Africa to play James Bond. Evil ow hide the heroine's pregnancy so he doesn't know he has a child.
When he came back, without an arm (fact which we all appreciate) ow left him, he became alcoholist, went to rehab, divorced ow (we find out later that he was never married with her but honestly, who cares), aaaand eventually, 7 years after the wedding night from hell, he meets heroine again.
Of course she has his daughter, he behaves appallingly with the child (who is creeeeeepy, because she is a seer and scares the s**t out of him every time she meets him, I loved the lil freak!)
The book then is some kind of mix between the hero trying to have the heroine back and some spy story with usual amount of drug, south american dictator and similar,( that got me bored to no end).
I had a feeling that he was a loser (i know, i know, as a therapist I should NEVER use this world referred to a person but this is fiction) a man without an aim and without a strong character, a man who was weak and coward, who abused an innocent and was unable to recognize the ugly character of ow, and eventually he settled with heroine because he was alone, defeated and he had a daughter with her.
I couldn't really feel the love between them, there is always that sentence "he was obsessed with ow" that gives us the impression that his feelings for the heroine are lukewarm and he will stay with her because if he can't be happy with ow at least he will have someone...
The heroine, what can I say, I couldn't feel her love for him either, maybe it was a sort of pity, affection and I don't know what else, I only know that if you are depressed and you're looking for a book to lift your mood, this is definitely not for you.
I'm surprised that this book is listed with alpha heroes references, but I can really say that there's no alpha hero here, he's a beta, a man you don't want near you when life strikes hard because he has little to none resilience and very low stress management levels. She always will have to be the stronger one, the supporter, a sort of nurse for all his insecurities because the man is prone to self-destruction (and he will take his partner with him)
Not my favorite DP.
Just the right thing for Halloween.
It would be a sad story but DP is our favorite drama queen and is able to make us laugh even in dramatic situations.
The 17 yo heroine and the hero are surprised by the heroine's rich father while kissing, he insists that they get married. The hero was frustrated because he was obsessed with ow (and sadly this thing is repeated ad nauseam for all the book, thank you very much for reminding us that the hero was osbessed yes, but with another woman) and was drunk while kissing the underage heroine, was then very angry because he had to marry her, so he basically raped her on their wedding night with his ultra large bamboo aaaaand as a consequence she had to be stitched (4 stitches!!!!)
The morning after, he left her and went back to ow, her father asked her to have an annulment and she accepted, but when she found out she was preggars her father asked her to have a termination because the hero was half apache... The heroine refused, her father threw her out of the house so she was alone, pregnant, with no money and the sob hero had already married ow and was somewhere in Africa to play James Bond. Evil ow hide the heroine's pregnancy so he doesn't know he has a child.
When he came back, without an arm (fact which we all appreciate) ow left him, he became alcoholist, went to rehab, divorced ow (we find out later that he was never married with her but honestly, who cares), aaaand eventually, 7 years after the wedding night from hell, he meets heroine again.
Of course she has his daughter, he behaves appallingly with the child (who is creeeeeepy, because she is a seer and scares the s**t out of him every time she meets him, I loved the lil freak!)
The book then is some kind of mix between the hero trying to have the heroine back and some spy story with usual amount of drug, south american dictator and similar,( that got me bored to no end).
I had a feeling that he was a loser (i know, i know, as a therapist I should NEVER use this world referred to a person but this is fiction) a man without an aim and without a strong character, a man who was weak and coward, who abused an innocent and was unable to recognize the ugly character of ow, and eventually he settled with heroine because he was alone, defeated and he had a daughter with her.
I couldn't really feel the love between them, there is always that sentence "he was obsessed with ow" that gives us the impression that his feelings for the heroine are lukewarm and he will stay with her because if he can't be happy with ow at least he will have someone...
The heroine, what can I say, I couldn't feel her love for him either, maybe it was a sort of pity, affection and I don't know what else, I only know that if you are depressed and you're looking for a book to lift your mood, this is definitely not for you.
I'm surprised that this book is listed with alpha heroes references, but I can really say that there's no alpha hero here, he's a beta, a man you don't want near you when life strikes hard because he has little to none resilience and very low stress management levels. She always will have to be the stronger one, the supporter, a sort of nurse for all his insecurities because the man is prone to self-destruction (and he will take his partner with him)
Not my favorite DP.
June 11, 2011
So...aside from the h's painful introduction to womanhood at the hands of her married by force, beyond well endowed husband-the H!!-, that left her needing stitches and pregnant...aside from THAT...this jerk hero-I should KNOW better than to read a Diana Palmer-has the audacity to get angry at her and allow her to believe he threw her over for another woman AGAIN because she wasn't HONEST with him about her DANGEROUS job?
Oh, well, sure THAT makes sense...in a Diana Palmer book only.
I finished the darn book tonight, and I can say that I was happy that at least this character was COGNIZANT of the fact that he was a jerk and ASKED for her forgiveness for his perpetual state of IDIOCY.
Oh, well, sure THAT makes sense...in a Diana Palmer book only.
I finished the darn book tonight, and I can say that I was happy that at least this character was COGNIZANT of the fact that he was a jerk and ASKED for her forgiveness for his perpetual state of IDIOCY.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2008
If you have not read any of the Diana Palmer Jacobsville (Long Tall Texan's) book you will be kinda lost because characters in previous books reappear in other books. One of these days I am gonna figure out which order to read these in. This one was okay but it did have some storyline problems from the reoccuring past events. But it was a good book to read. This is one of last Diana Palmer book I have to read, so I must find more. I do enjoy her writing style and stories.
December 17, 2017
It was an ok read..It was not as good as I thought it would be..Heroine was totally confused & unsure due to her issues..Hero was confident & sure..I agree that anticipation is good but here it was too slow..I wanted something to hold on to...
May 19, 2018
I struggled giving this 2.5* or 3* because the book is full of inconsistencies and the main characters made me roll my eyes so hard. The first half of the book I was going WTH every couple of pages, and if you look at the progress updates you'd know what I mean.
I have read some 1* reviews that were so good I wanted to go for a crazy ride, and it was. Bearing in mind this is like book 30 in this famous series, it can feel like suddenly tuning in to an episode of a long life soap opera and the full cast of characters could make your head spin. This is not a long story and I was glad not too much was spent on filling the back stories of the 1,001 other characters. Just need to know everyone is retired, working as civilians, married, has kids and is pregnant.
Spoilers!!!
The spoilers are bad, and many other reviews have already pointed out the main points so here are the points that bugged me the most:
- fact: after the brutal sex Colby had with a virgin Sarina, she gotta have FOUR STITCHES DOWN THERE. Initially we were led to think he took his anger out on her because her father caught them in a compromising situation and to save face, forced them to marry. BUT later he revealed he never believed she led her father to discover them...AND he knew she was in love with him already back then. But being a drunk he just acted cruelly without control. He might feel guilt but hell he did not really try to make amends! It was not rape because Sarina loved him, and the foreplay was pleasant. Things got bad because he didn't know she's only 17 and a virgin, and his er generous proportions, coupled with alcohol and long time since his last sexual encounters with Maureen did all the damage. *roll eyes*
WORST was when Sarina told him about those stitches, he looked so sick and guilty, the supposed strong woman she's become melted and told him "never mind." She felt bad that he was rightfully guilty?!
- Maureen. So the relationship was convoluted as hell but basically Colby was sexually obsessed with her. First he was devastated she left him and their marriage ended...but he also said by then he could kill her he hated her...She refused to have his children because he had Apache blood...during their marriage he was away in Africa most of the time but he readily accepted that he's infertile. Their marriage and divorce was even more dodgy, a grown men who could not be bothered by the legality like licenses and documents?
SPOILERS- turned out Maureen was married when Colby was obsessed and chasing her, and her husband killed himself so on the day Colby married Sarina, Maureen suddenly told Colby she's finally ready to marry him. So his marriage was annulled and right away he married Maureen and two years later she divorced him. But she never did forge his signature on the annulment papers, making her marriage to Colby illegal and nonexistent which was how she wanted. She needed to inherit from her ex husband who killed himself, and remarriage would have disqualified her from inheriting. Confusing enough?
- Annulment. So all these years Colby and Sarina were married still! But did he tell Sarina right away? No! Knowledge is power and he'll only tell her when the time is right! But wait there are many more secrets!
