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Tall, Dark & Dangerous #2
Forever Blue
SHOULD SHE BELIEVE HER HEART...
"For Lucy Tait, no one personified the word hero as much as Blue McCoy. As a child, he was her self-appointed rescuer, and as a teenager, he was the boy who hot away. Now he was back. But he was also a suspect in an unthinkable crime. . . and Lucy was the investigating officer."
...OR HER HEAD?
"All evidence pointed to Blue McCoy as the prime suspect, and everyone in town thought he was guilty. So, why was Lucy so convinced of his innocence? Was she swayed by the facts. . . or blinded by love
"For Lucy Tait, no one personified the word hero as much as Blue McCoy. As a child, he was her self-appointed rescuer, and as a teenager, he was the boy who hot away. Now he was back. But he was also a suspect in an unthinkable crime. . . and Lucy was the investigating officer."
...OR HER HEAD?
"All evidence pointed to Blue McCoy as the prime suspect, and everyone in town thought he was guilty. So, why was Lucy so convinced of his innocence? Was she swayed by the facts. . . or blinded by love
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
196 people are currently reading
1086 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Brockmann
253 books3,568 followersAfter childhood plans to become the captain of a starship didn’t pan out, Suzanne Brockmann took her fascination with military history, her respect for the men and women who serve, her reverence for diversity, and her love of storytelling, and explored brave new worlds as a bestselling romance author.
Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.
In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.
In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.
Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.
In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.
In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
November 26, 2019
Me ha gustado mucho la historia y la pareja formada por Carter "Blue" McCoy y Lucy Tait, que lleva enamorada de este Navy SEAL de pocas palabras desde la adolescencia. Aunque echo en falta más interacción con el resto de integrantes del escuadrón Alfa y una resolución algo menos precipitada, se trata de una novela corta y muy amena, con la cantidad justa de suspense y acción y el aliciente de contar con dos protagonistas de armas tomar (nunca mejor dicho). Las escenas acuáticas son lo más.
#RetoSusi #RetoRita3
#RetoSusi #RetoRita3
May 23, 2011
Opening Line: "Lieutenant Blue McCoy was the point man, leading the six other men of SEAL Team Ten's Alpha Squad across the marshlike ground."
Carter "Blue" McCoy is the 2nd of Brockmann's Navy Seals to have his story told in the Tall Dark and Dangerous series and I have to say I am loving these men. Feeling a little bit like dessert these well written romances are short, super addictive and each just different enough that the stories always feel fresh. With delicious alpha male heroes, fantastic dialogue and just the right amount of suspense, action and melodrama to keep you coming back for more (sometimes even before dinner) While each of these can be read as a stand alone as with all romantic series they seem to work best when read in order due to the continuing or evolving story arcs.
Blue McCoy has just returned to his hometown of South Carolina to attend his stepbrothers wedding. He hasn't been back to Hatboro Creek since he graduated and joined the Navy and in all honesty doesn't relish being back here now especially since his stepbrother Gerry is marrying his high school sweetheart, the fluffy, perfect Jenny Lee. It's a little awkward to say the least. However awkwardness soon becomes the least of Blue's problems as later that night at a pre-wedding party he and Gerry get into a heated argument and by morning his stepbrother is dead.
Of course Blue becomes the primary suspect due to their very public fight and because Gerry's neck has been broken in such a way that only someone skilled in hand to hand combat could have done it. Soon witnesses are coming out of the woodwork and the whole towns convinced Blue's guilty, everyone that is except for his old friend and rookie police officer Lucy Tait.
I really liked the heroine this time around, usually I find Brockmann's females kind of bland and unmemorable but Lucy had spirit and personality. She's had a crush on Blue since she was 15 and he rescued her from some bullies, never quite able to forget him she`s learned all she can about the SEALs program and is aware of how Blue lives his life and what it took him to get there, she also knows he's not a killer.
As a rookie Lucy's first big assignment comes when she's made chief investigative officer to Blue's case. And despite the hero worship she's suffering and the palpable sexual tension between them Lucy is determined to play by the book to prove Blues innocence and find the real killer. But what will she do when she finds out Blue is not the hero she thought he was? And as for Blue well he's never had a friend who was his lover before, who knew that was possible?
Unfortunately with this instalment there isn't much interaction with the rest of Alpha Team but it's still a great story, complete with several car chases and a police pat down that will make you blush. Once again Brockmann's dialogue draws you in, making the whole falling in love within days theme plausible. The love scenes are soft yet still erotic (just without the dirty words and more imagination needed) Here we even get some underwater action, and just wait till this SEAL chokes!
Carter "Blue" McCoy is the 2nd of Brockmann's Navy Seals to have his story told in the Tall Dark and Dangerous series and I have to say I am loving these men. Feeling a little bit like dessert these well written romances are short, super addictive and each just different enough that the stories always feel fresh. With delicious alpha male heroes, fantastic dialogue and just the right amount of suspense, action and melodrama to keep you coming back for more (sometimes even before dinner) While each of these can be read as a stand alone as with all romantic series they seem to work best when read in order due to the continuing or evolving story arcs.
Blue McCoy has just returned to his hometown of South Carolina to attend his stepbrothers wedding. He hasn't been back to Hatboro Creek since he graduated and joined the Navy and in all honesty doesn't relish being back here now especially since his stepbrother Gerry is marrying his high school sweetheart, the fluffy, perfect Jenny Lee. It's a little awkward to say the least. However awkwardness soon becomes the least of Blue's problems as later that night at a pre-wedding party he and Gerry get into a heated argument and by morning his stepbrother is dead.
Of course Blue becomes the primary suspect due to their very public fight and because Gerry's neck has been broken in such a way that only someone skilled in hand to hand combat could have done it. Soon witnesses are coming out of the woodwork and the whole towns convinced Blue's guilty, everyone that is except for his old friend and rookie police officer Lucy Tait.
I really liked the heroine this time around, usually I find Brockmann's females kind of bland and unmemorable but Lucy had spirit and personality. She's had a crush on Blue since she was 15 and he rescued her from some bullies, never quite able to forget him she`s learned all she can about the SEALs program and is aware of how Blue lives his life and what it took him to get there, she also knows he's not a killer.
As a rookie Lucy's first big assignment comes when she's made chief investigative officer to Blue's case. And despite the hero worship she's suffering and the palpable sexual tension between them Lucy is determined to play by the book to prove Blues innocence and find the real killer. But what will she do when she finds out Blue is not the hero she thought he was? And as for Blue well he's never had a friend who was his lover before, who knew that was possible?
Unfortunately with this instalment there isn't much interaction with the rest of Alpha Team but it's still a great story, complete with several car chases and a police pat down that will make you blush. Once again Brockmann's dialogue draws you in, making the whole falling in love within days theme plausible. The love scenes are soft yet still erotic (just without the dirty words and more imagination needed) Here we even get some underwater action, and just wait till this SEAL chokes!
October 11, 2012
I deserve a medal for finishing this book. It pushed practically all of my rage buttons.
Let's start with the heroine. Lucy is an insult to all women who work hard to succeed in traditionally male-dominated careers. It's as if Suzanne Brockmann designed Lucy to prove that women are too weak, foolish, and emotional to be effective cops. Lucy makes one stupid decision after another, consistently defying protocol and common sense. Every decision she makes throughout the whole book is emotionally-driven, based on her unsupported belief that Blue couldn't possibly be responsible for the murder he is accused of. She has no proof of his innocence; she just "knows" he didn't do it. So she repeatedly puts her job, not to mention her own safety, at risk.
