What do you think?
Rate this book
Guinevere Jones #1
The Desperate Game
GUINEVERE JONES--Smart, savvy, and something else to see. She was an independent operator until Zac enlisted her secret services and ignited a desire for adventure--and romance.
ZACHARIAH JUSTIS--The dark, rugged private eye thought he could use Gwen, then let her go. But forcing her to become his personal spy meant stepping into his own trap to discover the perfect partner--in danger and in love.
The dynamic duo follows a baffling trail of high-voltage video game clues to solve a computer crime and catch a cunning high-tech killer.
ZACHARIAH JUSTIS--The dark, rugged private eye thought he could use Gwen, then let her go. But forcing her to become his personal spy meant stepping into his own trap to discover the perfect partner--in danger and in love.
The dynamic duo follows a baffling trail of high-voltage video game clues to solve a computer crime and catch a cunning high-tech killer.
6 pages, Audible Audio
First published June 1, 1986
340 people are currently reading
770 people want to read
About the author
Jayne Castle
53 books2,157 followersThe author of over 40 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.
Pseudonyms:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Amanda Quick
Stephanie James
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.
Pseudonyms:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Amanda Quick
Stephanie James
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
September 17, 2018
A cute if thin romance.
It's a short novel, and it's a pity as the plot needed way more meat to be appreciated.
Given its price (7$ for 1986 short book), I don't plan to keep reading the series.
It's a short novel, and it's a pity as the plot needed way more meat to be appreciated.
Given its price (7$ for 1986 short book), I don't plan to keep reading the series.
June 10, 2008
If you want to take a quick trip back to the 80s, then pick up "The Desperate Game" in the Guinevere Jones series by Jayne Castle AKA Jayne Ann Krentz. This is probably the hardest series to find from JAK even though it's only 4 books and was published by Dell. The backcover blurb says, "If you like Moonlighting...If Remington Steele turns you on..." So of course, I HAD to have these. And I am pleased to say I still enjoyed them (considering the time and society norms of when they were written) quite a bit. The books are each about the size of a Harlequin, so pretty quick reads...
Guinevere Jones is an independent woman of the 80s (1980s) and recently started her own temporary staffing agency. After an employee called in sick, Gwen finds herself working at a yuppie bar and is dismayed when an obviously out of place man there knows her name and is apparently attempting to blackmail her! She calls him a frog, but for some reason, he seems to be growing on her...
Zachariah Justis has never been a 'team player'. He's recently opened up his own security consulting firm with a whopping one employee, himself. He really needs this job and it looks like Gwen could be just the key he needs to wrap it up quickly, so he finds a way to force her to help him. Now if he could just stop thinking about her!
Guinevere Jones is an independent woman of the 80s (1980s) and recently started her own temporary staffing agency. After an employee called in sick, Gwen finds herself working at a yuppie bar and is dismayed when an obviously out of place man there knows her name and is apparently attempting to blackmail her! She calls him a frog, but for some reason, he seems to be growing on her...
Zachariah Justis has never been a 'team player'. He's recently opened up his own security consulting firm with a whopping one employee, himself. He really needs this job and it looks like Gwen could be just the key he needs to wrap it up quickly, so he finds a way to force her to help him. Now if he could just stop thinking about her!
June 28, 2019
This was an old novel and a really lousy one. First, the hero blackmails the heroine to do his bidding and help him in his investigation. Then he sleeps with her without any sign of wooing or any nice words or even any foreplay, and she lets him. Then he accuses her of being a mastermind behind the bad guys and interrogates her with a high level of hostility. And then, she falls in love with him.
I didn't believe any of it. He is cold and unfeeling. She behaves like a stupid, all-forgiving cow. He never apologizes for his mistreatment of her. I don't think he even felt slightly guilty. But she still loves him? The whole romantic aspect of this book was so incredible it left a bad taste on my mouth. The dismal writing and no logic in the suspense didn't help either. Yew! Truly disgusting.
