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McClouds & Friends #1
Behind Closed Doors
EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE . . .
Surveillance expert Seth Mackey knows everything about the women that his millionaire boss toys with–and tosses aside. Raine Cameron is something different. Night after night, Seth watches her on a dozen different video screens. Her vulnerable beauty haunts him and her fresh innocence stirs a white-hot passion that he can barely control. Raine is pure temptation, but Seth has something more important to take care of first. He’s convinced that his boss, Victor Lazar, is responsible for his half-brother’s murder. He cannot put his secret investigation at risk, but he can’t stop wanting her–craving her–and soon he knows he can’t let Victor have her. For Raine may be Victor’s next victim…
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE . . .
Raine knows she’s being watched–but no one can see the secrets in her heart. She has reasons of her own to seek revenge on Victor Lazar, and she will, despite her fear–and the distracting presence of Seth Mackey. Though Raine has little experience with men, Seth’s fiercely masculine good looks and animal sensuality stir her most erotic fantasies when she’s alone . . . and lead her to a bold plan. Offering her body to him, surrendering totally to his ruthless desire might well push her beyond all emotional limits–and beyond fear itself.
Surveillance expert Seth Mackey knows everything about the women that his millionaire boss toys with–and tosses aside. Raine Cameron is something different. Night after night, Seth watches her on a dozen different video screens. Her vulnerable beauty haunts him and her fresh innocence stirs a white-hot passion that he can barely control. Raine is pure temptation, but Seth has something more important to take care of first. He’s convinced that his boss, Victor Lazar, is responsible for his half-brother’s murder. He cannot put his secret investigation at risk, but he can’t stop wanting her–craving her–and soon he knows he can’t let Victor have her. For Raine may be Victor’s next victim…
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE . . .
Raine knows she’s being watched–but no one can see the secrets in her heart. She has reasons of her own to seek revenge on Victor Lazar, and she will, despite her fear–and the distracting presence of Seth Mackey. Though Raine has little experience with men, Seth’s fiercely masculine good looks and animal sensuality stir her most erotic fantasies when she’s alone . . . and lead her to a bold plan. Offering her body to him, surrendering totally to his ruthless desire might well push her beyond all emotional limits–and beyond fear itself.
430 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
519 people are currently reading
6941 people want to read
About the author
Shannon McKenna
124 books1,448 followersAlso wrote five category romances under the penname Shannon Anderson
::From The Author's Website::
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
I started writing my first romance novel in secret. I was working a temp job in an insurance office in Manhattan at the time, and the office manager had made it clear that even if there was nothing to do, I still had to look busy-- never one of my big talents. I felt bad about the wasted time, though, and I needed something to round out my other chosen career, which was singing. Yeah, that's right. Most artists choose a more practical Plan B to back up their improbable Plan A. Me? No way. "Long Shot" is my middle name.
So I sneakily set up a Document 1 and a Document 2 with a spreadsheet on it. If my Boss du Jour walked by I could quick-like-a-bunny switch screens, and whenever the coast was clear, I went back to my story. Not that I was slacking, mind you. If there was work to be done, I did it. The sneakiness felt familiar, though, because I've been teased about reading romances since I was a kid. I think the day I finally grew up was the day I stopped trying to cover up what I was reading on the bus, train or subway. Let people think whatever they like.
It wasn't until I moved to Italy (details of that Long Shot provided later on) that I got serious about writing, though. I found myself with many long, quiet days alone with nothing to do, so I slogged my way bravely to the end of the manuscript and sent it out. Everybody rejected it-except for Kensington. I wrote for them for a few years, and then made a bid for an erotic novella for the new Brava imprint, and oh joy, they accepted it. Then I wrote BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. And so on, and so forth.
That's how I started. I can't think of anything I'd rather do. I never knew it would be so scary, and so hard . . . all that solitude and silence, a blank computer screen, and no one to blame. But still. It's worth it. It's great.
::From The Author's Website::
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
I started writing my first romance novel in secret. I was working a temp job in an insurance office in Manhattan at the time, and the office manager had made it clear that even if there was nothing to do, I still had to look busy-- never one of my big talents. I felt bad about the wasted time, though, and I needed something to round out my other chosen career, which was singing. Yeah, that's right. Most artists choose a more practical Plan B to back up their improbable Plan A. Me? No way. "Long Shot" is my middle name.
So I sneakily set up a Document 1 and a Document 2 with a spreadsheet on it. If my Boss du Jour walked by I could quick-like-a-bunny switch screens, and whenever the coast was clear, I went back to my story. Not that I was slacking, mind you. If there was work to be done, I did it. The sneakiness felt familiar, though, because I've been teased about reading romances since I was a kid. I think the day I finally grew up was the day I stopped trying to cover up what I was reading on the bus, train or subway. Let people think whatever they like.
It wasn't until I moved to Italy (details of that Long Shot provided later on) that I got serious about writing, though. I found myself with many long, quiet days alone with nothing to do, so I slogged my way bravely to the end of the manuscript and sent it out. Everybody rejected it-except for Kensington. I wrote for them for a few years, and then made a bid for an erotic novella for the new Brava imprint, and oh joy, they accepted it. Then I wrote BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. And so on, and so forth.
That's how I started. I can't think of anything I'd rather do. I never knew it would be so scary, and so hard . . . all that solitude and silence, a blank computer screen, and no one to blame. But still. It's worth it. It's great.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 437 reviews
August 28, 2017
This would be 5 from me if it had:
1. Less sex (it was hot but sometimes just too long)
2. A main woman who didn't cry all the time (and I mean in every convo with the main guy, every convo with the bad guy, when she is alone and thinking, even during sex, and I mean every sex scene in the book, and when I say every sex scene I mean half the book cause that's how much sex there is. So just imagine all that crying)
But even with this, I did enjoy the book cause the suspense was great and it has one of the best bad guys ever!!!!!! Victor I love you, you weird dude!!!!!!
It's 3,5 but I'm rounding to 4.
April 19, 2013
I got this book on loan on my kindle as I sometimes just want to TRY a new author before committing myself to buying the book. Once I had finished I downloaded the second in the series straight away. I wish the one star reviewers (this refers to Amazon reviews) would have an idea about the genre of the book before they read it and review it - READ OTHER REVIEWS - yes, there is sex - lots of it - Great..... but Porn, come on - bit of an exaggeration. I for one highly recommend this book and the second in the series is just as enjoyable.
June 14, 2015
This book had a lot of potential--good suspense plot, nicely written and two characters that "could" have helped me like the book. It started right off, showed the characters' flaws, so I rolled with it. Hoped they'd develop together and redeem themselves. For 90% of the book, they got on my nerves.
Raine (Lorraine, Katya, Katie...) cried too much--about nothing. She often burst into giggling fits after or before crying. Her character needed more backbone and for someone who traveled as extensively as she did, learned numerous languages, her age, she should have been more together. She let the hero, Seth, walk all over her. He was severely dominant and moody. It was an abusive relationship. He could call her names, then have sex. He was a neanderthal and just when I thought he was coming around, he'd blow it. Not until the very end did he get his head out of his butt and it was too little too late for This Reader.
The plot dragged out because this book was too long. No way was it necessary to be 430 pages. Cut down on all the filler sex that went on for page after page and get more into the plot and stop the characters from loving each other one minute then fighting/having sex. Punishment sex! Controlling sex! Get you to talk sex! What a load of crap. The most powerful sexual organ in the female body is the MIND. Her crying and hating him one minute, then him having control of her body and giving her mind-blowing orgasms. (zzzzz)
Raine became the first female for me to add to my "Theme-Heroine_TSTL" shelf. And boy did she earned it!
Blech!
There were some similarities in the hero here and in Anne Stuart's Ice Series. Very dominant men. I think the main difference, for me, was the females Ms. Stuart paired the men with had a brain and were not cry babies. The heroine in this book was too weak for this hero, IMO.
Raine (Lorraine, Katya, Katie...) cried too much--about nothing. She often burst into giggling fits after or before crying. Her character needed more backbone and for someone who traveled as extensively as she did, learned numerous languages, her age, she should have been more together. She let the hero, Seth, walk all over her. He was severely dominant and moody. It was an abusive relationship. He could call her names, then have sex. He was a neanderthal and just when I thought he was coming around, he'd blow it. Not until the very end did he get his head out of his butt and it was too little too late for This Reader.
The plot dragged out because this book was too long. No way was it necessary to be 430 pages. Cut down on all the filler sex that went on for page after page and get more into the plot and stop the characters from loving each other one minute then fighting/having sex. Punishment sex! Controlling sex! Get you to talk sex! What a load of crap. The most powerful sexual organ in the female body is the MIND. Her crying and hating him one minute, then him having control of her body and giving her mind-blowing orgasms. (zzzzz)
Raine became the first female for me to add to my "Theme-Heroine_TSTL" shelf. And boy did she earned it!
Blech!
There were some similarities in the hero here and in Anne Stuart's Ice Series. Very dominant men. I think the main difference, for me, was the females Ms. Stuart paired the men with had a brain and were not cry babies. The heroine in this book was too weak for this hero, IMO.
April 23, 2011
My sister has talked about how much she loves this book for years. I can see why she likes it. It was thoroughly entertaining!
My Thoughts:
*Ms. McKenna is a very good writer. She uses words very elegantly and beautifully. This book surprised me with its imagery. I liked the motifs of Seth as the cold, dark knight who wanted badly to win the sweet, beautiful princess locked in her tower. He wanted to save her from the darkness around her, and even herself. I think that this fairy tale theme illuminated what could have been a very dark story.
*Seth is a one of a kind hero. There were times I thought he was a real jackass, pardon my French. He is rude, rough, domineering, and unforgiving. Other times, there was a scared, lonely little boy inside of him so in need of love. That's what made me like him. I love stalkerific heroes, no question about it. But, it was pretty edgy how he was recording Raine, bugging her house and her person. Also, he was pretty rough in bed sometimes for my tastes. I liked that Raine seemed to know how to deal with him in a way that made the dark, cold brute go away, and the sweet boy come to life. I liked how she would touch and pet him, her gentleness knowing how to calm him like a animal that had turned vicious out of abuse. I liked how much he needed Raine. He didn't know how to love, or how to express it, but he somehow managed to do that anyway, with her help. His declaration of love was so sweet, it brought tears to my eyes. I can't say that Seth is one of my favorite heroes, but I did come to like him and understand him. I understand how a hard life like his could turn someone cold and isolated. I think that Ms. McKenna did a great job of showing how Raine's love broke that permafrost and freed the man inside. I loved that Seth is a tech-geek. He really knows his stuff. I didn't mind his social awkwardness, for the most part, although I disliked some of the rude things he said to Raine (and his lack of trust in her at times). Although Seth is definitely an uber-alpha (very domineering and kind of mean about it), he turned out okay in the end. I saw him grow and I saw his pain and yearning for love and peace, which is what I needed to like him.
*Boy does this author know how to write steamy love scenes. I could do without the frequent use of the 'c' word for the female anatomy (I hate that word), but otherwise, she managed to write the encounters between Raine and Seth as volcanic-hot, but also deeply romantic (even though I thought some of the encounters were a bit on the rough side, it helped that Seth would back down when Raine showed him that he was coming on too strong). At the same time, it was clear that he wanted to please her and for her to be wild and free in her sexuality (which was something she wanted too). I think the love scenes furthered the story beautifully, showing the dynamic between Raine and Seth, and how it changed as their love connection blossomed. Also, there was real communication there, a lowering of barriers, something that was not easy for either character.
*Raine was an adorable heroine. I didn't expect to find one in a romantica read. I have this impression that the heroines would be more jaded and hardened, which is not something I prefer in a heroine, unless it is well done and fits the story. Raine was a very sweet, gentle, loving person. At times, I thought maybe too good for Seth. But, I realize that she is the perfect woman for Seth. She really saw his heart and wasn't afraid to be vulnerable when needed, but also showed backbone and stood up to him and showed she was no pushover. I liked her journey to find her strength and to conquer her tormented past. Seth was willing to kill her dragons, but she did most of that on her own. And she tamed the biggest dragon of all--Seth. I really liked her.
*The suspense elements were pretty dark, which is okay with me, although there was some sexual stuff that was a bit out of my comfort zone, and thankfully not a huge part of the story. And I was glad that wasn't in Raine and Seth's relationship. Victor Lazar was an interesting villain. He had depths that made him very intriguing, and he showed that even a bad man can love. His dynamic with Raine was quite fascinating. I ended up feeling sad for the guy. However, Novak is a piece of slime, and I think he got off lightly, considering.
I really enjoyed this book. It was my backup/gym book, but I ended up devouring it, because I couldn't put it down. I am glad my sister and some of my other friends talked this one up. Because I was quite impressed with this book, I'd give it 4.5/5.0 stars. I will read more of Shannon McKenna, although I appreciate my sister's warning that her other heroes are more dominating and overbearing than Seth. I know I will have to be in the mood for that. Even so, Connor's book is calling my name....
My Thoughts:
*Ms. McKenna is a very good writer. She uses words very elegantly and beautifully. This book surprised me with its imagery. I liked the motifs of Seth as the cold, dark knight who wanted badly to win the sweet, beautiful princess locked in her tower. He wanted to save her from the darkness around her, and even herself. I think that this fairy tale theme illuminated what could have been a very dark story.
*Seth is a one of a kind hero. There were times I thought he was a real jackass, pardon my French. He is rude, rough, domineering, and unforgiving. Other times, there was a scared, lonely little boy inside of him so in need of love. That's what made me like him. I love stalkerific heroes, no question about it. But, it was pretty edgy how he was recording Raine, bugging her house and her person. Also, he was pretty rough in bed sometimes for my tastes. I liked that Raine seemed to know how to deal with him in a way that made the dark, cold brute go away, and the sweet boy come to life. I liked how she would touch and pet him, her gentleness knowing how to calm him like a animal that had turned vicious out of abuse. I liked how much he needed Raine. He didn't know how to love, or how to express it, but he somehow managed to do that anyway, with her help. His declaration of love was so sweet, it brought tears to my eyes. I can't say that Seth is one of my favorite heroes, but I did come to like him and understand him. I understand how a hard life like his could turn someone cold and isolated. I think that Ms. McKenna did a great job of showing how Raine's love broke that permafrost and freed the man inside. I loved that Seth is a tech-geek. He really knows his stuff. I didn't mind his social awkwardness, for the most part, although I disliked some of the rude things he said to Raine (and his lack of trust in her at times). Although Seth is definitely an uber-alpha (very domineering and kind of mean about it), he turned out okay in the end. I saw him grow and I saw his pain and yearning for love and peace, which is what I needed to like him.
*Boy does this author know how to write steamy love scenes. I could do without the frequent use of the 'c' word for the female anatomy (I hate that word), but otherwise, she managed to write the encounters between Raine and Seth as volcanic-hot, but also deeply romantic (even though I thought some of the encounters were a bit on the rough side, it helped that Seth would back down when Raine showed him that he was coming on too strong). At the same time, it was clear that he wanted to please her and for her to be wild and free in her sexuality (which was something she wanted too). I think the love scenes furthered the story beautifully, showing the dynamic between Raine and Seth, and how it changed as their love connection blossomed. Also, there was real communication there, a lowering of barriers, something that was not easy for either character.
*Raine was an adorable heroine. I didn't expect to find one in a romantica read. I have this impression that the heroines would be more jaded and hardened, which is not something I prefer in a heroine, unless it is well done and fits the story. Raine was a very sweet, gentle, loving person. At times, I thought maybe too good for Seth. But, I realize that she is the perfect woman for Seth. She really saw his heart and wasn't afraid to be vulnerable when needed, but also showed backbone and stood up to him and showed she was no pushover. I liked her journey to find her strength and to conquer her tormented past. Seth was willing to kill her dragons, but she did most of that on her own. And she tamed the biggest dragon of all--Seth. I really liked her.
*The suspense elements were pretty dark, which is okay with me, although there was some sexual stuff that was a bit out of my comfort zone, and thankfully not a huge part of the story. And I was glad that wasn't in Raine and Seth's relationship. Victor Lazar was an interesting villain. He had depths that made him very intriguing, and he showed that even a bad man can love. His dynamic with Raine was quite fascinating. I ended up feeling sad for the guy. However, Novak is a piece of slime, and I think he got off lightly, considering.
I really enjoyed this book. It was my backup/gym book, but I ended up devouring it, because I couldn't put it down. I am glad my sister and some of my other friends talked this one up. Because I was quite impressed with this book, I'd give it 4.5/5.0 stars. I will read more of Shannon McKenna, although I appreciate my sister's warning that her other heroes are more dominating and overbearing than Seth. I know I will have to be in the mood for that. Even so, Connor's book is calling my name....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
did-not-finish
August 4, 2018DNF chapter 9. Ok, I tried. But if I had to read any more of this book I was going to look for some kind of magical spell so I could enter it and do some damage.
The two love interest were the worst kind of tropes. She is your token semi virgin who is too stupid. She starts working for the bad guy because she thinks he killed her father years ago.
The ‘hero’ (I would choose another term more appropriate like jerk, but that’s the roll he was cast in) is also after the bad guy for arranging the death of his half brother. The ‘hero’ begins the book looking through cameras at the ‘heroine’ getting dressed, etc. He justifies it because the apartment used to belong to the bad guys ex mistress. He thinks she is the new mistress even though the bad guy never visits her.
Then when the ‘hero’ gets the security job for the bad guy the bad guy offers the ‘heroine’ to him because he wants her to spy. Even though she thinks she is a secretary who is fluent in languages and the bad guy doesn’t know who she is.
So when the bad guy tells her to entertain the ‘hero’ this naive secretary takes the ‘hero’ to a motel, cause...um...the restaurants needed reservations?🤷🏼♀️
Anyway, sex ensues. Its awkward, she oscillates a lot between yes, no, and since you insist, ok. He insists a lot. Ugh! Then he discovers she is not the mistress. He hunts her down after viewing her breakdown on his cameras and begs for forgiveness. And...she gives it while being convinced to participate in automotive shenanigans. More of almost rapes while she loses more and more brain cells as a character.
So...maybe the book improves, but life is too short to read 400 hundred page books that start out this badly. I have lots more books waiting for me. 😊
The two love interest were the worst kind of tropes. She is your token semi virgin who is too stupid. She starts working for the bad guy because she thinks he killed her father years ago.
The ‘hero’ (I would choose another term more appropriate like jerk, but that’s the roll he was cast in) is also after the bad guy for arranging the death of his half brother. The ‘hero’ begins the book looking through cameras at the ‘heroine’ getting dressed, etc. He justifies it because the apartment used to belong to the bad guys ex mistress. He thinks she is the new mistress even though the bad guy never visits her.
Then when the ‘hero’ gets the security job for the bad guy the bad guy offers the ‘heroine’ to him because he wants her to spy. Even though she thinks she is a secretary who is fluent in languages and the bad guy doesn’t know who she is.
So when the bad guy tells her to entertain the ‘hero’ this naive secretary takes the ‘hero’ to a motel, cause...um...the restaurants needed reservations?🤷🏼♀️
Anyway, sex ensues. Its awkward, she oscillates a lot between yes, no, and since you insist, ok. He insists a lot. Ugh! Then he discovers she is not the mistress. He hunts her down after viewing her breakdown on his cameras and begs for forgiveness. And...she gives it while being convinced to participate in automotive shenanigans. More of almost rapes while she loses more and more brain cells as a character.