And then there's all the time Lucy spends examining her crush on Blue. There are pages and pages of inner monologuing about how much she likes Blue, how unworthy she is of him, how he'll never notice her, blah blah blah. Remember, this woman is supposed to be a police officer, and all she can think about is her high school crush. If she spent half as much time thinking about her murder investigation as she spent thinking about Blue, she would have solved it within the first fifty pages.
As a hero, Blue is neither believable nor consistent. In one scene he'll act all macho and douchey, and then in the next scene he'll suddenly become sensitive and introspective. For a character who is supposedly taciturn, he spends a substantial portion of the book spilling his entire life story to Lucy. Also, Blue's sudden decision near the end of the book that he is in love with Lucy feels forced. There is no compelling reason why he would love her, as far as I can see. And while he certainly spends a lot of time thinking about how attracted he is to Lucy physically, I don't see much evidence of their compatibility in other ways.
The part of the plot surrounding the murder investigation is poorly developed and requires far too much suspension of disbelief. It's clear that Brockmann intends for the the reader's focus to be on the romance; the rest of the story is just an excuse for throwing the hero and heroine together. Also, for such a short novel, there are far too many characters to keep track of. When the villains were revealed, I couldn't even remember who they all were or whether I had met them earlier in the novel. At that point, I didn't even care. I just wanted it to be over.
There are plenty of other problems I could rant about, like the extremely unflattering southern stereotypes, the physics-defying sex, or Blue's unhealthy attachment to his leather sandals (which he indulges even when wearing his dress uniform!), but I'm too tired to harp on them.
Let's start with the heroine. Lucy is an insult to all women who work hard to succeed in traditionally male-dominated careers. It's as if Suzanne Brockmann designed Lucy to prove that women are too weak, foolish, and emotional to be effective cops. Lucy makes one stupid decision after another, consistently defying protocol and common sense. Every decision she makes throughout the whole book is emotionally-driven, based on her unsupported belief that Blue couldn't possibly be responsible for the murder he is accused of. She has no proof of his innocence; she just "knows" he didn't do it. So she repeatedly puts her job, not to mention her own safety, at risk.
And then there's all the time Lucy spends examining her crush on Blue. There are pages and pages of inner monologuing about how much she likes Blue, how unworthy she is of him, how he'll never notice her, blah blah blah. Remember, this woman is supposed to be a police officer, and all she can think about is her high school crush. If she spent half as much time thinking about her murder investigation as she spent thinking about Blue, she would have solved it within the first fifty pages.
As a hero, Blue is neither believable nor consistent. In one scene he'll act all macho and douchey, and then in the next scene he'll suddenly become sensitive and introspective. For a character who is supposedly taciturn, he spends a substantial portion of the book spilling his entire life story to Lucy. Also, Blue's sudden decision near the end of the book that he is in love with Lucy feels forced. There is no compelling reason why he would love her, as far as I can see. And while he certainly spends a lot of time thinking about how attracted he is to Lucy physically, I don't see much evidence of their compatibility in other ways.
The part of the plot surrounding the murder investigation is poorly developed and requires far too much suspension of disbelief. It's clear that Brockmann intends for the the reader's focus to be on the romance; the rest of the story is just an excuse for throwing the hero and heroine together. Also, for such a short novel, there are far too many characters to keep track of. When the villains were revealed, I couldn't even remember who they all were or whether I had met them earlier in the novel. At that point, I didn't even care. I just wanted it to be over.
There are plenty of other problems I could rant about, like the extremely unflattering southern stereotypes, the physics-defying sex, or Blue's unhealthy attachment to his leather sandals (which he indulges even when wearing his dress uniform!), but I'm too tired to harp on them.
December 5, 2019
"El héroe sólo podía ser idolatrado, pero al hombre podía amarlo".
Una historia ambientada en un pequeño pueblo estadounidense en el que los prejuicios ocupan un gran espacio. Aunque la autora nos presenta la historia de Blue, uno de los Seals, en esta ocasión no hay gran presencia del equipo, como en la primera, y se deja sentir. Sin embargo, me he encontrado leyendo y preguntándome si Lucy no podría entrar en los Seals, dado su carácter y su fuerza de espíritu y de voluntad, su enorme capacidad de confiar en el otro y de luchar por lo que quiere. Aunque después de la descripción de la autora sobre la Semana Infernal...
La trama gira entorno al asesinato del hermanastro de Blue y la acusación que este recibe como autor del crimen. No hay grandes giros en la trama ni sorpresas, quizás las sospechas de quién puede haber sido son casi evidentes, aunque desconozcamos el motivo. Sin embargo, la autora la utiliza para darnos a conocer a los dos protagonistas, sus inquietudes, sus miedos, sus caracteres y sus historias, y a forjar un lazo de confianza y de amistad que tendrá que sobrevivir a los continuos embates de la vida y de la situación que atraviesan.
Tanto Blue como Lucy me han encantado como personajes, pero, sobre todo, me ha gustado su historia de amor, cociéndose a fuego lento, tirando muros de ideas preconcebidas, de sueños idealistas. Porque es verdad que Blue es un héroe, pero también es un hombre, con sus virtudes y defectos, aunque sea más difícil amar al hombre que idolatrar al héroe.
Blue no hace aquí demasiado alarde de sus habilidades como Seal, al contrario, parece revelarnos sus miedos, su incapacidad para salir de la situación en la que se encuentra, y de la que es salvado por una mujer. Pero también se revela como un hombre tierno, dulce y respetuoso.
Lucy es fuerte, decidida y brutalmente sincera. No hay artificio alguno en ella y, sin embargo, no pierde su femineidad. Esto es algo que me ha encantado de ella. La vida le ofrece una segunda oportunidad cuando Blue vuelve al pueblo, y no duda en aprovecharla, a pesar de sus propias dudas y miedos. Se enamora poco a poco, pero no se acobarda ante ese amor cuando lo reconoce, y es capaz de arriesgarlo todo por el hombre al que ama.
Estoy deseando conocer las historias del resto del equipo de Seals, porque estos hombres duros y tiernos, que se enfrentan a situaciones difíciles, parecen solitarios y necesitados de amor, de la mano suave y fuerte de una caricia femenina.
Una historia ambientada en un pequeño pueblo estadounidense en el que los prejuicios ocupan un gran espacio. Aunque la autora nos presenta la historia de Blue, uno de los Seals, en esta ocasión no hay gran presencia del equipo, como en la primera, y se deja sentir. Sin embargo, me he encontrado leyendo y preguntándome si Lucy no podría entrar en los Seals, dado su carácter y su fuerza de espíritu y de voluntad, su enorme capacidad de confiar en el otro y de luchar por lo que quiere. Aunque después de la descripción de la autora sobre la Semana Infernal...
La trama gira entorno al asesinato del hermanastro de Blue y la acusación que este recibe como autor del crimen. No hay grandes giros en la trama ni sorpresas, quizás las sospechas de quién puede haber sido son casi evidentes, aunque desconozcamos el motivo. Sin embargo, la autora la utiliza para darnos a conocer a los dos protagonistas, sus inquietudes, sus miedos, sus caracteres y sus historias, y a forjar un lazo de confianza y de amistad que tendrá que sobrevivir a los continuos embates de la vida y de la situación que atraviesan.
Tanto Blue como Lucy me han encantado como personajes, pero, sobre todo, me ha gustado su historia de amor, cociéndose a fuego lento, tirando muros de ideas preconcebidas, de sueños idealistas. Porque es verdad que Blue es un héroe, pero también es un hombre, con sus virtudes y defectos, aunque sea más difícil amar al hombre que idolatrar al héroe.