I know this author only hit her stride around 1990, and I like her later books a lot. Although this was published before, in 1986, I hoped for a little more refinement. I didn't get my hope.
I didn't believe any of it. He is cold and unfeeling. She behaves like a stupid, all-forgiving cow. He never apologizes for his mistreatment of her. I don't think he even felt slightly guilty. But she still loves him? The whole romantic aspect of this book was so incredible it left a bad taste on my mouth. The dismal writing and no logic in the suspense didn't help either. Yew! Truly disgusting.
I know this author only hit her stride around 1990, and I like her later books a lot. Although this was published before, in 1986, I hoped for a little more refinement. I didn't get my hope.
February 16, 2020
I always appreciate a romantic suspense book by Ms. Krentz and this one did not disappoint. Strong characters and a quickly paced plot with just enough twists to keep me turning the pages. There are four books in this series and I'm looking forward to reading the next one soon.
June 24, 2020
I was looking for a romance, but this is a cozy mystery with the bumbling heroine and a pseudo alpha male
December 26, 2023
Very dated book from 1986
This novel is so dated, it's almost like reading an historical novel. It represents one of JAK's earliest forays into writing romantic suspense. This is the first book in a series linked by the same FMC and MMC in each book. I put off attempting to read this series for years, because I had a feeling that, similar to many of her earliest romances from the '80s, it was going to be a sexist clunker. Unfortunately, my prediction was right. I dislike the MMC, and I'm not much more fond of the FMC. I'm not going to continue on with the other three books.
This novel is so dated, it's almost like reading an historical novel. It represents one of JAK's earliest forays into writing romantic suspense. This is the first book in a series linked by the same FMC and MMC in each book. I put off attempting to read this series for years, because I had a feeling that, similar to many of her earliest romances from the '80s, it was going to be a sexist clunker. Unfortunately, my prediction was right. I dislike the MMC, and I'm not much more fond of the FMC. I'm not going to continue on with the other three books.
July 3, 2017
More of a 3.5 for me as the outdated computer talk sometimes threw me for a loop. Let me warn any non-gamers or too young to remember how to run a program off of a floppy disk readers - some of this is downright silly sounding, but it's pretty true.
At first I found it hard to get into the characters. Zac spends a lot of time acting a bit too amateur to seem like a hard hitting private eye and Gwen seems to flippant to be a strong small business owner. Together, with Zac obviously falling for Gwen first, their conversations were a bit difficult to not roll my eyes at.
Also I'll be honest, the true villain here is so easy to spot I was a bit annoyed. A lot of time is spent on seemingly red herring distractions that I'm not quite sure when the plot decided those distractions were important observations. Especially when half the time Zac or Gwen out right says "This info is trivial and barely worth noting".
Spoiler: that isn't EVER TRUE of anything found out.
I did appreciate that Gwen was hesitant to trust Zac. He was blackmailing her into helping him then decided to add a personal relationship to that. It was a bit...squicky with the implications and Gwen was quick to point that out. He seemed perfectly fine with compartmentalizing and Gwen, like any reasonable person honestly, was like "um no? How do you not see the problem here?"
Overall I enjoyed the book enough to want to read book two THE CHILLING DECEPTION and see where this twosome goes.
At first I found it hard to get into the characters. Zac spends a lot of time acting a bit too amateur to seem like a hard hitting private eye and Gwen seems to flippant to be a strong small business owner. Together, with Zac obviously falling for Gwen first, their conversations were a bit difficult to not roll my eyes at.
Also I'll be honest, the true villain here is so easy to spot I was a bit annoyed. A lot of time is spent on seemingly red herring distractions that I'm not quite sure when the plot decided those distractions were important observations. Especially when half the time Zac or Gwen out right says "This info is trivial and barely worth noting".
Spoiler: that isn't EVER TRUE of anything found out.
I did appreciate that Gwen was hesitant to trust Zac. He was blackmailing her into helping him then decided to add a personal relationship to that. It was a bit...squicky with the implications and Gwen was quick to point that out. He seemed perfectly fine with compartmentalizing and Gwen, like any reasonable person honestly, was like "um no? How do you not see the problem here?"
Overall I enjoyed the book enough to want to read book two THE CHILLING DECEPTION and see where this twosome goes.
August 29, 2012
The "Guinevere Jones" books were originally published in 1986, and they have just been re-released as audiobooks. Jayne Castle is, of course, one of the pen names of Jayne Ann Krentz, who also writes as Amanda Quick. I love her writing in all of her identities, and while the Jones books are clearly a little dated, this one was fun and entertaining. Castle/Krentz writes GREAT characters, and this book has a lot of them. Guin, owner of a temp agency, and Zach, newly minted P.I. with a ex-spy background, are sharp, well-drawn love interests. Their supporting cast includes Carla, Guin's sister who is recovering from a bad break-up; Zach's friend Russ, who just helped him get an investigative gig; and Cal and Larry, resident computer geeks and Guin's co-workers at her latest temp assignment (one that Zach black-mailed her into taking). The mystery unfolds with some predictability, but that didn't take away from the fun. A light, fast, enjoyable read (or now, listen!)
October 27, 2020
So, it turns out that the same decades Krentz was writing quirky romances set in the NW she also wrote romantic suspense, this series of four mystery/romance novels, under the name Jayne Castle. Marketed at the time to target fans of Remington Steele and Moonlighting (TV shows), they're now available in e-book. This is the first and made an enjoyable read.
The plot revolves around industrial espionage and a video game, back in the days when they were like chose-your-own-adventure books. "You walk onto a bridge. A troll sits at the other end. Do you A) Pull out your sword and fight B) Jump off the bridge?" The dated feel of the computer games didn't spoil the story for me but it might bother some people. It wasn't especially puzzling and I can't say that the characters came alive very well, but it was clean and entertaining and I liked it enough to read the next one.
The plot revolves around industrial espionage and a video game, back in the days when they were like chose-your-own-adventure books. "You walk onto a bridge. A troll sits at the other end. Do you A) Pull out your sword and fight B) Jump off the bridge?" The dated feel of the computer games didn't spoil the story for me but it might bother some people. It wasn't especially puzzling and I can't say that the characters came alive very well, but it was clean and entertaining and I liked it enough to read the next one.
July 25, 2012
The story is a bit dated (it is from 1986) especially since it centers on computer programmers, but is was still enjoyable. Gwen is blackmailed into going undercover as a secretary for Zach as he is trying to find a thief. The banter between Gwen and Zach is fun and Elf Hunt was an interesting addition. I'll be checking out the rest of the series - which really was never in doubt as JAK is my favorite author.
July 21, 2013
This has a bit of a dated feel with all of the 1980s lifestyle features (fern bars, Yuppies, etc.), but it's also classic old Jayne Ann Krentz before the paranormal elements took over, and I enjoyed it.
April 3, 2020
Dating from the time before everyone had a pc, a tablet, and a cellphone, this is still a neat little romantic suspense yarn and perfect as escapist fiction. Plus there are three more books in the series.
July 24, 2012
Narrated by Kate Rudd - Narration 4*s
January 15, 2017
Huh. Not her best but interesting enough that I kinda want to see where the series goes.
April 19, 2020
This book was published by Dell in June 1986 and was book #1 in a four-book mystery series written by Jayne A. Krentz under her Jayne Castle pen-name. Each novel is a standalone story starring Guinevere Jones ("Gwen" for short) who runs a temp agency called Camelot Services, and Zachariah Justis ("Zac" for short) who runs a security agency called Free Enterprise Security. Both operations are small-time, however, with Zac being the only employee of his business and Gwen being helped by her sister Carla. Gwen and Zac meet for the first time here and that introduction suggests that Zac is an unpleasant character, since he blackmails Gwen to go undercover for him in a computer company, StarrTech, that he is investigating. Zac becomes more likable as the story rolls along. Initially Gwen compares Zac to a frog, and the descriptions of his rough manner and large size kept causing me to envision a fat, slovenly character like Harvey Bullock in the Batman comics. But the author occasionally messes with that mental image by noting his muscular "solidly built body" which is closer to the rugged-looking guy depicted on the cover. Despite being "the ugliest man in the bar" (to quote the novel's opening sentence) Zac and Gwen develop a sexual relationship, which allows the two to speculate on whether a kissed frog turns into a prince. That is the main "romance" aspect of the novel (in addition to Carla's interest in one of StarrTech's workers), the personality conflict between two strong-willed people who are helping each other to solve a mystery. The book is marketed more as a mystery novel, however, and the mystery about who has been stealing from StarrTech forms the bulk of the story. I found the conclusion to the mystery to be satisfying. It's not a fantastic must-read, but a fun diversion like watching an episode of a TV show like "Castle" (no pun intended). I rate it 3.5 stars, just slightly better than average. The book ends with a bonus: the first chapter of the next novel in the series, "The Chilling Deception," which from this preview looks equally as enjoyable.
August 28, 2023
So, I bought this series on Amazon, assuming from the Jayne Castle author that this would be in the vein of JAK’s current paranormal series. Unfortunately, this is just a dated light romantic suspense, with an old skool-esque hero.
Our heroine is Guinevere Jones, who has started her own temp agency, but is quickly blackmailed by security consultant Zac Justis into doing a spot of light espionage for his firm. She’s asked to return to StarrTech (? I frankly don’t remember), where she had previously done a temp job, to see if she can figure out who’s been diverting shipments. Along the way, she figures out that there’s also a missing programmer in the firm, and her errant sister Carla, also ties into StarrTech. The mystery itself is somewhat bland and predictable, but I’m not a big suspense fan.
As this is JAK, I’m sure no one will be shocked to learn that sparks allegedly fly between Guinevere and Zac. And, honestly, they do have their moments of chemistry. But on their first meeting, Zac tells her, for absolutely no reason, that he should put her in a cage, then behaves like a possessive, jealous ass for the entire rest of the series. I love Guinevere, I love the Seattle setting, but Zac needs to be rewritten for the modern reader.
Our heroine is Guinevere Jones, who has started her own temp agency, but is quickly blackmailed by security consultant Zac Justis into doing a spot of light espionage for his firm. She’s asked to return to StarrTech (? I frankly don’t remember), where she had previously done a temp job, to see if she can figure out who’s been diverting shipments. Along the way, she figures out that there’s also a missing programmer in the firm, and her errant sister Carla, also ties into StarrTech. The mystery itself is somewhat bland and predictable, but I’m not a big suspense fan.
As this is JAK, I’m sure no one will be shocked to learn that sparks allegedly fly between Guinevere and Zac. And, honestly, they do have their moments of chemistry. But on their first meeting, Zac tells her, for absolutely no reason, that he should put her in a cage, then behaves like a possessive, jealous ass for the entire rest of the series. I love Guinevere, I love the Seattle setting, but Zac needs to be rewritten for the modern reader.
September 15, 2024
GUINEVERE JONES-- new business - temp agency... a people person, working hard to make her business take off... until...
ZACHARIAH JUSTIS.... new business - security and PI... - special forces of some type... then worked for CIA as negotiator... now opening own business, and ex forces buddy asks for his help in figuring out who is stealing from the company. He's a plodder - thinks and thinks, and asks questions and thinks, until the ends tie together...
And Zach blackmails Guinevere to go back to the company as a temp in the Tech department - to see if she can pick up some clues... she'd been at the company 6 months earlier, and embezzeled $10,000 - to pay her sister's medical/psychiatric bills after the company boss used her, lied to her, and dumped her.
as they go along, they get tied into two tech guys working on own video game using co-workers and bosses as characters... one disappears, after re-writing the game program... and... it ends up that the bad guy is his friend...
but they find a connection...
ZACHARIAH JUSTIS.... new business - security and PI... - special forces of some type... then worked for CIA as negotiator... now opening own business, and ex forces buddy asks for his help in figuring out who is stealing from the company. He's a plodder - thinks and thinks, and asks questions and thinks, until the ends tie together...
And Zach blackmails Guinevere to go back to the company as a temp in the Tech department - to see if she can pick up some clues... she'd been at the company 6 months earlier, and embezzeled $10,000 - to pay her sister's medical/psychiatric bills after the company boss used her, lied to her, and dumped her.
as they go along, they get tied into two tech guys working on own video game using co-workers and bosses as characters... one disappears, after re-writing the game program... and... it ends up that the bad guy is his friend...
but they find a connection...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2018
First off - I absolutely love Jayne Castle's future novels. Have from the day I discovered Amaryllis and still do to this day.
Second 0ff - Modern day stories - usually those are under the author's real name, Jayne Ann Krentz - and I just don't seem to be able to get into those, they just don't intrigue me
Third off - historical stories - written under the pen name Amanda Quick - love them.
Ok...so now that you know I love the past and the future, but I can't get into the present you might understand my review a little better.
I felt tricked by this book. It was under the Jayne Castle name, so I expected future. Nope, its a present day - although a bit of a dated present day. I'm not sure what it is about the present day stuff, but none of it intrigues me or catches my interest like the past or the future.
Now, I'm not going to absolutely pan this book, because its still good writing and a decent story, its just not my cup of tea.
Second 0ff - Modern day stories - usually those are under the author's real name, Jayne Ann Krentz - and I just don't seem to be able to get into those, they just don't intrigue me
Third off - historical stories - written under the pen name Amanda Quick - love them.
Ok...so now that you know I love the past and the future, but I can't get into the present you might understand my review a little better.
I felt tricked by this book. It was under the Jayne Castle name, so I expected future. Nope, its a present day - although a bit of a dated present day. I'm not sure what it is about the present day stuff, but none of it intrigues me or catches my interest like the past or the future.
Now, I'm not going to absolutely pan this book, because its still good writing and a decent story, its just not my cup of tea.
September 22, 2019
This was originally published in 1986 and I read it a few years after that. At the time, I read the first 3 books and while it seemed like there should be a 4th, I could never find it. (Life before the internet were dark times, people.) I've thought of it over the years and finally found it again, and yes, there's a 4th book. I decided to reread it and see if I wanted to actually finish the series.
My verdict? I'm not sure. It's pretty dated, and I didn't like how the romantic relationship developed. The guy wasn't completely terrible, but he did start things off by blackmailing her to work for him, so that wasn't good. And it seemed unnecessary. There's also some discussion of mental health that could have been handled better. The mystery was pretty good, but
I may continue on, but I feel no urgency.
My verdict? I'm not sure. It's pretty dated, and I didn't like how the romantic relationship developed. The guy wasn't completely terrible, but he did start things off by blackmailing her to work for him, so that wasn't good. And it seemed unnecessary. There's also some discussion of mental health that could have been handled better. The mystery was pretty good, but
I may continue on, but I feel no urgency.
September 21, 2020
This book was entertaining. It was short, so it's pretty good if you're looking for a quick read. I thought Guinevere's character was pretty cool, and the frog metaphors were fun.
I think if you want me to like Zac by the end, maybe constantly comparing him to a frog isn't the best thing, but this is the first book in the series, so we have time.
One thing I think is done really well here is building up suspense. I didn't think I was that into this book, but I definitely felt worried on Guinevere's behalf. As well as angry.
So yeah, I don't have much to say about this one. I'm not biting my nails or shaking on the edge of my seat to read the next one, but this one definitely kept me entertained. Still, the second book is available at the library so I'll probably read it.
I think if you want me to like Zac by the end, maybe constantly comparing him to a frog isn't the best thing, but this is the first book in the series, so we have time.
One thing I think is done really well here is building up suspense. I didn't think I was that into this book, but I definitely felt worried on Guinevere's behalf. As well as angry.
So yeah, I don't have much to say about this one. I'm not biting my nails or shaking on the edge of my seat to read the next one, but this one definitely kept me entertained. Still, the second book is available at the library so I'll probably read it.
July 9, 2021
I've been going through the Jayne Castle, Jayne Ann Krentz and Amanda Quick books at my online library. Overall I find them quite entertaining, even though I'm usually not a fan of historical novels (Amanda Quick). Sadly, this book seems to be the exception. Seriously, the guy blackmails, objectifies and bullies the woman. I know that sometimes a character is supposed to look 'bad' but turns out better but there's no real way to come back from this. It's gross. There is nothing worse than a blackmailer. Meanwhile the woman, is tempermental and pouts. Which may be reasonable but tame and lame. Even if she thinks she has no choice but to go along, she should be mentally forming murder plots not considering sex/a relationship. This is so messed up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2022
The Desperate Game (Guinevere Jones, #1)
by Jayne Castle (Goodreads Author)
I gave this book 3 stars but deliberated between 2 and 3 stars. 'The Desperate Game' was written in 1986 and is one of Jayne Castle's earliest works, so it still has the "Harlequinesque" writing style popular or expected back then. But you can see that Castle can create and tell a good story. Fortunately, her later works drop many of the things that annoy me in this story.
I've been trying to catch up on Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick's early books so I expected to see some of the writing style expected from writers in the 1980s. I'm happy that the Guinevere Jones series (4 books) was reprinted in 2012 or my library wouldn't have had a chance to get them.
by Jayne Castle (Goodreads Author)
I gave this book 3 stars but deliberated between 2 and 3 stars. 'The Desperate Game' was written in 1986 and is one of Jayne Castle's earliest works, so it still has the "Harlequinesque" writing style popular or expected back then. But you can see that Castle can create and tell a good story. Fortunately, her later works drop many of the things that annoy me in this story.
I've been trying to catch up on Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick's early books so I expected to see some of the writing style expected from writers in the 1980s. I'm happy that the Guinevere Jones series (4 books) was reprinted in 2012 or my library wouldn't have had a chance to get them.
January 30, 2024
Guinevere Jones
Zachariah Justin (Zac)
Guinevere (Gwen) Jones runs her Temporary Employment Business, Camelot Services. Zac owns an Investigative Service Business, Free Enterprise Security Investigation, Inc. He is a former Operative for the military. Zac blackmails Gwen to helping him with his investigation by having her being a plant in the business. He’s searching for who is behind missing shipments. Gwen reluctantly agrees. Gwen and Zac have a hot and cold relationship. This is a good book, first in series. The series should be read in order to understand how they get together. I would read other books by this author and this series.
Zachariah Justin (Zac)
Guinevere (Gwen) Jones runs her Temporary Employment Business, Camelot Services. Zac owns an Investigative Service Business, Free Enterprise Security Investigation, Inc. He is a former Operative for the military. Zac blackmails Gwen to helping him with his investigation by having her being a plant in the business. He’s searching for who is behind missing shipments. Gwen reluctantly agrees. Gwen and Zac have a hot and cold relationship. This is a good book, first in series. The series should be read in order to understand how they get together. I would read other books by this author and this series.
August 31, 2020
An oldie but a goody
Written back in the eighties and dealing with computer technology means aspects of the story are quaintly outdated. In those days a couple of geeks could program a computer game, whereas now large teams are required to deal with the complexity.
The plot is fairly simple, but there are some amusing scenes of a couple interacting realistically. Not super sleuths driving sports cars, but people worrying about who pays for dinner and catching the bus to their destinations.
Written back in the eighties and dealing with computer technology means aspects of the story are quaintly outdated. In those days a couple of geeks could program a computer game, whereas now large teams are required to deal with the complexity.
The plot is fairly simple, but there are some amusing scenes of a couple interacting realistically. Not super sleuths driving sports cars, but people worrying about who pays for dinner and catching the bus to their destinations.
November 24, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
I love these 1980’s romantic suspense novels. There’s only a smattering of romantic thoughts and only one explicit scene that almost feels vanilla compared to what’s out there today. What books from the 1980’s, or at least Jayne Castle/Jayne Ann Krentz’s books, are most about is the suspense and sense of adventure. What I enjoyed most about this one was the banter between Guinevere and Zac and that, for once, the hero wasn’t just some macho man. Zac was mindful of the people involved in the case and thought out every action before he moved.
I love these 1980’s romantic suspense novels. There’s only a smattering of romantic thoughts and only one explicit scene that almost feels vanilla compared to what’s out there today. What books from the 1980’s, or at least Jayne Castle/Jayne Ann Krentz’s books, are most about is the suspense and sense of adventure. What I enjoyed most about this one was the banter between Guinevere and Zac and that, for once, the hero wasn’t just some macho man. Zac was mindful of the people involved in the case and thought out every action before he moved.
June 25, 2017
This was one of those fast reads that you could read in one sitting. Even though I guessed who the bad guy was, I did enjoy how we got to it in the end. I liked all the characters and the writing was good for a small romantic suspense novel. I have the second one of this series in an omnibus, so will probably read number 2.
I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars. If you want a really quick read with some interesting characters, then this is the book for you.
I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars. If you want a really quick read with some interesting characters, then this is the book for you.
March 9, 2023
Excellent start to her four novel series
Desperate Game starts off fast and had a good pace to keep you enthralled. Gwen and Zac might start out on the wrong foot, but as things progress they need to rely on each other a little more. The characters were well written, pace was excellent, and mystery held my attention all the way through the book. So while it's an old book, it's still an excellent read!
Desperate Game starts off fast and had a good pace to keep you enthralled. Gwen and Zac might start out on the wrong foot, but as things progress they need to rely on each other a little more. The characters were well written, pace was excellent, and mystery held my attention all the way through the book. So while it's an old book, it's still an excellent read!
March 22, 2023
::Sigh::
Jayne Castle/Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick is usually a guaranteed read, but this one left a bit to be desired. It felt a little slow going to me, while the sex, on the other hand, struck me as rushed and the description almost juvenile. And what happened to condoms?
It could have been because things are a bit at sixes and sevens right now, and possibly the second book will be better, so I'll give Book 2, whenever it comes out, a try. Here's hoping.
Jayne Castle/Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick is usually a guaranteed read, but this one left a bit to be desired. It felt a little slow going to me, while the sex, on the other hand, struck me as rushed and the description almost juvenile. And what happened to condoms?
It could have been because things are a bit at sixes and sevens right now, and possibly the second book will be better, so I'll give Book 2, whenever it comes out, a try. Here's hoping.
August 24, 2024
Fun~
I will read anything from Krentz/Castle/Quick - all of her stuff is fun. The leading ladies are always intelligent and independent. The men are strong, protective, but willing to listen to those ladies.
This series is older, in the early days of PCs and before ubiquitous cell phones, but doesn’t really show too much in the story, although it would be very easy for the author to update it.
I will definitely read the rest of the series!
I will read anything from Krentz/Castle/Quick - all of her stuff is fun. The leading ladies are always intelligent and independent. The men are strong, protective, but willing to listen to those ladies.
This series is older, in the early days of PCs and before ubiquitous cell phones, but doesn’t really show too much in the story, although it would be very easy for the author to update it.
I will definitely read the rest of the series!
January 29, 2017
I had almost forgotten how much fun a Jayne Castle/ Jayne Krentz book can be. This an old one and there are a few telling points. But it is still fun. It is the first in the series of books about Genevieve Jones and Zac Justis. I can't believe I had never picked it up to read before. Glad I did.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews