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Long, Tall Texans #52
Notorious
New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer’s Long, Tall Texans series returns with secrets…and dangerous seduction.
Trusting him is dangerous. But resisting him is almost mpossible.
Gaby Dupont knows some men shouldn’t be trusted. Ever. Especially not high-profile lawyer Nicholas Chandler. How can she trust the man who might be helping her greedy relatives steal her family fortune? To get the inside scoop on Nicholas’s dealings — and protect herself and her beloved grandmère — Gaby must take a job with the devil himself. Of course, she can’t tell him who she really is…
Nicholas Chandler knows there’s more to Gaby Dupont than delicate beauty. She’s sweet and clever — but just too young and secretive. Yet even as they clash, Gaby gets under his skin as no other woman ever has. When Gaby comes under fire, Nicholas risks his career and reputation to keep her safe. But can he protect Gaby without losing his heart?
Trusting him is dangerous. But resisting him is almost mpossible.
Gaby Dupont knows some men shouldn’t be trusted. Ever. Especially not high-profile lawyer Nicholas Chandler. How can she trust the man who might be helping her greedy relatives steal her family fortune? To get the inside scoop on Nicholas’s dealings — and protect herself and her beloved grandmère — Gaby must take a job with the devil himself. Of course, she can’t tell him who she really is…
Nicholas Chandler knows there’s more to Gaby Dupont than delicate beauty. She’s sweet and clever — but just too young and secretive. Yet even as they clash, Gaby gets under his skin as no other woman ever has. When Gaby comes under fire, Nicholas risks his career and reputation to keep her safe. But can he protect Gaby without losing his heart?
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2021
152 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
Diana Palmer
1,038 books3,099 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
September 4, 2021
DP is on her soap box for much of the story, but really that's about the only thing that felt 'DP' about it.
But I still quite liked it.
Gaby, through a quirk of timing, takes the opportunity to pretend to be Jake's new temp for organizing his library. But really she's a millionaire whose evil grandad is trying to destroy. He's in jail for selling her to his gambling cronies. She was rescued by her grandma but it scarred her mentally.
She's a bit of a Mary-Sue but not to an annoying level. He's a cynical hard ass with a heart of gold.
He also has a difficult 15 yr old niece that needs love.
There's not much OW stuff in this one and the OW actually gets embarrassed by the Gaby, which was delicious!
I also liked that it wasn't insta lust between them. In fact she jokes that he's too old ; )
Safety is good
But I still quite liked it.
Gaby, through a quirk of timing, takes the opportunity to pretend to be Jake's new temp for organizing his library. But really she's a millionaire whose evil grandad is trying to destroy. He's in jail for selling her to his gambling cronies. She was rescued by her grandma but it scarred her mentally.
She's a bit of a Mary-Sue but not to an annoying level. He's a cynical hard ass with a heart of gold.
He also has a difficult 15 yr old niece that needs love.
There's not much OW stuff in this one and the OW actually gets embarrassed by the Gaby, which was delicious!
I also liked that it wasn't insta lust between them. In fact she jokes that he's too old ; )
Safety is good
June 7, 2021
Let me start by stating that I have read every one of Diana Palmer's books, and while I started reading her nearly 30+ years ago, and for the past decade, I keep wondering why. Yes, her novels are formulaic to the nth degree. Yes, her heroes are all big and brawny. Yes, they all have dark hair, especially the forests of it on their chests. Yes, they always jump to the wrong conclusions about the traumatized, mid-twenties, good hearted, and misunderstood, virginal heroines, and yes, somewhere in the novel there's a lot of filler about a number of Ms. Palmer's previous characters, who all live and work in Jacobsville, Texas, were or have been mercenaries, and the mention of apparently the only cattle breed known to Ms. Palmer, Santa Gertrudis, and sadly, this novel has all of the above. The only saving grace in this novel was that, for a change, she didn't refer to the hero as "dishy." Since all of the aforementioned are present in Notorious, just the fact that it was set in Chicago instead of Jacobsville, was enough for me to hope for better, but it never came, although I did find other objectionable content in this novel, which is the reason for my giving it a one-star rating.
The heroine, Gaby Dupont, inadvertently gets a job cataloging the library of noted lawyer, Nick Chandler, when the temp he was expecting was late for her interview, and Gaby knocked on his door at just the right time, and saw an opportunity to ferret out information regarding an upcoming lawsuit brought by a a distant relative who wanted her inheritance. Rather than simply ask him, she gets hired under false pretenses, is wildly attracted to the dark and brooding attorney, although she's sworn off all men since her grandfather sold her off to be gang raped when she was just 16 years old to pay off his gambling debts. Luckily, he and his cronies were stopped in the nick of time, leaving Gaby afraid of men, and in dire need of psychotherapy to deal with her subsequent trauma and issues. Her grandmother, who raised her after Gaby's parents died, and who was one of the wealthiest women in Chicago, could certainly afford sending her to a therapist. Why didn't she?
While Gaby was a sympathetic character at first, when she meets Nick's 15-year-old niece, Jackie, whose mother, Nick's sister, drops her off to date wealthy men she meets, Gaby immediately judges Jackie on her Goth appearance and choice of wardrobe, and proceeds to slut-shame her. Have I mentioned my dislike of liars? Gaby, in order to spy on Nick, lies a lot, and she also has an odd tendency of making flippant remarks she thinks are witty, but that are both unwelcome and uncalled for. Although she eventually tries to protect Jackie from her convicted sex offender and older boyfriend, I simply couldn't tolerate her lies, her flippancy, and her judgmental and archaic attitudes.
I didn't think much of Nick Chandler as the hero either. He was rude, abrupt, and ignored his niece almost entirely, and except for bailing her out of jail a couple of times, was cold and distant to her the rest of the time. He flaunts his latest bed partner, Mara, in front of Gaby, and Mara is a gold-digging, and thoroughly unlikable character as well. Nick too has suffered tragedy in his life, but as horrible as it was, also sought no help from anyone in the medical profession, nor did he even attempt going to grief counseling. Yes, he had a terrible and abusive childhood, but he's now well into his thirties, and I found no excuse for his rude and obnoxious behavior.
The final insult involved Gaby returning to, you guessed it, Jacobsville, Texas, which was the reason for all the irrelevant and unnecessary filler I mentioned earlier, as well as long and detailed history of what happened at the Alamo more than one hundred years ago.
Yes, like all of Ms. Palmer's novels, there's an eventual and late appearing HEA ending for these two unlikable characters, but it certainly wasn't enough to redeem them or this novel for this reader. I simply cannot recommend it.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
The heroine, Gaby Dupont, inadvertently gets a job cataloging the library of noted lawyer, Nick Chandler, when the temp he was expecting was late for her interview, and Gaby knocked on his door at just the right time, and saw an opportunity to ferret out information regarding an upcoming lawsuit brought by a a distant relative who wanted her inheritance. Rather than simply ask him, she gets hired under false pretenses, is wildly attracted to the dark and brooding attorney, although she's sworn off all men since her grandfather sold her off to be gang raped when she was just 16 years old to pay off his gambling debts. Luckily, he and his cronies were stopped in the nick of time, leaving Gaby afraid of men, and in dire need of psychotherapy to deal with her subsequent trauma and issues. Her grandmother, who raised her after Gaby's parents died, and who was one of the wealthiest women in Chicago, could certainly afford sending her to a therapist. Why didn't she?
While Gaby was a sympathetic character at first, when she meets Nick's 15-year-old niece, Jackie, whose mother, Nick's sister, drops her off to date wealthy men she meets, Gaby immediately judges Jackie on her Goth appearance and choice of wardrobe, and proceeds to slut-shame her. Have I mentioned my dislike of liars? Gaby, in order to spy on Nick, lies a lot, and she also has an odd tendency of making flippant remarks she thinks are witty, but that are both unwelcome and uncalled for. Although she eventually tries to protect Jackie from her convicted sex offender and older boyfriend, I simply couldn't tolerate her lies, her flippancy, and her judgmental and archaic attitudes.
I didn't think much of Nick Chandler as the hero either. He was rude, abrupt, and ignored his niece almost entirely, and except for bailing her out of jail a couple of times, was cold and distant to her the rest of the time. He flaunts his latest bed partner, Mara, in front of Gaby, and Mara is a gold-digging, and thoroughly unlikable character as well. Nick too has suffered tragedy in his life, but as horrible as it was, also sought no help from anyone in the medical profession, nor did he even attempt going to grief counseling. Yes, he had a terrible and abusive childhood, but he's now well into his thirties, and I found no excuse for his rude and obnoxious behavior.
The final insult involved Gaby returning to, you guessed it, Jacobsville, Texas, which was the reason for all the irrelevant and unnecessary filler I mentioned earlier, as well as long and detailed history of what happened at the Alamo more than one hundred years ago.
Yes, like all of Ms. Palmer's novels, there's an eventual and late appearing HEA ending for these two unlikable characters, but it certainly wasn't enough to redeem them or this novel for this reader. I simply cannot recommend it.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
July 2, 2021
I really enjoyed Gaby and Nick's story. Loved the angst and the broken hero. Sweet epilogue too!
March 30, 2021
I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I'm going to be honest here, even though it pains me to do so. I hate leaving negative reviews - even when I must.
This book was terrible. I've read 32 books thus far this year, not all of them great, but Notorious by Diana Palmer may very well be one of the worst.
I will give this the caveat that I read an advanced review copy - which is subject to editing before release, so keep that in mind… but the writing felt juvenile. The narrative went through multiple pages of back-telling the heroine's past only to end when she then chose to slut-shame a teenager, equating her appearance to that of an escort. Not okay. I instantly disliked the main female lead - but that isn't where it ended.
Gaby then proceeded to lie about her identity… to a lawyer… invading his home, and began to re-organize his library. Under other circumstances, this misunderstanding would have fallen squarely into the usual romance tropes, but Gaby showed up at the lawyer's house uninvited to sway him into dropping a court case. She willfully lied about her identity instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, to gain access to his home, after slut-shaming a teenager. I loathe her as a person. What she did was not okay. It wasn't cute. It wasn't funny. She came across as the rudest, snobbiest person.
This book made me angry. The writing style was lackluster, even if I could manage to stomach the disastrous beginning. I quit this book before the end of the first chapter because I could feel my blood pressure rising over how much I hated Gaby. If you endeavor to read it… good luck, and don't say I didn't warn you.
I'm going to be honest here, even though it pains me to do so. I hate leaving negative reviews - even when I must.
This book was terrible. I've read 32 books thus far this year, not all of them great, but Notorious by Diana Palmer may very well be one of the worst.
I will give this the caveat that I read an advanced review copy - which is subject to editing before release, so keep that in mind… but the writing felt juvenile. The narrative went through multiple pages of back-telling the heroine's past only to end when she then chose to slut-shame a teenager, equating her appearance to that of an escort. Not okay. I instantly disliked the main female lead - but that isn't where it ended.
Gaby then proceeded to lie about her identity… to a lawyer… invading his home, and began to re-organize his library. Under other circumstances, this misunderstanding would have fallen squarely into the usual romance tropes, but Gaby showed up at the lawyer's house uninvited to sway him into dropping a court case. She willfully lied about her identity instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, to gain access to his home, after slut-shaming a teenager. I loathe her as a person. What she did was not okay. It wasn't cute. It wasn't funny. She came across as the rudest, snobbiest person.
This book made me angry. The writing style was lackluster, even if I could manage to stomach the disastrous beginning. I quit this book before the end of the first chapter because I could feel my blood pressure rising over how much I hated Gaby. If you endeavor to read it… good luck, and don't say I didn't warn you.
June 15, 2021
Gaby had something bad happen to her when she was younger and she and her grandmother are scared that Nick might take the case and defend the guy who is responsible. She goes to his apartment to make a plea to him not to defend the guy but when an opportunity arises to take a job for him instead, she takes it hoping to get to know him better and then ask him not to take the case.
Nick is a high powered, successful attorney. But he's got a lot going on at home and at work. His teenage niece is a handful and he has some crazy court cases that are stressing him out. So when Gaby is knocking on his door, he thinks she's from the temp agency to catalog his bookshelves that his niece knocked over in a rage.
Nick really had his hands full with his niece, Jackie. Her mother, his sister isn't much of a mother and is more concerned with her new boyfriend than her daughter which really messes with the teenagers head and makes her hard to live with. She and Gaby butt heads right from the very beginning but Gaby is really good at finding out what is really bothering a person which makes it easier for her to talk to them and that's what she did with Jackie. After a while, Gaby was able to break through to her and show her that someone really cared about her. Which wasn't easy because she gets herself in over her head with an older boy who is really bad news and makes things dangerous for Gaby as well as Jackie.
Because Gaby is scared of men and hasn't ever had a boyfriend, she's a little leery of Nick at first but he's a good guy even if he has a little bit of a temper. Nick is also the way he is because of a heartbreaking secret in his past. It broke my heart when his secret was revealed but it truly brought Nick and Gaby closer when they were able to talk about the bad things in their past. There's only one problem, Nick has no idea that Gaby is a very wealthy woman or what she is really doing there.
There's a bit of a disagreement when Nick realizes who Gaby is and why she was really at his door that first day but losing her only showed them both that they cared much more about each other than they knew.
I liked the whole mob connection that got thrown in the mix and the conclusion to Nick's case that was causing him a lot of stress. This story came together just the way I knew a Diana Palmer story would.
I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review but all thoughts and opinions are my own
Nick is a high powered, successful attorney. But he's got a lot going on at home and at work. His teenage niece is a handful and he has some crazy court cases that are stressing him out. So when Gaby is knocking on his door, he thinks she's from the temp agency to catalog his bookshelves that his niece knocked over in a rage.
Nick really had his hands full with his niece, Jackie. Her mother, his sister isn't much of a mother and is more concerned with her new boyfriend than her daughter which really messes with the teenagers head and makes her hard to live with. She and Gaby butt heads right from the very beginning but Gaby is really good at finding out what is really bothering a person which makes it easier for her to talk to them and that's what she did with Jackie. After a while, Gaby was able to break through to her and show her that someone really cared about her. Which wasn't easy because she gets herself in over her head with an older boy who is really bad news and makes things dangerous for Gaby as well as Jackie.
Because Gaby is scared of men and hasn't ever had a boyfriend, she's a little leery of Nick at first but he's a good guy even if he has a little bit of a temper. Nick is also the way he is because of a heartbreaking secret in his past. It broke my heart when his secret was revealed but it truly brought Nick and Gaby closer when they were able to talk about the bad things in their past. There's only one problem, Nick has no idea that Gaby is a very wealthy woman or what she is really doing there.
There's a bit of a disagreement when Nick realizes who Gaby is and why she was really at his door that first day but losing her only showed them both that they cared much more about each other than they knew.
I liked the whole mob connection that got thrown in the mix and the conclusion to Nick's case that was causing him a lot of stress. This story came together just the way I knew a Diana Palmer story would.
I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review but all thoughts and opinions are my own
July 19, 2021
This was new because the heroine is rich, pretty and well born and the hero is decent.
She was almost rape at 16, when her perverted grandfather sold her to a more perverted diplomat, and afterwards the grandfather from hell went to prison. Now it seems that grandpa dear is out of prison and wants the money from her inheritance, so she wants to speak to the lawyer who years before defended her grandpa. Accidentally she ends to work for him, in his house. Of course he doesn’t know who she is , she only wants to know him better before asking him if he will help her gf. He lives with a difficult teenager, his niece, and she and the h become friends. The hero is a widower and there’s a tragedy in his life, because his wife suffered from borderline syndrome, he didn’t know, and in a moment of insanity she killed herself and their daughter. This is a major issues. Borderline people can easily be undetected until they commit extreme acts. The hero doesn’t want to marry again or have any children, he only has occasional partners, like his present partner who he’s always parading in front of the heroine. The hero and the heroine fall in love but he, being a DP creatures, behaves badly and insults the heroine in front of all high society at her grandmother’s party. The heroine leaves the town and goes to Bahamas because she needs rest. No! She goes to Jacobsville, of course, where her cousin lives. And the hero goes to her, apologizes and asks her to marry and and to have children with him. Just like that.
The book was low angst because:
-the hero is not a jerk, and is attracted to the heroine without shaming her or misjudging her for most of the book
- he is celibate after meeting her. He can’t perform with his present lover and there’s a very cute scene where he comes back home and is very worried because for the first time in his life he is unable to feel anything with a woman, and he tells the heroine who reassures him saying: you work so much and you are worried for your niece … too funny!
- the heroine doesn’t salivate over the hero. Because of her past trauma she is not attracted to men and even the hero in the beginning leaves her cold. At last!
-yes they both have past traumas, so they bond easily.
-the book is a slow burn, not insta love, for both of them.
- the heroine is not plain or dowdy or poor or lacking in social skills or culture.
It should have been four stars but for me there was too little angst.
Ps: long tall Texan the hero is not… not Texan at lest.
I’m looking forward to Hollister’s story.
She was almost rape at 16, when her perverted grandfather sold her to a more perverted diplomat, and afterwards the grandfather from hell went to prison. Now it seems that grandpa dear is out of prison and wants the money from her inheritance, so she wants to speak to the lawyer who years before defended her grandpa. Accidentally she ends to work for him, in his house. Of course he doesn’t know who she is , she only wants to know him better before asking him if he will help her gf. He lives with a difficult teenager, his niece, and she and the h become friends. The hero is a widower and there’s a tragedy in his life, because his wife suffered from borderline syndrome, he didn’t know, and in a moment of insanity she killed herself and their daughter. This is a major issues. Borderline people can easily be undetected until they commit extreme acts. The hero doesn’t want to marry again or have any children, he only has occasional partners, like his present partner who he’s always parading in front of the heroine. The hero and the heroine fall in love but he, being a DP creatures, behaves badly and insults the heroine in front of all high society at her grandmother’s party. The heroine leaves the town and goes to Bahamas because she needs rest. No! She goes to Jacobsville, of course, where her cousin lives. And the hero goes to her, apologizes and asks her to marry and and to have children with him. Just like that.
The book was low angst because:
-the hero is not a jerk, and is attracted to the heroine without shaming her or misjudging her for most of the book
- he is celibate after meeting her. He can’t perform with his present lover and there’s a very cute scene where he comes back home and is very worried because for the first time in his life he is unable to feel anything with a woman, and he tells the heroine who reassures him saying: you work so much and you are worried for your niece … too funny!
- the heroine doesn’t salivate over the hero. Because of her past trauma she is not attracted to men and even the hero in the beginning leaves her cold. At last!
-yes they both have past traumas, so they bond easily.
-the book is a slow burn, not insta love, for both of them.
- the heroine is not plain or dowdy or poor or lacking in social skills or culture.
It should have been four stars but for me there was too little angst.
Ps: long tall Texan the hero is not… not Texan at lest.
I’m looking forward to Hollister’s story.
October 26, 2024
A bad “Regency romance” that takes place in 2021. This is one of the worst “romance” novels I have read in decades. I mention the Regency period only to illustrate that the thoughts, values, and actions of the main characters do not fit current reality. I won’t summarize the plot since it has already been done several times.
The so called heroine is extremely unlikable:
**We are supposed to believe she doesn’t care about social standing, money, clothes or jewels, yet we are constantly told how wealthy she is and how concerned she is about preserving her huge current inheritance and how she will become even wealthier being her grandmother’s sole heir. When asked what she would do with so much money she vaguely mentions children charities.
**At the beginning we are told she NEVER watches TV and reads Greek philosophers for entertainment 🙄, then the author forgets this and frequently references TV shows and movies she watches and has her reading romance novels.
**Gaby never lies, that is the way she was raised by her strict grandmother, however, she proceeds to lie easily and frequently throughout the novel.
**Gaby’s talk and actions show her to be flippant, disrespectful, deceitful, biased, prejudiced, judgmental, snobbish, shallow, self-righteous, and oblivious, among other things 😅. The author tells us that she is selfless, empathetic, and psychic: despite being extremely sheltered and inexperienced, she somehow perceives a person’s innermost thoughts and feelings very easily and she offers unsolicited advice which the hero finds remarkably wise. She is also described as compassionate, caring, humble, honest, and giving. In other words, an 😇 on earth. However, Gaby does not have a single friend. How can a 25 year old woman go through life without a single friend if she is such a perfect specimen of humanity?
**Gaby suffered a traumatic sexual assault (not quite rape) when she was 16 years old. She learns that the hero’s 15 year-old niece has been abused by her mother’s boyfriendssss since she was 10 years old and she does NOTHING! I haven’t finished listening to the audiobook and I don’t know if I will have the fortitude to do so, but so far Gaby hasn’t mentioned this fact to the hero, who is the girl’s guardian. The author obviously does not think this is a great deal, to her it is just an insignificant plot device. This means that the only character that moved me was abused repeatedly and then the heroine, who supposedly is caring, compassionate, sensitive, and empathetic, neglected to help her as promptly and effectively as she should have.
The hero is a criminal defense lawyer in his mid-thirties supposed to be one of the best in the country.
**However, the one client mentioned consistently is a man who supposedly wanted to divorce his wife and she tries to kill him several times. Why is he representing this man? Unless stupidity is a crime, he is the victim and while he’s in the hospital we learn that he decided not to divorce his wife because he loves her too much. So, again, why does he need a criminal defense attorney?
**He hires a live-in assistant to catalogue his home library and pays her a generous salary. Why is it necessary for her to live in? Only to facilitate interactions between H/h. Such a lazy and contrived device.
**He suffered a tragedy in his past, but he is an insensitive jerk with constant mood swings who should be under psychiatric and psychological care.
The author’s writing is inconsistent, repetitive, and supremely boring. It includes zillions of irrelevant details about characters from future/past books that do not contribute a single thing to the story and only fill space needed for word count. The dialogue is stilted, disjointed, repetitive, inappropriate, and not worthy of mature and educated people.
Regarding the audiobook, the reader has a nice voice, but when he tries to act the voices of the characters the listening experience becomes torturously painful. The hero sounds like an old gangster from a 1940’s bad movie. The heroine sounds stupider than she is. The hero’s niece sounds like a screeching lunatic. The grandmother’s French accent (despite living her whole life in the US 🙄) sounds somewhat Italian, etc. He should just have read the novel, it was already awful enough.
Thank you for reading my rant 😊.
The so called heroine is extremely unlikable:
**We are supposed to believe she doesn’t care about social standing, money, clothes or jewels, yet we are constantly told how wealthy she is and how concerned she is about preserving her huge current inheritance and how she will become even wealthier being her grandmother’s sole heir. When asked what she would do with so much money she vaguely mentions children charities.
**At the beginning we are told she NEVER watches TV and reads Greek philosophers for entertainment 🙄, then the author forgets this and frequently references TV shows and movies she watches and has her reading romance novels.
**Gaby never lies, that is the way she was raised by her strict grandmother, however, she proceeds to lie easily and frequently throughout the novel.
**Gaby’s talk and actions show her to be flippant, disrespectful, deceitful, biased, prejudiced, judgmental, snobbish, shallow, self-righteous, and oblivious, among other things 😅. The author tells us that she is selfless, empathetic, and psychic: despite being extremely sheltered and inexperienced, she somehow perceives a person’s innermost thoughts and feelings very easily and she offers unsolicited advice which the hero finds remarkably wise. She is also described as compassionate, caring, humble, honest, and giving. In other words, an 😇 on earth. However, Gaby does not have a single friend. How can a 25 year old woman go through life without a single friend if she is such a perfect specimen of humanity?
**Gaby suffered a traumatic sexual assault (not quite rape) when she was 16 years old. She learns that the hero’s 15 year-old niece has been abused by her mother’s boyfriendssss since she was 10 years old and she does NOTHING! I haven’t finished listening to the audiobook and I don’t know if I will have the fortitude to do so, but so far Gaby hasn’t mentioned this fact to the hero, who is the girl’s guardian. The author obviously does not think this is a great deal, to her it is just an insignificant plot device. This means that the only character that moved me was abused repeatedly and then the heroine, who supposedly is caring, compassionate, sensitive, and empathetic, neglected to help her as promptly and effectively as she should have.
The hero is a criminal defense lawyer in his mid-thirties supposed to be one of the best in the country.
**However, the one client mentioned consistently is a man who supposedly wanted to divorce his wife and she tries to kill him several times. Why is he representing this man? Unless stupidity is a crime, he is the victim and while he’s in the hospital we learn that he decided not to divorce his wife because he loves her too much. So, again, why does he need a criminal defense attorney?
**He hires a live-in assistant to catalogue his home library and pays her a generous salary. Why is it necessary for her to live in? Only to facilitate interactions between H/h. Such a lazy and contrived device.
**He suffered a tragedy in his past, but he is an insensitive jerk with constant mood swings who should be under psychiatric and psychological care.
The author’s writing is inconsistent, repetitive, and supremely boring. It includes zillions of irrelevant details about characters from future/past books that do not contribute a single thing to the story and only fill space needed for word count. The dialogue is stilted, disjointed, repetitive, inappropriate, and not worthy of mature and educated people.
Regarding the audiobook, the reader has a nice voice, but when he tries to act the voices of the characters the listening experience becomes torturously painful. The hero sounds like an old gangster from a 1940’s bad movie. The heroine sounds stupider than she is. The hero’s niece sounds like a screeching lunatic. The grandmother’s French accent (despite living her whole life in the US 🙄) sounds somewhat Italian, etc. He should just have read the novel, it was already awful enough.
Thank you for reading my rant 😊.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2025
Can't believe this was written in 2021, she's still alive and writing ya'll.
It has a lot of DP old elements plot wise but a lot of new things and it's lovely seeing her grow both in age and craft ^^
It has a lot of DP old elements plot wise but a lot of new things and it's lovely seeing her grow both in age and craft ^^
August 3, 2023
Both H and h had traumatic past that they couldn't recover from. Liked how they interact with each other and h was a likable character, I wouldn't say so about the H, though. Although H was older than h, h was more mature than H in so many ways. Still enjoying their chemistry.
If you're in the mood for slow romance that main characters with traditional values, you can try this.
If you're in the mood for slow romance that main characters with traditional values, you can try this.
June 22, 2021
I really must stop reading books by this author and expecting them to have some originality. Every one of the relationships is of an older man/younger woman (a church-going virgin) The H always has a mature, sophisticated girlfriend who is inevitably dumped for the sweeter, purer h. There is always a scene where the H cuddles the h up to his bare chest causing her to experience (for the first time)feelings of lust. The H always has a back-story giving the reasons he never wants to marry, until of course the h entrances him with her sweetness. These are in almost every one of her books, she's found a formula that sells and has milked it for all its worth.
I think this will be my last Diana Palmer book.
I think this will be my last Diana Palmer book.
June 11, 2021
Palmer knows her way around a heart. Even after all these years, I am still addicted to her brand of tempting romance, spellbinding intrigue and heartaching, storytelling. Notorious is all of that and more. Gaby and Nick seduce the heart right out of your chest with a dramatic, unpredictable. tango of love.
January 27, 2022
I was surprised how much I liked this book. I really didn't think it would be something I would enjoy. The characters were wonderful and I particularly liked Jackie and Grand-mere. And then there were the mob guys. I had never seen any like this before. They were really nice guys! Both of the main characters had past tragedies that continued to haunt them. I liked how they helped each other live with the difficult memories. The ending was great! This is a must-read for romantic suspense fans.
June 28, 2021
Notorious by Diana Palmer
Long, Tall Texans #51
A heroine helping her grandmother stoops to fibbing and infiltrating the home of a high-powered lawyer. Gaby and Nicholas will fall for one another eventually and his niece, Jackie, ends up playing a part in the story as do both of their families. This is a book I started and immediately found myself disliking both main lead characters and not warming to them by page fifty decided to skimmed ahead to see if I might find them more likable later. Sadly, I did not and couldn’t relate to the storyline.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQN for the ARC – This is my honest review.
2-3 Stars
Long, Tall Texans #51
A heroine helping her grandmother stoops to fibbing and infiltrating the home of a high-powered lawyer. Gaby and Nicholas will fall for one another eventually and his niece, Jackie, ends up playing a part in the story as do both of their families. This is a book I started and immediately found myself disliking both main lead characters and not warming to them by page fifty decided to skimmed ahead to see if I might find them more likable later. Sadly, I did not and couldn’t relate to the storyline.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQN for the ARC – This is my honest review.
2-3 Stars
September 8, 2021
I picked this book up without any background so I didn’t know it was part of a mega series. Does explain some things. I liked the rapport between the MCs, to a point. After a while it just became that long-winded playful bickering that has no purpose and happens a little too often and keeps up for a little too long.
The book was really really really repetitive. Especially towards the last couple hours. What made it worse was that a play-by-play had to be repeated for each new person that came into the main story, and there were A LOT of superfluous characters. I figure these are the characters from Palmer’s previous books in the series, but I stopped caring after the grandma’s bodyguard was introduced. These rando friends and cousins and great aunts and cousin’s husbands and cousins husband’s co-workers was too much. They didn’t have enough character development and didn’t really serve a purpose in the story except to slow it down with all the re-tellings. Plus I had no hope of keeping them all straight with all he names.
In general, there was also a lot of pedestrian stuff going on in the book that I found boring.
I’m okay with wholesome romance books (more relationship building, less-to-no sex), but this one came off as pretty preachy and old fashioned at times which was off-putting. I think the biggest thing that annoyed me though, was how all the llama drama and chitter chatter about the grandfather and greedy cousin for 10 flipping hours of narration time turned into a big fat nothing. There was no show down, the fem MCs were never directly threatened by them, the main drama was ultimately pointless outside of being a brief, shoddy vehicle for the MCs to meet and stay in close proximity.
Overall, I didn’t like it. Everyone and their mother had a tragic backstory (did not one have a happy childhood?) and the tragedy of it all was constantly brought up like an extra mom talks about her honor roll kid. Too much. Definitely made me wary to read any of the others, but anything’s possible.
The book was really really really repetitive. Especially towards the last couple hours. What made it worse was that a play-by-play had to be repeated for each new person that came into the main story, and there were A LOT of superfluous characters. I figure these are the characters from Palmer’s previous books in the series, but I stopped caring after the grandma’s bodyguard was introduced. These rando friends and cousins and great aunts and cousin’s husbands and cousins husband’s co-workers was too much. They didn’t have enough character development and didn’t really serve a purpose in the story except to slow it down with all the re-tellings. Plus I had no hope of keeping them all straight with all he names.
In general, there was also a lot of pedestrian stuff going on in the book that I found boring.
I’m okay with wholesome romance books (more relationship building, less-to-no sex), but this one came off as pretty preachy and old fashioned at times which was off-putting. I think the biggest thing that annoyed me though, was how all the llama drama and chitter chatter about the grandfather and greedy cousin for 10 flipping hours of narration time turned into a big fat nothing. There was no show down, the fem MCs were never directly threatened by them, the main drama was ultimately pointless outside of being a brief, shoddy vehicle for the MCs to meet and stay in close proximity.
Overall, I didn’t like it. Everyone and their mother had a tragic backstory (did not one have a happy childhood?) and the tragedy of it all was constantly brought up like an extra mom talks about her honor roll kid. Too much. Definitely made me wary to read any of the others, but anything’s possible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2021
I received an electronic ARC from HARLEQUIN - Romance (U.S. & Canada) through NetGalley.
Though this is listed as a Long, Tall Texans book, it only peripherally connected to the series. Readers will see secondary characters they will recognize from past stories but the main portion takes place in Chicago. Gaby has the usual Palmer heroine backstory of trauma in her past that has frozen her ability to want a relationship. When a new trial for her abuser may happen, she seeks out the lawyer who owns the firm that represented her grandfather when the attempted rape occurred. Nick mistakes her for the assistant he expected to arrive and she moves into this deception to learn more about him before asking her questions. The story evolves with the drama and tensions expected in a romance novel of this type - tentative acceptance, sparring to hide feelings, major blow up, reconciliation. Palmer has done this well for a long time. This one has a few misses but is a sweet story. I wasn't fond of the heroine shaming the fifteen year old niece to begin the book but readers do see the way this relation moves forward as well.
Though this is listed as a Long, Tall Texans book, it only peripherally connected to the series. Readers will see secondary characters they will recognize from past stories but the main portion takes place in Chicago. Gaby has the usual Palmer heroine backstory of trauma in her past that has frozen her ability to want a relationship. When a new trial for her abuser may happen, she seeks out the lawyer who owns the firm that represented her grandfather when the attempted rape occurred. Nick mistakes her for the assistant he expected to arrive and she moves into this deception to learn more about him before asking her questions. The story evolves with the drama and tensions expected in a romance novel of this type - tentative acceptance, sparring to hide feelings, major blow up, reconciliation. Palmer has done this well for a long time. This one has a few misses but is a sweet story. I wasn't fond of the heroine shaming the fifteen year old niece to begin the book but readers do see the way this relation moves forward as well.
May 30, 2021
There were a few things that I liked about this book but so much more that were issues. The book starts out with a grown woman mocking a teenager for how she dressed and looked. This was neither smart or endearing, and really made me dislike our supposed heroine from the start. Then there was the constant character dumps, and I mean every other page take a page to explain who was who and how they were connected, and then it was all explained again, and then again, and then again. Of course, by the time that ended, there were new characters to have explained in pages long connections, and at least twice, if not three times. For someone who supposedly had no family, there was a lot of explanations of the family she did have. So why not one star? Well, I did like the teenager, she was a real character and pretty normal amidst the high and mighty preachy adults. I also thought our hero was okay, even if he was mostly two-dimensional. Like I said, there were a few things I liked but mostly this was a chore to read and had very little meat to the story or the characters
September 25, 2021
Great reed getting to know Gaby and her grandmother was a treat. She ended up turning Nick life up side down and helping him along the way. The supporting characters were very good also you just wanted to be apart of the group. I enjoy this so much I didn't want to put it down.
January 28, 2025
First of all, where is the long, tall, Texan in this book? Nick is from Chicago. Lives in Chicago. Gaby was a hoot at times, but too much unrealistic. Gaby is independently wealthy, her grandmother even more so. It makes no sense that they cannot have their own legal team finding out whether or not Nick’s (whose name is Jake in the book synopsis but is Nick in the book) firm was going to represent her grandfather again. Not to mention that their legal counsel would know, and so would Gaby’s bodyguard former/current mercenary be able to find out such information, but conveniently they are not and don’t? The whole premise of Gaby having to work for him didn’t make any sense, less so her having to live-in just to catalog a library. And the time it took was ridiculously long. And she supposedly has a very active sixth sense, so she couldn’t get his measure to ask him about her grandfather? Uh huh. And Nick finds she lied about who she is to get the job and he doesn’t ever look into her? Also ridiculously unrealistic.
A 15 year old coming and going as she pleases? Her uncle really that neglectful when he’s supposed to be a top attorney and they live in Chicago? And why is it written as if Nick’s a prosecuting attorney in some areas? He’s not. He’s representing a man whose wife is repeatedly trying to kill him? The story doesn’t make sense.
Gahy’s going to her grandmother’s birthday party, she has her own apartment, it’s the weekend, when she doesn’t work, so why would she need to be at Nick‘s apartment to get ready for her grandmother‘s birthday? Again, does not make sense. Neither does Gaby fretting over what she’s wearing being seen by Nick when he’s already aware Gaby’s grandmother is wealthy, even though he doesn’t know who her grandmother is. The grandmother could easily have provided the gown and jewelry. And the grandmother conveniently forgot Nick was invited to her birthday? Not to mention there’s no reason he would be. None. His date either. The poor excuse doesn’t fit. Why would her grandmother care about a favor said date’s uncle owed said date that she’d give an invite to. You can’t tell me that Gaby had not told her grandmother all about Nick and said date Mara. A woman that it does not even make sense that Nick is continuously going out with, btw. However that confrontation is seen a thousand miles away. Mara’s said to be so possessive of him, yet she’s constantly seeing other men? Make it make sense, because it does not.
The subterfuge got old very quick, especially since the more it went on the less it made sense.
And the writing is very repetitive, telling over and over again about relatives who live in Jacobsville, and about Nick having issues from the past that are holding him back.
Was also in contradiction with some areas of events occurring. Gaby is said she doesn’t watch tv, then later she’s referencing tv shows and movies? Reads a particular genre, then is all about reading romance? Steady telling lies, over something that is a direct question, in his firm representing her grandfather or not? That does not require all this mess that was written.
Essentially, the storyline missed the mark. Hugely. Too much that’s just not realistic for the fictional story.
A 15 year old coming and going as she pleases? Her uncle really that neglectful when he’s supposed to be a top attorney and they live in Chicago? And why is it written as if Nick’s a prosecuting attorney in some areas? He’s not. He’s representing a man whose wife is repeatedly trying to kill him? The story doesn’t make sense.
Gahy’s going to her grandmother’s birthday party, she has her own apartment, it’s the weekend, when she doesn’t work, so why would she need to be at Nick‘s apartment to get ready for her grandmother‘s birthday? Again, does not make sense. Neither does Gaby fretting over what she’s wearing being seen by Nick when he’s already aware Gaby’s grandmother is wealthy, even though he doesn’t know who her grandmother is. The grandmother could easily have provided the gown and jewelry. And the grandmother conveniently forgot Nick was invited to her birthday? Not to mention there’s no reason he would be. None. His date either. The poor excuse doesn’t fit. Why would her grandmother care about a favor said date’s uncle owed said date that she’d give an invite to. You can’t tell me that Gaby had not told her grandmother all about Nick and said date Mara. A woman that it does not even make sense that Nick is continuously going out with, btw. However that confrontation is seen a thousand miles away. Mara’s said to be so possessive of him, yet she’s constantly seeing other men? Make it make sense, because it does not.
The subterfuge got old very quick, especially since the more it went on the less it made sense.
And the writing is very repetitive, telling over and over again about relatives who live in Jacobsville, and about Nick having issues from the past that are holding him back.
Was also in contradiction with some areas of events occurring. Gaby is said she doesn’t watch tv, then later she’s referencing tv shows and movies? Reads a particular genre, then is all about reading romance? Steady telling lies, over something that is a direct question, in his firm representing her grandfather or not? That does not require all this mess that was written.
Essentially, the storyline missed the mark. Hugely. Too much that’s just not realistic for the fictional story.
October 3, 2023
Sigh. I always give Diana Palmer books chances, I don’t know why, because they always turn out to be not my type of book. In this case, the h is perfect. Absolutely perfect, grin with teeth twinkle, thumbs up and and huge pink bow.
Meet the h:
-very rich but so modest no one would EVER suspect
-cleverly puts down a rebellious teen with witticisms and has her totally figured out right away
-chats her way into a job she didn’t know was offered
-just so happens to have all the paperwork with her
-charms the H to no end with jokes about teen’s behavior
-takes over from the hired cook…who, incidentally, doesn’t know how to make quiche…
Oh, and half of her job references are from people who want to date and/or marry her, because, in case you didn’t get it into your head yet, she’s IRRESISTIBLE to…you know…pretty much everybody.
…and this is only a few pages in.
My brain is already filling in the moment he is floored by her down-home cooking, can’t do without her because she’s got the teen wrapped around her little finger, adores her charming witticisms…I can’t stomach it. Please, PLEASE just give me a good, solid, character flaw right from the outset. Not something bad that happened to her in the past…I’m talking something concrete in her personality. Make her mouthy. A recovering chain-smoker. Clumsy. A nail-biter. Something. ANYTHING.
…Well, I take that back. Clearly she’s a liar, and probably naive, as she took the job under false pretenses and assumed he wouldn’t do a background check (which, incidentally, he didn’t!? And she’s going to be around the teen without his supervision? What kind of guardian is he???) …so maybe I’m not giving the book enough of a chance. But somehow I think we are supposed to be charmed by her little white lies.
I know, I know; there’s trouble brewing somewhere down the line…there was a set-up with past family troubles and so on, oh…woe is she…
…but I can’t do it. It’ s just too syrupy-sweet for my taste and I can’t bring myself to read another word.
I’m not rating jt 1 star out of fairness - maybe some people like this kind of perfect h. …But I have read a few Diana Palmers where I could get through more of the story…so I don’t think it’s one of her best.
Meet the h:
-very rich but so modest no one would EVER suspect
-cleverly puts down a rebellious teen with witticisms and has her totally figured out right away
-chats her way into a job she didn’t know was offered
-just so happens to have all the paperwork with her
-charms the H to no end with jokes about teen’s behavior
-takes over from the hired cook…who, incidentally, doesn’t know how to make quiche…
Oh, and half of her job references are from people who want to date and/or marry her, because, in case you didn’t get it into your head yet, she’s IRRESISTIBLE to…you know…pretty much everybody.
…and this is only a few pages in.
My brain is already filling in the moment he is floored by her down-home cooking, can’t do without her because she’s got the teen wrapped around her little finger, adores her charming witticisms…I can’t stomach it. Please, PLEASE just give me a good, solid, character flaw right from the outset. Not something bad that happened to her in the past…I’m talking something concrete in her personality. Make her mouthy. A recovering chain-smoker. Clumsy. A nail-biter. Something. ANYTHING.
…Well, I take that back. Clearly she’s a liar, and probably naive, as she took the job under false pretenses and assumed he wouldn’t do a background check (which, incidentally, he didn’t!? And she’s going to be around the teen without his supervision? What kind of guardian is he???) …so maybe I’m not giving the book enough of a chance. But somehow I think we are supposed to be charmed by her little white lies.
I know, I know; there’s trouble brewing somewhere down the line…there was a set-up with past family troubles and so on, oh…woe is she…
…but I can’t do it. It’ s just too syrupy-sweet for my taste and I can’t bring myself to read another word.
I’m not rating jt 1 star out of fairness - maybe some people like this kind of perfect h. …But I have read a few Diana Palmers where I could get through more of the story…so I don’t think it’s one of her best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2023
Not sure how I missed this one but I'm glad I got it.
Many moons ago, Palmer wrote a romance taking place in a small town in Texas (Jacobsville) with several charismatic characters. She developed a formula of sorts to her stories as well as a rhythm with the characters dialogue. Through that she started a series ( Long, Tall, Texans series) This is book #52. This reader & fan hasn't tired of it.
After several years, Palmer grew as a writer and branched out those characters to other locations writing other series & books.
This book has Tanner as a supporting character who then becomes the lead in book #53 (the loner). It gives insight into his background and you understand why he deserved his own story.
Gaby suffered a traumatic incident in her teens which has made her wary of men but b/c she had a close relative who cared for & loved her, she didn't lose her positivity & sass.
Nick also suffered a trauma which caused him to become colder and less affectionate, more job focused in life b/c he didn't have that same support.
Gaby & Nick have instant chemistry. They slowly learn to break down their barriers through the narrative with their clever dialogue and mutual support.
It was a good story. Some humor. I liked how they tied in characters from other stories who were loosely related. I laughed out loud quite loudly when I got to the scene of everyone converging at the hospital with Gaby.
I read that Ms. Palmer has suffered several tragedies in the past few years. I send her my sincerest condolences. But as a devoted reader & fan, I'm glad that like the female characters she creates, she is persevering through the pain to continue to write books.
I hope that things will be better for her in the coming years and that I will continue to read her books until she no longer publishes them.
Many moons ago, Palmer wrote a romance taking place in a small town in Texas (Jacobsville) with several charismatic characters. She developed a formula of sorts to her stories as well as a rhythm with the characters dialogue. Through that she started a series ( Long, Tall, Texans series) This is book #52. This reader & fan hasn't tired of it.
After several years, Palmer grew as a writer and branched out those characters to other locations writing other series & books.
This book has Tanner as a supporting character who then becomes the lead in book #53 (the loner). It gives insight into his background and you understand why he deserved his own story.
Gaby suffered a traumatic incident in her teens which has made her wary of men but b/c she had a close relative who cared for & loved her, she didn't lose her positivity & sass.
Nick also suffered a trauma which caused him to become colder and less affectionate, more job focused in life b/c he didn't have that same support.
Gaby & Nick have instant chemistry. They slowly learn to break down their barriers through the narrative with their clever dialogue and mutual support.
It was a good story. Some humor. I liked how they tied in characters from other stories who were loosely related. I laughed out loud quite loudly when I got to the scene of everyone converging at the hospital with Gaby.
I read that Ms. Palmer has suffered several tragedies in the past few years. I send her my sincerest condolences. But as a devoted reader & fan, I'm glad that like the female characters she creates, she is persevering through the pain to continue to write books.
I hope that things will be better for her in the coming years and that I will continue to read her books until she no longer publishes them.
June 16, 2021
*3.5 stars*
A little lie never hurt....
I’ve been reading this author for ages. It shouldn’t surprise me but I’ve been reading these Texans for fifty-plus books? Lol, yes, I blinked.
What started out as an unexpected way to get an “in” with Jake Chandler, soon turned into a life-changing experience for Gaby Dupont. Gaby came from privilege but she was down-to-earth and realistic. When opportunity knocked to help with a life-changing problem, she had to take it. It was sneaky and technically lying but she was desperate and it was only one little white lie... Jake didn’t know what to make of Gaby. She was outspoken and direct, a little mysterious and a whole lotta captivating...
I enjoyed Gaby and Jake’s story. It was low heat but with a sparkly banter that was totally engaging. She was a lady but had no problem speaking her mind. She also had insight and compassion along with her easy way of getting to the heart of things. Not being mean or spiteful, but through honesty and frankness, she managed to get her message across. Jake was a man who didn’t suffer any fools and wanted his way. Gaby was his employee but she was not a ‘yes’ person and pushed him every day. Soon, he found it refreshing and inviting…
Simplicity in a story is a double-edged sword and even with the family drama (times two) in this read, I struggled at times to stay engaged. Despite that, the characters won me over early and the question about how it would all play out kept me flipping all the pages until the satisfying conclusion.
*I happily reviewed this story
**Thank you to NetGalley
A little lie never hurt....
I’ve been reading this author for ages. It shouldn’t surprise me but I’ve been reading these Texans for fifty-plus books? Lol, yes, I blinked.
What started out as an unexpected way to get an “in” with Jake Chandler, soon turned into a life-changing experience for Gaby Dupont. Gaby came from privilege but she was down-to-earth and realistic. When opportunity knocked to help with a life-changing problem, she had to take it. It was sneaky and technically lying but she was desperate and it was only one little white lie... Jake didn’t know what to make of Gaby. She was outspoken and direct, a little mysterious and a whole lotta captivating...
I enjoyed Gaby and Jake’s story. It was low heat but with a sparkly banter that was totally engaging. She was a lady but had no problem speaking her mind. She also had insight and compassion along with her easy way of getting to the heart of things. Not being mean or spiteful, but through honesty and frankness, she managed to get her message across. Jake was a man who didn’t suffer any fools and wanted his way. Gaby was his employee but she was not a ‘yes’ person and pushed him every day. Soon, he found it refreshing and inviting…
Simplicity in a story is a double-edged sword and even with the family drama (times two) in this read, I struggled at times to stay engaged. Despite that, the characters won me over early and the question about how it would all play out kept me flipping all the pages until the satisfying conclusion.
*I happily reviewed this story
**Thank you to NetGalley
June 23, 2021
One more interesting book in the Long Tall Texans series. A virginal, rich, traumatised but sassy heroine, taking her problems into her own hands, a slightly broody hero with a heart of gold and his own traumas. She gets a job with him accidentally while trying to solve her issue of a felanous grandfather trying to come out of prison and an inheritance being challenged, but it turns out to be the answer to her problems.
The story is as interesting as always, the romance sweet and gradual too. But I've docked stars because I've grown uncomfortable with some of the views expressed in the book. The rude and unnecessary comments about the tattoos and multiple piercings the heroes adolescent niece has, allusions to the fact that only convicts have that many.
The heroines rich grandma, keeps calling her administrative assistant job menial, and while the heroine shushes her, she in no way tries to correct this sad elitist view of employment.
Spoiler alert: A dead character, described to be depressed and suicidal throughout their life is made out to be villainous, killing her father with stress, leaving therapy, self medicating with substances, jealous of the attention to her baby, to the point that she takes her life and that of her baby. There is no sympathy for the mentally ill woman anywhere in the story, as if not getting the right kind of help is her fault.
Another place the traumatised heroine expresses how therapy was fine but it didn't work that great because you have to live with your emotional baggage anyway. There's a clear misunderstanding of mental health by the author.
I understand some of the traditional views of the author, like no sex before marriage, distate for tattoos but some of the other issues are actually damaging. It was really riveting story and I really enjoyed it but interspersed by those uncomfortable moments.
The story is as interesting as always, the romance sweet and gradual too. But I've docked stars because I've grown uncomfortable with some of the views expressed in the book. The rude and unnecessary comments about the tattoos and multiple piercings the heroes adolescent niece has, allusions to the fact that only convicts have that many.
The heroines rich grandma, keeps calling her administrative assistant job menial, and while the heroine shushes her, she in no way tries to correct this sad elitist view of employment.
Spoiler alert: A dead character, described to be depressed and suicidal throughout their life is made out to be villainous, killing her father with stress, leaving therapy, self medicating with substances, jealous of the attention to her baby, to the point that she takes her life and that of her baby. There is no sympathy for the mentally ill woman anywhere in the story, as if not getting the right kind of help is her fault.
Another place the traumatised heroine expresses how therapy was fine but it didn't work that great because you have to live with your emotional baggage anyway. There's a clear misunderstanding of mental health by the author.
I understand some of the traditional views of the author, like no sex before marriage, distate for tattoos but some of the other issues are actually damaging. It was really riveting story and I really enjoyed it but interspersed by those uncomfortable moments.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2021
I have been reading Diana Palmer for decades, and while I keep reading her I feel there are just so many issues with some of her books. There does not seem to be growth. In this current novel the lead character Gaby is so childish. She is a 24 year old heiress who comes across like she is 13. She can't drive, she doesn't work, you really don't have a clue about her except that she was traumatized as a 16 year old. There is no depth to her at all. She comes across as very flippant and uncaring. Her introduction is when she chooses to mock and slut shame a young teenager and then keeps doing it. Ha Ha, look at me, I can mock a child. There is a lot of issues with this character.
Now Nick, the male lead, well, we know he was also traumatized and he has a ferocious temper. He likes to throw things against the walls, and horn-dog around. As the plot continues he develops feelings for Gaby, so, of course, he parades his lover in front of her. Said lover then proceeds to mock and belittle Gaby. And also let's not forget the really humorous gangsters. This book was all over the place. I am so conflicted with this author right now. These characters need to be more than one dimensional. They are more caricatures than lead characters.
Thank you to Netgally for the ARC.
Now Nick, the male lead, well, we know he was also traumatized and he has a ferocious temper. He likes to throw things against the walls, and horn-dog around. As the plot continues he develops feelings for Gaby, so, of course, he parades his lover in front of her. Said lover then proceeds to mock and belittle Gaby. And also let's not forget the really humorous gangsters. This book was all over the place. I am so conflicted with this author right now. These characters need to be more than one dimensional. They are more caricatures than lead characters.
Thank you to Netgally for the ARC.
May 18, 2023
Two stars for having words and complete sentences. I did not realize this was written by Diana Palmer (yes, despite the giant “Diana Palmer” written on the cover-it was a late night pick) or I wouldn’t have read it. I am not a fan of the recipe she follows for every single one of her books. Anyway, it’s a classic Diana Palmer-it was probably written before 2000 (but they tried to update it), and characters fit the stereotypes of the time. As with most of the stories I’ve read from her, the hero is in his 30s, the heroine is a very naive 20s, all but the essential characters have died (I’m starting to think she’d be really good at dystopian romance), the hero is rude, the heroine acts like a Disney Princess, and all the divorced men got divorced because their wives did drugs. This one also throws in the angsty teen that just needs to be loved and mob connections that are so cliche we could probably list everything she writes about them just by listing mob cliches. As a bonus, the hero continues to date another woman after he’s met the heroine, and then talks to the heroine about how he’s impotent on these dates with the other woman because he’s thinking of the heroine. Stellar stuff.
Next time I’ll double check the cover.
Next time I’ll double check the cover.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2021
A Long Tall Texan title that does not take place (for the most part) in Texas or Wyoming! This one is in Chicago! But not a lot of Chicago flavor or culture, it could have been in almost any big city. Gaby Dupont is on the trail of defense attorney Nicholas Chandler, whose firm is reportedly going to take her grandfather's appeal case. Her grandfather tried to sell off Gaby for sex when she was 16, and the purchasers left, with diplomatic immunity, and her grandfather had cronies who helped him get off. And a cousin is trying to contest a will that left Gaby a great deal of money and property. So in an attempt to talk to Nick, Gaby goes to his condo, only to be mistake for a librarian to catalog Nick's books, which were mixed up by Nick's neice, Jackie, who has issues of abandonment and bad behavior with a bad boy. But Gaby is up to the challenge of both Nick and Jackie, and soon, she's more important to them than they realize.
June 11, 2021
I ended up with very complicated feelings about this book. To start I want to say that I am a huge fan of this author and this series in particular. Her books are like comfort food for me. I know what to expect and I generally love it. That being said, I am shocked to admit how much I struggled with this book and honestly I feel that mainly that is because of the heroine, Gaby. A more unlikable female lead I have never had the misfortune to come across. Even my fierce dislike wasn't simple because I felt that I should feel sympathetic towards this character but couldn't manage to do so. Honestly, this left me mad and sad and feeling flat out bad about myself for not being a kinder person and that was so not what I was looking for or wanted. Sadly this was mostly a miss as far as I was concerned. This is my candid review that I am posting of my own accord.
January 6, 2024
It was fine read
Loved the grandmother character and some but i do have some issues
1)I found the h too accommodating at some places with the H.
2)I feel she was more in love with him then him with her(Just my take, can be completely wrong), i am just saying coz i didn't feel the love i like the H to display for h whom he loves a lot and specially those H who have had a history of loving and losing someone.
3)Wanted more feeling and exchanges of loved between H and h rather than mundane stuff.
4)Though the h was witty but at times she got on my nerves with her flippant remarks which weren't funny at all and also her personality felt too flat, she was boring , no friends nothing i mean how?? same was H, didn't feel the dynamism.
Overall a soap opera read.
Loved the grandmother character and some but i do have some issues
1)I found the h too accommodating at some places with the H.
2)I feel she was more in love with him then him with her(Just my take, can be completely wrong), i am just saying coz i didn't feel the love i like the H to display for h whom he loves a lot and specially those H who have had a history of loving and losing someone.
3)Wanted more feeling and exchanges of loved between H and h rather than mundane stuff.
4)Though the h was witty but at times she got on my nerves with her flippant remarks which weren't funny at all and also her personality felt too flat, she was boring , no friends nothing i mean how?? same was H, didn't feel the dynamism.
Overall a soap opera read.
January 26, 2024
I struggled with this book because of Nick. I understand that it’s fiction and he has to have a character arc for there to be a story. But throughout the book he was really mean to Gaby. Like the kind of red flags that tell is we should run away from the relationship if this were real life. When he didn’t like her actions, he counted out loud. This feels like the way I’m parenting my toddler. He also was very jealous and possessive of her, and made accusations like she was unfaithful, even though they were not in a relationship. This feels emotionally abusive. I understand that he’s a tortured soul from his abusive past, but that does not give him the right to treat others this way. I couldn’t get over my feelings about him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2021
Notorious by Diana Palmer is the first book I read by this author. It says book no 53 so I imagine she’s a prolific writer. It was okay, a bit young adultish. A rich young girl with a problem with her father ends up working as the assistant/librarian of a rich and famous lawyer. She is gentle and loving and manages to resolve some issues with his bratty niece. There was a lot of background information and some silly misunderstanding before the HEA. The lawyer was pretty much angry and upset through the story due to multiple issues. I would be worried in real life about a relationship with someone with so many issues.
May 13, 2023
This is a little different from other books in the Long Tall Texans series. First of all, the hero is from Chicago, not Texas, and he is a lawyer, not a cowboy. Mrs. Palmer does take us back to Texas and reacquaint us with Colter and Clancey whom we've met before.
The plot of the novel is fairly simple. Gaby falls in love with Nick who doesn't want to become involved with anyone romantically. Although he is attracted to her, he still wants to stay emotionally detached from her. Finally, they manage to work through their conflicts and find peace with each other. I enjoyed the book, but I am a long-time fan of Diana Palmer.
The plot of the novel is fairly simple. Gaby falls in love with Nick who doesn't want to become involved with anyone romantically. Although he is attracted to her, he still wants to stay emotionally detached from her. Finally, they manage to work through their conflicts and find peace with each other. I enjoyed the book, but I am a long-time fan of Diana Palmer.
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