Blue no hace aquí demasiado alarde de sus habilidades como Seal, al contrario, parece revelarnos sus miedos, su incapacidad para salir de la situación en la que se encuentra, y de la que es salvado por una mujer. Pero también se revela como un hombre tierno, dulce y respetuoso.
Lucy es fuerte, decidida y brutalmente sincera. No hay artificio alguno en ella y, sin embargo, no pierde su femineidad. Esto es algo que me ha encantado de ella. La vida le ofrece una segunda oportunidad cuando Blue vuelve al pueblo, y no duda en aprovecharla, a pesar de sus propias dudas y miedos. Se enamora poco a poco, pero no se acobarda ante ese amor cuando lo reconoce, y es capaz de arriesgarlo todo por el hombre al que ama.
Estoy deseando conocer las historias del resto del equipo de Seals, porque estos hombres duros y tiernos, que se enfrentan a situaciones difíciles, parecen solitarios y necesitados de amor, de la mano suave y fuerte de una caricia femenina.
August 5, 2019
3.5 stelle
Un romantic suspense che mi ha preso dall'inizio, l'ho terminato in breve tempo, non essendo tanto lungo... Blue è un seal che non ha paura di combattere e affrontare il nemico, ma quando si tratta di sentimenti non sa come comportarsi, per fortuna Lucy è una tosta, che non ha peli sulla lingua e non si arrende né davanti alle resistenze di Blue e né davanti alle difficoltà nel trovare l'assassino e scagionare così l'uomo che ama...
Un romantic suspense che mi ha preso dall'inizio, l'ho terminato in breve tempo, non essendo tanto lungo... Blue è un seal che non ha paura di combattere e affrontare il nemico, ma quando si tratta di sentimenti non sa come comportarsi, per fortuna Lucy è una tosta, che non ha peli sulla lingua e non si arrende né davanti alle resistenze di Blue e né davanti alle difficoltà nel trovare l'assassino e scagionare così l'uomo che ama...
June 2, 2019
Esta pareja se ha convertido en una de mis favoritas🥺💗. Ha sido maravilloso leer acerca de estos dos. Carter (Blue) McCoy y Lucy Tait han sido de lo más hermoso que he leído. No le tenía mucha fe a este libro pero omg, me ha sorprendido demasiado, tal vez no sea la gran cosa esta historia pero a mí me fascinó.
Me encantó ver los pequeños guiños al primer libro, saber que Joe y Veronica son muy felices me pone feliz a mí también. Me alegro mucho de que Blue haya conseguido a una maravillosa persona para tenerla a su lado.
La escena del estanque ha sido vida eterna, las descripciones que leía eran maravillosas y también era hermoso leer el como se sentían los personajes en compañía del otro.
Me gustó saber más sobre los del escuadrón, el compañerismo y amistad que han formado es irrompible, se nota que entre todos se respetan y son felices de los logros de cada uno.
•🔵 Sp🔵 oi 🔵 le🔵 rs🔵•
"—Sé que tú te preocupas por mí, Yanqui, y eso es todo lo que necesito."
“Pero, si algo había aprendido como SEAL, era que los tiempos y la gente cambiaban constantemente. Nada permanecía inmutable.”
"—No fue un flechazo —dijo Blue con su aterciopelado acento sureño, antes de volver a besarla—; fue algo más lento, aunque no sabría decirte cuándo lo supe con seguridad. Sólo sé que poco a poco me he ido dando cuenta de que te quiero a mi lado, Lucy. Me he dado cuenta de que te amo con locura. Quiero que lleves mi anillo y mi nombre, que des a luz a mis hijos, que seas mi amiga y mi amante por el resto de nuestras vidas. Así que por favor, cásate conmigo."
“Ambos se habían peinado de otra manera, y llevaban ropa diferente a la habitual, pero en su interior sabían exactamente lo que se llevaban, con quién iban a pasar el resto de sus vidas.”
Me encantó ver los pequeños guiños al primer libro, saber que Joe y Veronica son muy felices me pone feliz a mí también. Me alegro mucho de que Blue haya conseguido a una maravillosa persona para tenerla a su lado.
La escena del estanque ha sido vida eterna, las descripciones que leía eran maravillosas y también era hermoso leer el como se sentían los personajes en compañía del otro.
Me gustó saber más sobre los del escuadrón, el compañerismo y amistad que han formado es irrompible, se nota que entre todos se respetan y son felices de los logros de cada uno.
•🔵 Sp🔵 oi 🔵 le🔵 rs🔵•
"—Sé que tú te preocupas por mí, Yanqui, y eso es todo lo que necesito."
“Pero, si algo había aprendido como SEAL, era que los tiempos y la gente cambiaban constantemente. Nada permanecía inmutable.”
"—No fue un flechazo —dijo Blue con su aterciopelado acento sureño, antes de volver a besarla—; fue algo más lento, aunque no sabría decirte cuándo lo supe con seguridad. Sólo sé que poco a poco me he ido dando cuenta de que te quiero a mi lado, Lucy. Me he dado cuenta de que te amo con locura. Quiero que lleves mi anillo y mi nombre, que des a luz a mis hijos, que seas mi amiga y mi amante por el resto de nuestras vidas. Así que por favor, cásate conmigo."
“Ambos se habían peinado de otra manera, y llevaban ropa diferente a la habitual, pero en su interior sabían exactamente lo que se llevaban, con quién iban a pasar el resto de sus vidas.”
July 30, 2014
This is my favorite type of a romance: the hero and heroine have a past relationship. In this case, Lucy had a crush on Blue McCoy when she was 15 and he saved her from being beat up by 5 boys who were pissed she made the junior varsity baseball team. He was her hero then and now he is back in town for his step-brothers wedding to the girl Blue dated in high school. Lucy is now a rookie police officer for the Hatboro Creek PD. A good ole boy outfit that doesn't take her seriously and go out of their way to make her look bad.
Blue's brother ends up dead, with his neck broken and Blue is the main suspect. Gerry was into some bad stuff, but no one knows what. Lucy does all she can to help and protect him and comes to know it is more than an old crush, it is love. Blue also comes to realize that when a woman puts her life on the line it is more than friendship.
Blue's brother ends up dead, with his neck broken and Blue is the main suspect. Gerry was into some bad stuff, but no one knows what. Lucy does all she can to help and protect him and comes to know it is more than an old crush, it is love. Blue also comes to realize that when a woman puts her life on the line it is more than friendship.
June 20, 2019
Para mí es un novelón. Me encanta el personaje de Lucy Tate, es tan fuerte y decidida y valiente y el complemento perfecto para Blue y esta historia de suspense. La autora consigue mantenerme escena tras escena en ese estado febril de euforia cuando sabes que cada cosa que pase enredará más y más la trama y no sabes cómo se resolverá. Uno de los giros finales, ¡chapeau! El pero que le pongo es que la resolución me ha resultado un poco precipitada. Me quedo con la sensación de que le faltan un par de páginas, las justas para detallar el final un poco más. Por lo demás, genial.
Mi puntuación un 9
Mi puntuación un 9
August 7, 2019
Primo libro che leggo di questa autrice e devo dire che mi è piaciuto abbastanza.
Un romantic suspense ben costruito, con una trama avvincente e piacevole che si legge velocemente.
A penalizzarlo c’è il pov in terza persona dei protagonisti e....l’età! Questo romanzo ha più di vent’anni e, ahimè, purtroppo lo stile vintage si fa sentire un po’ troppo altrimenti gli avrei dato 4 stelle.
Un romantic suspense ben costruito, con una trama avvincente e piacevole che si legge velocemente.
A penalizzarlo c’è il pov in terza persona dei protagonisti e....l’età! Questo romanzo ha più di vent’anni e, ahimè, purtroppo lo stile vintage si fa sentire un po’ troppo altrimenti gli avrei dato 4 stelle.
June 6, 2016
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
This is a pleasant surprise.
I suppose there’s something to be said about second chances--just because one book by an author didn't work out doesn’t mean that no books from the same author will ever work out. Even if the two books happen to be in the same series, or even the same two-book volume, with the same theme, and a specific set of characters.
Except that Forever Blue only had one roll-over character from Prince Joe, and the rest were just in the background..
Forever Blue, despite some small quibbles and eye-roll-worthy moments, was immensely more enjoyable than Prince Joe had been. No one is more surprised than I am about how much more I enjoyed reading the second book in Suzanne Brockmann’s Tall, Dark & Dangerous series. I was simply expecting a mediocre read, something to get by on, if not a bad one, so that I could finish my Reading Assignment Challenge properly.
I was expecting a lot of romance to overshadow the suspense parts--I was not wrong. I was expecting a so-so conflict to fulfill the suspense and crime thriller quota--I was not wrong. I was expecting another unbalanced story--I was not wrong.
I was expecting another frustrating, trope-filled romance where I'd end up throwing the book across the room again when I started getting irritated with the couple. This is where I was off-base, although there HAD BEEN one little instance where I DID get that itch to toss the book--but it came and went and I got over it.
I hadn’t expected to genuinely, really, really like it Forever Blue spite of everything I should have disliked it for. And maybe that's why the enjoyment is so much higher.
To be honest, though, I’d probably lay at least half of the star rating on the heroine of the book, Lucy Tait. She is definitely my kind of heroine and she might be the biggest reason I really liked this book. Well, that and the clichéd romantic tropes were a bit toned down--I’m not sure if I even saw many of them.
Lucy’s a straight arrow who doesn’t beat around the bushes. She says what she wants to say and does what she wants to do, and doesn’t hide behind a coy exterior. She’s a little Miss Perfect with a side of cynicism, which would normally make me wary of her. But at the same time, she’s very confident of herself on other levels, being smart and resourceful enough to be a rookie cop with lots of potential if she chose to continue that line of career.
Her no-nonsense attitude is probably what makes me love her so much, anyway.
On the other hand, Blue McCoy was a great guy. But he didn’t really do much for me, to be honest. And he was a bit frustrating at times, but whaddya gonna do? He’s the standard alpha, broody male with commitment issues. There are no surprises there.
But Lucy? Lucy is just GOLD!
The story in Forever Blue, much like Prince Joe, was still a bit unbalanced. The romance was still heavy-handed and got sappy and a bit illogical at times. I feel like we spent a lot more time lazing around and developing a love story than we did investigating a murder--sometimes we didn’t ask the right questions, and sometimes we spent more time than not on less significant details.
But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I actually, very much loved the way the romance was developed. With Lucy and Blue having a vague childhood history, even if it only consisted of three short conversations during high school, I found the development from that point kind of sweet. Reuniting after so many years and having each of their images of the other dashed only to be rebuilt in a new light, from friendship to lovers was very well thought out.
I especially loved the late night conversations Blue and Lucy had with each other on their front porch, sharing details about their lives as friends and getting to know each other. If this book could have been a little bit longer, we’d be able to fulfill both the crime thriller aspect AND the lovely slow burn of a developing relationship.
But as it is, we’ll have to go without a more well-thought-out crime thriller in favor of a well-developed romance, I suppose.
Some Final Thoughts:
The ending was very abrupt and I would have liked something a bit more wrapped-up. I would have also liked to see more of Blue’s Alpha Squad in action, but I’m fine with their absence. The main culprit of the murder was quite predictable once the story got going, and at the same time, the details were quite vague.
The ending didn’t quite wrap up as well as I’d have liked. There were a lot of loose ends that needed explaining and that I’m still asking questions about. There were certain suspects who acted very strange throughout, but that we didn’t get an explanation for in the end as to why they were so adamant about keeping the investigation stone-walled.
And then one of the culprit’s identities came directly out of left-field and we don’t even really get a background on why these guys did what they did.
Again, there were a LOT of loose ends left over. If I didn’t like Lucy so much, I might have brought the rating down a half star or something (I thought about it). But my logic makes no kind of sense to anyone, sometimes not even me.
Forever Blue is a romance and love story, first and foremost, with the crime thriller and suspense being a sweet background distraction. I would have liked for the story to be a bit more balanced, but since I’ve kind of developed a girl crush on Lucy, I think I’ll make myself content with what I can get.
***
2016 Reading Challenges:
• Goodreads Reading Challenge
• BookLikes Reading Challenge
• Reading Assignment Challenge
• Bookish Resolutions Challenge -- Bout of Books 16
• Mount TBR Challenge
This is a pleasant surprise.
I suppose there’s something to be said about second chances--just because one book by an author didn't work out doesn’t mean that no books from the same author will ever work out. Even if the two books happen to be in the same series, or even the same two-book volume, with the same theme, and a specific set of characters.
Except that Forever Blue only had one roll-over character from Prince Joe, and the rest were just in the background..
Forever Blue, despite some small quibbles and eye-roll-worthy moments, was immensely more enjoyable than Prince Joe had been. No one is more surprised than I am about how much more I enjoyed reading the second book in Suzanne Brockmann’s Tall, Dark & Dangerous series. I was simply expecting a mediocre read, something to get by on, if not a bad one, so that I could finish my Reading Assignment Challenge properly.
I was expecting a lot of romance to overshadow the suspense parts--I was not wrong. I was expecting a so-so conflict to fulfill the suspense and crime thriller quota--I was not wrong. I was expecting another unbalanced story--I was not wrong.
I was expecting another frustrating, trope-filled romance where I'd end up throwing the book across the room again when I started getting irritated with the couple. This is where I was off-base, although there HAD BEEN one little instance where I DID get that itch to toss the book--but it came and went and I got over it.
I hadn’t expected to genuinely, really, really like it Forever Blue spite of everything I should have disliked it for. And maybe that's why the enjoyment is so much higher.
To be honest, though, I’d probably lay at least half of the star rating on the heroine of the book, Lucy Tait. She is definitely my kind of heroine and she might be the biggest reason I really liked this book. Well, that and the clichéd romantic tropes were a bit toned down--I’m not sure if I even saw many of them.
Lucy’s a straight arrow who doesn’t beat around the bushes. She says what she wants to say and does what she wants to do, and doesn’t hide behind a coy exterior. She’s a little Miss Perfect with a side of cynicism, which would normally make me wary of her. But at the same time, she’s very confident of herself on other levels, being smart and resourceful enough to be a rookie cop with lots of potential if she chose to continue that line of career.
Her no-nonsense attitude is probably what makes me love her so much, anyway.
On the other hand, Blue McCoy was a great guy. But he didn’t really do much for me, to be honest. And he was a bit frustrating at times, but whaddya gonna do? He’s the standard alpha, broody male with commitment issues. There are no surprises there.
But Lucy? Lucy is just GOLD!
The story in Forever Blue, much like Prince Joe, was still a bit unbalanced. The romance was still heavy-handed and got sappy and a bit illogical at times. I feel like we spent a lot more time lazing around and developing a love story than we did investigating a murder--sometimes we didn’t ask the right questions, and sometimes we spent more time than not on less significant details.
But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I actually, very much loved the way the romance was developed. With Lucy and Blue having a vague childhood history, even if it only consisted of three short conversations during high school, I found the development from that point kind of sweet. Reuniting after so many years and having each of their images of the other dashed only to be rebuilt in a new light, from friendship to lovers was very well thought out.
I especially loved the late night conversations Blue and Lucy had with each other on their front porch, sharing details about their lives as friends and getting to know each other. If this book could have been a little bit longer, we’d be able to fulfill both the crime thriller aspect AND the lovely slow burn of a developing relationship.
But as it is, we’ll have to go without a more well-thought-out crime thriller in favor of a well-developed romance, I suppose.
Some Final Thoughts:
The ending was very abrupt and I would have liked something a bit more wrapped-up. I would have also liked to see more of Blue’s Alpha Squad in action, but I’m fine with their absence. The main culprit of the murder was quite predictable once the story got going, and at the same time, the details were quite vague.
The ending didn’t quite wrap up as well as I’d have liked. There were a lot of loose ends that needed explaining and that I’m still asking questions about. There were certain suspects who acted very strange throughout, but that we didn’t get an explanation for in the end as to why they were so adamant about keeping the investigation stone-walled.
And then one of the culprit’s identities came directly out of left-field and we don’t even really get a background on why these guys did what they did.
Again, there were a LOT of loose ends left over. If I didn’t like Lucy so much, I might have brought the rating down a half star or something (I thought about it). But my logic makes no kind of sense to anyone, sometimes not even me.
Forever Blue is a romance and love story, first and foremost, with the crime thriller and suspense being a sweet background distraction. I would have liked for the story to be a bit more balanced, but since I’ve kind of developed a girl crush on Lucy, I think I’ll make myself content with what I can get.
***
2016 Reading Challenges:
• Goodreads Reading Challenge
• BookLikes Reading Challenge
• Reading Assignment Challenge
• Bookish Resolutions Challenge -- Bout of Books 16
• Mount TBR Challenge
September 2, 2021
This one has been on my shelf for far too long, so in my bid to read some of the older books, I picked it up and I actually really enjoyed it.
This is an old school 2nd chance ish romance, where the love interest becomes a navy SEAL, all manly and the MC Lucy is actually pretty tough herself, making a change from the weak female characters in some romances.
I would definitely recommend this one, it had some steam and some soul searching and I cannot wait to read the next one in the series. Bring on the SEAL team!
This is an old school 2nd chance ish romance, where the love interest becomes a navy SEAL, all manly and the MC Lucy is actually pretty tough herself, making a change from the weak female characters in some romances.
I would definitely recommend this one, it had some steam and some soul searching and I cannot wait to read the next one in the series. Bring on the SEAL team!
June 4, 2024
Falsely Accused
I've had this 1990's romantic suspense novel on my radar for years, and when the audiobook was on sale, I bought it. (Since the pandemic, it seems the only way I read is by listening to audiobooks.) I didn't enjoy this one as much as #6 in the series, also featuring a prison storyline, but it was a solid read.
Blue is a Navy SEAL who visits his small hometown in South Carolina (yay--my new home state!) for his stepbrother's wedding. Lucy went to school with Blue and has also returned home to join the police force.
Lucy had a crush on Blue in high school but thought he was out of her league. Maybe she has a better chance with him as an adult. But, whoops, Blue gets accused of murdering his stepbrother, and Lucy is assigned chief investigator on the case.
I enjoy forbidden love stories, and the scene where Lucy has to frisk Blue for weapons is HOT! I also love stories featuring a man of integrity who is falsely accused. In the corrupt Southern town, it will be tough for Blue to get a fair shot to defend himself.
Ashley Adlon's voice seemed a bit older than the characters she portrayed.
I've had this 1990's romantic suspense novel on my radar for years, and when the audiobook was on sale, I bought it. (Since the pandemic, it seems the only way I read is by listening to audiobooks.) I didn't enjoy this one as much as #6 in the series, also featuring a prison storyline, but it was a solid read.
Blue is a Navy SEAL who visits his small hometown in South Carolina (yay--my new home state!) for his stepbrother's wedding. Lucy went to school with Blue and has also returned home to join the police force.
Lucy had a crush on Blue in high school but thought he was out of her league. Maybe she has a better chance with him as an adult. But, whoops, Blue gets accused of murdering his stepbrother, and Lucy is assigned chief investigator on the case.
I enjoy forbidden love stories, and the scene where Lucy has to frisk Blue for weapons is HOT! I also love stories featuring a man of integrity who is falsely accused. In the corrupt Southern town, it will be tough for Blue to get a fair shot to defend himself.
Ashley Adlon's voice seemed a bit older than the characters she portrayed.
November 2, 2011
Good. Not phenomenal like I'm used to from Suzanne Brockmann, but still a sweet romance with a bit of suspense thrown in. Both Blue and Lucy were likeable, normal people with no weird hangups. Unrequited love and all that...can't go wrong! One thing I love about SB's heroes is that while they are all alpha to the max, they still seem as if they can function in normal society. They wouldn't be scary to come across at a gas station or something, they'd just be something to stare at and wonder.
deals
January 9, 20168 January 2016: $0.99 on Kindle
6 November 2015: $1.99 on Kindle
6 November 2015: $1.99 on Kindle
December 17, 2020
3,5/5
September 1, 2018
Der schwächste Teil der Reihe...aber trotzdem unterhaltsam.
February 10, 2020
Not my favorite Brockmann but entertaining enough. I definitely shook my head over some of Lucy’s decisions, but I liked her tenacity.
June 13, 2022
Again to much time on emotions. Where is the actin because the story is there
October 28, 2013
"Für immer - Blue" ist der zweite Band der Reihe "Operation Heartbreaker" verfasst von Suzanne Brockmann. Dieser Band hat mich nicht so sehr einnehmen können, wie die Thematik des ersten Bandes. Irgendwie war diese noch fesselnder, atemberaubender und romantischer. Die Operation Heartbreaker Reihe hat äußerst ansprechende Cover, was mit Sicherheit an den überaus attraktiven Models liegt. Die Farbe wurde passend zum männlichen Protagonistin ausgewählt: "Blue" - verschiedene Blautöne.
Navy Seal Soldat Blue McCoy kehrt wiederwillig in seine alte Heimat zurück, denn sein Stiefbruder heiratet seine große High School Liebe. Dort trifft er auch auf Lucy, welche er auch von der High School kennt. Lucy begehrt Blue seit ihrer Jugend, er ist eine Art Held für sie. Mittlerweile ist sie aber keine 15 mehr, sonder Polizistin und äußerst attraktiv, was natürlich auch Blue nicht entgeht. Er lädt sie dazu ein mit ihm zu der Party vor der eigentlichen Hochzeit zu gehen. Dort kommt es zum Streit zwischen Blue und seinem Stiefbruder. In derselben Nacht wird dieser mit gebrochenem Genick aufgefunden und Blue ist der Hauptverdächtige. Nur Lucy glaubt ihm und versucht alles um Beweise zu finden, die Blue entlasten...
"Schätzungsweise habe ich gehofft, dich nackt auf dem Rasen tanzen zu sehen oder so." Lucy musste lachen. "In letzter Zeit habe ich nicht besonders oft nackt im Garten auf dem Rasen getanzt." "Wie schade." (S. 92)
"Für immer - Blue" ist der zweite Roman, welchen ich von Suzanne Brockmann lese, aber leider hat dieser mich nicht genauso begeistert wie der Erste. Zuerst habe ich erwartet, dass mich die Handlung nicht so sehr packen kann, weil der Klappentext nicht so spannend klingt, dennoch konnte die Autorin mich von Seite zu Seite mehr überzeugen. Suzanne Brockmanns Schreibstil ist flüssig zu lesen, romantisch prickelnd, spannungsvoll wie ein guter Krimi und das ganze gut gemischt mit ein wenig Humor. Ich habe länger gebraucht um in die Handlung einzusteigen als in Band 1. Dennoch hatte sie mich bis zum Ende mit ihren tollen Personen und den Geschehnissen gepackt. Spannungstechnisch steigerte sie sich von Seite zu Seite, bis hin zu einem wundervoll kitschigen romantischem Ende, welches mir Glückstränen in die Augen getrieben hat. Der gesamte Roman ist sehr emotions- und spannungsgeladen, eben perfekt für eine Navy Seal Geschichte.
Gnade! Sie war die personifizierte Versuchung. (S. 54)
Suzanne Brockmann hat hier zwei wundervolle Charaktere erschaffen, welche von der ersten Seite an füreinander bestimmt sind. Der Leser darf ihren romantischen Findungsweg von der ersten Seite miterleben und wird durch die H��hen und Tiefen ihrer Liebesgeschichte, mit viel Herzschmerz aber auch romantischen "ach wie schön" Seufzern geführt. Blue und Lucy sind vollkommen Charakterverschieden, ergänzen sich jedoch perfekt, wahrscheinlich genau aus diesem Grund. Blue ist durch seinen Navy Seal Dienst geprägt. Im Grunde gibt es nichts was er nicht kannte. Er wirkt äußerlich wie ein starker Mann ohne jegliche Schwäche. Aber dies ist keinesfalls so, denn Lucy eröffnet er seine wahren Gefühle und spricht zum ersten Mal über seine Sorgen, Ängste und Probleme. Welche Frau wünscht sich keinen harten Mann, der trotzdem weiche Seiten hat und auch über seine Gefühle sprechen kann? Lucy ist eine sehr liebenswürdige Persönlichkeit, man muss sie einfach gerne haben. Sie ist Polizistin, aber manchmal zu schüchtern um sich durchzusetzen. Auch ihr Haus ist mit viel Liebe eingerichtet. Für ihre Freunde würde sie alles tun, so auch für Blue.
Auch die Nebencharaktere kommen nicht zu kurz. Der Leser trifft neben den neuen Charakteren aus dem Handlungsort auf die altbekannten Navy Seal Soldaten. So erfährt dieser immer wieder, wie es den einzelnen Charakteren geht. Der Prolog beinhaltet in jedem Operation Heartbreaker Roman einen Einsatz des Navy Seal Team Ten, welches äußerst spannungsvoll und nervenzerreißend ist. Ich freue mich in jedem Band auf diesen Teil der Handlung.
Navy Seal Soldat Blue McCoy kehrt wiederwillig in seine alte Heimat zurück, denn sein Stiefbruder heiratet seine große High School Liebe. Dort trifft er auch auf Lucy, welche er auch von der High School kennt. Lucy begehrt Blue seit ihrer Jugend, er ist eine Art Held für sie. Mittlerweile ist sie aber keine 15 mehr, sonder Polizistin und äußerst attraktiv, was natürlich auch Blue nicht entgeht. Er lädt sie dazu ein mit ihm zu der Party vor der eigentlichen Hochzeit zu gehen. Dort kommt es zum Streit zwischen Blue und seinem Stiefbruder. In derselben Nacht wird dieser mit gebrochenem Genick aufgefunden und Blue ist der Hauptverdächtige. Nur Lucy glaubt ihm und versucht alles um Beweise zu finden, die Blue entlasten...
"Schätzungsweise habe ich gehofft, dich nackt auf dem Rasen tanzen zu sehen oder so." Lucy musste lachen. "In letzter Zeit habe ich nicht besonders oft nackt im Garten auf dem Rasen getanzt." "Wie schade." (S. 92)
"Für immer - Blue" ist der zweite Roman, welchen ich von Suzanne Brockmann lese, aber leider hat dieser mich nicht genauso begeistert wie der Erste. Zuerst habe ich erwartet, dass mich die Handlung nicht so sehr packen kann, weil der Klappentext nicht so spannend klingt, dennoch konnte die Autorin mich von Seite zu Seite mehr überzeugen. Suzanne Brockmanns Schreibstil ist flüssig zu lesen, romantisch prickelnd, spannungsvoll wie ein guter Krimi und das ganze gut gemischt mit ein wenig Humor. Ich habe länger gebraucht um in die Handlung einzusteigen als in Band 1. Dennoch hatte sie mich bis zum Ende mit ihren tollen Personen und den Geschehnissen gepackt. Spannungstechnisch steigerte sie sich von Seite zu Seite, bis hin zu einem wundervoll kitschigen romantischem Ende, welches mir Glückstränen in die Augen getrieben hat. Der gesamte Roman ist sehr emotions- und spannungsgeladen, eben perfekt für eine Navy Seal Geschichte.
Gnade! Sie war die personifizierte Versuchung. (S. 54)
Suzanne Brockmann hat hier zwei wundervolle Charaktere erschaffen, welche von der ersten Seite an füreinander bestimmt sind. Der Leser darf ihren romantischen Findungsweg von der ersten Seite miterleben und wird durch die H��hen und Tiefen ihrer Liebesgeschichte, mit viel Herzschmerz aber auch romantischen "ach wie schön" Seufzern geführt. Blue und Lucy sind vollkommen Charakterverschieden, ergänzen sich jedoch perfekt, wahrscheinlich genau aus diesem Grund. Blue ist durch seinen Navy Seal Dienst geprägt. Im Grunde gibt es nichts was er nicht kannte. Er wirkt äußerlich wie ein starker Mann ohne jegliche Schwäche. Aber dies ist keinesfalls so, denn Lucy eröffnet er seine wahren Gefühle und spricht zum ersten Mal über seine Sorgen, Ängste und Probleme. Welche Frau wünscht sich keinen harten Mann, der trotzdem weiche Seiten hat und auch über seine Gefühle sprechen kann? Lucy ist eine sehr liebenswürdige Persönlichkeit, man muss sie einfach gerne haben. Sie ist Polizistin, aber manchmal zu schüchtern um sich durchzusetzen. Auch ihr Haus ist mit viel Liebe eingerichtet. Für ihre Freunde würde sie alles tun, so auch für Blue.
Auch die Nebencharaktere kommen nicht zu kurz. Der Leser trifft neben den neuen Charakteren aus dem Handlungsort auf die altbekannten Navy Seal Soldaten. So erfährt dieser immer wieder, wie es den einzelnen Charakteren geht. Der Prolog beinhaltet in jedem Operation Heartbreaker Roman einen Einsatz des Navy Seal Team Ten, welches äußerst spannungsvoll und nervenzerreißend ist. Ich freue mich in jedem Band auf diesen Teil der Handlung.
November 30, 2021
3.5 stars
January 18, 2014
3 stars
While I LOVE Blue and I really liked Lucy Tait, I just couldn't get over how melodramatic this book is. OK, it was published in 1996, but it read a little like a half-baked movie.
Blue comes home to small-town North Carolina to attend the wedding of his step-brother and his high school sweetheart. To everyone's surprise and awe, Blue is the Best Man. Just before he came home, Blue was on a rescue mission that reminded him about the day he "rescued" little Lucy Tait, the Yankee girl who'd made the JV boys' baseball team and was being beaten by some of its less-than-happy members.
Blue asks Lucy to go to the Rehearsal Dinner with him, so he doesn't have to be alone. Or endure the stares and whispers of how broken up Blue must be to see his step-brother Gerry marry the girl that broke Blue's heart when Gerry "stole" Jenni Lee away from Blue. But Blue knows that Jenni Lee always had eyes for Gerry - he learned the hard way: she was using Blue to get to Gerry. And while Blue's heart was a little bruised, he bears no ill will. Not even when his somewhat drunken step-brother starts a scene at the Rehearsal Dinner, threatening Blue if he doesn't stop dancing with Jenni Lee. And the altercation gets so heated, that Lucy (now on the police force) and the Chief of Police have to break up the step-brothers. But everyone present hears that if Gerry ever touches Jenni Lee that way again, Blue will wring Gerry's neck.
The sparks between Blue and Lucy had just been heating up, and Blue had hopes of spending the night with Lucy. But after the altercation, that wasn't going to happen. So Blue decides to skip the wedding and skip town, and he heads for the bus station the next town over to catch a bus to the nearest base to get back to his SEAL team. Except that during the night, when Blue has no real alibi, Gerry's neck is broken, and the Chief tells Lucy to find and arrest Blue. Now.
Here's where everything gets... way too over-the-top-heavy-handed. The ENTIRE TOWN (his HOME TOWN) turns against Blue and automatically assumes that he killed his step-brother Gerry without even a second thought. The local diner won't serve him food. When he avoids arrest and tries to find a place to stay, the only inn in town won't rent him a room. People start following Blue around, attacking him, and almost lynching him. WHAT? If this was set in the 1940s or 1960s even, I might believe it. But in the 1990s?
The complications are the only thing keeping Lucy and Blue apart. She's on the police force, trying to prove his innocence, and he's trying to avoid a lynch mob and jail. His SEAL team is conveniently out on maneuvers and no JAG lawyer is available to help. It's all just a way to throw in the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING with Lucy (her and the town thinking that Blue's still in love with Jenni Lee) while keeping them thrown together in dangerous situations.
If I hadn't loved Blue and Lucy so much and knew they had a HEA coming, I couldn't have finished this book. Which is why I can't give it more than 3 stars. Not even for Suzanne Brockmann.
While I LOVE Blue and I really liked Lucy Tait, I just couldn't get over how melodramatic this book is. OK, it was published in 1996, but it read a little like a half-baked movie.
Blue comes home to small-town North Carolina to attend the wedding of his step-brother and his high school sweetheart. To everyone's surprise and awe, Blue is the Best Man. Just before he came home, Blue was on a rescue mission that reminded him about the day he "rescued" little Lucy Tait, the Yankee girl who'd made the JV boys' baseball team and was being beaten by some of its less-than-happy members.
Blue asks Lucy to go to the Rehearsal Dinner with him, so he doesn't have to be alone. Or endure the stares and whispers of how broken up Blue must be to see his step-brother Gerry marry the girl that broke Blue's heart when Gerry "stole" Jenni Lee away from Blue. But Blue knows that Jenni Lee always had eyes for Gerry - he learned the hard way: she was using Blue to get to Gerry. And while Blue's heart was a little bruised, he bears no ill will. Not even when his somewhat drunken step-brother starts a scene at the Rehearsal Dinner, threatening Blue if he doesn't stop dancing with Jenni Lee. And the altercation gets so heated, that Lucy (now on the police force) and the Chief of Police have to break up the step-brothers. But everyone present hears that if Gerry ever touches Jenni Lee that way again, Blue will wring Gerry's neck.
The sparks between Blue and Lucy had just been heating up, and Blue had hopes of spending the night with Lucy. But after the altercation, that wasn't going to happen. So Blue decides to skip the wedding and skip town, and he heads for the bus station the next town over to catch a bus to the nearest base to get back to his SEAL team. Except that during the night, when Blue has no real alibi, Gerry's neck is broken, and the Chief tells Lucy to find and arrest Blue. Now.
Here's where everything gets... way too over-the-top-heavy-handed. The ENTIRE TOWN (his HOME TOWN) turns against Blue and automatically assumes that he killed his step-brother Gerry without even a second thought. The local diner won't serve him food. When he avoids arrest and tries to find a place to stay, the only inn in town won't rent him a room. People start following Blue around, attacking him, and almost lynching him. WHAT? If this was set in the 1940s or 1960s even, I might believe it. But in the 1990s?
The complications are the only thing keeping Lucy and Blue apart. She's on the police force, trying to prove his innocence, and he's trying to avoid a lynch mob and jail. His SEAL team is conveniently out on maneuvers and no JAG lawyer is available to help. It's all just a way to throw in the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING with Lucy (her and the town thinking that Blue's still in love with Jenni Lee) while keeping them thrown together in dangerous situations.
If I hadn't loved Blue and Lucy so much and knew they had a HEA coming, I couldn't have finished this book. Which is why I can't give it more than 3 stars. Not even for Suzanne Brockmann.
November 7, 2022
Not your typical, Hallmark, small-town romance
Thirty-year-old Blue McCoy is a decorated Navy SEAL. When he comes back to his small, southern hometown for the first time in years in order to attend his stepbrother's wedding, his stepbrother is murdered the first night he is in town, and Blue is framed for the murder.
Twenty-eight-year-old Lucy Tait had a huge crush on Blue when she was a sophomore in high school and he was a senior. A crush that was intensified by a massive case of hero worship after he rescued her when she was attacked by a bunch of misogynistic bullies, who resented her joining the varsity baseball team as a very talented catcher. Even back then, before all his special military training, Blue was intimidating enough to scare off nearly a dozen vicious teenage boys all on his own. Lucy was only able to worship Blue from afar, because he had a girlfriend. Then he left town to join the Navy the moment he graduated high school, and Lucy has not seen him again until now, but she never forgot him. Currently she has been back in the small town they grew up in for the past year, and she has been a cop for only six months. She is the only cop on the small police force in town who doesn't believe that Blue committed the murder, and she is determined to prove him innocent and find the real killer.
It is an observable fact that there are only two ways that small towns are presented in romance novels. Either they are utopias, where everyone loves everyone else, or they are hellscapes, where evil roams, such as in the terrifying movie Deliverance. This story definitely leans toward Deliverance territory. It is almost non-stop action, except for the scenes in which Blue and Lucy are falling for each other and making love. For me personally, it was hard to fully enjoy their romance and their tenderly sensuous sexual relationship because I was so on edge about the terrible danger that they were facing from the evil villains. Unlike in the first book and multiple other books in this SEAL series, the author has orphaned Blue from any aid from his fellow SEALs or anyone else except Lucy for the entire book until the very end. Because of that, Lucy is one of the most intrepid heroines of this series, who is given many opportunities to prove herself to be a more than worthy match for Blue.
This novel was published over 25 years ago in 1996. Other than the fact that there are no ubiquitous cell phones, this book has aged well and is still as exciting to experience as it was when I first read it all those years ago. I have reread it multiple times over the years, including today, and it never fails to greatly entertain me.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Murder Mystery Plot: 4 stars
Action-Adventure Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
Thirty-year-old Blue McCoy is a decorated Navy SEAL. When he comes back to his small, southern hometown for the first time in years in order to attend his stepbrother's wedding, his stepbrother is murdered the first night he is in town, and Blue is framed for the murder.
Twenty-eight-year-old Lucy Tait had a huge crush on Blue when she was a sophomore in high school and he was a senior. A crush that was intensified by a massive case of hero worship after he rescued her when she was attacked by a bunch of misogynistic bullies, who resented her joining the varsity baseball team as a very talented catcher. Even back then, before all his special military training, Blue was intimidating enough to scare off nearly a dozen vicious teenage boys all on his own. Lucy was only able to worship Blue from afar, because he had a girlfriend. Then he left town to join the Navy the moment he graduated high school, and Lucy has not seen him again until now, but she never forgot him. Currently she has been back in the small town they grew up in for the past year, and she has been a cop for only six months. She is the only cop on the small police force in town who doesn't believe that Blue committed the murder, and she is determined to prove him innocent and find the real killer.
It is an observable fact that there are only two ways that small towns are presented in romance novels. Either they are utopias, where everyone loves everyone else, or they are hellscapes, where evil roams, such as in the terrifying movie Deliverance. This story definitely leans toward Deliverance territory. It is almost non-stop action, except for the scenes in which Blue and Lucy are falling for each other and making love. For me personally, it was hard to fully enjoy their romance and their tenderly sensuous sexual relationship because I was so on edge about the terrible danger that they were facing from the evil villains. Unlike in the first book and multiple other books in this SEAL series, the author has orphaned Blue from any aid from his fellow SEALs or anyone else except Lucy for the entire book until the very end. Because of that, Lucy is one of the most intrepid heroines of this series, who is given many opportunities to prove herself to be a more than worthy match for Blue.
This novel was published over 25 years ago in 1996. Other than the fact that there are no ubiquitous cell phones, this book has aged well and is still as exciting to experience as it was when I first read it all those years ago. I have reread it multiple times over the years, including today, and it never fails to greatly entertain me.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Murder Mystery Plot: 4 stars
Action-Adventure Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
November 11, 2011
Navy SEAL Blue McCoy returns home to attend his stepbrother's wedding...he's marrying Blue's high school sweetheart. Blue meets Lucy Tait soon after he arrives and, unbeknownst to him, she's had a crush on him since she was 15. She agrees to attend the wedding with him, which signals the start of something new for both of them. Blue gets embroiled in trouble and relies on policewoman Lucy to help him out of a very tough situation.
You find yourself liking Lucy from the very start and root for her in this story. There are no extraordinary events bringing these two together, which was a good thing. Blue and Lucy were able to get to know one another and develop a relationship with relatively little interference from outside forces. When Blue does find himself in serious trouble with the law, this still was not a major catalyst in how their relationship progressed and allowed you to focus on normal romance dynamics.
The crime Blue was suspected of climaxed near the end of the story and was relatively interesting but I wasn't surprised when the real perpetrator was revealed. It seemed this subplot's purpose was solely to augment the development of Blue and Lucy's relationship and it served that purpose.
It's a pleasing story and it was worth reading. I think it's more 3.5 stars but I'd be doing it a disservice to rate it a 3.
You find yourself liking Lucy from the very start and root for her in this story. There are no extraordinary events bringing these two together, which was a good thing. Blue and Lucy were able to get to know one another and develop a relationship with relatively little interference from outside forces. When Blue does find himself in serious trouble with the law, this still was not a major catalyst in how their relationship progressed and allowed you to focus on normal romance dynamics.
The crime Blue was suspected of climaxed near the end of the story and was relatively interesting but I wasn't surprised when the real perpetrator was revealed. It seemed this subplot's purpose was solely to augment the development of Blue and Lucy's relationship and it served that purpose.
It's a pleasing story and it was worth reading. I think it's more 3.5 stars but I'd be doing it a disservice to rate it a 3.
August 13, 2010
So, the book was simple and pretty short, kind of a surface book, but I liked it a lot.
The characters were likable and had great chemistry. Lucy was a pretty typical heroine, snarky and proud and stubborn and bad-tempered. Blue was pretty original. I liked that he didn't talk much to anyone except Lucy. That was adorable. I really liked hearing about the relationships between Blue and the other Navy SEALS, and wish they all could have played a bigger role. The prologue seemed completely irrelevent to the plot, which was wrapped up to fast in an ending that hardly made any sense, though that didn't much bother me. One thing that annoyed me was Aly's obsession with Blue and Jenny-Lee. He not once acted like he still loved her, yet she refused to believe he didn't.
It was an entertaining read, kept me turning the pages and wondering what would happen.
The characters were likable and had great chemistry. Lucy was a pretty typical heroine, snarky and proud and stubborn and bad-tempered. Blue was pretty original. I liked that he didn't talk much to anyone except Lucy. That was adorable. I really liked hearing about the relationships between Blue and the other Navy SEALS, and wish they all could have played a bigger role. The prologue seemed completely irrelevent to the plot, which was wrapped up to fast in an ending that hardly made any sense, though that didn't much bother me. One thing that annoyed me was Aly's obsession with Blue and Jenny-Lee. He not once acted like he still loved her, yet she refused to believe he didn't.
It was an entertaining read, kept me turning the pages and wondering what would happen.
November 13, 2010
I enjoyed reading this one. It's not a mind-chilling thriller/suspense, but it keeps moving anyway.
But the real theme is the romance. It develops beautifully in this story. It's impeded by her job and their individual belief that the other will think their relationship a mistake in the cold light of day, and then by their unwillingness to actually say " I love you", for a number of different, but realistic, reasons. It's so easy to empathize with the whole situation, even if most of us aren't lucky enough to experience it with a gorgeous Navy SEAL.
So, 4 stars and I'm sucked in to read the rest of them!!
But the real theme is the romance. It develops beautifully in this story. It's impeded by her job and their individual belief that the other will think their relationship a mistake in the cold light of day, and then by their unwillingness to actually say " I love you", for a number of different, but realistic, reasons. It's so easy to empathize with the whole situation, even if most of us aren't lucky enough to experience it with a gorgeous Navy SEAL.
So, 4 stars and I'm sucked in to read the rest of them!!
March 26, 2014
This one, I actually downgraded from 4 to 3 stars after my latest read. I was not caught in the same maelstrom of feelings than when I first read it and it even felt flat several times.
Usually I do not like it too much when one character has been in love with the other forever and then suddenly the other got an eye opening and oups magically returns the feelings. Here, at least the eye opening was progressive, but he knew about her feelings for him before. And it did not feel that right that he would leverage on them.
I honestly did never understand why the heroine suddenly decided to work in law enforcement.
Usually I do not like it too much when one character has been in love with the other forever and then suddenly the other got an eye opening and oups magically returns the feelings. Here, at least the eye opening was progressive, but he knew about her feelings for him before. And it did not feel that right that he would leverage on them.
I honestly did never understand why the heroine suddenly decided to work in law enforcement.
February 15, 2014
Huh, amikor a főhős hagyta a nőt, akivel randija volt, több mint 15 percen keresztül várakozni a teraszon és nyugodtan táncikálni kezdett egy másikkal, a tetszési indexe nagyon gyorsan zuhanni kezdett. A hősnő szakmai profizmusa is igen csak megkérdőjeleződött, amikor ránézésre eldöntötte, hogy a főhős nem gyilkos. Persze hiszen a főhős dögösen néz ki és a csaj régóta bele volt zúgva, így aztán nem lehet gyilkos ugye. :(
January 24, 2011
I liked Blue McCoy. I liked Lucy. I didn't like Lucy always feeling second best to Jenny. I wanted to slap her self confidence into her. But, I liked them together. The plot was OK. It was a shorter book, so it could have been flushed out a bit better, but overall it was well done. I would think that Jenny Lee would have been grieving more and longer for her fiance though O.o
September 14, 2016
One of the earlier Brockmanns. Some of the romantic suspense aspects were a little far fetched (she has definitely improved and expanded this part of her writing in her fantastic Troubleshooters series) but the development of the romantic relationship was nicely done. An enjoyable read.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
May 20, 2009
5 stars – Romantic Suspense
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