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Still Mine
Love is the last line of defense. Jolene Benate has spent six years keeping a vow to herself to never again be that weak woman weeping at her young husband's graveside. Now she's a deputy marshal on the elite warrant squad, as physically and mentally tough as they come. But moving on isn't as easy as it looks. Especially when the husband she thought was dead suddenly reappears. And, even in the face of his betrayal, she still wants him. Paul Benate's gifted mind was groomed from a young age to serve the military and its top-secret projects. His one youthful act of rebellion was to marry Jolene, only to discover a terrorist could use her to force him to give up his classified secrets. For her own safety, he had to let her go. But the safety he thought was assured by his "death" was only an illusion. Secrets have a way of surfacing, and once again Jolene is the perfect target. There's only one thing left to do.reclaim the woman that he has always loved. Even if she's mad as hell at him. Hot and flammable. Sometimes they just don't make it to the bedroom.
222 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2008
6 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Mary Wine
83 books817 followersMary Wine has written over twenty novels that take her readers from the pages of history to the far reaches of space. Recent winner of a 2008 EPPIE Award for erotic western romance, her book LET ME LOVE YOU was quoted “Not to be missed…” by Lora Leigh, New York Times best-selling author.
When she’s not abusing a laptop, she spends time with her sewing machines…all of them! Making historical garments is her second passion. From corsets and knickers to court dresses of Elizabeth I, the most expensive clothes she owns are hundreds of years out of date. She’s also an active student of martial arts, having earned the rank of second degree black belt.
When she’s not abusing a laptop, she spends time with her sewing machines…all of them! Making historical garments is her second passion. From corsets and knickers to court dresses of Elizabeth I, the most expensive clothes she owns are hundreds of years out of date. She’s also an active student of martial arts, having earned the rank of second degree black belt.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 8, 2010
This was my first book by Mary Wine and it wont be my last. I picked it up on the spur of the moment because I recognized the authors name AND I have another of her boooks on my TBR.
So this was not like any of my usual reads, it's marked as a Romantic Suspense and if you were reading it expecting lots of suspense and hot lovin' you may feel it doesn't warrant 4 stars however if it's read as the story of a married couple separated for 6 years by a cruel and deceitful act, reunited by fear then you look at it in a completely different way.
Paul and Jo loved each other but with Pauls untimely death Jo seeks a lifestyle that will keep her adrenaline flowing and her mind on the buttton. Jo becomes a tough, kick ass kind of girl not knowing that the man she yearns for is safe but living a cold and lonely life, yearning also for the very thing he can't have....Jo. When Jo becomes the target of a hitman Paul takes matters into his own hands and orders her 'kidnap'...non of this is a spoiler because it's all more or less on the back blurb.
So the Suspense part of the story is the anchor, the lynch pin that brings Paul and Jo back together. And this is their story really, the story of re-building their relationship. At times I wanted to strangle Paul he is so Alpha and so forceful but like all Alphas in his mind he's doing the right thing, he loves his woman and has been kept from her for far too long, HE knows he loves her so whats the problem????
I loved Jo she's never, ever got over her beloved hubby, she dreams about him every night and misses him desperately, has never been out with another man/taken another to her bed, so when she finally finds out the truth she's not happy and makes it clearly known. Jo and Paul are at loggerheads right the way through this but by talking (and other things because their relationship is a very physical one)Paul eventually realizes what he should be SAYING rather than DOING and Jo re~evaluates Paul seeing him for exactly the man he has become. Paul and Jo both realize that in the 6 years they have been apart they have moved on but also that some things stay the same.
I enjoyed this because it didn't follow the kind of plot I'm used to with the estranged lovers theme (others may well have come across other books like this though) Jo was a strong woman who thought things through didn't burst into tears, or become weak and wimpy when faced with what she thought Paul was like. Paul, despite being Alpha Man eventually realizes whats required of him and I admired him for that, he tried and thats what mattered especially to Jo. Paul and Jo are great together, they are meant for each other and that;s what made this story so enjoyable.
So this was not like any of my usual reads, it's marked as a Romantic Suspense and if you were reading it expecting lots of suspense and hot lovin' you may feel it doesn't warrant 4 stars however if it's read as the story of a married couple separated for 6 years by a cruel and deceitful act, reunited by fear then you look at it in a completely different way.
Paul and Jo loved each other but with Pauls untimely death Jo seeks a lifestyle that will keep her adrenaline flowing and her mind on the buttton. Jo becomes a tough, kick ass kind of girl not knowing that the man she yearns for is safe but living a cold and lonely life, yearning also for the very thing he can't have....Jo. When Jo becomes the target of a hitman Paul takes matters into his own hands and orders her 'kidnap'...non of this is a spoiler because it's all more or less on the back blurb.
So the Suspense part of the story is the anchor, the lynch pin that brings Paul and Jo back together. And this is their story really, the story of re-building their relationship. At times I wanted to strangle Paul he is so Alpha and so forceful but like all Alphas in his mind he's doing the right thing, he loves his woman and has been kept from her for far too long, HE knows he loves her so whats the problem????
I loved Jo she's never, ever got over her beloved hubby, she dreams about him every night and misses him desperately, has never been out with another man/taken another to her bed, so when she finally finds out the truth she's not happy and makes it clearly known. Jo and Paul are at loggerheads right the way through this but by talking (and other things because their relationship is a very physical one)Paul eventually realizes what he should be SAYING rather than DOING and Jo re~evaluates Paul seeing him for exactly the man he has become. Paul and Jo both realize that in the 6 years they have been apart they have moved on but also that some things stay the same.
I enjoyed this because it didn't follow the kind of plot I'm used to with the estranged lovers theme (others may well have come across other books like this though) Jo was a strong woman who thought things through didn't burst into tears, or become weak and wimpy when faced with what she thought Paul was like. Paul, despite being Alpha Man eventually realizes whats required of him and I admired him for that, he tried and thats what mattered especially to Jo. Paul and Jo are great together, they are meant for each other and that;s what made this story so enjoyable.
October 22, 2010
I'm bored, so I'm going to keep this "review" short and blunt: the chemistry between the H/h was weak, the romance was blah, the suspense was nonexistent and I skimmed through the sex scenes. In one word: meh!
September 14, 2010
Jolene Benate's husband was killed years before. NOT! Paul Benate resurfaces to protect his wife when dangers lurks. A good story and enjoyable from beginning to end. However, I did feel there was room for improvement. There were parts where I felt a little more background development would have been good. Maybe a little more fleshing out of the characters and the plot itself.
August 2, 2015
Reading the blurb for this book had me thinking that this was going to potentially be a potent book emotionally. Yeah, didn’t happen.
For the first 20% of the book, pretty much the only thing that happens is that the main female character, Jo (or is it Jonnie or is it Jolene, because that is so not clear as it switched on almost every reference so I wasn’t always sure if we were talking about the same person every time) still thinks about her dead husband all the time. Not even so much how much she loved him, but how great the sex was with him and that she can’t, even six years later think of anything else. Pretty much non-stop. In her sleep, because she dreams about it. When she is talking to a co-worker, because obviously, there is no way he could be as good as the dead husband was. Even when she is in a safe house after being shot and having no clue why, the only thing she is thinking about is that awesome sex.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe that people grieve differently, in different ways, process loss differently and there is no set time frame in which that happens, but this came across so incredibly off for me. I really wasn’t liking Jo so much because of it.
When they finally throw the not really dead husband in front of her, he comes across so incredibly cold and cutting that I instantly disliked him. Oh, and he so wasn’t any better with regards to the sex thoughts thing either. Because, seriously, there is nothing at all wrong with admitting that he married her because he wanted to get laid. He was also stalker creepy having watched her the entire time he was supposed to be dead. Even had pictures of her sleeping? Yeah, that’s not weird at all.
Needless to say, after forcing my way through about a third of the book, I couldn’t stomach any more and put it down. I just couldn’t do it. Sorry.
For the first 20% of the book, pretty much the only thing that happens is that the main female character, Jo (or is it Jonnie or is it Jolene, because that is so not clear as it switched on almost every reference so I wasn’t always sure if we were talking about the same person every time) still thinks about her dead husband all the time. Not even so much how much she loved him, but how great the sex was with him and that she can’t, even six years later think of anything else. Pretty much non-stop. In her sleep, because she dreams about it. When she is talking to a co-worker, because obviously, there is no way he could be as good as the dead husband was. Even when she is in a safe house after being shot and having no clue why, the only thing she is thinking about is that awesome sex.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe that people grieve differently, in different ways, process loss differently and there is no set time frame in which that happens, but this came across so incredibly off for me. I really wasn’t liking Jo so much because of it.
When they finally throw the not really dead husband in front of her, he comes across so incredibly cold and cutting that I instantly disliked him. Oh, and he so wasn’t any better with regards to the sex thoughts thing either. Because, seriously, there is nothing at all wrong with admitting that he married her because he wanted to get laid. He was also stalker creepy having watched her the entire time he was supposed to be dead. Even had pictures of her sleeping? Yeah, that’s not weird at all.
Needless to say, after forcing my way through about a third of the book, I couldn’t stomach any more and put it down. I just couldn’t do it. Sorry.
August 12, 2016
Jolene Benate is a US Deputy Marshal. She worked hard to get on the all man warrent squad and wont let anything jeopardize her spot in the team. But Jolene wasnt anyways the tough Deputy Marshal. Six years ago she was a sweet and nieve 20 year old who thought she'd found the man of her dreams and married him. Less than a year later she was a widow and as hard as she's tried she hasnt been able to be with anyone else since. When an attempt is made on her life and she is shot the Marshals put her in protective custody but an elite Army team takes her from there to a secret Army base where everything she thought she knew about her husband and what happened to him is a lie.
Turns out her husband isnt dead after all. Paul Benate is one of those freakinly smart men that works soley on Goverment top secret projects. He knew 6 years ago he had no business getting involved with Jolene but he couldnt resist the strange pull she had on him. He decided that she was to innocent and weak to be able to handle what she would have to being his wife and chose to let her believe he died. But now that his worst fear has come to life - a terrorist wanting to kidnap Jolene to get him to coroperate with them - he has no choice but to have her brought to him.
The new and improved Jolene doesnt take her husbands deception well. But even though she is mad at him the two of them cannot deny their strange attraction to each other is just as strong today as it was all those years ago.
This was a decent romantic suspense that at times got a bit wordy but the concept and the story was a good one.
Turns out her husband isnt dead after all. Paul Benate is one of those freakinly smart men that works soley on Goverment top secret projects. He knew 6 years ago he had no business getting involved with Jolene but he couldnt resist the strange pull she had on him. He decided that she was to innocent and weak to be able to handle what she would have to being his wife and chose to let her believe he died. But now that his worst fear has come to life - a terrorist wanting to kidnap Jolene to get him to coroperate with them - he has no choice but to have her brought to him.
The new and improved Jolene doesnt take her husbands deception well. But even though she is mad at him the two of them cannot deny their strange attraction to each other is just as strong today as it was all those years ago.
This was a decent romantic suspense that at times got a bit wordy but the concept and the story was a good one.
March 5, 2016
Jolene Benate married when she was 19, and before they could start a family, her military husband, Paul, was killed and she was left alone. Determined to become stronger, Jolene made a success of her life with the U.S. Marshall's office and she swore she'd never depend so much on another. Six years later, Jolene learns that Paul is still alive, but he's working secretly with the military. He claims he was trying to protect her from his job, but whether he's telling the truth or not, Jolene isn't ready to forgive him, nor is she ready to fall in love with him again. It could hurt too much if she lost him again.
Going into this story, I knew it would be a delightfully angst-ridden ride. And it was. But I didn't buy into the resolution of the angst. Jolene's reaction to discovering that her husband had faked his death and left her alone to mourn him was pretty excellent. But I was hoping that her anger would hold out just a little longer and that Paul would have been slightly more apologetic - downright grovelly - but he wasn't. In fact, I might have even been okay with the lack of grovel if he hadn't acted like a cold-hearted asshole when he first saw her again. That alone should have earned him a months worth of grovelling. And we hardly got any. I also wasn't so happy that Jolene actually ends up choosing him over her career (even though she doesn't end up having to) given that he'd already chosen his career over her. Also .
Going into this story, I knew it would be a delightfully angst-ridden ride. And it was. But I didn't buy into the resolution of the angst. Jolene's reaction to discovering that her husband had faked his death and left her alone to mourn him was pretty excellent. But I was hoping that her anger would hold out just a little longer and that Paul would have been slightly more apologetic - downright grovelly - but he wasn't. In fact, I might have even been okay with the lack of grovel if he hadn't acted like a cold-hearted asshole when he first saw her again. That alone should have earned him a months worth of grovelling. And we hardly got any. I also wasn't so happy that Jolene actually ends up choosing him over her career (even though she doesn't end up having to) given that he'd already chosen his career over her. Also .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2016
Have read many book by this author and loved them. Most were historical. This book was a dnf for me. It was very boring and I just could not connect with the characters.
September 11, 2016
Overall, I'd have to say: this one's pretty bad.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews