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Where There's Smoke
When a determined doctor meets the rebellious heir to a Texas oil dynasty, sparks fly . . . but the flames of passion blazing between them could destroy an empire. No one knows why Dr. Lara Mallory opened up her medical practice in the rowdy Texas town controlled by Tackett Oil. But everyone remembers her role in the well-publicized scandal that caused the downfall of White House hopeful Senator Clark Tackett. Now the iron-fisted matriarch of Tackett Oil intends to use her money and power to drive Lara out of town . . . especially when Lara meets Key, the hell-raising -- and handsome -- youngest Tackett son. Following a cataclysmic meeting, this determined doctor and brash, daring pilot find themselves hurtling on a dangerous quest for the one secret that can destroy the Tackett empire -- and anyone who dares to challenge its power. But Lara decides to find the truth behind the corruption in town, even if it costs her everything.
484 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1993
858 people are currently reading
3918 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Brown
343 books19.3k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011).
Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages.
In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.
Brown was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011).
Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages.
In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.
Brown was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 410 reviews
December 26, 2018
4 Bumpy Stars
A quick résumé:
Two chapters in
I'm loving this. I can't believe it's flown under my radar for so long!
40-ish percent in
This will be (at least) a 4-star read for me. I can feel it!
60-ish percent in
My eye starts twitching.
The plot becomes so ridiculous it cracks me up to the point of tears. I have to suspend a HUUUGE amount of disbelief.
70-ish percent in
I am so PISSED.
I mean, really, what was the author thinking? Was she drunk when writing this part?
The urge to call it quits and reward this intelligence-insulting book with one dull, tiny star becomes almost unbearable.
80-ish percent in
The author finallysobers up a bit gets it together and the story returns to the realm of plausible and reasonable.
Kind of.
90-ish percent in
The twist doesn’t come as a surprise to me. It doesn't matter.
I’m actually ENJOYING this. The ending is so HOT.
*shrugs*
The morning after
This book.
It’s the first thing I think of when I open my eyes.
It was AWESOME.
Realistically (and mathematically) speaking, I shouldn’t rate this book higher than 3 stars.
I’m giving it 4 stars though.
Why, you ask?
Because I can't stop thinking about it.
And because of intense and atmospheric writing.
And passionate, sizzling chemistry between the characters.
And awesome heroine.
And Key.
He's a typical SB hero. (My favorite so far.) Tortured, reckless, brooding, grumpy ass with dark, handsome looks and a strong sense of justice.
Love me some SB heroes.
Yum.
Huge trigger warning:
A quick résumé:
Two chapters in
I'm loving this. I can't believe it's flown under my radar for so long!
40-ish percent in
This will be (at least) a 4-star read for me. I can feel it!
60-ish percent in
My eye starts twitching.
The plot becomes so ridiculous it cracks me up to the point of tears. I have to suspend a HUUUGE amount of disbelief.
70-ish percent in
I am so PISSED.
I mean, really, what was the author thinking? Was she drunk when writing this part?
The urge to call it quits and reward this intelligence-insulting book with one dull, tiny star becomes almost unbearable.
80-ish percent in
The author finally
Kind of.
90-ish percent in
The twist doesn’t come as a surprise to me. It doesn't matter.
I’m actually ENJOYING this. The ending is so HOT.
*shrugs*
The morning after
This book.
It’s the first thing I think of when I open my eyes.
It was AWESOME.
Realistically (and mathematically) speaking, I shouldn’t rate this book higher than 3 stars.
I’m giving it 4 stars though.
Why, you ask?
Because I can't stop thinking about it.
And because of intense and atmospheric writing.
And passionate, sizzling chemistry between the characters.
And awesome heroine.
And Key.
He's a typical SB hero. (My favorite so far.) Tortured, reckless, brooding, grumpy ass with dark, handsome looks and a strong sense of justice.
Love me some SB heroes.
Yum.
Huge trigger warning:
August 15, 2020
I did a re-read as I just could not get into any new book I started. Yes, it was just as good the second time around. Looking forward to her new release on August 25th (hope it is better than her last book - I wasn't a huge fan of that one).
ORIGINAL REVIEW ...
Enjoyed this one. Love it when the main characters start out not liking each other. Well, he definitely did not like for… and for a good reason.
To be honest, I had figured out some of the “WOW” factors that came along but that did not deter me from enjoying the book. Some parts were a bit unbelievable but with fiction, you have to suspend the disbelief the odd time.
There were a few twists and turns. Key’s mother was some piece of work, the manipulative bitch. The townspeople were stuck in their ways. I liked Key’s sister and her story.
I have read a mixture of Sandra Brown’s old and new books and her style has definitely developed in a good way.
Had to wait a long time for a steamy sex scene…but sometimes the anticipation is worth it. I love how her heroes are “real” men!! Not much sweet-talking and plenty of action.
ORIGINAL REVIEW ...
Enjoyed this one. Love it when the main characters start out not liking each other. Well, he definitely did not like for… and for a good reason.
No one knows why Dr. Lara Mallory came back home to Eden Pass, Texas to open up her medical practice after all these years. But everyone remembers her role in the well-publicized scandal that caused the downfall of White House hopeful Senator Clark Tackett....
To be honest, I had figured out some of the “WOW” factors that came along but that did not deter me from enjoying the book. Some parts were a bit unbelievable but with fiction, you have to suspend the disbelief the odd time.
Love was a word that poets and songwriters used … Key had never seen any evidence of its magic, unless it was black magic....
There were a few twists and turns. Key’s mother was some piece of work, the manipulative bitch. The townspeople were stuck in their ways. I liked Key’s sister and her story.
I have read a mixture of Sandra Brown’s old and new books and her style has definitely developed in a good way.
Her will was voluntarily surrendered, and her mind went on a sensuous ride where nothing mattered except the connection mouth to mouth, tongue to tongue, man to woman. It fulfilled a primal need she wasn’t even aware she possessed ......
His name drifted across her lips - a question, a profession, a prayer ......
Had to wait a long time for a steamy sex scene…but sometimes the anticipation is worth it. I love how her heroes are “real” men!! Not much sweet-talking and plenty of action.
December 5, 2015
4 Didn't See It Coming Stars!
It's been a long time since I've read a Sandra Brown book. I used to love her style of how she kept me guessing all the way to the end. She's done it again. I didn't see it coming.
There was a lot going on in this book but you could tell that it all tied together some how but I didn't figure it out till the end.
Lara has moved to Eden Pass to take over the retired Docs place. Nobody wants her in town after the scandal that broke out years before that branded her a cheating whore. She was caught cheating on her husband with the senator Clark Tackett. The Tacketts are powerful and they blame Lara for their youngest sons downfall and later death. Lara has only one thing on her mind and she's willing to do anything to make it happen! The Tacketts will not be shoving her out of town until she gets it. She wants Key Tacketts help to bring home her daughter. Key Tackett the hell raising, sexy cowboy manwhore who is just in town until the next adventure calls him away wants nothing to do with Lara or does he? The tension was thick between these two!
We got many POVs in this book. I had no problem figuring out who's head I was in. Was I in Jody Tackett's head? The mother of Clark, Key and JaneEllen? The powerful Jody stopped at nothing to get the cheating Lara out of town. Bowie the ex-con who has his sights set on the shy and plain JaneEllen? The town slut Darcey? I loved them all! SB had me thinking hard while reading this one. I was also on the edge of my seat several times. I was completely surprised at the end when everything came out and a bit sad.
Will I be reading more from Sandra Brown? Hell yes! She used to be a favorite of mine and it looks like she still is:))
It's been a long time since I've read a Sandra Brown book. I used to love her style of how she kept me guessing all the way to the end. She's done it again. I didn't see it coming.
There was a lot going on in this book but you could tell that it all tied together some how but I didn't figure it out till the end.
Lara has moved to Eden Pass to take over the retired Docs place. Nobody wants her in town after the scandal that broke out years before that branded her a cheating whore. She was caught cheating on her husband with the senator Clark Tackett. The Tacketts are powerful and they blame Lara for their youngest sons downfall and later death. Lara has only one thing on her mind and she's willing to do anything to make it happen! The Tacketts will not be shoving her out of town until she gets it. She wants Key Tacketts help to bring home her daughter. Key Tackett the hell raising, sexy cowboy manwhore who is just in town until the next adventure calls him away wants nothing to do with Lara or does he? The tension was thick between these two!
We got many POVs in this book. I had no problem figuring out who's head I was in. Was I in Jody Tackett's head? The mother of Clark, Key and JaneEllen? The powerful Jody stopped at nothing to get the cheating Lara out of town. Bowie the ex-con who has his sights set on the shy and plain JaneEllen? The town slut Darcey? I loved them all! SB had me thinking hard while reading this one. I was also on the edge of my seat several times. I was completely surprised at the end when everything came out and a bit sad.
Will I be reading more from Sandra Brown? Hell yes! She used to be a favorite of mine and it looks like she still is:))
July 25, 2020
Another SB thriller with enough twists and turns to leave you winded. I was smug enough to think I had caught onto the suspense, but the author had a trick or two up her sleeve to leave me floored. So the suspense part is good even if the length of the book could have been shorter.
Key is a typical SB H –an unapologetic aphahole.
He’s an indiscriminate manhoe, the town badboy rebel who never really grew up; sexy, charming yes, but with a mean streak a mile wide especially where the h is concerned. I’ve never heard an H use the W word on an h/woman so many times before!
In fact anyone and everyone thinks nothing of calling her that throughout the book. I don’t feel her alleged indiscretion was any more than what he or the others in the town were up to. But still she was built up as this scandalous jezebel with unpardonable sins.
Hypocrites, the lot!
Lara, the h is quiet and dignified but also strong willed, tenacious, a fighter but contrarily also lets people walk all over her, label her and abuse her. She never pushes back. Her strength seems too goody-goody to me. It’s okay to be nasty back at the baddies sometimes!
The secondary romance is one of the best parts of the book. Never seen a sweeter, nicer couple like the H’s sister and her guy. Otherwise the book had too many characters walking in and out with their stories and episodes leaving one impatient for more h/H interaction. The ow is quite vampy and determined - and he isn't completely successful in shaking her off!
The mcs barely have any tender moment for 90% of the book. He keeps feeding on his own prejudices and doesn’t allow himself to feel any soft emotion for her. Even when she shares her heartbreaking memories, he reverts back to his insulting jeering self pretty quickly. But it has to be said that despite the disregard and cruelty, the reader can sense the invisible but inevitable connect between these expected enemies.
And that’s what explains the frustratingly quick ending with nary an ily. But one gets it and one smiles!!
Key is a typical SB H –an unapologetic aphahole.
He’s an indiscriminate manhoe, the town badboy rebel who never really grew up; sexy, charming yes, but with a mean streak a mile wide especially where the h is concerned. I’ve never heard an H use the W word on an h/woman so many times before!
In fact anyone and everyone thinks nothing of calling her that throughout the book. I don’t feel her alleged indiscretion was any more than what he or the others in the town were up to. But still she was built up as this scandalous jezebel with unpardonable sins.
Hypocrites, the lot!
Lara, the h is quiet and dignified but also strong willed, tenacious, a fighter but contrarily also lets people walk all over her, label her and abuse her. She never pushes back. Her strength seems too goody-goody to me. It’s okay to be nasty back at the baddies sometimes!
The secondary romance is one of the best parts of the book. Never seen a sweeter, nicer couple like the H’s sister and her guy. Otherwise the book had too many characters walking in and out with their stories and episodes leaving one impatient for more h/H interaction. The ow is quite vampy and determined - and he isn't completely successful in shaking her off!
The mcs barely have any tender moment for 90% of the book. He keeps feeding on his own prejudices and doesn’t allow himself to feel any soft emotion for her. Even when she shares her heartbreaking memories, he reverts back to his insulting jeering self pretty quickly. But it has to be said that despite the disregard and cruelty, the reader can sense the invisible but inevitable connect between these expected enemies.
And that’s what explains the frustratingly quick ending with nary an ily. But one gets it and one smiles!!
October 2, 2020
O lectură învăluită în suspans și plină de mister încă de la primele pagini. O poveste cu implicații politice la nivel național, minciuni și secrete ascunse, învinuiri nedrepte.
“Prețul pasiunii” este povestea lui Key Tackett și a doctorului Lara Mallory, a unui scandal care a culminat cu o reputație distrusă— a ei, dar și cu sfârșitul carierei politice a lui Clark Tachett.
Peste ani, Lara este medic de familie în orașul lui Clark, oraș în care toți o disprețuiesc și unde familia Tachett conduce.
Avem parte de intrigi și comploturi, de secrete ascunse și teamă, dar avem parte și de atracție magnetică sau de iubire sinceră.
Cu o variată plajă de personaje care mai de care, autoarea Sandra Brown a reușit să ne capteze atenția pentru ceva mai mult de 500 de pagini. Eroi și eroine, buni sau răi, ne-au oferit o poveste care impresionează, care ne face să înțelegem că după faptă există și răsplată.
O carte pe care mi-a făcut plăcere să o descopăr cu ani în urmă și să o recitesc.
“Prețul pasiunii” este povestea lui Key Tackett și a doctorului Lara Mallory, a unui scandal care a culminat cu o reputație distrusă— a ei, dar și cu sfârșitul carierei politice a lui Clark Tachett.
Peste ani, Lara este medic de familie în orașul lui Clark, oraș în care toți o disprețuiesc și unde familia Tachett conduce.
Avem parte de intrigi și comploturi, de secrete ascunse și teamă, dar avem parte și de atracție magnetică sau de iubire sinceră.
Cu o variată plajă de personaje care mai de care, autoarea Sandra Brown a reușit să ne capteze atenția pentru ceva mai mult de 500 de pagini. Eroi și eroine, buni sau răi, ne-au oferit o poveste care impresionează, care ne face să înțelegem că după faptă există și răsplată.
O carte pe care mi-a făcut plăcere să o descopăr cu ani în urmă și să o recitesc.
January 18, 2015
This is me at the end of just about every SB book. No joke.
Thought I had this one figured out. Well I had a bit figured out. But then at 95% or so SB throws in yet another twists. Damn it....
Full review to come.
Thought I had this one figured out. Well I had a bit figured out. But then at 95% or so SB throws in yet another twists. Damn it....
Full review to come.
June 7, 2015
2.5-stars
This long book was filled with hypocrites and the word ‘whore’.
There was nothing about Key I found swoony.
I was pretty lenient toward Lara up to 60% of the book, but as the author set the subplot for a war zone in Central America, Lara character turned into a completely delusional TSTL person that I almost wanted to *dnf*.
The romance seemed awkward, and the suspense was almost non-existent.
Bummer:/
This long book was filled with hypocrites and the word ‘whore’.
There was nothing about Key I found swoony.
I was pretty lenient toward Lara up to 60% of the book, but as the author set the subplot for a war zone in Central America, Lara character turned into a completely delusional TSTL person that I almost wanted to *dnf*.
The romance seemed awkward, and the suspense was almost non-existent.
Bummer:/
October 24, 2014
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 15, 2025
Good red herring, good plot, terrible terrible results
The author did a job of distracting what the ultimate mystery was. For most of the book we think it's the very-obviously-not-the-heroine's-fault's scandal but it wasn't and I'll give the author that.
But this story did not need to have that many children dying horrific deaths. Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR children had gruesome, explicit deaths. One infant, one 3 year old and two teens. Why???? This story could've still been exactly the same without three of those deaths.
Senseless violence for the shock value alone.
1 ★ for Bowie (Boo-ie, not like the singer) and Janellen, the side story romance that deserved center stage
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬
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The author did a job of distracting what the ultimate mystery was. For most of the book we think it's the very-obviously-not-the-heroine's-fault's scandal but it wasn't and I'll give the author that.
But this story did not need to have that many children dying horrific deaths. Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR children had gruesome, explicit deaths. One infant, one 3 year old and two teens. Why???? This story could've still been exactly the same without three of those deaths.
Senseless violence for the shock value alone.
1 ★ for Bowie (Boo-ie, not like the singer) and Janellen, the side story romance that deserved center stage
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬
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August 8, 2018
Como culebronazo que este libro es, me lo he pasado pipa leyéndolo (no tanto como con Imagen en el espejo pero es que ese es lo más culebronesco que he leído en la vida, jeje). Esta lectura no es una novela romántica sino un libro de suspense romántico, donde lo principal es el pistaco, el secreto que todo Penry oculta y que queremos descubrir a toda costa, y el amor es algo más secundario. La relación entre Key y Lara es más bien una atracción pura y de boa dura que impregna toda la lectura y que se resuelve de un modo que ya reconozco como típicamente browniano y que a mí me requetencanta. Key es un machote muy de la Brown, duro, nada moñas, que demuestra lo que siente con sus actos (a veces bastante brutos pero que a mí me ponen perraquilla) y no con sus palabras. Podrá ser un bebedor/vividor/picha alegre pero en lo importante es un hombre íntegro y leal. Lara es más íntegra y leal aún, una mujer golpeada hasta el extremo por la vida y que intenta sobreponerse a esos golpes constantemente incluso con la carga de secretos que lleva encima. En cuanto a los personajes no tengo ninguna queja, los protagonistas los he visto bien definidos y con un comportamiendo coherente con su modo de ser (y con sus deseos bajeriles), y los secundarios me han encantado, muy brownianos también, mostrándonos lo mejor y lo peor del ser humano, la sordidez de determinados ambientes, las preciosas historias de amor que pueden surgir donde menos te lo esperas... Además Sandra Brown siempre tiene para el lector una leche a mano vuelta que te hace ser consciente de que sus libros no son complacientes y de que, para llegar al HEA (final feliz), hay que pasar por muchas penas e incluso algunas deberemos sobrellevarlas forever (claro, que con Key dándote lo tuyo y lo de tu prima soportas tú hasta el peso del Coloso de Rodas). El libro tiene un ritmo muy ágil y no se entretiene en descripciones inútiles, algo que siempre agradezco mucho, aunque se me ha hecho un pelín más pesado cuando los personajes salen de Eden Pass. Eso sí, el tramo final es vertiginoso y no he podido dejar de leer hasta que me he dado de bruces con el final (final que a mí me ha gustado, me gusta que no me cuente todo de pe a pa 😂). En fin, que a veces encontramos escritoras cuyo estilo nos engancha especialmente y, para mí, Sandra Brown es una de ellas, incluso aunque sus novelas no sean todo lo románticas que a mí me gustaría.
[Reseña extraída del post recopilatorio del #RitaBrown]
[Reseña extraída del post recopilatorio del #RitaBrown]
February 7, 2017
Better buckle yourself in for this one! Author Sandra Brown never fails to deliver the suspense while molding a story riddled with twists and turns on the way to a shocking reveal near the end. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to authors for suspense. Another Must Read by a Master of the genre!
March 19, 2016
Daca mi-a placut? Cu siguranta!
Mai vreau sa o recitesc? In mod sigur!
Mai vreau sa o recitesc? In mod sigur!
July 31, 2024
A juicy page turner loaded with scandal, secrets, and sex. Features one of the best opening chapters I've ever read. Perfect beach reading.
June 6, 2019
Not one of the best. Very far fetched but one story line was very romantic and not often written about so it bumped it to 4 stars
November 15, 2021
Reread 2021
July 2, 2017
По скоро 4,5 *
September 10, 2010
3.5 stars rounded down for Amazon. I was hoping for a romance novel, but this was more of a mystery. I was annoyed with parts of the story.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
I was mad at Lara toward the end. Key deserved to be told all truths, but Lara chose to keep secrets from him. She didn't tell him that Clark was gay because she didn't want him to be hurt. Her logic was wrong because Key thought she didn't want him when she really did. Another problem: on the night of explosion, Jody left home to stop Janellan from being with her boyfriend Bowie. Yet Jody went to Dr. Lara's home, found someone there and shot him. I don't know why Jody went there. By the way, Janellan had eloped that night and went out of town to a hotel in Louisville, which Jody probably didn't know about. Other reveiwers complained that Key drank too much when he was upset, and Lara was a doormat.
DATA:
Sexual content: not evaluated. I read this book before I began counting sex scenes and describing the language. As I recall there was not much sex. Setting: current day U.S. and Central America. Copyright: 1992. Genre: mystery.
OTHER BOOKS:
I’ve read one other book by Sandra Brown. My 4 star review of “Envy” copyright 2001 was posted 12-20-09.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
I was mad at Lara toward the end. Key deserved to be told all truths, but Lara chose to keep secrets from him. She didn't tell him that Clark was gay because she didn't want him to be hurt. Her logic was wrong because Key thought she didn't want him when she really did. Another problem: on the night of explosion, Jody left home to stop Janellan from being with her boyfriend Bowie. Yet Jody went to Dr. Lara's home, found someone there and shot him. I don't know why Jody went there. By the way, Janellan had eloped that night and went out of town to a hotel in Louisville, which Jody probably didn't know about. Other reveiwers complained that Key drank too much when he was upset, and Lara was a doormat.
DATA:
Sexual content: not evaluated. I read this book before I began counting sex scenes and describing the language. As I recall there was not much sex. Setting: current day U.S. and Central America. Copyright: 1992. Genre: mystery.
OTHER BOOKS:
I’ve read one other book by Sandra Brown. My 4 star review of “Envy” copyright 2001 was posted 12-20-09.
December 2, 2019
My first book of Sandra Brown and definitely not the last one.
I've never heard of this author before, shame on me....but I love taking risks and discovering new authors and I was not disappointed..Now I am a big fan and I can smell other favorite’s books coming... (Can’t wait)
I love how passionate her writing is and Oh ...I love the mind-blowing chemistry between the characters, the breathtaking events ...Sandra Brown have a beautiful style that kept me guessing all the way to the end. I lost track of time passing by …She's awesome. I didn't expect the story to be this good at all and I am ready for others
I've never heard of this author before, shame on me....but I love taking risks and discovering new authors and I was not disappointed..Now I am a big fan and I can smell other favorite’s books coming... (Can’t wait)
I love how passionate her writing is and Oh ...I love the mind-blowing chemistry between the characters, the breathtaking events ...Sandra Brown have a beautiful style that kept me guessing all the way to the end. I lost track of time passing by …She's awesome. I didn't expect the story to be this good at all and I am ready for others
September 17, 2011
I must agree with my friends. Best Sandra Brown book I've read. She is an amazing author with unexpected twists and turns and I was most definitely NOT disappointed in this book. Shocking revelations in the last 40 pages or so. Wow. Might be one that I actually read again, in digital format of course, will be passing this on to my sister insisting she read it first!!
January 8, 2017
Very promising start. Oh, good! I thought, one of her readable ones.
OOOPs. The more I read, the worse it got--the language, plot, preachiness, characters full of psychobabble about themselves and others. Ugh. I had to stop.
OOOPs. The more I read, the worse it got--the language, plot, preachiness, characters full of psychobabble about themselves and others. Ugh. I had to stop.
November 6, 2020
This was an ambitious book in its scope and the breadth of stories it tried to tell, but I feel like I can only really give it some credit for ambition and none for execution. I'm all for breaking with tropes and breaking out of tired storylines, but only if you manage to do it successfully, which this book doesn't. It has 2.5 love stories (as of 82% in), a suicide mission into a wartorn country (which I realize below was completely unnecessary and just a wanton loss of life), a small town narrative, plenty of little spite storylines involving various characters, multiple self-made people with various chips on their shoulders, and people working through their traumatic childhoods and overbearing parents and emotional stuntedness. Not that these element can't all combine into a seamless, logical, flowing, believable story. They just didn't here. Major spoilers ahead as I complain about all this book's shortcomings.
The various components of the book were choppy and jarring. Like when . Or when . The entire Montesangre arc made no sense to me and was completely unbelievable, to the point where .
