What do you think?
Rate this book
Redstone Incorporated #5
Second-Chance Hero
He was back...
Struggling single mom Grace O'Conner hadn't wanted Redstone security chief John Draven reentering her life and reminding her of the past. But she had no choice—the project she was supervising was being sabotaged, and someone wanted her dead. Once again, she needed Draven's help.
A tropical island might be a relaxing vacation spot for some, but not for John Draven. Not if Grace O'Conner, the stubborn beauty he'd never been able to forget, was there. Haunted by his role in the tragic event that unalterably changed Grace's life, Draven was granted one last chance to protect the woman who should have been his. And this time, he would never let her go.
Struggling single mom Grace O'Conner hadn't wanted Redstone security chief John Draven reentering her life and reminding her of the past. But she had no choice—the project she was supervising was being sabotaged, and someone wanted her dead. Once again, she needed Draven's help.
A tropical island might be a relaxing vacation spot for some, but not for John Draven. Not if Grace O'Conner, the stubborn beauty he'd never been able to forget, was there. Haunted by his role in the tragic event that unalterably changed Grace's life, Draven was granted one last chance to protect the woman who should have been his. And this time, he would never let her go.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Justine Davis
252 books217 followersAuthor biographies are supposed to give you all those statistics, books written, awards won, etc. and I will, I promise...but first let me tell you about this ornery little tomboy (back then, the boys had all the fun...) who was always the one to make up the stories the neighborhood kids would "play". For those who came of age in the computer game era, this is something that was done usually in the backyard, by any number of summer-bored children, with props where appropriate. (Did you know a 55 gallon drum tied to a picnic bench makes a very cool horse?) It wasn't until much later that this tomboy realized two things: A) not everyone made up stories in their heads all the time, and B) in real life, the boys that had already had all the fun now seemed to always be winning.
But I digress. I was born on a farm down in Iowa....well, not quite, but close; Boone, Iowa is in the middle of farm country, but I arrived at a hospital. In a snow storm. Make that a blizzard. My sister tells me she knew my destiny when I was very young, because when I first saw the Disney classic Old Yeller, I was apparently so upset that I promptly went home and rewrote the story. In my version, the dog lived, of course. Should have been a clue.
Possibly in response to that blizzard I was born in, I've been a West Coaster since before I was a year old, and intend to stay that way. I have a history of staying. I started my first full time job right out of school (well, there was a very brief sojourn at a place where they made, among other things, burial vaults, but I prefer not to recall that one...) and stayed for twenty-one years. I've been married to the same wonderful guy for going on two decades now. We lived in our last house for seventeen years. (I won't even mention how many dumpsters we filled moving after that long....)
Readers seem as fascinated by my first career as they are with my writing. My time in law enforcement was many things, exciting, nerve wracking, and irritating, but most importantly never, ever boring. It was fascinating enough that I didn't think about writing seriously for several years. I kept a journal, and wrote long letters, collected quotes, mentally rewrote movies, and still made up those stories in my head, but never dreamed of actually writing for publication. I was having too much fun helping to catch bad guys, and being continually amazed at the situations people get themselves into. And eventually I walked away with a wealth of background and story ideas, and knowing some truly great people who work very hard to keep all of us safe. I'm proud to have been one of them, and I'm very aware that I have had the great good fortune of having had two jobs in my life that I love. Many people don't get even one.
But now that I'm in the delicious position of being able to make a living telling those stories in my head, I promise my readers two things: A) I'm staying--I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading, and B) in my stories, the girl--tomboy or not--always wins!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And now, the official stats:
Justine Dare Davis sold her first book in 1989, and followed that up with the sale of nineteen novels in less than two years. Her first four books were published in 1991, and she saw all reach the finals for either the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award or the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Award. She has since won the RITA award four times, along with several Reviewer's Choice awards and three Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. At the 1998 national conference, Justine was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame, making her one of a very select group of just eight writers. She also had four titles on the Romantic Times "Top 200 of All Time" list. Her sales now total more than 45, and her books have appeared regularly on best seller lists, including the USA Today list. She has been featured in several local newspapers and nationwide by Associated Press, has appeared on CN
But I digress. I was born on a farm down in Iowa....well, not quite, but close; Boone, Iowa is in the middle of farm country, but I arrived at a hospital. In a snow storm. Make that a blizzard. My sister tells me she knew my destiny when I was very young, because when I first saw the Disney classic Old Yeller, I was apparently so upset that I promptly went home and rewrote the story. In my version, the dog lived, of course. Should have been a clue.