- Misunderstanding of the scene with Cecily. So after they had sex again and both got cold feet, Colby did not contact Sarina and she decided to show up at his house unannounced. Lo and behold who opened the door in a robe? Another woman! And who chose this moment to emerge in nothing but a towel? Colby!
Instead of explaining cos he knew EXACTLY what Sarina thought and it's painful, no he decided to wait.
Then when their individual professional secret was revealed, stupid Colby acted all hurt and insulted, forgetting he too kept secrets and he sure took his time to explain Cecily was the wife of his best friend, and HE was in the house too. Gosh....
I have not met a more flawed hero than Colby. He was whiny about everything...the first part of the story was him feeling sorry about losing his arm and job, whiny and defensive. OK he's entitled to some whining but his attitude really sucks. He was really mean to Bernardette and Sarina when he saw them again, even though he knew he did Sarina so many wrongs.
It took him soooooooooo long to figure out Bernardette was his daughter it wasn't even funny! At least we found out later he never knew Sarina tried to get hold of him when she was in dire straits-9 months pregnant, sick and penniless...Maureen was the one who said mean things to Sarina.
His Malaria relapse made me pity him, and him not hitting the bottle again won me some respect. But was this flawed hero redeemed by the end? I want to forgive him but he's got much more growing up to do. Just the way he handled Sarina being in DEA, and how he withheld information from Sarina smacks of double standards and manipulation. He knew how hurt Sarina was thinking he's left her for another woman AGAIN, but did not rush to explain for his benefits. Argh!
Sarina, the supposedly strong woman and DEA agent, gave Colby a swift kick when he was mean to her daughter. Bravo! But the moment Colby got physically close she literally melted with sexual desire for him. Heck even Colby wondered how could she be with a man ever again after his "wedding present" to her?!
My first Diana Palmer book, I hope her earlier ones were better...
I have read some 1* reviews that were so good I wanted to go for a crazy ride, and it was. Bearing in mind this is like book 30 in this famous series, it can feel like suddenly tuning in to an episode of a long life soap opera and the full cast of characters could make your head spin. This is not a long story and I was glad not too much was spent on filling the back stories of the 1,001 other characters. Just need to know everyone is retired, working as civilians, married, has kids and is pregnant.
Spoilers!!!
The spoilers are bad, and many other reviews have already pointed out the main points so here are the points that bugged me the most:
- fact: after the brutal sex Colby had with a virgin Sarina, she gotta have FOUR STITCHES DOWN THERE. Initially we were led to think he took his anger out on her because her father caught them in a compromising situation and to save face, forced them to marry. BUT later he revealed he never believed she led her father to discover them...AND he knew she was in love with him already back then. But being a drunk he just acted cruelly without control. He might feel guilt but hell he did not really try to make amends! It was not rape because Sarina loved him, and the foreplay was pleasant. Things got bad because he didn't know she's only 17 and a virgin, and his er generous proportions, coupled with alcohol and long time since his last sexual encounters with Maureen did all the damage. *roll eyes*
WORST was when Sarina told him about those stitches, he looked so sick and guilty, the supposed strong woman she's become melted and told him "never mind." She felt bad that he was rightfully guilty?!
- Maureen. So the relationship was convoluted as hell but basically Colby was sexually obsessed with her. First he was devastated she left him and their marriage ended...but he also said by then he could kill her he hated her...She refused to have his children because he had Apache blood...during their marriage he was away in Africa most of the time but he readily accepted that he's infertile. Their marriage and divorce was even more dodgy, a grown men who could not be bothered by the legality like licenses and documents?
SPOILERS- turned out Maureen was married when Colby was obsessed and chasing her, and her husband killed himself so on the day Colby married Sarina, Maureen suddenly told Colby she's finally ready to marry him. So his marriage was annulled and right away he married Maureen and two years later she divorced him. But she never did forge his signature on the annulment papers, making her marriage to Colby illegal and nonexistent which was how she wanted. She needed to inherit from her ex husband who killed himself, and remarriage would have disqualified her from inheriting. Confusing enough?
- Annulment. So all these years Colby and Sarina were married still! But did he tell Sarina right away? No! Knowledge is power and he'll only tell her when the time is right! But wait there are many more secrets!
- Misunderstanding of the scene with Cecily. So after they had sex again and both got cold feet, Colby did not contact Sarina and she decided to show up at his house unannounced. Lo and behold who opened the door in a robe? Another woman! And who chose this moment to emerge in nothing but a towel? Colby!
Instead of explaining cos he knew EXACTLY what Sarina thought and it's painful, no he decided to wait.
Then when their individual professional secret was revealed, stupid Colby acted all hurt and insulted, forgetting he too kept secrets and he sure took his time to explain Cecily was the wife of his best friend, and HE was in the house too. Gosh....
I have not met a more flawed hero than Colby. He was whiny about everything...the first part of the story was him feeling sorry about losing his arm and job, whiny and defensive. OK he's entitled to some whining but his attitude really sucks. He was really mean to Bernardette and Sarina when he saw them again, even though he knew he did Sarina so many wrongs.
It took him soooooooooo long to figure out Bernardette was his daughter it wasn't even funny! At least we found out later he never knew Sarina tried to get hold of him when she was in dire straits-9 months pregnant, sick and penniless...Maureen was the one who said mean things to Sarina.
His Malaria relapse made me pity him, and him not hitting the bottle again won me some respect. But was this flawed hero redeemed by the end? I want to forgive him but he's got much more growing up to do. Just the way he handled Sarina being in DEA, and how he withheld information from Sarina smacks of double standards and manipulation. He knew how hurt Sarina was thinking he's left her for another woman AGAIN, but did not rush to explain for his benefits. Argh!
Sarina, the supposedly strong woman and DEA agent, gave Colby a swift kick when he was mean to her daughter. Bravo! But the moment Colby got physically close she literally melted with sexual desire for him. Heck even Colby wondered how could she be with a man ever again after his "wedding present" to her?!
My first Diana Palmer book, I hope her earlier ones were better...
January 12, 2021
The other reviews will tell you the gory details, including the "this is the one with" reminder that will be all you need.
I think I will just content myself with saying, as you will see in Vintage's excellent review/screed, in other books in this series, the h reveals she is most definitely NOT a member of the sisterhood, considering she facilitates and ignores bad behavior against another h as a supporting character in another book.
It's hard to muster much sympathy for her, even though this H is pretty terrible.
Also, Diana Palmer makes a rookie mistake -- the terrible, terrible OW is constantly mentioned but never makes an appearance! Chekhov's gun, Diana! If an OW is alive and is in any way an active threat, she must appear!
I think I will just content myself with saying, as you will see in Vintage's excellent review/screed, in other books in this series, the h reveals she is most definitely NOT a member of the sisterhood, considering she facilitates and ignores bad behavior against another h as a supporting character in another book.
It's hard to muster much sympathy for her, even though this H is pretty terrible.
Also, Diana Palmer makes a rookie mistake -- the terrible, terrible OW is constantly mentioned but never makes an appearance! Chekhov's gun, Diana! If an OW is alive and is in any way an active threat, she must appear!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2023
Se me hizo algo aburrido y que todo sucedió muy apresurado.
February 20, 2021
No beating around the bush Colby Lane was the true epitome of bastard/scum/asshole. I kept reading, hoping that he would drop dead. Was I ever disappointed...
April 1, 2013
Oh, Diana Palmer. I cannot express my love for this lady.
This one wasn't as good as the rest, but I loved the plot and the story. Very well planned and written.
This one wasn't as good as the rest, but I loved the plot and the story. Very well planned and written.
January 13, 2014
Too many characters, kind of confusing at times.
March 22, 2020
...Cuando piensas que habías leído sobre un hombre cruel y que simplemente no puede haber alguien peor, vas y te encuentras con esta historia, donde por lo menos tendría que pedir perdón de rodillas, por guiarse con su segundo cerebro y no valorar tan hermoso tesoro. Aunque siento que lo haya pasado mal, bueno solo cosecho lo que sembró, simplemente es otro protagonista que simplemente no acepto...
November 23, 2021
I DNF’ed, but because I think this may be a decent read for a reader with more patience, I still give it two stars.
The h is a solicitor. Her parents are divorced. She grew up at her dad’s house. Her dad is a loving dad. Her mother on the other hand has since then been divorced 4 or 5 times. The h is weary of relationships seeing her mother being married so many times. I don’t really understand why she feels so hard done by, because she grew up at her dad’s house.
The book starts with the h causing a traffic accident driving her car into the H’s car. The H gives her his phone number to call him about her insurance because she doesn’t have her insurance papers with her.
But later that day she decides that she will not call him yet, but in one or two, three days. He just has to wait. She has a dinner date with her dad that evening, so she says to herself she doesn’t have time to call him.
Then we read that she goes to her dad with her face full of make-up and her hair in a bob (omg, I hate that haircut).
So she did have enough time for a full make-up, but not for a quick phone call to the victim of the accident you caused? I started disliking her then, and it was only the beginning of the book.
It also struck me that the h was constantly judging how other women looked. Her mother, her dad’s girlfriend, even her dad’s housekeeper.
Anyway, I forced myself to read further. But not long after their meeting, she says to the H that any rich man can buy her mother. Wtf??
DNF.
The h is a solicitor. Her parents are divorced. She grew up at her dad’s house. Her dad is a loving dad. Her mother on the other hand has since then been divorced 4 or 5 times. The h is weary of relationships seeing her mother being married so many times. I don’t really understand why she feels so hard done by, because she grew up at her dad’s house.
The book starts with the h causing a traffic accident driving her car into the H’s car. The H gives her his phone number to call him about her insurance because she doesn’t have her insurance papers with her.
But later that day she decides that she will not call him yet, but in one or two, three days. He just has to wait. She has a dinner date with her dad that evening, so she says to herself she doesn’t have time to call him.
Then we read that she goes to her dad with her face full of make-up and her hair in a bob (omg, I hate that haircut).
So she did have enough time for a full make-up, but not for a quick phone call to the victim of the accident you caused? I started disliking her then, and it was only the beginning of the book.
It also struck me that the h was constantly judging how other women looked. Her mother, her dad’s girlfriend, even her dad’s housekeeper.
Anyway, I forced myself to read further. But not long after their meeting, she says to the H that any rich man can buy her mother. Wtf??
DNF.
April 8, 2012
Like so many books in the Harlequin Presents line, the title of this one is completely misleading. It gives the impression that this will be some sort of "Blackmailed into marriage" plot, but it isn't. Carter Blake meets Liberty Fox one day and asks her out. They have a nice relationship that progresses along fairly normal lines, albeit at an accelerated rate. These are small books, so I suppose we don't have time for a normal courtship. Liberty has some serious hang-ups regarding marriage and children, and this is where the "ultimatum" comes in eventually. Carter and Liberty are happy to admit they love each other, but Liberty does not want to commit herself to marriage, preferring instead for them to live together. Carter tells her that he won't have sex with her until they are married.
This was a nice, fairly simple romance. Liberty's hang-ups became very frustrating and annoying, mainly because her reasons for them seem pretty unreasonable to me. Her mother has spent her life going from rich husband to richer husband, and is now on husband number six. Although I can see this affecting Liberty, the degree of angst it causes her is unbelievable. I kept expecting Carter to send her off to therapy. Anyway, they sort themselves out in the end, get married and finally have sex. An enjoyable, if unexciting, read.
This was a nice, fairly simple romance. Liberty's hang-ups became very frustrating and annoying, mainly because her reasons for them seem pretty unreasonable to me. Her mother has spent her life going from rich husband to richer husband, and is now on husband number six. Although I can see this affecting Liberty, the degree of angst it causes her is unbelievable. I kept expecting Carter to send her off to therapy. Anyway, they sort themselves out in the end, get married and finally have sex. An enjoyable, if unexciting, read.
May 6, 2009
This was a book that I picked up on a whim and though it isn't one of my favorites, I liked it.
Colby Lane is a man that has been in the CIA and a mercenary, but now he is head of security at a Texas Oil Co. Someone is running drugs out of the warehouse and he and the rest of the team are going to stop them. While at work one day a little girl comes up to him and asks about his arm that he lost in a battle. He is affronted that a child would be so presumptuous. When he tracks down her mother he finds someone from his past.
Sarina is a single mother that is trying to make it on her own after the father of her baby didn't want to have anything to do with her, and her own father kicked her out on the street after she got pregnant by her over night marriage. Colby shows up and her world is in jepardy because Colby is the father of her daughter, but he doesn't know.
Since both are trying to keep their secrets there is much that they must work through but one thing is for sure, they still have the attraction to each other and Colby's connection to Sarina's daughter is almost scarey.
Colby Lane is a man that has been in the CIA and a mercenary, but now he is head of security at a Texas Oil Co. Someone is running drugs out of the warehouse and he and the rest of the team are going to stop them. While at work one day a little girl comes up to him and asks about his arm that he lost in a battle. He is affronted that a child would be so presumptuous. When he tracks down her mother he finds someone from his past.
Sarina is a single mother that is trying to make it on her own after the father of her baby didn't want to have anything to do with her, and her own father kicked her out on the street after she got pregnant by her over night marriage. Colby shows up and her world is in jepardy because Colby is the father of her daughter, but he doesn't know.
Since both are trying to keep their secrets there is much that they must work through but one thing is for sure, they still have the attraction to each other and Colby's connection to Sarina's daughter is almost scarey.
June 25, 2011
Colby Lane has led a rough life, as a former CIA operative he led life as dangerously as he lived it making many mistakes along the way. His greatest mistake was a one day marriage Sarina Carrington, he had believed she was an experienced older women when in fact she was a young innocent who he treated poorly.
Seven years later Colby finds himself working undercover in the same office Sarina works in. Sarina has become more beautiful and has quite a bite to her sting, but the biggest surprise is her daughter who instantly puts Colby on edge. Not only does Colby find himself fearing that Sarina is involved in the drug sting he is working on, but something about her daughter has him questioning his past.
I gave this a 3.75 for a couple of reasons. In the beginning Colby is really abrasive to the little girl and Ihad a hard time with his behavior as an adult against a 6 year old. The other is the book is a page turner, but at the end it is muddled, quick, and tied with a bow. I would have liked a little bit more depth, not a quick fix. Otherwise very good.
Seven years later Colby finds himself working undercover in the same office Sarina works in. Sarina has become more beautiful and has quite a bite to her sting, but the biggest surprise is her daughter who instantly puts Colby on edge. Not only does Colby find himself fearing that Sarina is involved in the drug sting he is working on, but something about her daughter has him questioning his past.
I gave this a 3.75 for a couple of reasons. In the beginning Colby is really abrasive to the little girl and Ihad a hard time with his behavior as an adult against a 6 year old. The other is the book is a page turner, but at the end it is muddled, quick, and tied with a bow. I would have liked a little bit more depth, not a quick fix. Otherwise very good.
August 15, 2016
A re-read.
Great hero; shut down heroine.
Premise plot is the heroine is, kind of, recovering from a cheating fiancee that her horrible and shallow mother introduced her to. Leaving mummy's house, she runs into Mr. Hunkalicious.
The H and the h end up dating although she keeps him at arms length due to mommy issues. Her mother abandoned her and her father when she was very young. Mummy has moved up the food change, and it all still effects the h a ton.
The HERO is awesome. Can we have a little music, here please. Yes, he's a little arrogant, but he's a self-made man and is a whiz with women. He treats the h with kid gloves and there are more than a few swoon worthy moments with him.
Sex scenes are minimal.
Great hero; shut down heroine.
Premise plot is the heroine is, kind of, recovering from a cheating fiancee that her horrible and shallow mother introduced her to. Leaving mummy's house, she runs into Mr. Hunkalicious.
The H and the h end up dating although she keeps him at arms length due to mommy issues. Her mother abandoned her and her father when she was very young. Mummy has moved up the food change, and it all still effects the h a ton.
The HERO is awesome. Can we have a little music, here please. Yes, he's a little arrogant, but he's a self-made man and is a whiz with women. He treats the h with kid gloves and there are more than a few swoon worthy moments with him.
Sex scenes are minimal.
February 20, 2009
I really love this book, maybe because the bond between Colby and Bernadeth, his daughter. And the secret that everybody in this book insist to kept. Now, I try to find another story about Rodrigo Ramirez, hope his story could be good one so can fill my imagination about him.
February 2, 2025
I really enjoyed Colby and Sarina's story. Bernadette is one of my favorite characters. So young and so brave.
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