So...maybe the book improves, but life is too short to read 400 hundred page books that start out this badly. I have lots more books waiting for me. 😊
June 1, 2009
I struggled with the hero in Behind Closed Doors, however, I really liked the book overall. We meet Seth, who is trying to avenge his brother’s death by killing/capturing his murderer. This involves spying on the murderer’s new mistress, Raine. He becomes obsessed with her, watching her constantly.
What he doesn’t know is Raine is actually on her own undercover mission. The murderer he is watching also killed her father too, when she was young girl. She wants to try to find more answers as to what happened. An interesting tidbit—the murderer is her uncle and she is not a mistress. She is a bit naive, and has one or two TSTL moments, but I liked her a lot. She changed a lot by the end of the book.
The two become involved. Seth, is the one of the top Uber-alphas I’ve ever read. He comes from an awful childhood, and really never learned how to love or communicate with anyone. It’s mentioned more than once in the story that he ‘has no social skills’. He’s constantly angry, rude, and just a down right a**hole. I was able to overlook this because the author lets us into his head to know what he is thinking. He doesn’t mean to say or do things to hurt feelings, and he does most of the time feel sorry for what he’s done. In the sex scenes, a few times I felt he was almost raping her. He doesn’t like to talk about feelings or care what she has to say so he wants her to shut up. He does this by pinning her down and using his strength against her and pretty much forcing sex. She ends up liking it, but I didn’t. In the end, Raine is able to tame Seth’s beast, vs. just tolerating his crap. He comes to realize he doesn’t want to be alone and miserable the rest of his life.
I have to add that I thought there was...well...too much sex. There I said it. After awhile, I'm like come on! Get on with it! It wasn't like it varied much--it was more of the same sex over and over. The book could have been cut down by 50 pages by shortening up the later scenes.
The mystery in this story is not really a who-dunnit, but more of a ‘why did they do it’. The suspense is very good and I felt the story was really well written. We meet the McCloud brothers, and I am anxious to read their stories.
What he doesn’t know is Raine is actually on her own undercover mission. The murderer he is watching also killed her father too, when she was young girl. She wants to try to find more answers as to what happened. An interesting tidbit—the murderer is her uncle and she is not a mistress. She is a bit naive, and has one or two TSTL moments, but I liked her a lot. She changed a lot by the end of the book.
The two become involved. Seth, is the one of the top Uber-alphas I’ve ever read. He comes from an awful childhood, and really never learned how to love or communicate with anyone. It’s mentioned more than once in the story that he ‘has no social skills’. He’s constantly angry, rude, and just a down right a**hole. I was able to overlook this because the author lets us into his head to know what he is thinking. He doesn’t mean to say or do things to hurt feelings, and he does most of the time feel sorry for what he’s done. In the sex scenes, a few times I felt he was almost raping her. He doesn’t like to talk about feelings or care what she has to say so he wants her to shut up. He does this by pinning her down and using his strength against her and pretty much forcing sex. She ends up liking it, but I didn’t. In the end, Raine is able to tame Seth’s beast, vs. just tolerating his crap. He comes to realize he doesn’t want to be alone and miserable the rest of his life.
I have to add that I thought there was...well...too much sex. There I said it. After awhile, I'm like come on! Get on with it! It wasn't like it varied much--it was more of the same sex over and over. The book could have been cut down by 50 pages by shortening up the later scenes.
The mystery in this story is not really a who-dunnit, but more of a ‘why did they do it’. The suspense is very good and I felt the story was really well written. We meet the McCloud brothers, and I am anxious to read their stories.
August 31, 2011
I LOVED this book! May not be everyone's cup of tea, but I loved the hero in this book. It's why I read, so I can fantasize about guys like this without having to put up with them in real life---because I never would. So why do I enjoy reading about edgy, dark, Alpha men who walk a very fine line?? Honestly? I don't know. I guess there's something forbidden about it to me because I *wouldn't* allow a man like this in my real life. Shrug. Who knows? But if you like that type of hero in your books, even occasionally, and you like a spicy hot read, you can't go wrong with this one!
February 2, 2015
I have so many issues with this book. So many. I have no idea where to start.
The only thing that made me finish this book is Victor. Seriously, I loved that guy!!! And I hoped for his book, but knew and it made me dislike this book even more!
Victor is the only reason I am giving this book 2 starts!
When it comes to the story I did like it in the beginning. I thought of Seth's behavior as creepy and sleazy, worse than stalkerish, that he needs to be hospitalized in psychiatric ward ASAP. It was disturbing and a bit compelling, but soon enough it became way too much.
The guy not only doesn't have ANY social skills, he is like some Jekyll&Hyde. In one second, normal, and the other, hitting with his fist anything that is in his way if something pisses him off. No escalation, it's just how he rolls apparently. Lied to her from the very beginning, and yet accuses her of lying to him and how he dislikes it, because she did not report her every move to him after one day of knowing him.
On top of that, 90% of their sex felt like NON consensual! And the sex... It goes on, and on, and on, and on....
This book is like sex disguised in the suspense genre. I mean, almost every page is them having sex!!!! Constantly having sex!!!! It's so much sex I think it killed my mood or will for sex for an entire year! The scenes are good, but they are so long and there are so many of them, you kinda lose interest in them quickly. Rubbing on her, smelling her... WTF is wrong with you dude?! This is example of surveillance gone in some voyeuristic stalking obsession.
I get that he starts to "love" her, but she....
They have known each other for 4 days and she tells him she loves him. 4 days!!!!! And no, you cannot forget that fact, because she reminds you of that!!!!! And she says:
"i love you. I always have. From the very start."
What effing start!?!?!?!?!?!? You have known him for 4 days and have spread for him on the very first day, when you were proposed by your "boss" to sleep with him. But no, you didn't do it for the job... pffft....
Then she tells him she doesn't sleep with strangers, "one night stand is not how she rolls".
This has no sense at all, because:
a) She lost virginity at 24 (she is 28 years old now) with some stranger in some hotel because she wanted to get rid of that burden;
b) Seth is her second lay... And he is a complete stranger!!!!
And this woman constantly cries... Especially during sex... I mean WTF?!?!
And she has no backbone! None!!!! Every time I thought "oh finally", she caves in an instant.... Irritating as fu@k!!
And when she finds out, that he was watching her through cameras all the time, every normal person would be at least slightly freaked, but not her.... She is just worried did other guys watch them having sex.
And the convo about boyfriend thing... He is 36/37 years old, she is 28, and he shyly asks her can he be her boyfriend... Again, WTF!?!?!?!?
I can't, I can't even express how both of them pissed me off...
The only thing that made me finish this book is Victor. Seriously, I loved that guy!!! And I hoped for his book, but knew and it made me dislike this book even more!
Victor is the only reason I am giving this book 2 starts!
When it comes to the story I did like it in the beginning. I thought of Seth's behavior as creepy and sleazy, worse than stalkerish, that he needs to be hospitalized in psychiatric ward ASAP. It was disturbing and a bit compelling, but soon enough it became way too much.
The guy not only doesn't have ANY social skills, he is like some Jekyll&Hyde. In one second, normal, and the other, hitting with his fist anything that is in his way if something pisses him off. No escalation, it's just how he rolls apparently. Lied to her from the very beginning, and yet accuses her of lying to him and how he dislikes it, because she did not report her every move to him after one day of knowing him.
On top of that, 90% of their sex felt like NON consensual! And the sex... It goes on, and on, and on, and on....
This book is like sex disguised in the suspense genre. I mean, almost every page is them having sex!!!! Constantly having sex!!!! It's so much sex I think it killed my mood or will for sex for an entire year! The scenes are good, but they are so long and there are so many of them, you kinda lose interest in them quickly. Rubbing on her, smelling her... WTF is wrong with you dude?! This is example of surveillance gone in some voyeuristic stalking obsession.
I get that he starts to "love" her, but she....
They have known each other for 4 days and she tells him she loves him. 4 days!!!!! And no, you cannot forget that fact, because she reminds you of that!!!!! And she says:
"i love you. I always have. From the very start."
What effing start!?!?!?!?!?!? You have known him for 4 days and have spread for him on the very first day, when you were proposed by your "boss" to sleep with him. But no, you didn't do it for the job... pffft....
Then she tells him she doesn't sleep with strangers, "one night stand is not how she rolls".
This has no sense at all, because:
a) She lost virginity at 24 (she is 28 years old now) with some stranger in some hotel because she wanted to get rid of that burden;
b) Seth is her second lay... And he is a complete stranger!!!!
And this woman constantly cries... Especially during sex... I mean WTF?!?!
And she has no backbone! None!!!! Every time I thought "oh finally", she caves in an instant.... Irritating as fu@k!!
And when she finds out, that he was watching her through cameras all the time, every normal person would be at least slightly freaked, but not her.... She is just worried did other guys watch them having sex.
And the convo about boyfriend thing... He is 36/37 years old, she is 28, and he shyly asks her can he be her boyfriend... Again, WTF!?!?!?!?
I can't, I can't even express how both of them pissed me off...
January 10, 2015
Putting this one on hold for awhile. I was underwhelmed with it initially and there are just too many other fabulous books to force myself to keep reading something I don't like. I will try to come back later and finish.
June 14, 2022
Stalker plus possessive plus protective plus jealous? Yes please!
I wish this book was available on Kindle, so that I could buy it. Needless to say, I’m glad I was able to listen to it on Scribd.
Seth has been watching Raine through surveillance videos for a while now (and boy does he enjoy watching her 👀). She works for his enemy, Victor Lazar, And thinks that she is his lover. He doesn’t understand why, being so young, she would be his Side chick, but regardless, he watches her to try to get Intel on him to take them down. He’s had a suspicion that Victor was a part of his brother’s murder.
Raine works for Victor because she is trying to uncover who was at fault for the death of her father. It has been nearly 2 decades since he died, and she still doesn’t have enough answers. Her mother is very much in her own world and didn’t try to pursue answers to her father‘s death. Although it seems like it was an accidental drowning, Raine doesn’t believe it.
Seth is great at technology, especially when it comes to the safety/protection of illegal businesses, which is perfect since Victor needs his help. Seth uses this to his advantage to not only uncover truths, but he also gets close to Raine. And when they meet, sparks fly!
Oh the chemistry! Dear lord, this chemistry between Raine and Seth was raw, passionate, visceral, deep, primal, seductive, and dirty. Jeeezus 🥵🔥😅💦. Seth has been obsessed with Raine for months, and now that he’s in front of her, he does NOT let his time go to waste! I mean, there were some dubcon scenes that were just so delicious because of how invested and possessive Seth is over Raine. Raine might think Seth can’t fix their problems with sex, but oh does he try 😉🙃. I was here for it all 😋👏🏻 (which is why I really wanna own the book!).
There are a lot of secrets that need to get uncovered, and as the book progresses, so does the suspense on many situations. I can’t wait to continue this series.
⚠️ safety squad ⚠️
-no cheating
-no owd
-no omd (the H believing the h is an escort gets cleared up quickly)
-some dubcon scenes
-people die- this is suspense
I wish this book was available on Kindle, so that I could buy it. Needless to say, I’m glad I was able to listen to it on Scribd.
Seth has been watching Raine through surveillance videos for a while now (and boy does he enjoy watching her 👀). She works for his enemy, Victor Lazar, And thinks that she is his lover. He doesn’t understand why, being so young, she would be his Side chick, but regardless, he watches her to try to get Intel on him to take them down. He’s had a suspicion that Victor was a part of his brother’s murder.
Raine works for Victor because she is trying to uncover who was at fault for the death of her father. It has been nearly 2 decades since he died, and she still doesn’t have enough answers. Her mother is very much in her own world and didn’t try to pursue answers to her father‘s death. Although it seems like it was an accidental drowning, Raine doesn’t believe it.
Seth is great at technology, especially when it comes to the safety/protection of illegal businesses, which is perfect since Victor needs his help. Seth uses this to his advantage to not only uncover truths, but he also gets close to Raine. And when they meet, sparks fly!
Oh the chemistry! Dear lord, this chemistry between Raine and Seth was raw, passionate, visceral, deep, primal, seductive, and dirty. Jeeezus 🥵🔥😅💦. Seth has been obsessed with Raine for months, and now that he’s in front of her, he does NOT let his time go to waste! I mean, there were some dubcon scenes that were just so delicious because of how invested and possessive Seth is over Raine. Raine might think Seth can’t fix their problems with sex, but oh does he try 😉🙃. I was here for it all 😋👏🏻 (which is why I really wanna own the book!).
There are a lot of secrets that need to get uncovered, and as the book progresses, so does the suspense on many situations. I can’t wait to continue this series.
⚠️ safety squad ⚠️
-no cheating
-no owd
-no omd (the H believing the h is an escort gets cleared up quickly)
-some dubcon scenes
-people die- this is suspense
August 23, 2009
[“Behind Closed Doors, by Shannon McKenna (paperback 2002):]
Raine and Seth
I’m not a huge “contemporary suspense” romance reader. At least that’s what I keep telling myself (despite my bookshelf results!). This is the second five-star review for my second Shannon McKenna read. I think she captivates a particular reader that needs a couple with a “real” love life, and, since she has control of the story . . . the PERFECT amount of “play” off of each other. The result is a pure balance of story and love scenes for the reader. I swear – first I can’t put her books down . . . then I can’t stop thinking about her H/h after I’m through. “Ain’t it great!” LOL!
Raine Cameron has always been a bit scared of her own shadow in life. Having endured a life on the run with her beautiful yet shallow mother Alix, she never had the support or role models to look up to, much less know that she could really depend on even one person to be her “soft place to fall.” By the time she turned 11 years of age, her father’s involvement in her uncle’s shady business dealings, led to his suspicious death and a life suddenly uprooted and ever-changing as her mother submerged them into a life of hiding. With a mother that considered her daughter’s ever increasing beauty a competitive problem, rather than something to be proud of, Raine generally retreated into downplaying her talents and looks hoping to show her mother she was no threat and only wanted her love and attention. Of course it never worked out that way; she simply grew up to feel powerless, scared and lonely. In an effort to start over and both avenge her father’s death and regain her backbone, she engages in a cat and mouse game with her highly powerful and dangerous uncle, and quickly realizes she’s in over her head.
Enter Seth, our darkly enigmatic “gadget-guru” hero who’s already so deep into espionage activities surrounding Raine’s murderous uncle, he’s got his own axe to grind, having lost his little brother (his only family member) due to the uncle’s nasty lifestyle. When Raine, in pursuit of her goal, is hired by her uncle’s business 17 years later, she’s been given the house of her uncle’s ex-mistress in the line of her job duties, and Seth finds himself spending 24/7 watching and listening to her on spy-cam. He can’t believe he’s so sexually fascinated by this little spinster-type pea hen. Sure, she looks fantastic when she strips out of those high-buttoned suits and lets her hair down, but he’s never been one to lose his focus over a sexy body or pretty face, and it begins to interfere in his “mission.”
The action plays out splendidly, piece by piece, and I didn’t find any scenes in the book that I felt I just wanted to skip past. McKenna creates side characters and villains you love to read about because they are truly unique in their ultimate “weirdness” at times - fascinating. When the author was infusing the story with both her talented ability to write the most engaging love scenes, both smokin’ hot and sweetly sexy, she had my full attention. Although McKenna’s ability to write suspense is well noted by reviewers/readers, she also has a great ability to infuse her characters with wry wit, if not a bit of “suspension of disbelief” employed to appreciate it during a particularly tense scene. At one point while Seth and Raine have just discovered they need to make themselves scarce by shedding any “bugged” clothing Raine has been gifted with by the bad guys, SM interjects into their replacement clothes shopping “flurry,” Seth “checking labels in breathless haste,” (Ya - there being “chased” afterall) . . . . “spotting the underwear bin.”
He grabbed a random handful of thong panties. See-through lace in awesome lurid colors. Black, hot pink, purple, lime green, lipstick red. He flung them on the counter: ‘Put these on the tab.’ ‘Those are thongs’ [Raine blushes, while all the time incredulous of Seth’s direction of thought at the particular moment:]. He leered at her. ‘Yum’”
LMAO! It SO doesn’t realistically “work” at this point of the story, yet the dialogue got even funnier, and I laughed out loud at Seth’s one-track mind, while appreciating every drop of humor McKenna infused into the tenseness. When she put our H/h back into the line of fire as she unfolded the suspense, I found myself talking back to the characters she’s filled with plenty of personality in the story – a sure sign I’m completely drawn in. Not a bored moment in this writer’s ability to tell the tale.
Toward the end, some of Raine’s attitude toward Seth would begin to annoy me, usually when she “distanced herself emotionally” from him, and I’m not referring to points where he was being cloyingly overprotective or controlling (basically her impatience and inability to understand how men “really” tick). But the tension the author was able to set-up during those moments between them really enables the reader to feel both the hero and heroine’s pain, fear, disgust - all the myriad of emotions we all actually feel during moments of unrest in an intense relationship. McKenna would quite effectively bring me back around with my own affection toward both Raine and Seth, not to mention cheering them on to their HEA.
I’ll be reading the rest of this series soon, as I didn’t want to leave Seth and Raine when the story was over. The worst part of this book was that . . . it ended!
K.
Raine and Seth
I’m not a huge “contemporary suspense” romance reader. At least that’s what I keep telling myself (despite my bookshelf results!). This is the second five-star review for my second Shannon McKenna read. I think she captivates a particular reader that needs a couple with a “real” love life, and, since she has control of the story . . . the PERFECT amount of “play” off of each other. The result is a pure balance of story and love scenes for the reader. I swear – first I can’t put her books down . . . then I can’t stop thinking about her H/h after I’m through. “Ain’t it great!” LOL!
Raine Cameron has always been a bit scared of her own shadow in life. Having endured a life on the run with her beautiful yet shallow mother Alix, she never had the support or role models to look up to, much less know that she could really depend on even one person to be her “soft place to fall.” By the time she turned 11 years of age, her father’s involvement in her uncle’s shady business dealings, led to his suspicious death and a life suddenly uprooted and ever-changing as her mother submerged them into a life of hiding. With a mother that considered her daughter’s ever increasing beauty a competitive problem, rather than something to be proud of, Raine generally retreated into downplaying her talents and looks hoping to show her mother she was no threat and only wanted her love and attention. Of course it never worked out that way; she simply grew up to feel powerless, scared and lonely. In an effort to start over and both avenge her father’s death and regain her backbone, she engages in a cat and mouse game with her highly powerful and dangerous uncle, and quickly realizes she’s in over her head.
Enter Seth, our darkly enigmatic “gadget-guru” hero who’s already so deep into espionage activities surrounding Raine’s murderous uncle, he’s got his own axe to grind, having lost his little brother (his only family member) due to the uncle’s nasty lifestyle. When Raine, in pursuit of her goal, is hired by her uncle’s business 17 years later, she’s been given the house of her uncle’s ex-mistress in the line of her job duties, and Seth finds himself spending 24/7 watching and listening to her on spy-cam. He can’t believe he’s so sexually fascinated by this little spinster-type pea hen. Sure, she looks fantastic when she strips out of those high-buttoned suits and lets her hair down, but he’s never been one to lose his focus over a sexy body or pretty face, and it begins to interfere in his “mission.”
The action plays out splendidly, piece by piece, and I didn’t find any scenes in the book that I felt I just wanted to skip past. McKenna creates side characters and villains you love to read about because they are truly unique in their ultimate “weirdness” at times - fascinating. When the author was infusing the story with both her talented ability to write the most engaging love scenes, both smokin’ hot and sweetly sexy, she had my full attention. Although McKenna’s ability to write suspense is well noted by reviewers/readers, she also has a great ability to infuse her characters with wry wit, if not a bit of “suspension of disbelief” employed to appreciate it during a particularly tense scene. At one point while Seth and Raine have just discovered they need to make themselves scarce by shedding any “bugged” clothing Raine has been gifted with by the bad guys, SM interjects into their replacement clothes shopping “flurry,” Seth “checking labels in breathless haste,” (Ya - there being “chased” afterall) . . . . “spotting the underwear bin.”
He grabbed a random handful of thong panties. See-through lace in awesome lurid colors. Black, hot pink, purple, lime green, lipstick red. He flung them on the counter: ‘Put these on the tab.’ ‘Those are thongs’ [Raine blushes, while all the time incredulous of Seth’s direction of thought at the particular moment:]. He leered at her. ‘Yum’”
LMAO! It SO doesn’t realistically “work” at this point of the story, yet the dialogue got even funnier, and I laughed out loud at Seth’s one-track mind, while appreciating every drop of humor McKenna infused into the tenseness. When she put our H/h back into the line of fire as she unfolded the suspense, I found myself talking back to the characters she’s filled with plenty of personality in the story – a sure sign I’m completely drawn in. Not a bored moment in this writer’s ability to tell the tale.
Toward the end, some of Raine’s attitude toward Seth would begin to annoy me, usually when she “distanced herself emotionally” from him, and I’m not referring to points where he was being cloyingly overprotective or controlling (basically her impatience and inability to understand how men “really” tick). But the tension the author was able to set-up during those moments between them really enables the reader to feel both the hero and heroine’s pain, fear, disgust - all the myriad of emotions we all actually feel during moments of unrest in an intense relationship. McKenna would quite effectively bring me back around with my own affection toward both Raine and Seth, not to mention cheering them on to their HEA.
I’ll be reading the rest of this series soon, as I didn’t want to leave Seth and Raine when the story was over. The worst part of this book was that . . . it ended!
K.
January 2, 2009
I loved reading this book! Loved it. It was funny, incredibly sexy and the hero was absolutely adorable!
It starts with our hero, Seth Mackey spying on Lorraine Cameron, who he thinks is Victor Lazar's (who for some reason sounds like a villain from a soap opera) newest mistress. He's been watching her a few weeks now and has her routine down pat. When I mean spying, I mean he's got cameras and motion sensors all over her house, in her car, and at her work. I'll admit, there was a moment when I was, well, disturbed. It was touch and go there for a second where I thought, "okay, this guy is a little too far gone into the crazy department." Push past it though, it's worth it. He's got a reason for his paranoia. Seth believes her boss, Victor, is the man who had his half brother killed. He was living only for revenge until Raine Cameron walked onto the security monitors. She brought him back to life with a jolt and now he can't stop staring at her. Victor Lazar also notices his distraction with Raine and arranges for the two of them to....get to know one another. They fall for each other immediately, and then we learn these two people are both working towards the same goal, to bring Victor Lazar down. Our hero and heroine must learn trust and acceptance while playing a twisted game of cat and mouse with the villains, never knowing exactly who said villains are.
Shannon McKenna has written such a tight, suspenseful novel and I enjoyed it immensely. Her talent at building sexual tension is delicious. Seth has intimacy issues and tries to hold Raine off by playing the cool, dominant, need-no-one male, but inside he's as uncertain as a little boy. He's desperately trying to find a way to keep her, terrified that he's going to ruin what's probably the best thing that has ever happened to him. It's known that he doesn't have a great track record with the ladies. It's one of the funniest things about Seth, his penchant for saying whatever is on his mind. Be it thoughtful or thoughtless, I loved Seth. I loved that almost obsessed need to take and protect Raine that he has. That alpha male quality gets me every time. He's got severe trust issues and it rears it's ugly head a few times, but nothing truly unforgivable and she sees past each and every incident. I liked Raine too. I liked her helpless Barbie act that turned into a much stronger willed woman, able to take on things she normally would run away from.
Cons. Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but there was too much sex. HA. I still can't believe I'm saying this. The first few sex scenes, in the hotel and the car and in Raine's home were hot. Sizzling. After awhile they got a little monotonous. He went down on her, they had sex. He was either hard and fast or gentle and slow. She could have condensed some of the later sex scenes and made them a little more interesting. Instead she went for quantity over quality I thought, and it suffered. I found myself starting to flip through the later sex scenes to return to the story. Another thing, if I had had that much sex in such a short period of time, I think it would have done either semi permanent damage, or at least some pretty serious bowleggedness that would have disallowed for all that running and jumping Raine does. LOL
I highly recommend this book. Seth's internal monologues are so funny, you have to read them. I loved this book and can't wait to read the next in the McCloud Brothers series.
It starts with our hero, Seth Mackey spying on Lorraine Cameron, who he thinks is Victor Lazar's (who for some reason sounds like a villain from a soap opera) newest mistress. He's been watching her a few weeks now and has her routine down pat. When I mean spying, I mean he's got cameras and motion sensors all over her house, in her car, and at her work. I'll admit, there was a moment when I was, well, disturbed. It was touch and go there for a second where I thought, "okay, this guy is a little too far gone into the crazy department." Push past it though, it's worth it. He's got a reason for his paranoia. Seth believes her boss, Victor, is the man who had his half brother killed. He was living only for revenge until Raine Cameron walked onto the security monitors. She brought him back to life with a jolt and now he can't stop staring at her. Victor Lazar also notices his distraction with Raine and arranges for the two of them to....get to know one another. They fall for each other immediately, and then we learn these two people are both working towards the same goal, to bring Victor Lazar down. Our hero and heroine must learn trust and acceptance while playing a twisted game of cat and mouse with the villains, never knowing exactly who said villains are.
Shannon McKenna has written such a tight, suspenseful novel and I enjoyed it immensely. Her talent at building sexual tension is delicious. Seth has intimacy issues and tries to hold Raine off by playing the cool, dominant, need-no-one male, but inside he's as uncertain as a little boy. He's desperately trying to find a way to keep her, terrified that he's going to ruin what's probably the best thing that has ever happened to him. It's known that he doesn't have a great track record with the ladies. It's one of the funniest things about Seth, his penchant for saying whatever is on his mind. Be it thoughtful or thoughtless, I loved Seth. I loved that almost obsessed need to take and protect Raine that he has. That alpha male quality gets me every time. He's got severe trust issues and it rears it's ugly head a few times, but nothing truly unforgivable and she sees past each and every incident. I liked Raine too. I liked her helpless Barbie act that turned into a much stronger willed woman, able to take on things she normally would run away from.
Cons. Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but there was too much sex. HA. I still can't believe I'm saying this. The first few sex scenes, in the hotel and the car and in Raine's home were hot. Sizzling. After awhile they got a little monotonous. He went down on her, they had sex. He was either hard and fast or gentle and slow. She could have condensed some of the later sex scenes and made them a little more interesting. Instead she went for quantity over quality I thought, and it suffered. I found myself starting to flip through the later sex scenes to return to the story. Another thing, if I had had that much sex in such a short period of time, I think it would have done either semi permanent damage, or at least some pretty serious bowleggedness that would have disallowed for all that running and jumping Raine does. LOL
I highly recommend this book. Seth's internal monologues are so funny, you have to read them. I loved this book and can't wait to read the next in the McCloud Brothers series.
September 28, 2010
Great read.
Shannon McKenna is one of my favorite authors. She writes romantic thrillers which keep me on the edge of my seat. Some reviewers claim Seth was abusive to Raine. That never even occurred to me as I read the book. I didn't see Raine being hurt either emotionally or physically. Sure people fight and get angry, but I didn't take it as abuse. I'm intrigued with how readers react so differently. To me you need a strong alpha good guy to fight a vicious bad guy. Seth was great for that. I like plot, action and interesting characters in a romance novel and Shannon McKenna does it well.
For a list of my reviews of other Shannon McKenna books, see my 5 star review of “Ultimate Weapon” posted 11/15/08.
Shannon McKenna is one of my favorite authors. She writes romantic thrillers which keep me on the edge of my seat. Some reviewers claim Seth was abusive to Raine. That never even occurred to me as I read the book. I didn't see Raine being hurt either emotionally or physically. Sure people fight and get angry, but I didn't take it as abuse. I'm intrigued with how readers react so differently. To me you need a strong alpha good guy to fight a vicious bad guy. Seth was great for that. I like plot, action and interesting characters in a romance novel and Shannon McKenna does it well.
For a list of my reviews of other Shannon McKenna books, see my 5 star review of “Ultimate Weapon” posted 11/15/08.
April 16, 2017
I couldn't sludge more than chap 22. I never met a more useless, cringe worthy excuse of a human being. TSTL is way too gentle a description for this woman, as jerk/asshole of the year is for him.
The set up is beyond stupid, she dreams of her dead father, therefore someone must have murdered him. Armed of this knowledge she decide to get revenge with no plan, no skills, no ideas actually. Naive is difficult enough, naive, totally stupid and a martyr is beyond acceptable. I facepalmed so many times I must have hurt myself.
The set up is beyond stupid, she dreams of her dead father, therefore someone must have murdered him. Armed of this knowledge she decide to get revenge with no plan, no skills, no ideas actually. Naive is difficult enough, naive, totally stupid and a martyr is beyond acceptable. I facepalmed so many times I must have hurt myself.
July 16, 2015
3.5 stars
I read this right after having read Extreme Danger , Book 5 in the series, and I definitely think that one needs to space out books by this author, because there are a lot of similarities.
You've got the ...
(some of these are kind of spoilers, but they're general and if you've read any other McKenna books, these will come as no surprise)
* crazy, psycho villain
* very weird and dangerous situation that compels the two main characters to be together
* heroine who is sweet and vulnerable, yet strong, and gives and gives and gives to the hero and takes all of his BS and mistrust and freaky stalkerish I'm-planting-tracking-devices-on-you-without-you-knowing in stride
* hero who is a total alpha with mad skills in bed and some type of law / military / security background who has always been the love 'em and leave 'em type until he met (or sketchily stalked/spied on) the heroine and then he can't help but be dazed by her beauty, sweetness, etc. etc.
* misunderstanding which makes the hero think the heroine betrayed him and so he confines / imprisons her because he wants to protect her even though he thinks she's been lying to him
* entire plot and love story that happens within the period of a few days and always ends with a wedding ring despite the unbelievably short amount of time they've known one another
... You get the picture.
They're enjoyable though, and when the heroes are sweet they're definitely swoon-worthy. Seth is the standard alpha who had a rough childhood and puts everyone off by being gruff but actually has a heart of gold underneath and is just lonely and grieving and needs the heroine to realize life can be amazing and he wants a home, a white picket fence, and children. ... Hmmm, did that sound too snarky? Sorry! ;-) Honestly, I actually did like Seth and found his complete lack of social skills quite endearing. (Quote #1 below is a perfect example of how Seth is utterly clueless but also hysterical).
I enjoyed the subplot in this one a lot more and I really liked that aside from the super-evil villain, other characters are murkier and you're not sure whether they're good or bad and kind of see they're a mix of both. In both books McKenna brings in some secondary characters' POVs and while in Extreme Danger I found it somewhat annoying and was a little bored by them, I liked it here and found Victor very interesting.
Raine was ... okay. I didn't dislike her, but never really got into rooting for her. It also completely bugged the hell out of me that she finds out Seth has been spying on her in the privacy of her own home for three weeks without her having any clue and her reaction is: "Oh, okay. Well I hope no one saw us have sex." Really?! Like ... really?!?! No: "You're kind of a psycho and really, really sketchy" or "Wow, think you could have told me that before I completely trusted you and we started sleeping together?" or even "I understand you were doing this for your undercover operation, but I'm still kind of pissed you stalked me for a few weeks and stared at me naked, so you're sleeping by yourself tonight"?!
I think I probably would have given this book 4 stars (and might still change the rating) if it hadn't been for the fact that it felt so similar to the book I had just read in this series. I'm interested in reading other McCloud books, but will be spacing them out from now on.
{ Favorite Quotes }
I read this right after having read Extreme Danger , Book 5 in the series, and I definitely think that one needs to space out books by this author, because there are a lot of similarities.
You've got the ...
(some of these are kind of spoilers, but they're general and if you've read any other McKenna books, these will come as no surprise)
* crazy, psycho villain
* very weird and dangerous situation that compels the two main characters to be together
* heroine who is sweet and vulnerable, yet strong, and gives and gives and gives to the hero and takes all of his BS and mistrust and freaky stalkerish I'm-planting-tracking-devices-on-you-without-you-knowing in stride
* hero who is a total alpha with mad skills in bed and some type of law / military / security background who has always been the love 'em and leave 'em type until he met (or sketchily stalked/spied on) the heroine and then he can't help but be dazed by her beauty, sweetness, etc. etc.
* misunderstanding which makes the hero think the heroine betrayed him and so he confines / imprisons her because he wants to protect her even though he thinks she's been lying to him
* entire plot and love story that happens within the period of a few days and always ends with a wedding ring despite the unbelievably short amount of time they've known one another
... You get the picture.
They're enjoyable though, and when the heroes are sweet they're definitely swoon-worthy. Seth is the standard alpha who had a rough childhood and puts everyone off by being gruff but actually has a heart of gold underneath and is just lonely and grieving and needs the heroine to realize life can be amazing and he wants a home, a white picket fence, and children. ... Hmmm, did that sound too snarky? Sorry! ;-) Honestly, I actually did like Seth and found his complete lack of social skills quite endearing. (Quote #1 below is a perfect example of how Seth is utterly clueless but also hysterical).
I enjoyed the subplot in this one a lot more and I really liked that aside from the super-evil villain, other characters are murkier and you're not sure whether they're good or bad and kind of see they're a mix of both. In both books McKenna brings in some secondary characters' POVs and while in Extreme Danger I found it somewhat annoying and was a little bored by them, I liked it here and found Victor very interesting.
Raine was ... okay. I didn't dislike her, but never really got into rooting for her. It also completely bugged the hell out of me that she finds out Seth has been spying on her in the privacy of her own home for three weeks without her having any clue and her reaction is: "Oh, okay. Well I hope no one saw us have sex." Really?! Like ... really?!?! No: "You're kind of a psycho and really, really sketchy" or "Wow, think you could have told me that before I completely trusted you and we started sleeping together?" or even "I understand you were doing this for your undercover operation, but I'm still kind of pissed you stalked me for a few weeks and stared at me naked, so you're sleeping by yourself tonight"?!
I think I probably would have given this book 4 stars (and might still change the rating) if it hadn't been for the fact that it felt so similar to the book I had just read in this series. I'm interested in reading other McCloud books, but will be spacing them out from now on.
{ Favorite Quotes }
"Lovers do things together! They rent videos, they ride Ferris wheels, they go out for pizza, they play Scrabble. They . . . they talk!"
"Talk?" He lifted his head and frowned, his eyes puzzled. "We talk all the time, Raine. I've never had such talkative sex."
"That's just it!" She wiggled, flailed, but couldn't budge him. "Two minutes alone with you, and I'm flat on my back. Every single time!"
A slow, knowing grin spread over his face. "Is this your way of telling me you want to be on top?"
(p. 184)
She was a fairy-tale princess out of his comic book fantasies. She glowed like a star.
He hated it. It made his jaw clench [...]. It made him want to wreck something, punch walls, hurl plates. He wanted to drag her into a corner and rip off her glittering veil of illusions. Remind her that she was his beautiful wild animal, not this remote, perfect being. She was earth and sweat and blood and bone, she was hunger and need and howling at the moon. Just like him. Part of him.
(p. 253)
January 29, 2017
*Re-read*
Review to come
Review to come
August 9, 2010
3 stars: Entertaining romance/suspense
The author did a great job building suspense as well as she had quite a few steamy love scenes (more so than what I've read in a lot of other romantic suspense). Where I knock back some stars is because some parts of the story I just couldn't buy. The hero was a real jerk to the heroine over and over again, but yet she seems to still want to be with him? The heroine thinks her uncle is the murderer who killed her dad, so with no investigative or fighting skills she decides it's a good idea to go undercover in his business with no backup? Overall, still an entertaining read. I plan on reading the next book in the series.
If you are looking for good romantic suspense/mystery, here are some others I enjoyed:
I Team by Pamela Clare
Cry No More, Mr Perfect, Open Season, Now You See Her by Linda Howard
Bodyguard series, Black Ops series by Cindy Gerard
In Death by JD Robb
Troubleshooters by Suzanne Brockman
Callahan Brothers series by Geralyn Dawson
Intimate Danger, Dragon One series by Amy J. Fetzer
Steele Street series by Tara Janzen
Thread of Fear by Laura Griffin
Delta series by Shannon Butcher
The author did a great job building suspense as well as she had quite a few steamy love scenes (more so than what I've read in a lot of other romantic suspense). Where I knock back some stars is because some parts of the story I just couldn't buy. The hero was a real jerk to the heroine over and over again, but yet she seems to still want to be with him? The heroine thinks her uncle is the murderer who killed her dad, so with no investigative or fighting skills she decides it's a good idea to go undercover in his business with no backup? Overall, still an entertaining read. I plan on reading the next book in the series.
If you are looking for good romantic suspense/mystery, here are some others I enjoyed:
I Team by Pamela Clare
Cry No More, Mr Perfect, Open Season, Now You See Her by Linda Howard
Bodyguard series, Black Ops series by Cindy Gerard
In Death by JD Robb
Troubleshooters by Suzanne Brockman
Callahan Brothers series by Geralyn Dawson
Intimate Danger, Dragon One series by Amy J. Fetzer
Steele Street series by Tara Janzen
Thread of Fear by Laura Griffin
Delta series by Shannon Butcher
January 24, 2011
To catch the murderer of his brother, Seth Mackey sets up surveillance on billionaire Victor Lazar's love nest where his new lover is safely ensconced. To his annoyance, Seth becomes helplessly obsessed with the beautiful blond, watching her far beyond the realm of decency.
Raine Cameron doesn't know her every move is being observed, but she knows something about her new employer's apt makes her uneasy. Still, she's determined to stay put as she has an ulterior motive of her own- to catch the man who killed her father.
Danger and intrigue collide with sizzling obsession when Seth and Raine are forced together by the enigmatic Lazar, but they soon find the lies they've told to catch a killer to be the biggest obstacle for their passion and they will have to go beyond their fears to trust the love that's burning just before their eyes.
An erotic thriller, this book will push the reader to their limits as much as Seth and Raine push each others' limits. Seth is over the top alpha and I have to agree with some of the other comments I've seen about this novel- there was an edge to him that smacks of abusive. However he never crosses the line, and eventually the heroine gets hip to what's going on.
The author does a fine job of showing Raine's inner strength when she stops Seth's behavior in his tracks. And, his very real love for Raine is what ultimately teaches him to let go of his control so he can learn to trust.
If you've ever wondered about the appeal of the romance novel, Behind Closed Doors is an excellent object example. Let's face it, no intelligent woman of today would put up with behavior like that from a lover- no matter how much a thrill of a strong, challenging, personality may give. However, we don't read romance for reality, we read it to escape for awhile and this book delivers.
Srsly, if you like a strong alpha hero, it doesn't get much better than Seth.
Raine Cameron doesn't know her every move is being observed, but she knows something about her new employer's apt makes her uneasy. Still, she's determined to stay put as she has an ulterior motive of her own- to catch the man who killed her father.
Danger and intrigue collide with sizzling obsession when Seth and Raine are forced together by the enigmatic Lazar, but they soon find the lies they've told to catch a killer to be the biggest obstacle for their passion and they will have to go beyond their fears to trust the love that's burning just before their eyes.
An erotic thriller, this book will push the reader to their limits as much as Seth and Raine push each others' limits. Seth is over the top alpha and I have to agree with some of the other comments I've seen about this novel- there was an edge to him that smacks of abusive. However he never crosses the line, and eventually the heroine gets hip to what's going on.
The author does a fine job of showing Raine's inner strength when she stops Seth's behavior in his tracks. And, his very real love for Raine is what ultimately teaches him to let go of his control so he can learn to trust.
If you've ever wondered about the appeal of the romance novel, Behind Closed Doors is an excellent object example. Let's face it, no intelligent woman of today would put up with behavior like that from a lover- no matter how much a thrill of a strong, challenging, personality may give. However, we don't read romance for reality, we read it to escape for awhile and this book delivers.
Srsly, if you like a strong alpha hero, it doesn't get much better than Seth.
April 24, 2008
Okay, so I'm thinking that maybe half this book is filled with nothing but sex--wild, tender, drawn-out, quick, no-nonsense sex. And yes, I'd admit that I grew a little tired of it after a while. Without a doubt it teteers perilously towards erotica.
In the risk of being stoned by feminists, I confess that I found Seth Mackey's near-obsession with Raine thrilling. I mean, really...what woman in her right mind would say no to that kind of man?? It didn't hurt that he's also intelligent, drily outrageous, and possessed of a rusty kind of heroism he didn't know he possessed. And Raine is that indecently gorgeous woman you SO want to hate out of envy but just can't 'cause she's actually very likeable (damn her!)--her adorable unselfconsciousness, her grace and level-headedness is the perfect counterpart to Seth's volatile character.
Chock-full of suspense and riddled with drama and wrenching human turmoil all around, Behind Closed Doors is one of the few contemporary risque reads I've really enjoyed.
In the risk of being stoned by feminists, I confess that I found Seth Mackey's near-obsession with Raine thrilling. I mean, really...what woman in her right mind would say no to that kind of man?? It didn't hurt that he's also intelligent, drily outrageous, and possessed of a rusty kind of heroism he didn't know he possessed. And Raine is that indecently gorgeous woman you SO want to hate out of envy but just can't 'cause she's actually very likeable (damn her!)--her adorable unselfconsciousness, her grace and level-headedness is the perfect counterpart to Seth's volatile character.
Chock-full of suspense and riddled with drama and wrenching human turmoil all around, Behind Closed Doors is one of the few contemporary risque reads I've really enjoyed.
June 16, 2011
I struggled with this book from time to time. I'm sorry to repeat myself but Seth Mackey is no match for Sean McCloud (Edge of Midnight). I think that Sean will hold a special place in my heart for a very long time. Seth was way too crude, too harsh. And he was really lacking in social skills. Sometimes, I actually got this feeling that the sex wasn't even consensual. He was like a freight train - what he wanted he got and no matter what. And Raine couldn't stop him to take what he wanted. This book didn't really work for me and I'd say it was even the weakest of the McCloud's & Friends series. The next book in this series will be released in September 2011. It's the story about Bruno (Blood and Fire). Ugh, get real - NO hero should be called Bruno. It reminds me of my school fellow. And he was the opposite of a hero! I know that Shannon is living and loving in Italy and of course Bruno is an Italian first name...but hey, what about Luca, Gian Luca, Mattia and so forth...?
January 17, 2014
2.5 I guess it was ok stars...
I cant really pinpoint the reason for my rating but one things for sure , the lossnof the stars definitely had domthing to do with tht crazy stalker...JESSE (who happrns to be the hero) and RAINE (who cd quite possibly be bella swans naive dumb long lost sister :P )
Honestly.. I just gound these two yo be personally annoying...and a vety distracting aspect of such a goid thrillar plot..I swear. ..its like everytime they get together , there just basically trying to mk a prono flivk or somthing .. :/
It was just plain annoying ...
The only saving grace of thid story was ..was its fabulous thriller part and the villian VICTOR (I freakin loved tht guy )
Over all not a bad read..but I wont be recommending or re reading this one anytime soon. Sorry :/
I cant really pinpoint the reason for my rating but one things for sure , the lossnof the stars definitely had domthing to do with tht crazy stalker...JESSE (who happrns to be the hero) and RAINE (who cd quite possibly be bella swans naive dumb long lost sister :P )
Honestly.. I just gound these two yo be personally annoying...and a vety distracting aspect of such a goid thrillar plot..I swear. ..its like everytime they get together , there just basically trying to mk a prono flivk or somthing .. :/
It was just plain annoying ...
The only saving grace of thid story was ..was its fabulous thriller part and the villian VICTOR (I freakin loved tht guy )
Over all not a bad read..but I wont be recommending or re reading this one anytime soon. Sorry :/
March 23, 2017
Couldn't get past a quarter of it. Shannon McKenna writes well, but I think the problem lies with characterisation: throw me a weepy 'heroine', a near-abusive, bipolar 'hero' and I'd throw in the towel. Immediately. I'm always struck by how much more the book could be, given the back story and the intrigue Ms Mckenna has set up from the very start. The copious amount of sex can't even make up for the bizarre post-coital abuse and crying and I started to wonder if both characters were truly better off without each other.
June 20, 2010
I thought the book was creepy, to be honest. The hero Seth was more like an aggressive stalker than someone I'd want to be with. Raine, to me, couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to be with him or not and I thought gave him way too much leeway with his actions. Very disappointing read.
I may try McKenna again at a later time but in all honestly I didn't find this book enjoyable at all.
I may try McKenna again at a later time but in all honestly I didn't find this book enjoyable at all.
December 23, 2014
This book got a lot of good things going for it: very good plot, interesting and complex villains and a heroine who grew and learned. It only gets 3 stars from me because I couldn't click with the hero. Don't get me wrong, by the end I was convinced he was the right person for the heroine and I enjoyed his road to self-discovery. I sort of understood him but I could just not like him that much.
November 23, 2018
I was disappointed. Numerous sex scenes detracted from an interesting story.
June 24, 2014
Not too keen on this one. Which is a shame because it looked interesting, and was recommended by an author that I do like. (Carolyn Crane - However, she was recommending it as a reader, not an author.)
I can't see my comments that I made while reading this one (they aren't showing up which is odd). But egads. No. Just no.
1) It could have easily been at least 100 pages shorter. Honestly, when I realized I still had 100 pages left to read, I groaned out loud and debated just stopping it.
2) Lots of just pointless sex scenes, which felt like filler.
3) Seth... was a sociopath. He admittedly had 'bad social skills' but no, what was going on with him was sociopathic. There was really nothing redeemable about him at all. Honestly he's the first alpha male jerk type character that I didn't even partially still like even though he was a big alpha male jerk.
4) Raine/Lorraine/Katie/Katya/Katerina.... was stupid. For someone so smart, she pretty much just spent the bulk of her time crying and not eating. Not a single time did we see this supposed intelligence.
5) Her mother, Alix (dumb name by the way) was absolutely despicable, and it boggles my mind how Raine who didn't even appear to like her mother,
6) Which also, no idea why
7) Ugh. The fucking dreaming. I think the book would have been a lot better if that entire portion of the plot was removed. It was lazy writing and just annoyed me. (Apparently I don't like psychic plots in my RomSuspense? Maybe I should right one so that I actually like it, since I haven't seen one done at all well enough for me to like it.)
8) Some of the prose (and yes, I say prose) just got really bad and sickeningly cliche. Also saw pretty much all of the plots well in advance. Nothing exciting at all.
9) The name of the series didn't seem remotely applicable until the very end. What is it, the 'McLeods & Friends'? The McLeods weren't really in it at all, and since the descriptions of them were all very scraggly mountain men types, disheveled and not remotely attractive, I don't think I'll bother checking them out if the books are going to annoy me like this one did.
I honestly cannot believe I slogged through it all. I should have just given up and moved on.
Edited to add:
Oh yeah #10)... The sex wasn't even that good. 90% of the sex scenes started with them fighting. I just kept thinking 'Wow. what a destructive relationship. That'll last less than a week.' I mean really, the sex even was just boarding on abusive at times. And I like rough hot sex.
I can't see my comments that I made while reading this one (they aren't showing up which is odd). But egads. No. Just no.
1) It could have easily been at least 100 pages shorter. Honestly, when I realized I still had 100 pages left to read, I groaned out loud and debated just stopping it.
2) Lots of just pointless sex scenes, which felt like filler.
3) Seth... was a sociopath. He admittedly had 'bad social skills' but no, what was going on with him was sociopathic. There was really nothing redeemable about him at all. Honestly he's the first alpha male jerk type character that I didn't even partially still like even though he was a big alpha male jerk.
4) Raine/Lorraine/Katie/Katya/Katerina.... was stupid. For someone so smart, she pretty much just spent the bulk of her time crying and not eating. Not a single time did we see this supposed intelligence.
5) Her mother, Alix (dumb name by the way) was absolutely despicable, and it boggles my mind how Raine who didn't even appear to like her mother,
6) Which also, no idea why
7) Ugh. The fucking dreaming. I think the book would have been a lot better if that entire portion of the plot was removed. It was lazy writing and just annoyed me. (Apparently I don't like psychic plots in my RomSuspense? Maybe I should right one so that I actually like it, since I haven't seen one done at all well enough for me to like it.)
8) Some of the prose (and yes, I say prose) just got really bad and sickeningly cliche. Also saw pretty much all of the plots well in advance. Nothing exciting at all.
9) The name of the series didn't seem remotely applicable until the very end. What is it, the 'McLeods & Friends'? The McLeods weren't really in it at all, and since the descriptions of them were all very scraggly mountain men types, disheveled and not remotely attractive, I don't think I'll bother checking them out if the books are going to annoy me like this one did.
I honestly cannot believe I slogged through it all. I should have just given up and moved on.
Edited to add:
Oh yeah #10)... The sex wasn't even that good. 90% of the sex scenes started with them fighting. I just kept thinking 'Wow. what a destructive relationship. That'll last less than a week.' I mean really, the sex even was just boarding on abusive at times. And I like rough hot sex.
January 27, 2015
Book 1...Start with Seth...
I feel the need to write a review here for all those of you who have not yet discovered the magnificent Shannon McKenna...I love her books. I love her men and I love all of her women...That is a one of kind for me!
The women are all different and Raine is a great introduction to the "type" or non-type the McKenna has in her books. The women are complex, sweet, and loving but have backbone. And in this first book we meet my girl-crush...Tamar! Man do I love her and her book with Niko...hmmmm, simply delicious. But that is jumping too many books ahead.
Seth is tough and jaded and bitter on life. He only trusted one person in his whole life and that was his half brother Jesse. Now, trying to find his killers, Seth is single minded in his pursuit...that is until he sees Raine through the camera lense. He falls in lust with her during his surveillance, but when he meets her in person...all bets are off!
I love his chest-pounding and blustering and alpha macho crap...and I love that Raine sets him in his place. She is silently strong and resiliant. I enjoyed watching her blossom under his "touch" (more like his pounding, but then Raine likes it when he loses his control too!).
Raine and Seth are great together and watching them work as a team and Raine gain Seth's trust gave my heart the squeeze quite a few times (even on the third read through)...then there are the sex scenes! Detailed, romantic, aggressive, generous and a plenty!
Shannon McKenna's McCloud and Friends ROCKS...I love this series and I was soo excited to have discovered it in 2006!
I feel the need to write a review here for all those of you who have not yet discovered the magnificent Shannon McKenna...I love her books. I love her men and I love all of her women...That is a one of kind for me!
The women are all different and Raine is a great introduction to the "type" or non-type the McKenna has in her books. The women are complex, sweet, and loving but have backbone. And in this first book we meet my girl-crush...Tamar! Man do I love her and her book with Niko...hmmmm, simply delicious. But that is jumping too many books ahead.
Seth is tough and jaded and bitter on life. He only trusted one person in his whole life and that was his half brother Jesse. Now, trying to find his killers, Seth is single minded in his pursuit...that is until he sees Raine through the camera lense. He falls in lust with her during his surveillance, but when he meets her in person...all bets are off!
I love his chest-pounding and blustering and alpha macho crap...and I love that Raine sets him in his place. She is silently strong and resiliant. I enjoyed watching her blossom under his "touch" (more like his pounding, but then Raine likes it when he loses his control too!).
Raine and Seth are great together and watching them work as a team and Raine gain Seth's trust gave my heart the squeeze quite a few times (even on the third read through)...then there are the sex scenes! Detailed, romantic, aggressive, generous and a plenty!
Shannon McKenna's McCloud and Friends ROCKS...I love this series and I was soo excited to have discovered it in 2006!
April 18, 2013
Book 1 in the McCloud and Friends series, I enjoyed this for what it was. I fun read, I had a hard time with the book, I didn’t find the characters believable. Seth, was a bully, a stalker and little social skills. Raine was clueless, didn’t know how to tell the truth.
So when I stopped dissecting them, I had fun with this story. The suspense part of this story was enjoyable, and the sex was hot! Seth was an Uber-Alpha hot man and Raine gradually grew up a little and started thinking for herself. If you like a little suspense with your sex then this is the book for you! What was different about the sex in this book for me was the role playing (pirate, love slave, princess you get it). And while I don’t want to read a story that is all about sex, it was nice to see a little diversion, a little playtime fun!
Raine is trying to figure out the circumstances to her father’s death, and Seth is on a mission to avenge his brother’s murder. Both are determined to get to the truth, but neither is going to tell the other their real purpose.
Like I said earlier, Seth is a bully, uber bossy, stalker and lacks social skills. He really pissed me off for a while, but eventually I found it fun and exciting to imagine a big bad uber badass who had to have me no matter what! Because when I had enough, I could close the book and stop living in that small fantasy of mine! He wasn’t the ideal hero by any stretch of the imagination, but i secretly enjoyed him anyway (well not a secret anymore lol).
I will be reading more of this series.
So when I stopped dissecting them, I had fun with this story. The suspense part of this story was enjoyable, and the sex was hot! Seth was an Uber-Alpha hot man and Raine gradually grew up a little and started thinking for herself. If you like a little suspense with your sex then this is the book for you! What was different about the sex in this book for me was the role playing (pirate, love slave, princess you get it). And while I don’t want to read a story that is all about sex, it was nice to see a little diversion, a little playtime fun!
Raine is trying to figure out the circumstances to her father’s death, and Seth is on a mission to avenge his brother’s murder. Both are determined to get to the truth, but neither is going to tell the other their real purpose.
Like I said earlier, Seth is a bully, uber bossy, stalker and lacks social skills. He really pissed me off for a while, but eventually I found it fun and exciting to imagine a big bad uber badass who had to have me no matter what! Because when I had enough, I could close the book and stop living in that small fantasy of mine! He wasn’t the ideal hero by any stretch of the imagination, but i secretly enjoyed him anyway (well not a secret anymore lol).
I will be reading more of this series.
September 10, 2013
Horrible characters make "Behind Closed Doors" by Shannon McKenna mind-numbingly insipid...
Hero Seth Mackey: Uber-Alpha Neanderthal male who lacks social skills and constantly has to tell his girlfriend/mistress "you want it/you love it". (Yes, really...As if that's sexy and makes women hot. LOL!)
Heroine Raine Cameron/Katya Lazar: Innocent, inappropriately giggly, wishy-washy, "yes, damn you, I do love it", cries-after-sex wimp who tries to find a backbone but fails miserably.
Baddies: Raine's uncle or father, Victor Lazar (a wealthy, powerful, abusive, murdering, immoral bastard who somehow -- utterly unbelievably and absolutely disturbingly -- gets a pass from Raine at the end of the book) and even more over-the-top evil villain, Kurt Novak.
Plot: Both Raine and Seth want to bring down Victor and Kurt, who are responsible for Raine's father's (or uncle's) death and Seth's brother's death. OK. Not bad. I've read worse. But it dragged on and on for 430 freakin' pages and grew stale after about halfway through. By the time they were all at the party on Victor's island, I was hoping someone would just drop a bomb on the place and be done with it.
Bottom line: UGH!!! ICK!!! BLECK!!! I didn't want it, I didn't love it, and I deserve better than this!!!
Hero Seth Mackey: Uber-Alpha Neanderthal male who lacks social skills and constantly has to tell his girlfriend/mistress "you want it/you love it". (Yes, really...As if that's sexy and makes women hot. LOL!)
Heroine Raine Cameron/Katya Lazar: Innocent, inappropriately giggly, wishy-washy, "yes, damn you, I do love it", cries-after-sex wimp who tries to find a backbone but fails miserably.
Baddies: Raine's uncle or father, Victor Lazar (a wealthy, powerful, abusive, murdering, immoral bastard who somehow -- utterly unbelievably and absolutely disturbingly -- gets a pass from Raine at the end of the book) and even more over-the-top evil villain, Kurt Novak.
Plot: Both Raine and Seth want to bring down Victor and Kurt, who are responsible for Raine's father's (or uncle's) death and Seth's brother's death. OK. Not bad. I've read worse. But it dragged on and on for 430 freakin' pages and grew stale after about halfway through. By the time they were all at the party on Victor's island, I was hoping someone would just drop a bomb on the place and be done with it.
Bottom line: UGH!!! ICK!!! BLECK!!! I didn't want it, I didn't love it, and I deserve better than this!!!
July 15, 2021
So, this was a reread. I’ve read this book dozens of times over the the last decade and change, but this is the first time I’ve listened to the audio book (the ebooks are temporarily unavailable so I was only able to listen on Scribd) I think I prefer the book to audio, because Shannon McKenna’s style sounds a bit melodramatic when narrated. My interpretation in my head has much less *flourish* 😬🤣… but it was still fun to revisit Seth and Raine.
This is a romantic suspense. Seth is a pushy aggressive jealous/possessive alphahole H and a tortured soul. 🥵🥵 And Raine is sweet and innocent-ish, even though she’s 28. They are a fun combination. Seth initially believes she’s a call-girl. 😬 #awkward 😂
Seth has become obsessed with Raine while monitoring hidden cameras In her apartment for months while working a surveillance job. He has no issue with picking her locks or putting trackers in her phone and vehicle. He’s bossy and demanding. He thinks “no” means “maybe” and a slap is just a challenge. 😏 So, in other words, he’s my very favorite kind of hero. {👀🙀 Did I really say that?? 😳👀 }
Raine is soft and sweet and clever with hidden fire and untapped strength. She’s the perfect damsel in distress, but finds she can hold her own in a dangerous situation when put to the test. She manages to tame the caveman without emasculating him. ❤️
No cheating or sharing or OW drama.
This is a romantic suspense. Seth is a pushy aggressive jealous/possessive alphahole H and a tortured soul. 🥵🥵 And Raine is sweet and innocent-ish, even though she’s 28. They are a fun combination. Seth initially believes she’s a call-girl. 😬 #awkward 😂
Seth has become obsessed with Raine while monitoring hidden cameras In her apartment for months while working a surveillance job. He has no issue with picking her locks or putting trackers in her phone and vehicle. He’s bossy and demanding. He thinks “no” means “maybe” and a slap is just a challenge. 😏 So, in other words, he’s my very favorite kind of hero. {👀🙀 Did I really say that?? 😳👀 }
Raine is soft and sweet and clever with hidden fire and untapped strength. She’s the perfect damsel in distress, but finds she can hold her own in a dangerous situation when put to the test. She manages to tame the caveman without emasculating him. ❤️
No cheating or sharing or OW drama.
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