Possibly in response to that blizzard I was born in, I've been a West Coaster since before I was a year old, and intend to stay that way. I have a history of staying. I started my first full time job right out of school (well, there was a very brief sojourn at a place where they made, among other things, burial vaults, but I prefer not to recall that one...) and stayed for twenty-one years. I've been married to the same wonderful guy for going on two decades now. We lived in our last house for seventeen years. (I won't even mention how many dumpsters we filled moving after that long....)
Readers seem as fascinated by my first career as they are with my writing. My time in law enforcement was many things, exciting, nerve wracking, and irritating, but most importantly never, ever boring. It was fascinating enough that I didn't think about writing seriously for several years. I kept a journal, and wrote long letters, collected quotes, mentally rewrote movies, and still made up those stories in my head, but never dreamed of actually writing for publication. I was having too much fun helping to catch bad guys, and being continually amazed at the situations people get themselves into. And eventually I walked away with a wealth of background and story ideas, and knowing some truly great people who work very hard to keep all of us safe. I'm proud to have been one of them, and I'm very aware that I have had the great good fortune of having had two jobs in my life that I love. Many people don't get even one.
But now that I'm in the delicious position of being able to make a living telling those stories in my head, I promise my readers two things: A) I'm staying--I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading, and B) in my stories, the girl--tomboy or not--always wins!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And now, the official stats:
Justine Dare Davis sold her first book in 1989, and followed that up with the sale of nineteen novels in less than two years. Her first four books were published in 1991, and she saw all reach the finals for either the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award or the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Award. She has since won the RITA award four times, along with several Reviewer's Choice awards and three Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. At the 1998 national conference, Justine was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame, making her one of a very select group of just eight writers. She also had four titles on the Romantic Times "Top 200 of All Time" list. Her sales now total more than 45, and her books have appeared regularly on best seller lists, including the USA Today list. She has been featured in several local newspapers and nationwide by Associated Press, has appeared on CN
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 12, 2010
Someone is sabotaging a Redstone airstrip build and who is better equipped to deal with the threat than top Redstone Security agent (and head of the Security department), John Draven. A little to well equipped for such a trivial task, but that's not exactly why he's sent there. The guy is at the end of his fuse, he's just resigned, so his boss had to do something. Josh Redstone needs Draven to relax and start thinking clearly again. And if that means sending the guy to Belize to do it, so be it...And if he cleared up things with the overseer of the build, even better.
I was actually dreading picking up this book. I didn't realize it at first, but finding myself reading anything else but this (even books I've already read) clued me in. Yeah, I admit it. I was scared. Scared to be disappointed as I was with Rand's book. Because Draven has been at the back of my mind since he first appeared in the second book in this series. This mysterious, dark, scary, scarred, taciturn stranger intrigued me and I really hoped his story would live up to the hype.
And it did. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't brilliant or anything, but it got the job done nicely. The pacing was good, the emotional impact was enormous, it was haunting, daunting, and beautifully written with a nice helping of suspense thrown in. I loved it how Ms. Davis dealt with both Grace and Draven's inner demons, put them to rest, only to awaken them once more, keeping the reader and both characters on the edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop...And it was that moment, the dropping of the second shoe, that was a bit disappointing for me, because the heroine blew it. I didn't expect her reaction. It was stunning, surprising and a little bit shocking as well. After all this time, after all they've been through, she still couldn't bring herself to trust Draven completely, thinking he sold out when all he wanted to do was help, and it didn't sit well with me.
Despite that small (or big, depends on your point of view) hiccup, this was a good, solid, emotional roller-coaster of a read.
I was actually dreading picking up this book. I didn't realize it at first, but finding myself reading anything else but this (even books I've already read) clued me in. Yeah, I admit it. I was scared. Scared to be disappointed as I was with Rand's book. Because Draven has been at the back of my mind since he first appeared in the second book in this series. This mysterious, dark, scary, scarred, taciturn stranger intrigued me and I really hoped his story would live up to the hype.
And it did. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't brilliant or anything, but it got the job done nicely. The pacing was good, the emotional impact was enormous, it was haunting, daunting, and beautifully written with a nice helping of suspense thrown in. I loved it how Ms. Davis dealt with both Grace and Draven's inner demons, put them to rest, only to awaken them once more, keeping the reader and both characters on the edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop...And it was that moment, the dropping of the second shoe, that was a bit disappointing for me, because the heroine blew it. I didn't expect her reaction. It was stunning, surprising and a little bit shocking as well. After all this time, after all they've been through, she still couldn't bring herself to trust Draven completely, thinking he sold out when all he wanted to do was help, and it didn't sit well with me.
Despite that small (or big, depends on your point of view) hiccup, this was a good, solid, emotional roller-coaster of a read.
March 6, 2015
Her Harsh Angel
John Draven, Redstone security chief, and Grace O´Conner, project manager working with the some firm, were linked by a tragic event recently (traumatic for the heroine but also with impact in the hero), that will prove to be a turning point in their lives, and are reunited in an island where a Redstone project is being sabotaged.
Various factors make “Second-Chance Hero” a great Silhouette book and grant a wonderful reading experience: Justine Davis is a very good storyteller, her narrative skills are superb, and the plot unfolds with a perfect, gradual rhythm, with a subtle, smooth and solid pace. Bits of information are gradually delivered to stimulate the reader’s curiosity and to maintain a certain mystery. Characterization is in the most part indirect, there’s more showing than telling and the point of view shifts between hero and heroine in a balanced way. The characters are well-rounded and complex, strong but imperfect and so unassuming and charming... Dialogue is very good and believable.
Justine Davies manages to maintain along the story the level of intensity initiated with that dramatic event.
But what attracted me most was the wonderful hero created by Justine Davis. Draven, the heroine’s “harsh angel”, is certainly one of the most charismatic antiheroes that I’ve read recently.
Elusive and enigmatic, Draven is a man who avoids language and feelings, keeps his possessions in a duffel bag and feels better under water than at the world above. An ex-military obsessed with his work, at least until now, and who “has seen and done too much in this life to let down his guard that much”.
“Dark, intense, scarred”, Draven uses normally incomplete, clipped sentences and it is when he is falling in love with Grace and bonding with her rebellious teenage daughter that he begins to speak like regular people, with complete sentences.
The way Justine Davis links the use of speech - this refusal of the “proverbial man of few words” and then acceptance (or surrender) of language - to characterize this “emotional coward” is excellent.
The author uses restraint when drawing scenes of great intensity or visual beauty (I’m thinking, for instances, when Draven dives into the water “with a clean, controlled arc”). The security details and the context of the suspense plot are accurate and seem plausible.
"Second-Chance Hero" is part of a series and though it's the first book I've read there are hints indicating that the construction of this character began in the previous titles.
So, there’s lots of drama but in a very sober way – no melodrama –great characterization and dialogue and great handling of the mutual discovery by the romantic couple and their growing passion.
The cover is beautiful. The only problem for me was that the book ended.
John Draven, Redstone security chief, and Grace O´Conner, project manager working with the some firm, were linked by a tragic event recently (traumatic for the heroine but also with impact in the hero), that will prove to be a turning point in their lives, and are reunited in an island where a Redstone project is being sabotaged.
Various factors make “Second-Chance Hero” a great Silhouette book and grant a wonderful reading experience: Justine Davis is a very good storyteller, her narrative skills are superb, and the plot unfolds with a perfect, gradual rhythm, with a subtle, smooth and solid pace. Bits of information are gradually delivered to stimulate the reader’s curiosity and to maintain a certain mystery. Characterization is in the most part indirect, there’s more showing than telling and the point of view shifts between hero and heroine in a balanced way. The characters are well-rounded and complex, strong but imperfect and so unassuming and charming... Dialogue is very good and believable.
Justine Davies manages to maintain along the story the level of intensity initiated with that dramatic event.
But what attracted me most was the wonderful hero created by Justine Davis. Draven, the heroine’s “harsh angel”, is certainly one of the most charismatic antiheroes that I’ve read recently.
Elusive and enigmatic, Draven is a man who avoids language and feelings, keeps his possessions in a duffel bag and feels better under water than at the world above. An ex-military obsessed with his work, at least until now, and who “has seen and done too much in this life to let down his guard that much”.
“Dark, intense, scarred”, Draven uses normally incomplete, clipped sentences and it is when he is falling in love with Grace and bonding with her rebellious teenage daughter that he begins to speak like regular people, with complete sentences.
The way Justine Davis links the use of speech - this refusal of the “proverbial man of few words” and then acceptance (or surrender) of language - to characterize this “emotional coward” is excellent.
The author uses restraint when drawing scenes of great intensity or visual beauty (I’m thinking, for instances, when Draven dives into the water “with a clean, controlled arc”). The security details and the context of the suspense plot are accurate and seem plausible.
"Second-Chance Hero" is part of a series and though it's the first book I've read there are hints indicating that the construction of this character began in the previous titles.
So, there’s lots of drama but in a very sober way – no melodrama –great characterization and dialogue and great handling of the mutual discovery by the romantic couple and their growing passion.
The cover is beautiful. The only problem for me was that the book ended.
February 6, 2011
book 14 of 2011 - aim 133 books for 2011
February 10, 2013
I read this after hearing a NPR article on the romance novel industry. The program piqued my curiosity, so I decided to read a few romance novels to see what they were about
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews