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Deadline
HE WANTS HER BODY AND HEART, BUT A KILLER WANTS HER SOUL... After her erotic romance novels become international bestsellers, writer Gillian Tate cannot enjoy her long-sought success once her husband files for divorce and she becomes the target of threats from a religious fringe hate group. When she tries to find peace in the solitude of a remote lakeside cabin to complete the third novel in the trilogy, not only does she meet the man who can fulfill her secret desires, she also finds she hasn't escaped danger by leaving the city. When the Adirondack town's police chief Sam Taylor learns of the threats and checks in on the notorious author, he is surprised to find the voluptuous woman he meets is nothing like he would have expected from her erotic novels - but everything he has imagined in his own fantasies. Can he and the woman of his dreams survive her waking nightmare? Adult Content: This erotic romantic suspense includes scenes of bondage between consenting adults.
202 pages, Paperback
First published July 26, 2014
1 person is currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Scarlet Hawthorne
2 books48 followersScarlet Hawthorne began writing short stories at the age of eight, poems at ten, and wrote her first novella – a romantic tragedy – at twelve. Today she enjoys creating characters who discover integrity and their authentic selves through their sexuality.
An award-winning and bestselling author in a variety of genres under other pen names, Scarlet was a featured author at the 2014 BDSM Writers Conference in New York City and contributed an excerpt from her upcoming romantic suspense Retrograde to the first BDSM Writers Con Anthology. Always eager to challenge herself as a writer, Scarlet utilized a “panoramic point of view” narrative style, rarely found in fiction today, in her erotic romantic suspense Deadline.
Scarlet has been a speaker at national conferences discussing how power exchange can enhance relationships, and she loves including elements of BDSM in her erotic romances because she hopes to reverse the misinformation and negative stereotypes promulgated in the media.
Scarlet lives with her two dogs and their Master in a lakeside community in the New Orleans area. When not devoting herself to writing or what Erica Jong refers to as the requisite “zitzfleisch,” Scarlet spends her free time drinking wine and eating cheese, taking long candlelit bubble baths, and playing with her dogs around the lake.
Her next release is the contemporary male/male romance Between the Notes, expected August, 2015.
An award-winning and bestselling author in a variety of genres under other pen names, Scarlet was a featured author at the 2014 BDSM Writers Conference in New York City and contributed an excerpt from her upcoming romantic suspense Retrograde to the first BDSM Writers Con Anthology. Always eager to challenge herself as a writer, Scarlet utilized a “panoramic point of view” narrative style, rarely found in fiction today, in her erotic romantic suspense Deadline.
Scarlet has been a speaker at national conferences discussing how power exchange can enhance relationships, and she loves including elements of BDSM in her erotic romances because she hopes to reverse the misinformation and negative stereotypes promulgated in the media.
Scarlet lives with her two dogs and their Master in a lakeside community in the New Orleans area. When not devoting herself to writing or what Erica Jong refers to as the requisite “zitzfleisch,” Scarlet spends her free time drinking wine and eating cheese, taking long candlelit bubble baths, and playing with her dogs around the lake.
Her next release is the contemporary male/male romance Between the Notes, expected August, 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 3, 2014
Deadline is a book that kept me on my toes and devouring it in just a few hours. The author flawlessly and elegantly crafts unforgettable characters and an engaging plot that is fully a romance novel, while still keeping the reader on edge at all times. There is a twist at every chapter and I really couldn't see most coming.
My heart plummeted and soared for Gillian. She is such a great character. Strong, vulnerable, successful and a good grip on reality. Sam? * sigh * I want one of him. They explore their kinks in a very subtle, smooth way. Their relationship, although super fast ( which I originally thought might be a turn off in this book for me), is super sweet with tons of sexy moments.
The author possesses the ability to capture the mystery, tension, worry, and every feeling during all the events in this book. This is one of the rare books I'll put on my will read again list.
Smooth transitions make it an easy, comfortable read with a completely unexpected ending.
** ARC received in exchange for honest review **
My heart plummeted and soared for Gillian. She is such a great character. Strong, vulnerable, successful and a good grip on reality. Sam? * sigh * I want one of him. They explore their kinks in a very subtle, smooth way. Their relationship, although super fast ( which I originally thought might be a turn off in this book for me), is super sweet with tons of sexy moments.
The author possesses the ability to capture the mystery, tension, worry, and every feeling during all the events in this book. This is one of the rare books I'll put on my will read again list.
Smooth transitions make it an easy, comfortable read with a completely unexpected ending.
** ARC received in exchange for honest review **
November 9, 2014
Woah... That was intense. First off I will say this was my first sexy cop book and I am hooked! Sam Taylor was HOT!
This was an interesting ride, not my usually genre (murder mysteries) but I loved trying to guess who the bad guy was and BOY was I wrong! NO SPOILERS!!!!
It was funny and sweet and crazy sexy. I loved it and was wept away in the story. Good stuff.
I received this ARC from Hot Tree Promotions.
This was an interesting ride, not my usually genre (murder mysteries) but I loved trying to guess who the bad guy was and BOY was I wrong! NO SPOILERS!!!!
It was funny and sweet and crazy sexy. I loved it and was wept away in the story. Good stuff.
I received this ARC from Hot Tree Promotions.
November 20, 2014
Amazing, just pure amazing. It was deep , dark and sexy as hell! Kept me on my toes, and the edge of the couch. Fast pace, romantic and thrilling all rolled in one! It has it twist and turns, with a great story and love. I want MORE!!!
November 7, 2014
Fast paced romantic thriller. Gillian has found great success through her erotic romance books. However, her success has made her some enemies, including her very recent ex husband. Threats she has been receiving start to escalate and she decides to go to a cabin in the woods to relax and write her third novel, due in a few weeks which she has yet to begin. While in the woods she meets mountain sheriff Sam Taylor. A story of twists and turns, filled with surprises and a steamy love story and happy ending. The hate mail starts with a shocking source and friends become victims. Gillian learns that even your friends are often your enemies.
November 30, 2014
This is a really great romantic suspense. This is one of them books that you just gotta sit and read in one sitting as you really can't put it down.
I felt as if I was sitting on the edge of my seat reading it. The author threw in so many twists and turns that I really couldn't predict how this story was gonna go. Sam and Gillian are a really hot couple. The chemistry had the hot sexy scenes off the scale with hotness.
I'm so looking forward to reading more from this author. Loved it.
I felt as if I was sitting on the edge of my seat reading it. The author threw in so many twists and turns that I really couldn't predict how this story was gonna go. Sam and Gillian are a really hot couple. The chemistry had the hot sexy scenes off the scale with hotness.
I'm so looking forward to reading more from this author. Loved it.
November 26, 2014
I truly loved this book. I liked that it was about an author of an erotic romance series. The author P.G. Tate or her real name Gillian was a romance writer and couldn’t really get any of her books to sell. A fellow author of hers told her she should write MMMF. Well she just couldn’t go from writing regular romance to orgies so she comprised with MMF. The first book sold so well that she was signed to write a trilogy. Her second book was MM and also sold very well. But, as well all know no one can have everything. She finally gets what she has always wanted in her career. In doing that though she lost her husband. He wanted a divorce because he was being asked all kinds of questions do to her books about the personal sexual life. He works at a religious school and felt he couldn’t keep working there and be married to her. It didn’t hurt that he had someone else waiting for him either. Now Gillian is receiving all kinds of religious hate mail about her books. She just thinks that are kooks and not really a threat. A friend has been offering her a cabin in the woods where she can go and relax while she writes the third book in the trilogy. She finally takes him up on his offer. This is when things start to pick up with the hate mail/threats. Her agent’s house in broken into and she calls the police. When they come she tells them about the threat Gillian has be receiving. They figure out where Gillian is and send the local law to inform her of what has happened. This is when Gillian meets Sheriff Sam Taylor. He has no idea who her pen name is or why she is receiving these threats. There is an instant connection between them. After talking for a bit she signs one her books for him and tells him he should read it. He invites her to the festival in town. This is where things really start to get interesting in the book. I don’t want to give any spoilers away so I will stop here.
The character Gillian is wonderful she has been through a lot in her life and still is worried about everyone before she is concerned about herself. She feels that everything that is happening is her fault because she wrote the books that spurned this person to these things. Sheriff Taylor is what you would expect. He became a cop to protect. In was a natural instinct in him. Now he has found the one person he wants to protect the most. Gillian doesn’t want to get into anything serious with him. She just got divorced for the second time in her life and doesn’t think she ever wants to get married again. But, Sam just brings something out in her. She figures there is no way they can have a future together even if it weren’t for the threats against her. Sam is determined to show her different. This book was wonderful written. It had some twists and turns I didn’t see coming and surprised me. I really got invested in the characters. I will definitely be looking for other books from this author.
I was given this book in return for an honest review.
The character Gillian is wonderful she has been through a lot in her life and still is worried about everyone before she is concerned about herself. She feels that everything that is happening is her fault because she wrote the books that spurned this person to these things. Sheriff Taylor is what you would expect. He became a cop to protect. In was a natural instinct in him. Now he has found the one person he wants to protect the most. Gillian doesn’t want to get into anything serious with him. She just got divorced for the second time in her life and doesn’t think she ever wants to get married again. But, Sam just brings something out in her. She figures there is no way they can have a future together even if it weren’t for the threats against her. Sam is determined to show her different. This book was wonderful written. It had some twists and turns I didn’t see coming and surprised me. I really got invested in the characters. I will definitely be looking for other books from this author.
I was given this book in return for an honest review.
November 23, 2014
After receiving death threats, just signing her divorce papers, and aggravating plumbing in her building, Gillian Tate decides to leave the NYC for the quiet of Upstate New York. Writing as her author persona P.G. Tate, she is expected to deliver another blockbuster following her well-received second erotic romance novel. With so many interruptions and distractions, how else is she going to meet her publisher's deadline other than to find a secluded "writer's cave" so she concentrate?
No sooner she leaves town when the Sword of Michael the Archangel strikes close to home by killing her best friend. Little does she know that the death threats are real and not pranks as she first thought. She is in an area of the Adirondacks where wireless phone and internet service are sporadic and almost non-existent. The only way to communicate is to go to the nearest town for service. As her agent and the police are trying to ascertain her safety and convey the news of her peril, the local Chief of Police shows up at her cabin's door to break the news to her. Once Chief Sam Taylor and Gillian Tate meet the sparks fly. These two people have been searching for each other all their lives and Fate has stepped in.
This is a suspenseful erotic romance full of danger as well as passion. Well-written, fast paced, and with a gripping plot line, this is the kind of book you will not be able to put down. I read it in one sitting just so I could find out what would happen next. I feel like I have discovered another author I want to follow and read more of her work.
No sooner she leaves town when the Sword of Michael the Archangel strikes close to home by killing her best friend. Little does she know that the death threats are real and not pranks as she first thought. She is in an area of the Adirondacks where wireless phone and internet service are sporadic and almost non-existent. The only way to communicate is to go to the nearest town for service. As her agent and the police are trying to ascertain her safety and convey the news of her peril, the local Chief of Police shows up at her cabin's door to break the news to her. Once Chief Sam Taylor and Gillian Tate meet the sparks fly. These two people have been searching for each other all their lives and Fate has stepped in.
This is a suspenseful erotic romance full of danger as well as passion. Well-written, fast paced, and with a gripping plot line, this is the kind of book you will not be able to put down. I read it in one sitting just so I could find out what would happen next. I feel like I have discovered another author I want to follow and read more of her work.
January 21, 2015
Gillian is recently divorced and needs some time away to work on her third novel. She has an upcoming deadline and is struggling, especially since she's started getting hate mail from some religious group. Her best friend Jack, also a writer, let's her use his parents cabin so she can escape and do the writing she needs. With no phone or internet service, she won't have any interruptions.
When more threats are delivered to her agent, the local police chief is called to check on her. When Gillian meets Sam, their immediate attraction to one another is so sweet. He's a great guy and they are so cute together.
With the threats continuing and even a death, will the police be able to catch the person after Gillian before he kills her, and other people she cares about?
This was an easy to read story about finding the perfect person to love. Thrown in was a little suspense and mystery.
When more threats are delivered to her agent, the local police chief is called to check on her. When Gillian meets Sam, their immediate attraction to one another is so sweet. He's a great guy and they are so cute together.
With the threats continuing and even a death, will the police be able to catch the person after Gillian before he kills her, and other people she cares about?
This was an easy to read story about finding the perfect person to love. Thrown in was a little suspense and mystery.
November 14, 2014
Reviewed for Hooked On Books Forever
☆☆☆☆☆
5 Hooked Stars
P.G. Tate is a wildly successfully erotic romance writer, however her personal life is falling apart. She has a looming deadline for her final book, the ink is barely dry on her second divorce, and some crazy religious group is threatening her because she included homosexual scenes in her last book. P.G. (or Gillian as her real name) decides to hole up in a cabin in the woods and write her brains out. Little does she know she will find love, lust, and face death in sleepy town.
Deadline is a great erotic romance with a mystery twist. Gillian is funny and entertaining, Sam is sexy and cute, and they play well off each other. The element of the Sword of Michael hunting her adds an element of mystery and suspense to Deadline that allows the story to arc very well. I loved this book and would love to read more!!
☆☆☆☆☆
5 Hooked Stars
P.G. Tate is a wildly successfully erotic romance writer, however her personal life is falling apart. She has a looming deadline for her final book, the ink is barely dry on her second divorce, and some crazy religious group is threatening her because she included homosexual scenes in her last book. P.G. (or Gillian as her real name) decides to hole up in a cabin in the woods and write her brains out. Little does she know she will find love, lust, and face death in sleepy town.
Deadline is a great erotic romance with a mystery twist. Gillian is funny and entertaining, Sam is sexy and cute, and they play well off each other. The element of the Sword of Michael hunting her adds an element of mystery and suspense to Deadline that allows the story to arc very well. I loved this book and would love to read more!!
December 2, 2014
Lets get the disclaimer out the way, this story has adult themes and scenes of bondage, so if you do not like reading books with a bit of steamy bdsm this book is not for you.This story is face paced, erotic and kept you as a reader guessing all the time as to what will happen next. I found it interesting that it was a story about an author and the darker side of the world, However this is where our central character gets to meet the hot cop to help her solve the mystery and provide some steamy moments. I really love the cover to this book, you do not initially notice the couple on the bottom section due to the dominating picture of the knife, but that is like the story one minute its all hot and steamy then the tension from the stalker comes to the forefront of the story, giving you a great story to read
December 2, 2014
Reviewed for Hooked On Books Forever
☆☆☆☆☆
5 Hooked Stars
P.G. Tate is a wildly successfully erotic romance writer, however her personal life is falling apart. She has a looming deadline for her final book, the ink is barely dry on her second divorce, and some crazy religious group is threatening her because she included homosexual scenes in her last book. P.G. (or Gillian as her real name) decides to hole up in a cabin in the woods and write her brains out. Little does she know she will find love, lust, and face death in sleepy town.
Deadline is a great erotic romance with a mystery twist. Gillian is funny and entertaining, Sam is sexy and cute, and they play well off each other. The element of the Sword of Michael hunting her adds an element of mystery and suspense to Deadline that allows the story to arc very well. I loved this book and would love to read more!!
☆☆☆☆☆
5 Hooked Stars
P.G. Tate is a wildly successfully erotic romance writer, however her personal life is falling apart. She has a looming deadline for her final book, the ink is barely dry on her second divorce, and some crazy religious group is threatening her because she included homosexual scenes in her last book. P.G. (or Gillian as her real name) decides to hole up in a cabin in the woods and write her brains out. Little does she know she will find love, lust, and face death in sleepy town.
Deadline is a great erotic romance with a mystery twist. Gillian is funny and entertaining, Sam is sexy and cute, and they play well off each other. The element of the Sword of Michael hunting her adds an element of mystery and suspense to Deadline that allows the story to arc very well. I loved this book and would love to read more!!
November 21, 2014
This book is a super read! I am so glad that I read this story. It is very well told and has you on edge until the very end of the story. Once I picked it up, I did not want to put it down because I wanted to know who wanted Gillian dead. Gillian is well written and you feel like you know her. Then there is Chief Taylor! He is hot, alpha, and a slice of pie! The chemistry between the two of them is combustible. The other characters are just as well written and they keep you guessing throughout. This is one of those books that I will re-read in the future because I enjoyed it that much. I thought I had figured out who the killer was, but I was wrong! Great read.
December 2, 2014
The suspense and the romance were well-balanced. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the plot, and I loved the surprise twist of who the murderer was. Great job! I'll be looking for more books from Ms. Hawthorne.
October 26, 2015
Deadline was like a freight train. It was so out of the blue. I wasn't expecting it, but I sure did enjoy riding it...
Even though Gillian is a generation older than I am, she's a writer. So I instantly had a connection with her. Her success as a writer was a great way to enter into the book. Add to that, that she writes erotic romance novels and I was sold.
Add to that mix, something like this:
and you had one hell of a sizzling story. Now, this alone would have been a decent book, but then Scarlet adds in a wicked little thriller plot to spice things up even more.
I liked the thriller plot, though I feel that Gillian's initial reaction to it was not very realistic... that's a minor issue.
The sexy scenes with Sam Taylor, our resident studly police chief, were delightfully mixed. There was such a delicious mix of sweet and hotter-than-hell sexy. That made the scenes feel very realistic. The gentle exploration and the brain-mush high power rutting all mixed in together. I am verily impressed. The light BDSM was just that, light. Not straying into the realm of floggers and latex, but sticking well within in the realm of normal. Light bondage and sensory play, some dirty talk and fantasy play. All delightfully well written.
I also appreciated that when Gillian climaxed it wasn't all fireworks and sparklers, but something more real and accessible for the reader, sweet and sexy wrapped up together.
I would have liked a bit more substance to the supporting characters, and the antagonist. I picked up about half way through who it would be, but it wasn't super obvious.
Overall, I can safely say that I will be reading more of Scarlet's work and I only hope that Gillian and Sam make a come back.
**Note: I was provided an electronic version of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
Even though Gillian is a generation older than I am, she's a writer. So I instantly had a connection with her. Her success as a writer was a great way to enter into the book. Add to that, that she writes erotic romance novels and I was sold.
Add to that mix, something like this:
and you had one hell of a sizzling story. Now, this alone would have been a decent book, but then Scarlet adds in a wicked little thriller plot to spice things up even more.
I liked the thriller plot, though I feel that Gillian's initial reaction to it was not very realistic... that's a minor issue.
The sexy scenes with Sam Taylor, our resident studly police chief, were delightfully mixed. There was such a delicious mix of sweet and hotter-than-hell sexy. That made the scenes feel very realistic. The gentle exploration and the brain-mush high power rutting all mixed in together. I am verily impressed. The light BDSM was just that, light. Not straying into the realm of floggers and latex, but sticking well within in the realm of normal. Light bondage and sensory play, some dirty talk and fantasy play. All delightfully well written.
I also appreciated that when Gillian climaxed it wasn't all fireworks and sparklers, but something more real and accessible for the reader, sweet and sexy wrapped up together.
I would have liked a bit more substance to the supporting characters, and the antagonist. I picked up about half way through who it would be, but it wasn't super obvious.
Overall, I can safely say that I will be reading more of Scarlet's work and I only hope that Gillian and Sam make a come back.
**Note: I was provided an electronic version of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
July 7, 2015
***Obsessed by books copy given in exchange for an honest review***
This is a fast paced, slightly twisted, suspenseful erotic read! Sorry that was a mouthful...this book was a real gem. A lovely length with a pace that had me turning the pages and enjoying my Sunday afternoon luxury of reading even without a glass of wine!
Gillian is a twice divorced, highly successful writer of erotica that after much publicity has drawn the attention of a group of activists named the 'Sword of Michael'. She leaves the big city lights to get some space to write in a cabin in the woods...cue scary music! There meets the man that holds the keep to all her kinks and hidden desires, maybe even her heart?
Throughout the book the suspense is interwoven perfectly with romance and interlaced with hot steamy bedroom scenes. The insta attraction is also commented upon by the characters themselves as it is fast and almost like BOOM! They weren't expecting it under the circumstances but sometimes you just can't fight fate!
All the loose ends were neatly taken care of and the ending satisfied all my questions which is great as I hate to be left wondering. A very enjoyable 4 star read.
This is a fast paced, slightly twisted, suspenseful erotic read! Sorry that was a mouthful...this book was a real gem. A lovely length with a pace that had me turning the pages and enjoying my Sunday afternoon luxury of reading even without a glass of wine!
Gillian is a twice divorced, highly successful writer of erotica that after much publicity has drawn the attention of a group of activists named the 'Sword of Michael'. She leaves the big city lights to get some space to write in a cabin in the woods...cue scary music! There meets the man that holds the keep to all her kinks and hidden desires, maybe even her heart?
Throughout the book the suspense is interwoven perfectly with romance and interlaced with hot steamy bedroom scenes. The insta attraction is also commented upon by the characters themselves as it is fast and almost like BOOM! They weren't expecting it under the circumstances but sometimes you just can't fight fate!
All the loose ends were neatly taken care of and the ending satisfied all my questions which is great as I hate to be left wondering. A very enjoyable 4 star read.
June 2, 2015
Fast-paced romantic thriller with just a touch of bondage. Couldn't put it down and read it in one night. Will definitely read again.
April 4, 2020
The author writes well, so I am very sorry to say that reading this book is a waste of time. Too much winking at too many bestselling stereotypes to make the book enjoyable, and not even a bit of irony for the reader to think it's satire.
November 17, 2014
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I'm kinda sad. I had huge high hopes but there were certain elements in this story that if I'd have known ahead of time I'd have not bought it. Nothing against the author or the story just reading to me is like eating. I only eat what I like and I avoid at all costs things that I don't like.
So when I found out this book had two things I really avoid in my romance I really felt let down.
If I could take out those parts I'd be raving over this book because it's really got a wonderful hero and a very quirky funny heroine. She was shy on the outside but kinky erotic author on the inside.
I adored the hero Sam and just wanted to kidnap him to a cabin in the mountains and play frisk me. Ok I digress. Really I did love 80% of this book. One small thing that really distracted me was that they author would use Sam as his name a few times then back to Taylor for a long time then Sam. That was confusing. All in all I will give 3.5 stars to the sexy romance. I'd love to continue with this author if she writes a book that doesn't have the side issues that bothered me.
February 4, 2015
Romantic Suspense is one of my favorite genres to read. I love the intrigue, and well, the suspense! So when I read the blurb for Deadline I knew it'd be right up my alley.
After receiving threats from a God fearing hate group, erotic romance author, Gillian Tate, goes to stay in a friends cabin to work on her upcoming novel. It's there that she meets Police Chief, Sam Taylor, and the romance begins. Though I have to admit, the romance fell a little flat for me. The sexual chemistry starts off great, and continues throughout the book, however, I never really felt the love between the two main characters. Lust? Absolutely. Love? Not so much.
They sexy times between them don't start off right away because of some hesitation on the heroines part, and I gotta say I was a little disappointed by that as well. They're a 40-something couple, both divorced with kids, obviously they've had sex before, right?! But she acts more like a 20-something virgin to me. That being said, once they did the deed? Whew! Talk about sexy! There's some light bondage and spanking, but no over the top BDSM for those that get turned off by it.
Now for the suspense part... There's this huge buildup where Gillian is receiving death threats, people are being murdered, etc... Then in just one scene it's over. Poof! No real suspense. You have the heroine running for her life, then bam... I won't say what happens as I'd hate to spoil it, but I was a little disappointed.
What I really liked about Deadline was the fact that the villain wasn't who I expected it to be. Throughout the whole book I thought I knew who it was... It made total sense. Then when they were revealed? Nowhere close to who I thought it was and for that I give kudos to you, Ms. Hawthorne!
The ending was cute, and wrapped up the story pretty nicely. But again, I never really felt the love between Gillian and Sam, even as they were professing it.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The story line definitely had promise, and I think if a few more scenes were added, I could move it up another star. That being said, as a debut novel that I did enjoy, I would definitely consider picking up another book by Scarlet Hawthorne in the future.
*ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
After receiving threats from a God fearing hate group, erotic romance author, Gillian Tate, goes to stay in a friends cabin to work on her upcoming novel. It's there that she meets Police Chief, Sam Taylor, and the romance begins. Though I have to admit, the romance fell a little flat for me. The sexual chemistry starts off great, and continues throughout the book, however, I never really felt the love between the two main characters. Lust? Absolutely. Love? Not so much.
They sexy times between them don't start off right away because of some hesitation on the heroines part, and I gotta say I was a little disappointed by that as well. They're a 40-something couple, both divorced with kids, obviously they've had sex before, right?! But she acts more like a 20-something virgin to me. That being said, once they did the deed? Whew! Talk about sexy! There's some light bondage and spanking, but no over the top BDSM for those that get turned off by it.
Now for the suspense part... There's this huge buildup where Gillian is receiving death threats, people are being murdered, etc... Then in just one scene it's over. Poof! No real suspense. You have the heroine running for her life, then bam... I won't say what happens as I'd hate to spoil it, but I was a little disappointed.
What I really liked about Deadline was the fact that the villain wasn't who I expected it to be. Throughout the whole book I thought I knew who it was... It made total sense. Then when they were revealed? Nowhere close to who I thought it was and for that I give kudos to you, Ms. Hawthorne!
The ending was cute, and wrapped up the story pretty nicely. But again, I never really felt the love between Gillian and Sam, even as they were professing it.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The story line definitely had promise, and I think if a few more scenes were added, I could move it up another star. That being said, as a debut novel that I did enjoy, I would definitely consider picking up another book by Scarlet Hawthorne in the future.
*ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
July 3, 2015
Posted on Les Romantiques - Le forum du site
Reviewed by Rinou
Review Copy from the Publisher
When Gillian, who writes erotic romances under a pen name, begins to receive threat letters, she decides to ignore them. But when lack of inspiration for her next novel drives her to isolate herself, and the threat takes shape around her friends, the local sheriff will prove to be both an inspiration and a protector.
When the novel began I had the feeling it was lacking a prologue. Indeed there’s no presentation of the characters, we arrive directly in Gillian’s life with a conversation with her agent and friend, as if we already knew them. It’s only little by little that we learn important details, and I found it quite frustrating as I was a bit lost.
What’s more is that this first dialogue rang artificial, as the first dialogue between Gillian and the hero some pages later. I was afraid it be because the dialogues are not the author’s forte but the next showed me I was wrong.
I liked the couple Gillian/Sam, I found them likeable and interesting, and the sex scenes are especially steamy (with little touches of bondage, but light). However much as the instant attraction between them leak out through the pages, I didn’t really feel this love they confess when they’ve only known each other for 5 days.
The suspense side isn’t too heavy but quite well dosed, with a culprit I was suspecting without real reason. I found the conclusion quite rushed though, in a few pages all is resolved (I’d have liked a longer confrontation, I must be bloodthirsty lol).
To conclude in spite of its qualities I was convinced by Deadline that I found not deepen enough.
2,5/5
Reviewed by Rinou
Review Copy from the Publisher
When Gillian, who writes erotic romances under a pen name, begins to receive threat letters, she decides to ignore them. But when lack of inspiration for her next novel drives her to isolate herself, and the threat takes shape around her friends, the local sheriff will prove to be both an inspiration and a protector.
When the novel began I had the feeling it was lacking a prologue. Indeed there’s no presentation of the characters, we arrive directly in Gillian’s life with a conversation with her agent and friend, as if we already knew them. It’s only little by little that we learn important details, and I found it quite frustrating as I was a bit lost.
What’s more is that this first dialogue rang artificial, as the first dialogue between Gillian and the hero some pages later. I was afraid it be because the dialogues are not the author’s forte but the next showed me I was wrong.
I liked the couple Gillian/Sam, I found them likeable and interesting, and the sex scenes are especially steamy (with little touches of bondage, but light). However much as the instant attraction between them leak out through the pages, I didn’t really feel this love they confess when they’ve only known each other for 5 days.
The suspense side isn’t too heavy but quite well dosed, with a culprit I was suspecting without real reason. I found the conclusion quite rushed though, in a few pages all is resolved (I’d have liked a longer confrontation, I must be bloodthirsty lol).
To conclude in spite of its qualities I was convinced by Deadline that I found not deepen enough.
2,5/5
December 2, 2014
This is the story about Gillian, an author who has been in the business for a long time in one genre, who upon the advice of a good friend decides to try another. Her books sell like hot cakes and she's suddenly rich. However, as her finances go up, her life goes down. Her husband can't cope with her 'pen name' and so files for divorce but is very quickly with someone else. To top it off, she is getting crazy letters and emails from a religious hate group, although she doesn't take this seriously to start with.
With the deadline for her third book due and not even an outline, she heads off to the Adirondacks to a cabin. There she meets the police chief, Sam Taylor, when he calls round to inform her about a break-in at her friend's house. Things very quickly move on between these two and this is where the book didn't work for me. I really, REALLY don't like insta-love and this book was full of it. Insta-lust to start with, admittedly, but then insta-love. Gillian even states herself that she has only known him for 5 (yes, that's FIVE) days. I just didn't get their relationship at all.
The suspense side of the book was well done and I did enjoy that part although I did figure out whodunnit quite early on. It may have been a lucky guess.
On the whole, an enjoyable book with only a couple of grammatical mistakes.
With the deadline for her third book due and not even an outline, she heads off to the Adirondacks to a cabin. There she meets the police chief, Sam Taylor, when he calls round to inform her about a break-in at her friend's house. Things very quickly move on between these two and this is where the book didn't work for me. I really, REALLY don't like insta-love and this book was full of it. Insta-lust to start with, admittedly, but then insta-love. Gillian even states herself that she has only known him for 5 (yes, that's FIVE) days. I just didn't get their relationship at all.
The suspense side of the book was well done and I did enjoy that part although I did figure out whodunnit quite early on. It may have been a lucky guess.
On the whole, an enjoyable book with only a couple of grammatical mistakes.
November 19, 2014
I recieved this book at https://www.facebook.com/pages/For-Th... in exchange for a review.
In general, I enjoyed this book, I did. The plotline is good, and flows well, and I didn't get whodunnit til a little before the reveal, some might get it earlier, but thats just me. It kept me going til the end, as I could not see where it was going. Thats a good thing.
What I had trouble with, was some of the dialogue. THAT did not flow so well. Some conversations between Sam and Gillian felt stilted, and forced. It might just me be, but thats how I found it. The relationship between Sam and Gillian also ran fast and hard, but thats not a bad thing, usually. It just did not FEEL quite right as I was reading it. Also, maybe the whodunnit could have been teased a little more before the reveal, I might have got it sooner!
But in general, a good tale, some sex, some violence, nothing too explicit or graphic.
3 stars
In general, I enjoyed this book, I did. The plotline is good, and flows well, and I didn't get whodunnit til a little before the reveal, some might get it earlier, but thats just me. It kept me going til the end, as I could not see where it was going. Thats a good thing.
What I had trouble with, was some of the dialogue. THAT did not flow so well. Some conversations between Sam and Gillian felt stilted, and forced. It might just me be, but thats how I found it. The relationship between Sam and Gillian also ran fast and hard, but thats not a bad thing, usually. It just did not FEEL quite right as I was reading it. Also, maybe the whodunnit could have been teased a little more before the reveal, I might have got it sooner!
But in general, a good tale, some sex, some violence, nothing too explicit or graphic.
3 stars
January 1, 2016
Famous author Gillian was still reeling from the end of her marriage and a tight deadline schedule when her world takes another hit, a stalker bent on destroying her. Finding her penthouse a dangerous distraction, she takes her friend/agent's advice and hoping to lose her stalker, she heads to a cabin in upstate New York. Upon her arrival, she meets the small town Sherriff, Sam who is overjoyed to protect her. With sketchy cell service, it takes awhile before she learns that her agent's home has been broken into and messages of death left for her. Horrified that her friend is going through this because of her, she makes the choice to release her as her agent. Spending more time with the Sherriff, they are suddenly doing more than having dinner together. As dangers continue to find her, can she trust those sworn to protect her or will her trust be the mistake that costs her her life?
August 13, 2016
Certains dialogues sonnent faux, et je n’ai pas senti l’amour qu’ils se déclarent au bout de 5 jours seulement. Dommage parce que les scènes hot sont torrides et l’idée de base est bonne.
Avis complet
Avis complet
October 14, 2015
A sexy, murder mystery, full of surprises. You'll enjoy this quick read.
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