Plus, the whole dynamic between Key and Lara wasn't jiving for me. I don't love the hate-to-love plot on a good day, but it's not like I'll discard a book because of it. But even ignoring that prejudice of mine, their interactions are hostile at best, abusive at worst. And this is even 80% of the way into the book! I have no idea why she let him talk to her like that, especially considering (I've only garnered this from other reviews since I didn't read that far myself) that . I was especially pissed off at Key after the scene where she broke down crying, and he comforted her, then accused her of being a whore using her body to get what she wanted. You know what? Fuck you man. Seriously. When you parted at Helen's house, she told you to go home. Did you listen? No, you fucking followed her like a creep. "Because you were worried about her" ok sure, like you've ever given a rat's ass before. Then, when you get to her home, she tells you to go home and leave her alone because she's fine. She's clearly not, but YOU'RE the one who insisted on staying, bucko! She literally screamed at you to get you to leave. Then, she cries and doesn't try to share what she's upset about. YOU'RE the one who drags it out of her, and then when she tells you, YOU'RE the one who drags her out of her seat to hug her. YOU'RE the one who kisses her first, but like, who does that? Who thinks a story about is a cue for sexy times?? It would be one thing if you kissed her temple or forehead as a comforting or calming gesture, but you were definitely going for a let's-have-sex kiss. Losing herself (because let's face it -- she's not exactly at her best right now), she kisses you back, then realizes what she's doing and pushes you away, then asks you to take her to get her , yet you accuse HER of trying to seduce YOU?? FUCK OFF. As if she wasn't suffering enough, he says some incredibly cruel and nasty things to her, then leaves her to deal with the emotional aftermath, after he's the one who just took advantage of her emotional breakdown to cop a feel. Don't get me wrong, I have no patience for our TSTL heroine either, but I am so TIRED of shitty, abusive, nasty, immature male leads who get away with everything because they're hot and because they're the male lead who later get a free pass once it's proven he knows how to use his dick.
Anyway, enough of my ranting because we'd be here all day. This was a book that started out with a lot of promise and intrigue yet systematically failed its readers at every critical point (and even a lot of non-critical ones, if we're being honest). The internal logic of the story didn't hold and left me giving it the side eye or rolling my eyes on the regular. We got too many characters without getting deeply into any of their stories, never quite giving us enough to invest in and care about them, but giving us too much info to just skim past them and move on with the plot. There wasn't a lot of depth to the story, and logic took an extended vacation. I can tell from the rating that people really love this book, but it just didn't do anything for me.
The various components of the book were choppy and jarring. Like when . Or when . The entire Montesangre arc made no sense to me and was completely unbelievable, to the point where .
Plus, the whole dynamic between Key and Lara wasn't jiving for me. I don't love the hate-to-love plot on a good day, but it's not like I'll discard a book because of it. But even ignoring that prejudice of mine, their interactions are hostile at best, abusive at worst. And this is even 80% of the way into the book! I have no idea why she let him talk to her like that, especially considering (I've only garnered this from other reviews since I didn't read that far myself) that . I was especially pissed off at Key after the scene where she broke down crying, and he comforted her, then accused her of being a whore using her body to get what she wanted. You know what? Fuck you man. Seriously. When you parted at Helen's house, she told you to go home. Did you listen? No, you fucking followed her like a creep. "Because you were worried about her" ok sure, like you've ever given a rat's ass before. Then, when you get to her home, she tells you to go home and leave her alone because she's fine. She's clearly not, but YOU'RE the one who insisted on staying, bucko! She literally screamed at you to get you to leave. Then, she cries and doesn't try to share what she's upset about. YOU'RE the one who drags it out of her, and then when she tells you, YOU'RE the one who drags her out of her seat to hug her. YOU'RE the one who kisses her first, but like, who does that? Who thinks a story about is a cue for sexy times?? It would be one thing if you kissed her temple or forehead as a comforting or calming gesture, but you were definitely going for a let's-have-sex kiss. Losing herself (because let's face it -- she's not exactly at her best right now), she kisses you back, then realizes what she's doing and pushes you away, then asks you to take her to get her , yet you accuse HER of trying to seduce YOU?? FUCK OFF. As if she wasn't suffering enough, he says some incredibly cruel and nasty things to her, then leaves her to deal with the emotional aftermath, after he's the one who just took advantage of her emotional breakdown to cop a feel. Don't get me wrong, I have no patience for our TSTL heroine either, but I am so TIRED of shitty, abusive, nasty, immature male leads who get away with everything because they're hot and because they're the male lead who later get a free pass once it's proven he knows how to use his dick.
Anyway, enough of my ranting because we'd be here all day. This was a book that started out with a lot of promise and intrigue yet systematically failed its readers at every critical point (and even a lot of non-critical ones, if we're being honest). The internal logic of the story didn't hold and left me giving it the side eye or rolling my eyes on the regular. We got too many characters without getting deeply into any of their stories, never quite giving us enough to invest in and care about them, but giving us too much info to just skim past them and move on with the plot. There wasn't a lot of depth to the story, and logic took an extended vacation. I can tell from the rating that people really love this book, but it just didn't do anything for me.
March 26, 2022
Un enemies to lovers en plan «te odio pero no puedo dejar de pensar en ti, maldita sea».
Lara Porter, hoy Lara Mallory, salió en todos los periódicos como la amante casada de Clark Tackett, un político tejano con mal final. Por eso, por muy atractiva que la encuentre el poco escrupuloso Key Tackett, no va a ceder a sus impulsos. Sería el hazmerreír de todos, acostándose con la mujer que trajo la desgracia a su hermano y a su familia. Todos la odian, entonces, ¿qué hace aquí, en este pueblo tejano donde los Tackett lo son todo? Lara quiere algo. De Key, precisamente. Ella perdió a su marido y a su hija, y cuenta con convencer a Key de una aventura muy arriesgada.
Novela muy entretenida, con uno de los finales brownianos que más recuerdo. Y todo por Key, un tipo de esos más ásperos que la lija del siete.
Crítica extensa, en mi blog.
Lara Porter, hoy Lara Mallory, salió en todos los periódicos como la amante casada de Clark Tackett, un político tejano con mal final. Por eso, por muy atractiva que la encuentre el poco escrupuloso Key Tackett, no va a ceder a sus impulsos. Sería el hazmerreír de todos, acostándose con la mujer que trajo la desgracia a su hermano y a su familia. Todos la odian, entonces, ¿qué hace aquí, en este pueblo tejano donde los Tackett lo son todo? Lara quiere algo. De Key, precisamente. Ella perdió a su marido y a su hija, y cuenta con convencer a Key de una aventura muy arriesgada.
Novela muy entretenida, con uno de los finales brownianos que más recuerdo. Y todo por Key, un tipo de esos más ásperos que la lija del siete.
Crítica extensa, en mi blog.
February 13, 2020
Phenomenal :) May be my new favorite!
August 30, 2022
Hated it. Hated characters and the plot. Key is one of the worst H I've read about in a long time. He slept w/ Evil Darcy in beginning then she shot him and then got a blowjob midbook after she shot him in the beginning that makes no sense. Also the whole going to Mexico plot was ridiculous. Add to that the relationship between Key and Lara was not one I was rooting for, she was way too good for him (he almost slept with Darcy again had the explosion not happened). Np.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2020
A woman comes to town seeking redemption. The family who holds her responsible for a son's political downfall and death try to drive here out. Would have been a good story if it didn't have all the profanity and blantant sex.
February 18, 2020
3.5 stars, updated to 4 for goodreads. A bit disappointing! It was confusing with how the chapters were organized.
June 1, 2018
3.5 stars. This book had lots of twists and turns and unexpected events. I really enjoyed the ride.
March 17, 2017
#26 for 2017 RC
Genre : Suspense
Genre : Suspense
May 27, 2017
Why on God's green earth would Lara Mallory decide to set up her medical practice in Eden Pass, Texas; home of her scandalous lovers family? Oh, yeah because before he mysteriously died he purchased it and deeded it too her. Awkward. Changing her name after her husband, who stood by her side, was murdered in a coup in the Central American country they were shushed to after the scandal didn't help her keep jobs anywhere else. She didn't have a lot to lose and she had a mission. With interwoven storylines, Sandra Brown crafts a gripping tale of Lara and her lover's brother Key that will keep you guessing until the end and have you wanting to be able to just read faster.
I really liked this story but there's a few things I feel like need to be addressed that I didn't quite care for. Before I go into it too much I have to remind you that the use of language does not bother me. What bothers me is when it's used loosely and in a context that doesn't fit the character or the story. For an affair that happened almost five years prior there was a lot of name calling going on throughout that, in my opinion, was just the use of language for language sake and not to benefit the story or to flesh out a character. I found it a bit too much and over the top. It became cliche after a while and detracted from the bigger story instead of enhancing it. The storylines wove together perfectly and blended seamlessly and the characters were engaging. However, I have to throw the cliche word out there again because that's the only word I can think of to describe how some of the characters developed. They didn't really slide into their own personalities so much as became just another off the shelf version of what their role was. In character development this book had opportunity for improvement. So, let's move on to the good stuff.
Any time I pick up a mystery, which I do fairly often, the big test of it's merit is how long it takes me to figure out the answers. Sandra Brown has thus far, always kept me gripped and guessing and thinking I've got it just to toss another curve ball at me. Even in the last chapter there were things revealed that I hadn't yet figured out on my own. Don't get me wrong, there were things that were glaringly obvious but the big stuff? Took me sideways. However the romance left me wanting. Janellen and Bowie were too cliche for me to be invested in their romance. Anything Darcy touched was cliche intensified. Even Lara and Key were just too much 'thin line between love and hate'. The only person who really surprised me at the end was Jody. Despite the off the rack characters though they were cohesive and they worked well together. Key and Lara's relationship was well built with a few sidebars thrown in for good measure, a lot of immaturity and a little bit of self awareness. All in all, Sandra Brown has yet to disappointment and there's still books out there I've yet to read.
Originally published at https://fizzypopcollection.blogspot.c....
I really liked this story but there's a few things I feel like need to be addressed that I didn't quite care for. Before I go into it too much I have to remind you that the use of language does not bother me. What bothers me is when it's used loosely and in a context that doesn't fit the character or the story. For an affair that happened almost five years prior there was a lot of name calling going on throughout that, in my opinion, was just the use of language for language sake and not to benefit the story or to flesh out a character. I found it a bit too much and over the top. It became cliche after a while and detracted from the bigger story instead of enhancing it. The storylines wove together perfectly and blended seamlessly and the characters were engaging. However, I have to throw the cliche word out there again because that's the only word I can think of to describe how some of the characters developed. They didn't really slide into their own personalities so much as became just another off the shelf version of what their role was. In character development this book had opportunity for improvement. So, let's move on to the good stuff.
Any time I pick up a mystery, which I do fairly often, the big test of it's merit is how long it takes me to figure out the answers. Sandra Brown has thus far, always kept me gripped and guessing and thinking I've got it just to toss another curve ball at me. Even in the last chapter there were things revealed that I hadn't yet figured out on my own. Don't get me wrong, there were things that were glaringly obvious but the big stuff? Took me sideways. However the romance left me wanting. Janellen and Bowie were too cliche for me to be invested in their romance. Anything Darcy touched was cliche intensified. Even Lara and Key were just too much 'thin line between love and hate'. The only person who really surprised me at the end was Jody. Despite the off the rack characters though they were cohesive and they worked well together. Key and Lara's relationship was well built with a few sidebars thrown in for good measure, a lot of immaturity and a little bit of self awareness. All in all, Sandra Brown has yet to disappointment and there's still books out there I've yet to read.
Originally published at https://fizzypopcollection.blogspot.c....
February 10, 2021
First off: I got this book as a goodreads giveaway.
I always wanted to read something by Sandra Brown and I’m grateful for the signed copy of her book. But, sadly, after reading I have to say that it isn’t mine.
There’s certain romance tropes that I can’t stand much, and one of them is to start out with a as irredeemable appearing male main character as possible, and Key, the books male hero, is a role model in that department. Lead character Key hates Lara, our female lead, for, in his mind, ruining his brothers political career by having an affair with him. The hinted on secret behind these events would still have been enough to keep me interested in reading on and swallow the questionable initial behaviour of our “hero”, if this had just been ill directed hatred against Lara, but Sandra takes this a step further and paints him as a troubled to the max, cynical, women despising alpha-male all the females swoon over…
And this brings me to the next romance trope I have little patience for: instant lust.
Naturally our female lead, Lara, a doctor out of all possibilities, instantly feels a strong sexual attraction to Key when, unrecognised by her at that time, he literally falls into her home at night, heavily wounded and sweat covered… but hey, what’s says sexy more than dripping blood and sweat on the rug, right? The book goes even as far as trying to sell us a short exchange between them which is nothing short of sexual harassment as flirting.
If that’s her idea of a flirt, our Doctor should urgently pick up her pride from the floor and visit a Doctor, honestly.
I understand that instant lust (same as love on first sight) spares the author to have to spend a lot of time on getting to know each other and relationship building, but in a novel of 500+ pages, who needs short-cuts?
Still yet, in spite of my reluctance to put up with such tropes, I would have been tempted to read on, if only to learn more about the faith of secondary character Bowie, who would have a made a much better lead in my opinion. But Sandra spicks her story over these close to hundred pages with more vulgarities than Stephen King uses up in a whole book. I don’t usually comment (much) on language, but when all characters start to sound like they are suffering from a form of Tourette’s syndrome my reading pleasure goes out of the window.
Now, obviously some people like this sort of writing more than I do and to them, I’m sure, it’s a good enough story to keep them entertained; for me unfortunately it isn’t.
I always wanted to read something by Sandra Brown and I’m grateful for the signed copy of her book. But, sadly, after reading I have to say that it isn’t mine.
There’s certain romance tropes that I can’t stand much, and one of them is to start out with a as irredeemable appearing male main character as possible, and Key, the books male hero, is a role model in that department. Lead character Key hates Lara, our female lead, for, in his mind, ruining his brothers political career by having an affair with him. The hinted on secret behind these events would still have been enough to keep me interested in reading on and swallow the questionable initial behaviour of our “hero”, if this had just been ill directed hatred against Lara, but Sandra takes this a step further and paints him as a troubled to the max, cynical, women despising alpha-male all the females swoon over…
And this brings me to the next romance trope I have little patience for: instant lust.
Naturally our female lead, Lara, a doctor out of all possibilities, instantly feels a strong sexual attraction to Key when, unrecognised by her at that time, he literally falls into her home at night, heavily wounded and sweat covered… but hey, what’s says sexy more than dripping blood and sweat on the rug, right? The book goes even as far as trying to sell us a short exchange between them which is nothing short of sexual harassment as flirting.
If that’s her idea of a flirt, our Doctor should urgently pick up her pride from the floor and visit a Doctor, honestly.
I understand that instant lust (same as love on first sight) spares the author to have to spend a lot of time on getting to know each other and relationship building, but in a novel of 500+ pages, who needs short-cuts?
Still yet, in spite of my reluctance to put up with such tropes, I would have been tempted to read on, if only to learn more about the faith of secondary character Bowie, who would have a made a much better lead in my opinion. But Sandra spicks her story over these close to hundred pages with more vulgarities than Stephen King uses up in a whole book. I don’t usually comment (much) on language, but when all characters start to sound like they are suffering from a form of Tourette’s syndrome my reading pleasure goes out of the window.
Now, obviously some people like this sort of writing more than I do and to them, I’m sure, it’s a good enough story to keep them entertained; for me unfortunately it isn’t.
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