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Up Close and Dangerous
Bailey Wingate's scheming adult stepchildren are surprised when their father's will leaves Bailey in control of their fortune, and war ensues. A year later, while flying in a small plane, Bailey nearly dies herself when the engine sputters——and then fails. Cam Justice, her sexy Texan pilot, manages to crash-land the aircraft. Stranded in the wilderness, and struggling to douse her feelings for the ruggedly handsome man by her side, Bailey begins to wonder whether this terrifying incident was actually a murder attempt. Cut off from the world, and with little hope of rescue, Bailey must trust her life——and her heart——to Cam, as they battle the harsh elements to find a way out of the unforgiving wilds and back to civilization...where a killer may be waiting to finish the job.
347 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 17, 2007
492 people are currently reading
3281 people want to read
About the author
Linda Howard
223 books7,173 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 635 reviews
June 9, 2016
“You look awful.”
He grinned in quick response. “You look pretty bad yourself,” he said with a teasing note in his deep voice. “Like you were in a plane crash and have been living in the wild for five days. The black eye is the crowning touch, though. At least you know for certain I didn’t fall in love with you because of how you look.”
If this book hadn't been written by Linda Howard, it would have turned out to be another survival handbook. But this is Linda Howard. Needless to say, she's a master of turning simple plots into engaging stories.
As always, the author has a way of pulling me right into her books. She weaves romance, suspense, and a bit of humor and drama into the story of two people who were thrown together in a life threatening situation. I think the romance in this book could be considered slow-burning. I could feel the sexual tension between Cam and Bailey there, but it just gradually built up and then erupted into flame eventually. To be honest, I expected hot and sizzling romance like her usual work, but what could I do except to roll with it. Hmm...
I can always find my ideal hero in LH’s male leads. Her heroes are alpha men who never play games and never give up. There’s no holding back, no nonsensical issues (like love or commitment issues), no pushing away, and no emotional weakness. And Cam is no exception. He is calm, but decisive and determined. When he realized that Bailey was the only one he wanted, he made up his mind that his bachelor days were over. I loved that he took their relationship seriously.
How can one not love this man?
Because of her love and trust issues, Bailey kept most people at her arms length, never allowed herself to lean on anyone. But after she and Cam had survived a plane crash, she could feel the bonds between them growing, and that scared the hell out of her. Cam determined to make her trust him and he wouldn’t ever let her pull away from him or go back to her former frostiness anymore.
The thing that surprised me the most was the twist ending. My jaw dropped open in profound amazement. OMG! I couldn’t believe what I just read!
Although Up close And Dangerous isn’t LH at her best, I enjoyed reading it a lot and found myself engrossed in the story that I almost lost track of time. This was an entertaining and worthwhile read. Fans of romantic suspense will certainly enjoy this one.
He grinned in quick response. “You look pretty bad yourself,” he said with a teasing note in his deep voice. “Like you were in a plane crash and have been living in the wild for five days. The black eye is the crowning touch, though. At least you know for certain I didn’t fall in love with you because of how you look.”
If this book hadn't been written by Linda Howard, it would have turned out to be another survival handbook. But this is Linda Howard. Needless to say, she's a master of turning simple plots into engaging stories.
As always, the author has a way of pulling me right into her books. She weaves romance, suspense, and a bit of humor and drama into the story of two people who were thrown together in a life threatening situation. I think the romance in this book could be considered slow-burning. I could feel the sexual tension between Cam and Bailey there, but it just gradually built up and then erupted into flame eventually. To be honest, I expected hot and sizzling romance like her usual work, but what could I do except to roll with it. Hmm...
I can always find my ideal hero in LH’s male leads. Her heroes are alpha men who never play games and never give up. There’s no holding back, no nonsensical issues (like love or commitment issues), no pushing away, and no emotional weakness. And Cam is no exception. He is calm, but decisive and determined. When he realized that Bailey was the only one he wanted, he made up his mind that his bachelor days were over. I loved that he took their relationship seriously.
How can one not love this man?
Because of her love and trust issues, Bailey kept most people at her arms length, never allowed herself to lean on anyone. But after she and Cam had survived a plane crash, she could feel the bonds between them growing, and that scared the hell out of her. Cam determined to make her trust him and he wouldn’t ever let her pull away from him or go back to her former frostiness anymore.
The thing that surprised me the most was the twist ending. My jaw dropped open in profound amazement. OMG! I couldn’t believe what I just read!
Although Up close And Dangerous isn’t LH at her best, I enjoyed reading it a lot and found myself engrossed in the story that I almost lost track of time. This was an entertaining and worthwhile read. Fans of romantic suspense will certainly enjoy this one.
December 4, 2020
Reading a LH novel after so long feels like coming back home. Added bonus, the unbelievably unexpected twist at the end and a hero who's not an ass.
*sigh*
I live for these!
*sigh*
I live for these!
September 2, 2010
This book won't be for everyone--even fans of Linda Howard may have a hard time with it, because a lot of it has to do with surviving a plane crash, and there isn't a heck of a lot of romance or suspense. But because I don't mind a plot that hinges on survival in the wilderness, for the most part I'd have to say I enjoyed it. Not that I didn't wish that LH would have included some more of this and less of that...
The heroine, Bailey, is a 32 year-old attractive widow from Seattle with huge walls around her heart. She was involved in a brief marriage of convenience (for reasons I won't get into) and now that her rich husband's dead she's forced to deal with his two very spoiled, irresponsible, nasty adult children. To take a break from them she decides to go on a vacation with her brother and his wife, and needs to fly to Denver to meet them. She decides to fly by private plane and uses the company that her husband's corporation always uses, J&L Executive Air Limo. The pilot on this trip is one that Bailey considers a grim sourpuss, tall and broad shouldered Cam Justice.
Cam thinks Bailey is cold and stuck-up, and figures the trip to Denver is going to be a looong one with her on board. But less than half way there, over some rugged, mountainous terrain, there's engine trouble, and Cam is forced to make a daring, last ditch landing among the treetops. By some miracle, Cam and Bailey survive, although Cam has a serious head injury. Bailey then goes into wonder woman mode (the woman exhausted and impressed me with all she was able to accomplish) and not only pulls the dead weight of Cam from the airplane, but stitches up his head wound, keeps him from dying of hypothermia, and erects a shelter for them. All of this while she has injuries herself. Cam is grateful, impressed, and turned on by Bailey, and makes plans to get around the walls she has around her heart. It will be days before a search team will find them. If they can stay alive that long, will that be enough time for Cam to worm his way into a very cautious, distrustful Bailey's heart?
I really liked Cam. He was funny, sweet, and sexy, and appreciated a strong and smart woman like Bailey. Bailey was a bit prickly, and it took me a while to warm up to her. Once LH explained her past a bit, I saw where her attitude was coming from, and I cut her some slack. I liked her and Cam together, although I didn't totally buy the love story. I thought their 'love' might have been influenced a little by their dependence on each other for survival, but what the heck, I decided to go along with it and just enjoy it.
I appreciated the survival part of the story, with all the ingenuity that Bailey and Cam showed about how to salvage the plane and the stuff they brought with them to keep themselves warm and alive. At one point though I was tired of all the suffering they went through and I was ready for them to be rescued!
The suspense aspect of the plot? Well, the suspense of the plane going down was very harrowing and well-done, as well as the immediate aftermath as it's up to Bailey alone for their survival. Of course we know someone tampered with the plane, but we don't really know who (although LH serves up some prime suspects) or why. The revelation at the end threw me for loop though, as I just did not see that coming.
Now the romance? This is where I though LH short-changes the reader. I loved the connection that Cam and Bailey shared as they struggled for days to survive. As Cam got better, his amorous side came out, and somehow (even while practically freezing to death and wearing layers and layers of clothing) he was able to put some moves on Bailey (verbally and physically), and the payoff (when Bailey finally succumbed) was hot and sweet. But I needed to see a little bit more of this emotional and physical connection . Even though the book was over 300 pages, I thought it ended rather abruptly. I needed to see Cam and Bailey under normal, every-day circumstances, to believe that their connection was true and that it would last. A nice little epilogue would've done that for me.
Nothing wrong with the writing, the characters, or most of the execution of the story. If LH would've added just a little more, I would've bumped it up a notch. This was a good story, but certainly not one of LH's (who has a ton of wonderful reads) best. 3 1/2 stars
The heroine, Bailey, is a 32 year-old attractive widow from Seattle with huge walls around her heart. She was involved in a brief marriage of convenience (for reasons I won't get into) and now that her rich husband's dead she's forced to deal with his two very spoiled, irresponsible, nasty adult children. To take a break from them she decides to go on a vacation with her brother and his wife, and needs to fly to Denver to meet them. She decides to fly by private plane and uses the company that her husband's corporation always uses, J&L Executive Air Limo. The pilot on this trip is one that Bailey considers a grim sourpuss, tall and broad shouldered Cam Justice.
Cam thinks Bailey is cold and stuck-up, and figures the trip to Denver is going to be a looong one with her on board. But less than half way there, over some rugged, mountainous terrain, there's engine trouble, and Cam is forced to make a daring, last ditch landing among the treetops. By some miracle, Cam and Bailey survive, although Cam has a serious head injury. Bailey then goes into wonder woman mode (the woman exhausted and impressed me with all she was able to accomplish) and not only pulls the dead weight of Cam from the airplane, but stitches up his head wound, keeps him from dying of hypothermia, and erects a shelter for them. All of this while she has injuries herself. Cam is grateful, impressed, and turned on by Bailey, and makes plans to get around the walls she has around her heart. It will be days before a search team will find them. If they can stay alive that long, will that be enough time for Cam to worm his way into a very cautious, distrustful Bailey's heart?
I really liked Cam. He was funny, sweet, and sexy, and appreciated a strong and smart woman like Bailey. Bailey was a bit prickly, and it took me a while to warm up to her. Once LH explained her past a bit, I saw where her attitude was coming from, and I cut her some slack. I liked her and Cam together, although I didn't totally buy the love story. I thought their 'love' might have been influenced a little by their dependence on each other for survival, but what the heck, I decided to go along with it and just enjoy it.
I appreciated the survival part of the story, with all the ingenuity that Bailey and Cam showed about how to salvage the plane and the stuff they brought with them to keep themselves warm and alive. At one point though I was tired of all the suffering they went through and I was ready for them to be rescued!
The suspense aspect of the plot? Well, the suspense of the plane going down was very harrowing and well-done, as well as the immediate aftermath as it's up to Bailey alone for their survival. Of course we know someone tampered with the plane, but we don't really know who (although LH serves up some prime suspects) or why. The revelation at the end threw me for loop though, as I just did not see that coming.
Now the romance? This is where I though LH short-changes the reader. I loved the connection that Cam and Bailey shared as they struggled for days to survive. As Cam got better, his amorous side came out, and somehow (even while practically freezing to death and wearing layers and layers of clothing) he was able to put some moves on Bailey (verbally and physically), and the payoff (when Bailey finally succumbed) was hot and sweet. But I needed to see a little bit more of this emotional and physical connection . Even though the book was over 300 pages, I thought it ended rather abruptly. I needed to see Cam and Bailey under normal, every-day circumstances, to believe that their connection was true and that it would last. A nice little epilogue would've done that for me.
Nothing wrong with the writing, the characters, or most of the execution of the story. If LH would've added just a little more, I would've bumped it up a notch. This was a good story, but certainly not one of LH's (who has a ton of wonderful reads) best. 3 1/2 stars
April 23, 2025
I have had this book on my kindle for 5 years. Went through a bit of a "LH phase" some years back and bought quite a lot of her books. Not sure why I never read this one back then.
A bit implausible at times. Not as good as some of the other books I have read by Ms Howard.
This was Mrs MacGyver! Wow, she could do just about anything! LOL.
Bit of a twist towards the end that I did not see coming.
Overall, a good read but nothing out of this world.
A bit implausible at times. Not as good as some of the other books I have read by Ms Howard.
This was Mrs MacGyver! Wow, she could do just about anything! LOL.
The hell of of it was, physically, he was an attractive man - not handsome, not a pretty boy at all because his face was too rugged for that, but definitely ... attractive.
Bit of a twist towards the end that I did not see coming.
Overall, a good read but nothing out of this world.
May 26, 2023
I needed to revisit Linda Howard or any other of my favorite authors. So, I re-read this romantic suspense-thriller.
The uptight, wealthy widow and Captain sourpuss have secretly hated each other's guts for long but the crash-landing on top of a freezing mountain brings out the real them.
She's strong, resourceful and even drags him out of the plane. He couldn't but appreciate and want her for his own. She too, starts to find him wildly attractive as she fusses over his concussed self.
Although I kind of rolled my eyes at his thoughts going me-mine while he lay there half dead and barely able to move. One would think they'd be freaking out at their survival and rescue chances.
But nah, they calmly go about playing house on the snowy shelf and falling for each other.
Lots of suspects (for the plane tampering) are thrown about - her malicious step-kids for one but the suspense takes a backseat imo.
The jargon speak on the plane crash, aviation stuff, survival tips and search operations are no doubt overwhelming but the h/H connect, albeit spread thinly in between, is still soothing to my romantic soul. I love how LH's macho Hs love when they do love!
The uptight, wealthy widow and Captain sourpuss have secretly hated each other's guts for long but the crash-landing on top of a freezing mountain brings out the real them.
She's strong, resourceful and even drags him out of the plane. He couldn't but appreciate and want her for his own. She too, starts to find him wildly attractive as she fusses over his concussed self.
Although I kind of rolled my eyes at his thoughts going me-mine while he lay there half dead and barely able to move. One would think they'd be freaking out at their survival and rescue chances.
But nah, they calmly go about playing house on the snowy shelf and falling for each other.
Lots of suspects (for the plane tampering) are thrown about - her malicious step-kids for one but the suspense takes a backseat imo.
The jargon speak on the plane crash, aviation stuff, survival tips and search operations are no doubt overwhelming but the h/H connect, albeit spread thinly in between, is still soothing to my romantic soul. I love how LH's macho Hs love when they do love!
June 11, 2016
Have you ever heard of MacGyver? It was a show in the '80's, I think, and was about some guy who could take a paperclip, a rubber band, and a straw - and somehow make a bomb. I never saw the show, but I've seen a lot of things making fun of it.
Anyway, this book is more about the ingenuity of a couple who survives a plane crash more than anything else. If you are looking for straight forward romance, this isn't the one. If you are looking for a mystery - uh, no. The main thing you are going to find here is survival stuff.
If you know who this guy is, you'll like this book
So, we have our couple who hate each other get into a plane crash. Now, they have to help each other to survive, and guess what? The reasons they hated each other was wrong! How convenient! So, of course they fall in love! Who wouldn't fall in love while you are freezing, injured, bleeding, starving, dirty, dehydrated, and sick from the altitude? It's so romantic!
The only way I'll find camping romantic is if it is in a hotel room with room service!
But, there isn't a lot of the romance. Just enough to be kind of gross when you consider how disgusting they must smell.
Dude! A tic tac? Anything!
Since I enjoyed reading about how they made their own snowshoes and shelter, I liked this book. It is Bear Grylls approved!
no urine was consumed in the telling of this story because they aren't idiots...
October 24, 2022
One of my favorite tropes. Plane crashes and survival in the wilderness. I just loved this couple! They are both good people who dislike one another until they are forced to spend almost a week relying on each other. I loved watching their romance develop.
As soon as I finished reading this I wanted to start all over. I wanted more of this couple and wished there was an epilogue. If detailed wilderness survival is not your thing you may find yourself skimming through. I loved all the details. The h was a female MacGyver, so unexpected but it showed her determination and true spirit.
You should avoid the spoiler I am including. Avoiding it will make the story more interesting.
As soon as I finished reading this I wanted to start all over. I wanted more of this couple and wished there was an epilogue. If detailed wilderness survival is not your thing you may find yourself skimming through. I loved all the details. The h was a female MacGyver, so unexpected but it showed her determination and true spirit.
You should avoid the spoiler I am including. Avoiding it will make the story more interesting.
July 27, 2022
That was one intense and adventurous ride.
I absolutely loved everything about the book. Also got many new informations. The hero was an absolute Alpha sweetheart. I loved how he tricked and made the heroine fall in love with him. The only complaint I have is the lack of epilogue. And this book ‘needed’ it. Thus minus .5 stars ⭐️.
Recommended and safe.
I absolutely loved everything about the book. Also got many new informations. The hero was an absolute Alpha sweetheart. I loved how he tricked and made the heroine fall in love with him. The only complaint I have is the lack of epilogue. And this book ‘needed’ it. Thus minus .5 stars ⭐️.
Recommended and safe.
March 19, 2010
4 stars – Romantic Suspense
Although I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the other/older LH books that I've read, it's still an entertaining romantic suspense read. It's kind of like a Plane Crash/Rocky Mountain High version of Survivor. The banter between sexy, arrogant ex-military Texan pilot Cam Justice and his aloof, yet smart and tough widowed client Bailey Wingate as they battle the elements to survive is loads of fun, and they have sexual chemistry so hot that it melts her frosty demeanor and the snow around them!
I tell you what...I had a lot of respect for Bailey's character. I think if I ever found myself in the same situation, that I'd be in big doo-doo (and complain a heck of a lot more too) because I sure wouldn't have thought of all the rugged, survival stuff she did. And the whole building a shelter thing sounded complicated and exhausting!
Overall, this is a gripping romantic suspense read with a likable H/H, and it might even make you want to take a survival class!
Although I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the other/older LH books that I've read, it's still an entertaining romantic suspense read. It's kind of like a Plane Crash/Rocky Mountain High version of Survivor. The banter between sexy, arrogant ex-military Texan pilot Cam Justice and his aloof, yet smart and tough widowed client Bailey Wingate as they battle the elements to survive is loads of fun, and they have sexual chemistry so hot that it melts her frosty demeanor and the snow around them!
I tell you what...I had a lot of respect for Bailey's character. I think if I ever found myself in the same situation, that I'd be in big doo-doo (and complain a heck of a lot more too) because I sure wouldn't have thought of all the rugged, survival stuff she did. And the whole building a shelter thing sounded complicated and exhausting!
Overall, this is a gripping romantic suspense read with a likable H/H, and it might even make you want to take a survival class!
September 2, 2019
3.75 stars.⭐⭐⭐⭐
I had just finished "Prey" by Linda Howard prior to reading this book and although I really enjoyed both these reads I do think that "Prey" was the better book IMO.
Both novels have their MC's trapped in the wilderness and they are very much dependent on their own wits and skills to survive - especially in this book where Bailey and Cam end up stranded on a snowy mountain top after surviving a plane crash. It is fairly dire circumstances!!!!
The slight let down for me here was the romance itself........ it just happened way to fast.....even though I can see how having somebody save your life in the dramatic way Bailey did for Cam could drastically affect your feelings for them.💗
She was awesome!!! So kind and cool under pressure. 👍
WELL WORTH READING.....and lots of ingenious survival tips!!
I do think this type of novel is definitely Linda Howard's forte- she just seems to excel at these adventurous/romantic suspense stories . 💐
I had just finished "Prey" by Linda Howard prior to reading this book and although I really enjoyed both these reads I do think that "Prey" was the better book IMO.
Both novels have their MC's trapped in the wilderness and they are very much dependent on their own wits and skills to survive - especially in this book where Bailey and Cam end up stranded on a snowy mountain top after surviving a plane crash. It is fairly dire circumstances!!!!
The slight let down for me here was the romance itself........ it just happened way to fast.....even though I can see how having somebody save your life in the dramatic way Bailey did for Cam could drastically affect your feelings for them.💗
She was awesome!!! So kind and cool under pressure. 👍
WELL WORTH READING.....and lots of ingenious survival tips!!
I do think this type of novel is definitely Linda Howard's forte- she just seems to excel at these adventurous/romantic suspense stories . 💐
September 2, 2010
^^NOT THE MOST HAPPY OF WAYS TO GET CLOSE!^^
So I read this book a few years ago, and truthfully I was not overly impressed. The second time around was a lot better if I do say so. I interpreted it a lot differently from the first time and found it amusing and very romantic regardless of the dire circumstances.
Cam Justice is a pilot, not for a big airline, but a small independently own air fleet that takes rich people to their destinations. He loves his job and shares his work with his best friend and his lioness of a secretary, things are all good. On his day off he gets a call saying he has to fly Bailey Wingate because his partner had a serious allergic reaction and his unable to fly, He is not impressed because Bailey rubs him the wrong way, but he has no other choice.
Bailey is looking forward to her mini vacation with her brother and sister-in-law. She wants to escape her evil step-children who hates her existence because she controls the money left by her husband their father. This marriage was basically a business situation, because the step-children are money hungry grubbers. So until they prove some form of maturity the money remains hers to handle and it is looking like forever. Well the vacation will be a welcomed breath of fresh air, until she learns who her pilot is, seems Cam also rubs her the wrong way and this flight looks like its gonna be tortuous.
Well there is hardly anytime for uncomfortable moments when the plane sputters and the engine dies, and they crash in the snowy mountains. The book now becomes a matter of survival and remaining alive until they are rescued. What is surprising is that Bailey is the one who does the work of trying to keep them alive, because Cam is seriously injured and she can’t let them freeze to death. This woman comes off all man verses wild, and she handles business. Builds a shelter and works her ass of to make sure Cam remains alive.
Nothing brings people together like plane crashes and almost dying it then becomes a classic case of never judge a book by its cover. Bailey thought Cam was a hard ass with his sourpuss face, and Cam thought Bailey was a snooty rich bitch and they realize that they were “oh so very wrong”. They come to realize they could love each other and it took a bloody plane crash to do it. I find it a metaphor for how ridiculi people can be, take time to get to know each other, take the time.
Well we know they won’t stay in the cold forever, and some quick talk time and lets keep each other warm sex leads to rejuvenation, and melting snow for water and eating snicker bars. A look around the crash proves the plane was sabotaged and now its figuring it out who wanted them dead.
Not a blow away by Linda Howard but I did like Cam he is the type of guy I wanna be stuck with if my plane crashes or something equally disastrous happens to me. The sex was warm enough and Bailey and Cam are good together, not heavy hitting on plot just a light read. I raised it to a 4/stars because I liked Cam, and the other characters are well done, those evil step children are spoiled.
So I read this book a few years ago, and truthfully I was not overly impressed. The second time around was a lot better if I do say so. I interpreted it a lot differently from the first time and found it amusing and very romantic regardless of the dire circumstances.
Cam Justice is a pilot, not for a big airline, but a small independently own air fleet that takes rich people to their destinations. He loves his job and shares his work with his best friend and his lioness of a secretary, things are all good. On his day off he gets a call saying he has to fly Bailey Wingate because his partner had a serious allergic reaction and his unable to fly, He is not impressed because Bailey rubs him the wrong way, but he has no other choice.
Bailey is looking forward to her mini vacation with her brother and sister-in-law. She wants to escape her evil step-children who hates her existence because she controls the money left by her husband their father. This marriage was basically a business situation, because the step-children are money hungry grubbers. So until they prove some form of maturity the money remains hers to handle and it is looking like forever. Well the vacation will be a welcomed breath of fresh air, until she learns who her pilot is, seems Cam also rubs her the wrong way and this flight looks like its gonna be tortuous.
Well there is hardly anytime for uncomfortable moments when the plane sputters and the engine dies, and they crash in the snowy mountains. The book now becomes a matter of survival and remaining alive until they are rescued. What is surprising is that Bailey is the one who does the work of trying to keep them alive, because Cam is seriously injured and she can’t let them freeze to death. This woman comes off all man verses wild, and she handles business. Builds a shelter and works her ass of to make sure Cam remains alive.
Nothing brings people together like plane crashes and almost dying it then becomes a classic case of never judge a book by its cover. Bailey thought Cam was a hard ass with his sourpuss face, and Cam thought Bailey was a snooty rich bitch and they realize that they were “oh so very wrong”. They come to realize they could love each other and it took a bloody plane crash to do it. I find it a metaphor for how ridiculi people can be, take time to get to know each other, take the time.
Well we know they won’t stay in the cold forever, and some quick talk time and lets keep each other warm sex leads to rejuvenation, and melting snow for water and eating snicker bars. A look around the crash proves the plane was sabotaged and now its figuring it out who wanted them dead.
Not a blow away by Linda Howard but I did like Cam he is the type of guy I wanna be stuck with if my plane crashes or something equally disastrous happens to me. The sex was warm enough and Bailey and Cam are good together, not heavy hitting on plot just a light read. I raised it to a 4/stars because I liked Cam, and the other characters are well done, those evil step children are spoiled.
March 10, 2014
We had no winter in UK this year. This was probably the first winter in my life with absolutely zero snow. I know the US had quite the opposite of that but we just got loads of rain. I’m Polish – I miss the snow and I miss the cold, so I asked people to recommend me romance novels with lots of snow and cold and people having to share their body heat to survive or some such.
‘Up, Close and Dangerous’ was a perfect choice. The hero needs to crash land a plane with the heroine on board somewhere up in the mountains. Of course they don’t like each other at first but they need each other to survive, etcetera, etcetera. The survival bits were fantastic. I was very happy I was provided with every single detail – what they ate, what they drank, what they wore, how they built a shelter, and what afflictions they suffered from. I do love me a good survival story. The romance itself though, was lacking. If you took away all the excitement of being stuck in the wilderness, there just wouldn’t be much to it.
First of all, there is one lesson I learnt from Sandra Bullock in Speed the Sequel and that is that the relationships formed in extreme circumstances hardly ever survive (that’s how they explain the lack Keanu Reeves in the sequel), so maybe these two should slow down with their talk of moving in together, marriage and living happily ever after, because even though I’m sure they learnt a lot about themselves in those three days of sharing their body heat, I don’t know if it is quite enough. I mean, they should be a bit traumatized after that ordeal and maybe some time off would actually be useful. Additionally, there is that final twist, and while I appreciate the author trying to make things more interesting, that twist means that both the hero and the heroine would need at least six months of intense psychotherapy to even be a normal, trusting person again. Jumping head first into a super-serious relationship would be the last thing anyone in such circumstances would or should do.
And yet, I gave it four stars. Because in the end it did what I wanted it to do and that was to have a good snow-related survival story and outdoor sex scenes.
‘Up, Close and Dangerous’ was a perfect choice. The hero needs to crash land a plane with the heroine on board somewhere up in the mountains. Of course they don’t like each other at first but they need each other to survive, etcetera, etcetera. The survival bits were fantastic. I was very happy I was provided with every single detail – what they ate, what they drank, what they wore, how they built a shelter, and what afflictions they suffered from. I do love me a good survival story. The romance itself though, was lacking. If you took away all the excitement of being stuck in the wilderness, there just wouldn’t be much to it.
First of all, there is one lesson I learnt from Sandra Bullock in Speed the Sequel and that is that the relationships formed in extreme circumstances hardly ever survive (that’s how they explain the lack Keanu Reeves in the sequel), so maybe these two should slow down with their talk of moving in together, marriage and living happily ever after, because even though I’m sure they learnt a lot about themselves in those three days of sharing their body heat, I don’t know if it is quite enough. I mean, they should be a bit traumatized after that ordeal and maybe some time off would actually be useful. Additionally, there is that final twist, and while I appreciate the author trying to make things more interesting, that twist means that both the hero and the heroine would need at least six months of intense psychotherapy to even be a normal, trusting person again. Jumping head first into a super-serious relationship would be the last thing anyone in such circumstances would or should do.
And yet, I gave it four stars. Because in the end it did what I wanted it to do and that was to have a good snow-related survival story and outdoor sex scenes.
August 24, 2018
Alive without the cannibalism.
Way too survivalist for me as it seems as if it was a How-to to survive a plane crash, and I hate flying as it is. I listened to the audio and perhaps that was the problem.
Hero is hunky and insta-lust/love strikes hard, and heroine is nice and feisty. She is perfectly willing to take down the annoying stepdaughter.
December 16, 2025
Great story, great romance, weak ending
The story did an amazing job with
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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The story did an amazing job with
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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August 9, 2020
2 reasons why I went for this book when there is a pending list that I really,really need to get to. Majorly there are quite a large number of horror books for this month and I didn’t want a reading slump to affect trying to gobble them all and secondly, I love the genre of romantic suspense but haven’t read much of Linda Howard books which are the top most in this section. So, compensating I decided on Up Close And Dangerous which totally surprised me with its content.
Coincidentally, the content of the book about a plane crash hit quite close to home as an Air India Flight with 191 people on board crashed in my hometown and I would like to show my appreciation in a small way as a BIG SALUTE 🖖🏼 🖖🏼 🖖🏼 to the countless people who toiled in the torrential rains amidst the fear of the pandemic trying to save as many as possible before the plane caught fire.
Linda Howard surely knows how to keep the reader engaged. Even though major portions of the book was about the struggle to survive before a rescue can be attempted there was never a dull moment as Bailey and Cam fight against all odds. I loved how the author has shown the resourcefulness of Bailey in a very trying situation using her ingenuity to figure out ways to get through the harsh and bitter winds and extreme cold weather saving Cam’s life by giving him sutures treating the head wound and then creating a shelter from sticks and stones thereby saving themselves from frostbite.
The mystery and the end reveal was a classic plot twist as one never sees it coming, the romance part of it very subtly done as the initial prickly behavior hides their true nature and wrong assumptions fall by the wayside and both of them feels the tug simmering underneath.
A very exciting read!
This review is published in my blog, https://rainnbooks.com/ ; Amazon India, Goodreads and Twitter handles.
Coincidentally, the content of the book about a plane crash hit quite close to home as an Air India Flight with 191 people on board crashed in my hometown and I would like to show my appreciation in a small way as a BIG SALUTE 🖖🏼 🖖🏼 🖖🏼 to the countless people who toiled in the torrential rains amidst the fear of the pandemic trying to save as many as possible before the plane caught fire.
Linda Howard surely knows how to keep the reader engaged. Even though major portions of the book was about the struggle to survive before a rescue can be attempted there was never a dull moment as Bailey and Cam fight against all odds. I loved how the author has shown the resourcefulness of Bailey in a very trying situation using her ingenuity to figure out ways to get through the harsh and bitter winds and extreme cold weather saving Cam’s life by giving him sutures treating the head wound and then creating a shelter from sticks and stones thereby saving themselves from frostbite.
The mystery and the end reveal was a classic plot twist as one never sees it coming, the romance part of it very subtly done as the initial prickly behavior hides their true nature and wrong assumptions fall by the wayside and both of them feels the tug simmering underneath.
A very exciting read!
This review is published in my blog, https://rainnbooks.com/ ; Amazon India, Goodreads and Twitter handles.
January 3, 2018
"Up Close and Dangerous" is the story of Bailey and Cam.
When Bailey Wingate decides to take a much needed vacation with her family, she hires a private jet and vows to finally have some fun- away from her vicious stepchildren who hate her for having control of their fortunes.
Her pilot turns out to be ex military, the brooding Cam Justice- who when the plane malfunctions, crash lands and saves their life.
The book then revolves around them staying alive in plain wilderness, and the heroine being an ingenious, super efficient survival expert extraordinaire. She was highly resourceful, inventive and brave- and not only saved hers, but also Cam's life.
The is subtle chemistry in the book, but it mainly is about them trying to pull through sustaining in the snow covered mountains, while their loved ones and friends try to piece the puzzle of what happened to them.
There was a surprise reveal in the end which was semi-expected due to the hints in the last few chapters, but overall this was an engaging read.
Female Bear Grylls, thy name is Bailey!
Safe
3.75/5
When Bailey Wingate decides to take a much needed vacation with her family, she hires a private jet and vows to finally have some fun- away from her vicious stepchildren who hate her for having control of their fortunes.
Her pilot turns out to be ex military, the brooding Cam Justice- who when the plane malfunctions, crash lands and saves their life.
The book then revolves around them staying alive in plain wilderness, and the heroine being an ingenious, super efficient survival expert extraordinaire. She was highly resourceful, inventive and brave- and not only saved hers, but also Cam's life.
The is subtle chemistry in the book, but it mainly is about them trying to pull through sustaining in the snow covered mountains, while their loved ones and friends try to piece the puzzle of what happened to them.
There was a surprise reveal in the end which was semi-expected due to the hints in the last few chapters, but overall this was an engaging read.
Female Bear Grylls, thy name is Bailey!
Safe
3.75/5
May 19, 2019
3’5 Estrellas. Éste libro ha sido mi primer acercamiento a Linda Howard, y aunque soy consciente de que no es su mejor libro, lo he disfrutado bastante. Ha sido una novela muy arriesgada por el argumento que entraña, pero también ha habido otros detalles que me han impedido que me guste más.
“Cercano y peligroso” cuenta la historia de Bailey y Cameron. Bailey es una mujer joven y atractiva que acaba de quedarse viuda. Su marido, que podía ser su padre, ha fallecido recientemente y Bailey tiene que luchar contra el odio y el rencor de sus hijastros, Seth y Tamzin; de mayor edad que ella, debido a que su esposo le legó el fideicomiso de sus hijos para que estos no malgastaran la fortuna familiar.
Cuando el libro empieza, Bailey está tan cansada del odio de sus hijastros y de sus amenazas, que decide irse unos días de vacaciones, de escalada, con su hermano y su cuñada. El piloto del pequeño avión que la sacará de Seattle será Cam Justice, un hombre frío y arrogante que también mira a Bailey con desdén por haberse casado con un viejo rico.
Cam Justice y su socio Bret, tienen una pequeña pero próspera empresa de aviación que crearon al salir del servicio militar. Ahora se dedican a cubrir vuelos privados, y la empresa Wingate acaba de contratarlos para que Cam lleve a Bailey a Denver.
El problema empieza a mitad de vuelo cuando se queden sin combustible, y Cam realice un aterrizaje arriesgado sobre las montañas nevadas para evitar un accidente mayor. El avión acaba estrellado, con Cam y Bailey como únicos pasajeros y en cierto modo heridos, pero vivos. Aquí comenzará una lucha por la supervivencia en la peor de las inclemencias meteorológicas ¿Cómo lograrán sobrevivir al frío y al viento, heridos y sin apenas provisiones? Como digo, una novela muy arriesgada, pues si bien ha habido cosas que me las he creído, otras no tanto.
El romance ha sido correcto, pero nada del otro mundo. Al principio los protagonistas parecían tolerarse, no digo odiarse, pero todo se trataba de sobrevivir y de intentar ayudar al otro. Serán esos pequeños detalles lo que hará que los protagonistas se vean como algo más. En una situación tan desesperada y sólo ellos dos como única compañía, forjarán un nudo más profundo de lo que creían, pero no será fácil, sobre todo para Bailey, que tanto ha sufrido el despecho a lo largo de su vida, y no se ve capaz de confiar en lo que Cam tiene que ofrecerle, más allá del consuelo de unos días perdidos en lo peor de las montañas nevadas.
Lo que ha hecho que no me creyera tanto el romance ha sido el cambio tan drástico que ha dado el afecto de Cam. Bailey no sentía nada especial por Cam más allá de ser un hombre atractivo, pero Cam la miraba con el mismo desdén con el que todas las amistades de su esposo fallecido la miraban, como una arribista. Y de un plumazo, herido e inconsciente, Cam siente deseo por ella. Lo siento, pero eso sí que no hay quien se lo crea, y menos con la conmoción cerebral que ha sufrido.
El mayor problema que tendrán los protagonistas será sobrevivir en ésas circunstancias tan adversas ¿Se ha dado parte de su accidente? ¿Fue Cam capaz de llamar a emergencias antes de estrellarse? ¿Podrán rescatarlos y lo más dificultoso de todo, cuándo darán con ellos? Ahí radica el enganche del lector al libro, sobre todo al descubrir que el accidente de avión pudo no serlo, si no que todo parece un sabotaje ¿Quién puede querer la muerte de Bailey y Cam?
Si no me ha gustado más el libro ha sido porque el romance no ha sido del todo de mi agrado, sobre todo por el afecto del protagonista, pero también porque pienso que se ha sido muy obvio quién cometió el sabotaje, y también porque el final me ha sabido a poco, creo que el libro merecía un epílogo. Aún así es un libro muy bien escrito, y sigo repitiendo que arriesgado, me ha gustado bastante y estoy segura de que volveré a leer más libros de Linda Howard.
“Cercano y peligroso” cuenta la historia de Bailey y Cameron. Bailey es una mujer joven y atractiva que acaba de quedarse viuda. Su marido, que podía ser su padre, ha fallecido recientemente y Bailey tiene que luchar contra el odio y el rencor de sus hijastros, Seth y Tamzin; de mayor edad que ella, debido a que su esposo le legó el fideicomiso de sus hijos para que estos no malgastaran la fortuna familiar.
Cuando el libro empieza, Bailey está tan cansada del odio de sus hijastros y de sus amenazas, que decide irse unos días de vacaciones, de escalada, con su hermano y su cuñada. El piloto del pequeño avión que la sacará de Seattle será Cam Justice, un hombre frío y arrogante que también mira a Bailey con desdén por haberse casado con un viejo rico.
Cam Justice y su socio Bret, tienen una pequeña pero próspera empresa de aviación que crearon al salir del servicio militar. Ahora se dedican a cubrir vuelos privados, y la empresa Wingate acaba de contratarlos para que Cam lleve a Bailey a Denver.
El problema empieza a mitad de vuelo cuando se queden sin combustible, y Cam realice un aterrizaje arriesgado sobre las montañas nevadas para evitar un accidente mayor. El avión acaba estrellado, con Cam y Bailey como únicos pasajeros y en cierto modo heridos, pero vivos. Aquí comenzará una lucha por la supervivencia en la peor de las inclemencias meteorológicas ¿Cómo lograrán sobrevivir al frío y al viento, heridos y sin apenas provisiones? Como digo, una novela muy arriesgada, pues si bien ha habido cosas que me las he creído, otras no tanto.
El romance ha sido correcto, pero nada del otro mundo. Al principio los protagonistas parecían tolerarse, no digo odiarse, pero todo se trataba de sobrevivir y de intentar ayudar al otro. Serán esos pequeños detalles lo que hará que los protagonistas se vean como algo más. En una situación tan desesperada y sólo ellos dos como única compañía, forjarán un nudo más profundo de lo que creían, pero no será fácil, sobre todo para Bailey, que tanto ha sufrido el despecho a lo largo de su vida, y no se ve capaz de confiar en lo que Cam tiene que ofrecerle, más allá del consuelo de unos días perdidos en lo peor de las montañas nevadas.
Lo que ha hecho que no me creyera tanto el romance ha sido el cambio tan drástico que ha dado el afecto de Cam. Bailey no sentía nada especial por Cam más allá de ser un hombre atractivo, pero Cam la miraba con el mismo desdén con el que todas las amistades de su esposo fallecido la miraban, como una arribista. Y de un plumazo, herido e inconsciente, Cam siente deseo por ella. Lo siento, pero eso sí que no hay quien se lo crea, y menos con la conmoción cerebral que ha sufrido.
El mayor problema que tendrán los protagonistas será sobrevivir en ésas circunstancias tan adversas ¿Se ha dado parte de su accidente? ¿Fue Cam capaz de llamar a emergencias antes de estrellarse? ¿Podrán rescatarlos y lo más dificultoso de todo, cuándo darán con ellos? Ahí radica el enganche del lector al libro, sobre todo al descubrir que el accidente de avión pudo no serlo, si no que todo parece un sabotaje ¿Quién puede querer la muerte de Bailey y Cam?
Si no me ha gustado más el libro ha sido porque el romance no ha sido del todo de mi agrado, sobre todo por el afecto del protagonista, pero también porque pienso que se ha sido muy obvio quién cometió el sabotaje, y también porque el final me ha sabido a poco, creo que el libro merecía un epílogo. Aún así es un libro muy bien escrito, y sigo repitiendo que arriesgado, me ha gustado bastante y estoy segura de que volveré a leer más libros de Linda Howard.
September 24, 2009
I've never read Howard before, and I was pleasantly surprised. Very good story and it was one of those 'can't put it down' books. It has a surprise ending, and a nice HEA. I recommend for any romance-suspense lovers.
October 21, 2025
MMC is a private pilot. FMC is a rich widow.
The plane crashes (because s.o wanted to kill FMC), they had to survive and ended up falling in love).
PS: RIP my romantic dreams between Bret and Karen :'(
Had the pleasure to read this book for my Bingo Challenge (a book that starts with letter U)
25⭕ ┃37⭕┃87┃13┃68⭕┃40⭕┃32┃59┃76┃44
10⭕┃86┃4 ┃45⭕┃47┃98┃50⭕┃14⭕┃85┃75
88┃51┃ 9⭕┃2┃42⭕┃29⭕┃ 24┃92⭕┃ 82┃1⭕
100┃34⭕┃17⭕┃96┃43⭕┃49┃64⭕┃70┃15⭕┃38⭕
84⭕┃31⭕┃ 62⭕┃7⭕┃21┃73┃28⭕┃46⭕┃90⭕┃77
3⭕┃12⭕┃80⭕┃ 69⭕┃52⭕┃ 65⭕┃54⭕┃ 91⭕┃23⭕┃ 72⭕
18┃95┃ 22┃99┃93┃74⭕┃41⭕┃8┃35⭕┃ 58⭕
57⭕┃94┃ 16⭕┃56┃ 5⭕┃60⭕┃78⭕┃ 26┃81┃ 61
97⭕┃48⭕┃ 79⭕┃67┃ 53⭕┃30⭕┃ 6⭕┃36⭕┃89⭕┃ 33⭕
71⭕┃19⭕┃ 39⭕┃66⭕┃ 55⭕┃27⭕┃ 20⭕┃63┃ 11⭕┃83
The plane crashes (because s.o wanted to kill FMC), they had to survive and ended up falling in love).
PS: RIP my romantic dreams between Bret and Karen :'(
Had the pleasure to read this book for my Bingo Challenge (a book that starts with letter U)
25⭕ ┃37⭕┃87┃13┃68⭕┃40⭕┃32┃59┃76┃44
10⭕┃86┃4 ┃45⭕┃47┃98┃50⭕┃14⭕┃85┃75
88┃51┃ 9⭕┃2┃42⭕┃29⭕┃ 24┃92⭕┃ 82┃1⭕
100┃34⭕┃17⭕┃96┃43⭕┃49┃64⭕┃70┃15⭕┃38⭕
84⭕┃31⭕┃ 62⭕┃7⭕┃21┃73┃28⭕┃46⭕┃90⭕┃77
3⭕┃12⭕┃80⭕┃ 69⭕┃52⭕┃ 65⭕┃54⭕┃ 91⭕┃23⭕┃ 72⭕
18┃95┃ 22┃99┃93┃74⭕┃41⭕┃8┃35⭕┃ 58⭕
57⭕┃94┃ 16⭕┃56┃ 5⭕┃60⭕┃78⭕┃ 26┃81┃ 61
97⭕┃48⭕┃ 79⭕┃67┃ 53⭕┃30⭕┃ 6⭕┃36⭕┃89⭕┃ 33⭕
71⭕┃19⭕┃ 39⭕┃66⭕┃ 55⭕┃27⭕┃ 20⭕┃63┃ 11⭕┃83
January 24, 2021
I was in the mood for something survival/stranded romance and voila, I remembered LH has a few books under this theme. Needless to say... It's Linda Howard, so of course I immediately jumped into it.
She felt dwarfed, insignificant to the point of nothingness. She and Justice were nothing, she realized. They were completely, totally insignificant to these mountains. Any rescue could conceivably take days to reach them. They were alone.
So, this book is exactly what I wanted to read right now, hence why I plowed through it in just one sitting.
I love the whole stranded thing, having to survive with whatever you've got and scavenging from the wreckage. I gotta say, I didn't expect our heroine that became the Bear Grylls in this one. Damn, I was impressed.
Oh and the banter! I forgot how good LH can do with the banter. Made me wanna reread some of her books now.
“MEN!” BAILEY MUTTERED AS THEY TRUDGED THROUGH the snow. “Can’t reason with ’em, can’t shoot ’em.”
“I heard that,” Cam said over his shoulder. “Besides, you don’t have a weapon.”
“Maybe I can smother him in his sleep,” she mused to herself. Her voice was muted by the cloth over the lower half of her face, but evidently not muted enough.
“I heard that, too.”
If you ever wanted to read a survival romance between two people who didn't exactly like each other in the snowy mountains and a nice twist, then consider picking this one up.
As if to underscore the thought, he gave a low sound of satisfaction, the sound of a predator with its prey in its grasp, and said, “I’ve got you now.”
She felt dwarfed, insignificant to the point of nothingness. She and Justice were nothing, she realized. They were completely, totally insignificant to these mountains. Any rescue could conceivably take days to reach them. They were alone.
So, this book is exactly what I wanted to read right now, hence why I plowed through it in just one sitting.
I love the whole stranded thing, having to survive with whatever you've got and scavenging from the wreckage. I gotta say, I didn't expect our heroine that became the Bear Grylls in this one. Damn, I was impressed.
Oh and the banter! I forgot how good LH can do with the banter. Made me wanna reread some of her books now.
“MEN!” BAILEY MUTTERED AS THEY TRUDGED THROUGH the snow. “Can’t reason with ’em, can’t shoot ’em.”
“I heard that,” Cam said over his shoulder. “Besides, you don’t have a weapon.”
“Maybe I can smother him in his sleep,” she mused to herself. Her voice was muted by the cloth over the lower half of her face, but evidently not muted enough.
“I heard that, too.”
If you ever wanted to read a survival romance between two people who didn't exactly like each other in the snowy mountains and a nice twist, then consider picking this one up.
As if to underscore the thought, he gave a low sound of satisfaction, the sound of a predator with its prey in its grasp, and said, “I’ve got you now.”
June 14, 2017
Nice story. Good characters.
Most of the book took place on the mountain where Bailey and Cam had to survive cold, hunger, thirst and injuries. This was more of a survival story than a suspense story. I loved Bailey's common sense strength and how she saved Cam's life. I was drawn to both characters while watching their decisions and actions during their mountain experience. There was a mystery as to who sabotaged the plane. The ending was good. The side story about Seth was interesting. There is some romance but not a lot.
STORY BRIEF:
Cam is pilot of a charter plane flying Bailey. She is the widow of a wealthy man. They didn't like each other before this trip. The plane crashes on a mountain and they start seeing the true character and personality within each other and eventually fall in love.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Natalie Ross was excellent.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 325 pages. Swearing language: s*** used once. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: two. Setting: current day Seattle and mountains near Utah. Copyright: 2007. Genre: romantic suspense.
Most of the book took place on the mountain where Bailey and Cam had to survive cold, hunger, thirst and injuries. This was more of a survival story than a suspense story. I loved Bailey's common sense strength and how she saved Cam's life. I was drawn to both characters while watching their decisions and actions during their mountain experience. There was a mystery as to who sabotaged the plane. The ending was good. The side story about Seth was interesting. There is some romance but not a lot.
STORY BRIEF:
Cam is pilot of a charter plane flying Bailey. She is the widow of a wealthy man. They didn't like each other before this trip. The plane crashes on a mountain and they start seeing the true character and personality within each other and eventually fall in love.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Natalie Ross was excellent.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 325 pages. Swearing language: s*** used once. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: two. Setting: current day Seattle and mountains near Utah. Copyright: 2007. Genre: romantic suspense.
May 14, 2022
What she said:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
To Aaron's words I'd like to add that there wasn't much suspence either. So, the romance wasn't believable, there was no real suspence, the minor characters were over the top bland, even the murderer, and the book ended in a phtttt. Ergo the 3 stars.
I may have been moved to a better rating if the stepchildren had at the end at least seen any comeuppance. :/
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
To Aaron's words I'd like to add that there wasn't much suspence either. So, the romance wasn't believable, there was no real suspence, the minor characters were over the top bland, even the murderer, and the book ended in a phtttt. Ergo the 3 stars.
I may have been moved to a better rating if the stepchildren had at the end at least seen any comeuppance. :/
January 20, 2009
Although everyone believes Bailey Wingate is yet another throphy-wife, her marriage to Jim Wingate was merely a business arrangement. Jim needed someone to oversee the trust funds of his two adult, good-for-nothing children and Bailey, as his PA and quite investment savvy, was the perfect choice.
Now Jim's dead and Bailey has to suffer through endless tantrums from her step-children, who hate her guts.
Apparently they hate her enough to kill her, since, while flying to her two-week vacation, her Cessna runs out of gas and it's only thanks to the calmness of her pilot, Cameron Justice, the Bailey, the plane and the pilot don't splatter over a mountaintop.
Now the two are stranded in the snowy wilderness with (almost) zero chance of being rescued, having to rely on their own ingenuity and each other...
This was one heck of a book. In someone else's "hands" the almost claustrophobic atmosphere with just two characters and a whole lot of wilderness would have buried the story, yet Linda Howard skillfully maneuvered the plot, masterfully twining the scenes with Bailey and Cam with little tidbits about the secondary characters.
While the romance did seem a little rushed at times, specially toward the end (the two didn't even like each other at the beginning!), the explanation was utterly plausible and believable. Stranded for six days with only one person for company, one is bound to develop some feelings toward their companion...
Bailey and Cam were nicely drawn and Bailey's development extremely well done, adding a tad more to making the story-arc believable.
I was surprised by how well the suspense part played out. The author masterfully led the reader to assume who the bad-guy was (wonderful delineation of the character, his inner turmoil, the hide-and-seek of clues), making the grand finale with its humongous and completely unexpected twist that more jaw-dropping.
Kudos to the author. This is definitely a keeper.
Now Jim's dead and Bailey has to suffer through endless tantrums from her step-children, who hate her guts.
Apparently they hate her enough to kill her, since, while flying to her two-week vacation, her Cessna runs out of gas and it's only thanks to the calmness of her pilot, Cameron Justice, the Bailey, the plane and the pilot don't splatter over a mountaintop.
Now the two are stranded in the snowy wilderness with (almost) zero chance of being rescued, having to rely on their own ingenuity and each other...
This was one heck of a book. In someone else's "hands" the almost claustrophobic atmosphere with just two characters and a whole lot of wilderness would have buried the story, yet Linda Howard skillfully maneuvered the plot, masterfully twining the scenes with Bailey and Cam with little tidbits about the secondary characters.
While the romance did seem a little rushed at times, specially toward the end (the two didn't even like each other at the beginning!), the explanation was utterly plausible and believable. Stranded for six days with only one person for company, one is bound to develop some feelings toward their companion...
Bailey and Cam were nicely drawn and Bailey's development extremely well done, adding a tad more to making the story-arc believable.
I was surprised by how well the suspense part played out. The author masterfully led the reader to assume who the bad-guy was (wonderful delineation of the character, his inner turmoil, the hide-and-seek of clues), making the grand finale with its humongous and completely unexpected twist that more jaw-dropping.
Kudos to the author. This is definitely a keeper.
March 13, 2019
Bailey e Cam são sobreviventes de um desastre de avião que vão ter de se apoiar mutuamente para sobreviverem num meio inóspito. Gostei muito desta primeira abordagem à escrita de Linda Howard. Um livro que e lê rapidamente tal é o ritmo da acção, com uma dose certa de romance, mistério e humor.
Recomendo!
Recomendo!
June 1, 2010
I really hadn't heard anything about this book, but when I saw it in the used book store I thought it looked good. I wasn't wrong.
Bailey Wingate is a woman that is taking care of the trust funds of her step children, who are about her same age. she only does this out of loyalty to her deceased husband and former boss. But it is a lot to handle and the "kids" are terrible to deal with. When she decides to take a vacation in Colorado, river rafting, she boards a small plane to take her from Seattle to Denver. but things aren't all peachy keen right from the first. The pilot that was scheduled is sick and she is stuck flying with Mr. Sourpuss. Then only a little way into the flight there is engine trouble and eventually the engine completely fails. thanks to the "sourpuss" he sets the plane down in some trees on the side of a mountain, which saves their lives, but they aren't out of the woods yet.
Cam Justice is a loner but a great pilot. He runs his air limo business with his best friend and a grumpy secretary. When his partner gets sick at the last minute he has to jump in on that flight. It really shouldn't be a problem, except that he is flying a beautiful but cold and icy Mrs. Wingate. She makes it know that she doesn't like him. But when their plane crash lands in the Idaho Mountains her real self comes out and she shows him how caring, resourceful and determined she really is. She is also a very beautiful woman that he means to get close to.
Over the next 5 days they fight the cold, hunger, and a desperate situation. They both surprise each other and show their true selves. And while they overcome obstacles and a work toward survival they also discover that they are very attracted to each other and find that they don't want to let what they have found go.
I liked the mutual respect that the couple found in this book. It wasn't the typical man saves woman type of story. And I didn't see the twist at the end coming, which I usually do. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Bailey Wingate is a woman that is taking care of the trust funds of her step children, who are about her same age. she only does this out of loyalty to her deceased husband and former boss. But it is a lot to handle and the "kids" are terrible to deal with. When she decides to take a vacation in Colorado, river rafting, she boards a small plane to take her from Seattle to Denver. but things aren't all peachy keen right from the first. The pilot that was scheduled is sick and she is stuck flying with Mr. Sourpuss. Then only a little way into the flight there is engine trouble and eventually the engine completely fails. thanks to the "sourpuss" he sets the plane down in some trees on the side of a mountain, which saves their lives, but they aren't out of the woods yet.
Cam Justice is a loner but a great pilot. He runs his air limo business with his best friend and a grumpy secretary. When his partner gets sick at the last minute he has to jump in on that flight. It really shouldn't be a problem, except that he is flying a beautiful but cold and icy Mrs. Wingate. She makes it know that she doesn't like him. But when their plane crash lands in the Idaho Mountains her real self comes out and she shows him how caring, resourceful and determined she really is. She is also a very beautiful woman that he means to get close to.
Over the next 5 days they fight the cold, hunger, and a desperate situation. They both surprise each other and show their true selves. And while they overcome obstacles and a work toward survival they also discover that they are very attracted to each other and find that they don't want to let what they have found go.
I liked the mutual respect that the couple found in this book. It wasn't the typical man saves woman type of story. And I didn't see the twist at the end coming, which I usually do. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
March 14, 2015
Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard is the pick for our book club and the first book of Lina Howard that I read. Bailey. Wingate is a youngt widow who was left as trustee to her late husbands estate to distribute monthly funds to her step children who are older than she is. The step children are Seth and his sister Tamzen. They hold resentment towards Bailey. After a nasty bout with Seth, she decides to go white water rafting with her brother and his wife. The Wingates have always used the same private airlines. Bret and his partner Cam. The day Bret was supposed to take Bailey from Seattle to Colorado his assistant called Cam and told him to get into the office prepared to take Bret's flight. When Cam got in Bret was Duffy his eyes were swollen shut, he looked horrible. Bailey pulled up with 3 large suitcases and a shoulder bag. Cam grabbed one suitcase and Karen grabbed the other 2. After they stowed the luggage they got into the plane. No small talk Bailey kept it all business. They got underway after Cam did his check up. When they reached the mountain over Idaho, the engine sputtered. Cam checked all the switches then the plane shut down. They were going to crash. Cam maneuvered the plane on the thermals till he almost reached the tree line. Then they crashed. Read on to discover how they survived and who sabotaged the plane.
March 28, 2009
Picked this one up today at the grocery store after reading the back of the book I was interested. Pretty dang good of I say so myself.
Bailey Wingate has scheming step-children who would rather see her dead then alive. Saying she is younger than her stepkids and have the control of their multi-million dollar trust funds she could see why. After putting up with all the poop she can handle form them for the past year, she decided to get away for herself and meet her brother and sister-in-law in Colorado for a 2 week vacation from all the worries and arguements.
Cameron Justice was a KC-130 tanker pilot in the Air Force and when he got out of the military he and his best friend Bret decide to start an air charter service. Well their charter service deals with Bailey's deceased husbands company, Wingate LTD. On the way to Colorado, Cam's and Bailey's plane crash lands in the Idaho mountains. Stranded int he wilderness they fight for survival and fall in love at the same time.
But who did the sabotaging of the aircraft??? Good question. You would not believe who does it??? I won't say more just you gotta read the book.
Bailey Wingate has scheming step-children who would rather see her dead then alive. Saying she is younger than her stepkids and have the control of their multi-million dollar trust funds she could see why. After putting up with all the poop she can handle form them for the past year, she decided to get away for herself and meet her brother and sister-in-law in Colorado for a 2 week vacation from all the worries and arguements.
Cameron Justice was a KC-130 tanker pilot in the Air Force and when he got out of the military he and his best friend Bret decide to start an air charter service. Well their charter service deals with Bailey's deceased husbands company, Wingate LTD. On the way to Colorado, Cam's and Bailey's plane crash lands in the Idaho mountains. Stranded int he wilderness they fight for survival and fall in love at the same time.
But who did the sabotaging of the aircraft??? Good question. You would not believe who does it??? I won't say more just you gotta read the book.
May 30, 2018
I listened to this book on audio CD. It was pretty good for an abridged thriller. Although I could have done without the cringe-worthy love scene.
Oh, and this cringe-worthy quote when the main character (female) was mad at the love interest (male), which occurred shortly before the love scene:
"I wanted to grab his penis and twist it. Then his 'Good-Time Charley' would have to be called a 'Twisted Charlie'."
Umm, WTF. That was a really strange comment, even if you are mad. Too weird not to share, lol.
Oh, and this cringe-worthy quote when the main character (female) was mad at the love interest (male), which occurred shortly before the love scene:
"I wanted to grab his penis and twist it. Then his 'Good-Time Charley' would have to be called a 'Twisted Charlie'."
Umm, WTF. That was a really strange comment, even if you are mad. Too weird not to share, lol.
November 7, 2011
One of my favorite tropes. Survival in the wilderness. Here the actions of the heroine to save them are detailed and what's more they make sense. The emotion and relationship that builds between the two characters seems realistic and believable. Totally enjoy this and highly recommend it.
April 26, 2011
I have seen some of the less than stellar reviews floating around out there for Up Close and Dangerous, and knowing I've been mostly underwhelmed by LH's work here of late, I wasn't expecting much. Still I had hope that maybe, just maybe, she might one day get back to the magic of yesteryear. Once I finally got time to read it, I was pleasantly surprised.
I wasn't really disappointed with this one.
Oh I'm not saying it's all there- all the joyful fangirl glee I used to feel with her work- but there was definitely glimpses of old glory in this one.
Sticking with her romantic suspense success, LH starts UC&D off with a peek at our erstwhile heroine's life. Bailey Wingate, The widower of an arranged marriage- arranged by she and her deceased husband- is in charge of dead hubby's bratty kids trust funds. She does an excellent job of it- and they hate her for it. I mean killing hate her for it.
Thankfully Bailey's got a vacation planned and is packed and loaded for bear. (Pssst, She's going white water rafting.) So, she heads out to meet her brother and sis-in-law with Cam Justice, That's Captain Justice to you, her personal pilot for the day.
Yeah you guessed it, the plane goes down, but thanks to our hero's top notch flying skills AND our plucky heroine (who just happened to over pack for her vacation leaving them with just about what they needed to survive surviving a plane crash till help comes along ) they live- and fall in love.
Ok, Ok all kidding aside- this book is rather easy. Although there is a bit of a twist as to who the "baddie" actually is, (No,I didn't go with the glaringly obvious wanne-be killer because it just screamed it too loudly)-it's a simple romantic suspense plot line. Let's face it, LH basically started the trend toward romantic suspense awhile back- or at least was instrumental in moving it along- can you blame her for falling back on what made her great?
So yes, basically LH held our hands through this one, obviously not wanting to strain our attention span, but you know what? I just don't care. I liked Cam and Bailey. I liked her pluckiness and his pride. It's a tried and true method, **cough cough** Jane Austen **cough cough** and it works, dammit.
Now if only LH wouldn't have rushed the ending so much. (HA! I swear it was like I heard her say, "I'm tired of writing now, so let's wrap this thing up.")
Something feels "done before" about it, and, as somebody already said, it surely isn't a Mr. Perfect, still I think you might like it if you give it half the chance. It is a Linda Howard after all.
I wasn't really disappointed with this one.
Oh I'm not saying it's all there- all the joyful fangirl glee I used to feel with her work- but there was definitely glimpses of old glory in this one.
Sticking with her romantic suspense success, LH starts UC&D off with a peek at our erstwhile heroine's life. Bailey Wingate, The widower of an arranged marriage- arranged by she and her deceased husband- is in charge of dead hubby's bratty kids trust funds. She does an excellent job of it- and they hate her for it. I mean killing hate her for it.
Thankfully Bailey's got a vacation planned and is packed and loaded for bear. (Pssst, She's going white water rafting.) So, she heads out to meet her brother and sis-in-law with Cam Justice, That's Captain Justice to you, her personal pilot for the day.
Yeah you guessed it, the plane goes down, but thanks to our hero's top notch flying skills AND our plucky heroine (who just happened to over pack for her vacation leaving them with just about what they needed to survive surviving a plane crash till help comes along ) they live- and fall in love.
Ok, Ok all kidding aside- this book is rather easy. Although there is a bit of a twist as to who the "baddie" actually is, (No,I didn't go with the glaringly obvious wanne-be killer because it just screamed it too loudly)-it's a simple romantic suspense plot line. Let's face it, LH basically started the trend toward romantic suspense awhile back- or at least was instrumental in moving it along- can you blame her for falling back on what made her great?
So yes, basically LH held our hands through this one, obviously not wanting to strain our attention span, but you know what? I just don't care. I liked Cam and Bailey. I liked her pluckiness and his pride. It's a tried and true method, **cough cough** Jane Austen **cough cough** and it works, dammit.
Now if only LH wouldn't have rushed the ending so much. (HA! I swear it was like I heard her say, "I'm tired of writing now, so let's wrap this thing up.")
Something feels "done before" about it, and, as somebody already said, it surely isn't a Mr. Perfect, still I think you might like it if you give it half the chance. It is a Linda Howard after all.
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