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Francesca Cahill Deadly #5
Deadly Caress
Brenda Joyce's New York Times best-selling novels have thrilled millions of readers. Now, in her latest Francesca Cahill novel, return to the lush mansions and teeming streets of New York City's Gilded Age, where intrigue and seduction lie on every corner...
The year is 1902. The place is New York City. A famous stage actress has been found strangled in an artist's studio, and the artist herself has vanished. Francesca Cahill, the city's most unconventional heiress and famous amateur sleuth, is once again on the case-for the murder victim is none other than her brother's mistress. And when the sole witness to the crime is also found strangled and only one clue is left behind-a silk stocking-it becomes evident that a madman is on the loose.
Now more than ever, Francesca is determined to find The City Strangler and bring him to justice. But the trail is a twisted one, and she'll need the help of handsome, dynamic Police Commissioner, Rick Bragg-even though she must attempt to end their star-crossed romantic liaison. But now, she also finds herself fending off the advances of his notorious rival, his powerful half-brother, Calder Hart. Ruthlessly pursued by Hart, hopelessly enamored with Bragg, Francesca races against the clock before The City Strangler strikes again, never realizing the consequences that will come when danger and desire become one...
374 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Brenda Joyce
113 books1,309 followersBrenda Joyce is the bestselling author of forty-one novels and five novellas. She has won many awards, and her debut novel, Innocent Fire, won a Best Western Romance award. She has also won the highly coveted Best Historical Romance award for Splendor and Two Lifetime Achievement Awards from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. There are over 14 million copies of her novels in print and she is published in over a dozen foreign countries.
A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs, and her Arabian and half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions—writing powerful love stories and competing with her horses at regional and national levels. For more information about Brenda and her upcoming novels, please visit her Web sites: www.brendajoyce.com, www.thedewarennedynasty.com and http://mastersoftimebooks.com.
A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs, and her Arabian and half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions—writing powerful love stories and competing with her horses at regional and national levels. For more information about Brenda and her upcoming novels, please visit her Web sites: www.brendajoyce.com, www.thedewarennedynasty.com and http://mastersoftimebooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 18, 2015
Ce cinquième tome est un réel ravissement, même si je n'ai pas toujours compris les réactions ainsi que les changements d'avis brutaux de Francesca...
L'enquête est menée de main de maître par le duo constitué de Bragg et notre héroïne, mais le retour de Leigh Anne a jeté un froid entre les deux.
Ce qui permet donc à Calder de se montrer sous le jour que j'attendais le plus: émouvant.
Car au delà de son charisme, son charme et sa répartie, on devine depuis le début l'homme qui sait aimer, physiquement et sentimentalement, et c'est dans ce tome que nous en avons la confirmation.
J'aime réellement Calder, et la réussite de cette série, ainsi que la qualité du triangle amoureux, tient en partie sur la capacité de Brenda Joyce à faire aimer cet anti-héros, probablement plus que Rick.
J'attends donc impatiemment la sortie du suivant, pour en découvrir un peu plus sur... la suite.
L'enquête est menée de main de maître par le duo constitué de Bragg et notre héroïne, mais le retour de Leigh Anne a jeté un froid entre les deux.
Ce qui permet donc à Calder de se montrer sous le jour que j'attendais le plus: émouvant.
Car au delà de son charisme, son charme et sa répartie, on devine depuis le début l'homme qui sait aimer, physiquement et sentimentalement, et c'est dans ce tome que nous en avons la confirmation.
J'aime réellement Calder, et la réussite de cette série, ainsi que la qualité du triangle amoureux, tient en partie sur la capacité de Brenda Joyce à faire aimer cet anti-héros, probablement plus que Rick.
J'attends donc impatiemment la sortie du suivant, pour en découvrir un peu plus sur... la suite.
September 5, 2012
Okay, this one was a little hard to get through. The mystery just didn't make a lot of sense. I had to subtract half a star from my original rating because sentimentality clouded my judgment. Calder is still the main attraction and does not disappoint. This book deserves 2 1/2.
Read
August 25, 2015Francesca Cahill received a proposal of marriage from Calder Hart. She turned him down because she was in love with his half-brother, Rick Bragg, the police commissioner. Rick is married to Leigh Anne who has returned from Europe after four years to reclaim her place as Rick's wife. Rick and his wife made an agreement that she would stay in Europe and he would pay the bills for her extravagant lifestyle. She talked Rick into agreeing to give their marriage a chance for 6 months. She would agree to a divorce if he still wanted it after that time.
Rick called Francesca and asked for her help with a murder. The studio of Evan's fiancée had been vandalized. Another art studio had been vandalized and this time there was a murder. At first it was thought that the owner of the studio had been murdered but it turned out to be Evan's recent ex-mistress who recently broke it off with him when she discovered that he was engaged to Sarah Channing. The murder victim was actress Grace Conway. There was an F painted on the wall of Sarah's studio and now there was an R painted on the wall of the recent studio. The studio owner, Melinda Neville and her brother, Thomas, where first on their list to locate.
Calder Hart's younger brother, Rourke, had helped Sarah when her place was vandalized and she became ill. Rourke was studying to become and doctor and new he was very concerned for her safety. Rick assured him that guards had been placed at her residence. She said she was having nightmares about seeing the man that had attacked her. Francesca thought that maybe Sarah had confronted her attacker and because she was sick, she couldn't remember clearly. Her nightmares might actually be Sarah remembering what had happened. It came out later in the story that Sarah had seen her attacker but he had a woman's stocking over his head. She was too embarrassed to let anyone know. After shows attacked a second time, she told Francesca.
Francesca's brother, Evan, had been badly beaten as a result of not paying his gambling debts. The family of Francesca's 10 yr. old assistant, Joel, had moved into Francesca's home. His mother, Maggie Kennedy, whose husband had died five years previous, tended to Evan. She came to care deeply for him. She had three other children, Paddy, Mat and Lizzie. Maggie had moved into the house with her family because she had been sick. She decided that it was time to go back to her own house after Evan's current woman came to visit him. Maggie was jealous.
Francesca began visiting other studio's to see if she could gather any information on Melinda Neville and her brother. She soon found out that Melinda was the mistress of another studio owner. The studio owner lied about knowing Sarah. He was also married. Thomas was located and the seemed sincerely concerned about his missing sister and popped into the police dept. quite often asking if Melinda had been located.
Francesca was attacked one night and went to Rick's and witnessed the fact that Rick Bragg and his wife had indeed reconciled. Rick was asleep and Francesca left and went to see Calder. While there, she was questioned by the police and came to the belief that the police captain was the one who was attacking the women. She still loved Rick but became increasingly more attracted to Calder. She was wondering if Calder Hart had any intention of remaining faithful if they married and she overheard him telling his mistress that he would be breaking it off with her soon because he was getting married. Francesca watched from another room as Calder and his mistress made love.
Connie and her husband reconciled after deciding that discussing their feelings was more important than keeping them inside. The agreed that they loved each other and that they didn't have to keep everything proper in the privacy of their home as society demanded.
It became obvious that Rourke was attracted to Sarah. The author let it be known that Melinda was being held against her will some place. She was tied up and no one heard her screaming for help. She knew the person who was keeping her.
Rick and Calder decided to do ask Francesca asked and set up a trap to catch the murderer. She was attacked again and this time she found Melinda's married boyfriend was murdered. Hart and Bragg showed up as Francesca was being attacked and shot the City Strangler. Rick was shot. The City Strangler died in the hospital after admitting that he was in love with his sister and she was tied up in the basement of the studio.
Francesca went to Calder Hart and told him that she would accept his marriage proposal. She was still uncertain of her position with him. She wasn't sure that he was marrying her just to get the best of Rick and to make him jealous. She decided that Calder Hart was worth the risk.
Rick called Francesca and asked for her help with a murder. The studio of Evan's fiancée had been vandalized. Another art studio had been vandalized and this time there was a murder. At first it was thought that the owner of the studio had been murdered but it turned out to be Evan's recent ex-mistress who recently broke it off with him when she discovered that he was engaged to Sarah Channing. The murder victim was actress Grace Conway. There was an F painted on the wall of Sarah's studio and now there was an R painted on the wall of the recent studio. The studio owner, Melinda Neville and her brother, Thomas, where first on their list to locate.
Calder Hart's younger brother, Rourke, had helped Sarah when her place was vandalized and she became ill. Rourke was studying to become and doctor and new he was very concerned for her safety. Rick assured him that guards had been placed at her residence. She said she was having nightmares about seeing the man that had attacked her. Francesca thought that maybe Sarah had confronted her attacker and because she was sick, she couldn't remember clearly. Her nightmares might actually be Sarah remembering what had happened. It came out later in the story that Sarah had seen her attacker but he had a woman's stocking over his head. She was too embarrassed to let anyone know. After shows attacked a second time, she told Francesca.
Francesca's brother, Evan, had been badly beaten as a result of not paying his gambling debts. The family of Francesca's 10 yr. old assistant, Joel, had moved into Francesca's home. His mother, Maggie Kennedy, whose husband had died five years previous, tended to Evan. She came to care deeply for him. She had three other children, Paddy, Mat and Lizzie. Maggie had moved into the house with her family because she had been sick. She decided that it was time to go back to her own house after Evan's current woman came to visit him. Maggie was jealous.
Francesca began visiting other studio's to see if she could gather any information on Melinda Neville and her brother. She soon found out that Melinda was the mistress of another studio owner. The studio owner lied about knowing Sarah. He was also married. Thomas was located and the seemed sincerely concerned about his missing sister and popped into the police dept. quite often asking if Melinda had been located.
Francesca was attacked one night and went to Rick's and witnessed the fact that Rick Bragg and his wife had indeed reconciled. Rick was asleep and Francesca left and went to see Calder. While there, she was questioned by the police and came to the belief that the police captain was the one who was attacking the women. She still loved Rick but became increasingly more attracted to Calder. She was wondering if Calder Hart had any intention of remaining faithful if they married and she overheard him telling his mistress that he would be breaking it off with her soon because he was getting married. Francesca watched from another room as Calder and his mistress made love.
Connie and her husband reconciled after deciding that discussing their feelings was more important than keeping them inside. The agreed that they loved each other and that they didn't have to keep everything proper in the privacy of their home as society demanded.
It became obvious that Rourke was attracted to Sarah. The author let it be known that Melinda was being held against her will some place. She was tied up and no one heard her screaming for help. She knew the person who was keeping her.
Rick and Calder decided to do ask Francesca asked and set up a trap to catch the murderer. She was attacked again and this time she found Melinda's married boyfriend was murdered. Hart and Bragg showed up as Francesca was being attacked and shot the City Strangler. Rick was shot. The City Strangler died in the hospital after admitting that he was in love with his sister and she was tied up in the basement of the studio.
Francesca went to Calder Hart and told him that she would accept his marriage proposal. She was still uncertain of her position with him. She wasn't sure that he was marrying her just to get the best of Rick and to make him jealous. She decided that Calder Hart was worth the risk.
July 24, 2018
5. kitapla serinin tam yarısına gelmiş bulunuyorum. Bu kitabı diğer 4 kitaba göre daha iyi buldum.
4 kitaptır şikayet ettiğim Francesca sonunda kendini sevdirmeye başladı. Ayrıca yaşadıklarını okumak bu sefer daha güzel geldi. Hatta bu kitapta kendisinin Calder'ın yardımıyla -daha doğrusu yardımcı olmamasıyla- Ellie'yi konuşturma çabaları en eğlendiğim ve biraz da gülümsediğim bölüm oldu.
Rick hala aynı doğrultuda gidiyor demek isterdim ama gittikçe daha antipatik birine dönüşmeye devam ediyor. Kendisinin verdiği sözler ve yapmayacağım dediği şeyler için "Maşallah dediğin 3 gün yaşamıyor." demek en doğrusu olacaktır.
Calder ise göze batan ufak bir durumu dışında yine aynı karizmada.
Kitapta sevdiğim diğer yönse Connie için oldu. Mutsuzluğunun daha fazla sürmemesine sevindim. Çünkü serideki en esaslı 3 kadın karakterden biri kendisi. Connie defteri kapandığına göre sıra Sarah'ın ve Maggie'nin defterlerini açmaya geldi. Bu kitaptan itibaren onların serinin devamında neler yaşayacağını okumak güzel olacağa benziyor.
Bu kitabın dedektiflik öyküsü geçen kitapta azıcık sözü edilen bir durumdan devam ediyor ve yine serideki 1-2 karakterle bağlanmış olsa da bu seferki hikayeyi beğendim. Devamını dört gözle okuyacağım. Umarım seri bundan sonra böyle iyi şekilde gitmeye devam eder.
4 kitaptır şikayet ettiğim Francesca sonunda kendini sevdirmeye başladı. Ayrıca yaşadıklarını okumak bu sefer daha güzel geldi. Hatta bu kitapta kendisinin Calder'ın yardımıyla -daha doğrusu yardımcı olmamasıyla- Ellie'yi konuşturma çabaları en eğlendiğim ve biraz da gülümsediğim bölüm oldu.
Rick hala aynı doğrultuda gidiyor demek isterdim ama gittikçe daha antipatik birine dönüşmeye devam ediyor. Kendisinin verdiği sözler ve yapmayacağım dediği şeyler için "Maşallah dediğin 3 gün yaşamıyor." demek en doğrusu olacaktır.
Calder ise göze batan ufak bir durumu dışında yine aynı karizmada.
Kitapta sevdiğim diğer yönse Connie için oldu. Mutsuzluğunun daha fazla sürmemesine sevindim. Çünkü serideki en esaslı 3 kadın karakterden biri kendisi. Connie defteri kapandığına göre sıra Sarah'ın ve Maggie'nin defterlerini açmaya geldi. Bu kitaptan itibaren onların serinin devamında neler yaşayacağını okumak güzel olacağa benziyor.
Bu kitabın dedektiflik öyküsü geçen kitapta azıcık sözü edilen bir durumdan devam ediyor ve yine serideki 1-2 karakterle bağlanmış olsa da bu seferki hikayeyi beğendim. Devamını dört gözle okuyacağım. Umarım seri bundan sonra böyle iyi şekilde gitmeye devam eder.
March 2, 2011
Continue to be somewhat annoyed by Francesca, although she is getting better. It was her naivete that really annoyed me at first, that and the fact that she is supposed to be this brilliant woman and yet isn't all that street smart when it comes to quite a lot of things. She is painted as very intelligent and yet I feel this intelligence isn't really clear to readers in a lots of ways. All that asides, I think that Francesca comes off very dramatic in a lot of ways because of the way Brenda Joyce punctuates her sentences. There are a lot I mean a lot of exclamation points whenever Francesca really means something!!
It gets tiresome and just paints her as this overly dramatic woman given to hysteria, which is not how Francesca really is.
I like the evolution of Fran and Hart's relationship - he is the big reason I keep reading these books. I'm invested in Hart now and need to make sure he gets his happy ending :)
The mystery parts are always fun and I like to see how they evolve, the whole who done it scenario.
It's number 5 in the series so if I haven't stopped reading yet, I'm pretty much set on finishing the series :p
It gets tiresome and just paints her as this overly dramatic woman given to hysteria, which is not how Francesca really is.
I like the evolution of Fran and Hart's relationship - he is the big reason I keep reading these books. I'm invested in Hart now and need to make sure he gets his happy ending :)
The mystery parts are always fun and I like to see how they evolve, the whole who done it scenario.
It's number 5 in the series so if I haven't stopped reading yet, I'm pretty much set on finishing the series :p
October 12, 2008
Ok... she has picked one for now... but will it stay that way... Great mystery... built up a bit more... but so much of it was this triangle well square now that Braggs wife is in the picture. I am a woman obsessed, I must keep going!!
November 29, 2008
Twists and turns are in store for book 5 of the series. We find out some secrets that Rick has been hiding that may alter his relationship with Francesca... and Calder just might have a shoulder for her to cry on.
Each book keeps getting better...
Each book keeps getting better...
August 11, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. I have become even more enamored with Calder Hart. And, Francesca did not figure out the killer. Shows she is human. I still think of this series as a soap-opera in book form.
July 24, 2012
In spite of the original setting and genre, this book remains a classical romance with just a bit too many clichés. Enjoyable, but nothing to be very excited about.
In this fifth book of the Deadly series, Francesca Cahill, an idle rich young woman and amateur sleuth, has a lot on her plate. Firstly, there is the return to New York of the beautiful, estranged wife of Commissioner Rick Bragg, whom Francesca is in love with. Secondly, she must deal with an unwanted and surprising proposal from Calder Hart, Bragg's rival half-brother and a womanizing businessman. And thirdly, she wants to investigate a murder which leads directly... to her own brother Evan.
I can only imagine what the first four novels were about: obviously each of them featured a crime and investigation; as for the romantic side of things, it seems to have been taken up mostly by Francesca and Bragg's platonic, doomed attraction to each other. The sentimental plot moves slowly enough, interspersed as it is with crime-solving and a bunch of a supporting characters (beyond the Francesca-Bragg-Hart triangle, we follow the love lives of Francesca's siblings Evan and Connie in true soap opera fashion). In any case, it is really easy to pick up the story even at the advanced stage of Deadly Caress, so obvious the whole plot is.
What first struck me about this novel was, indeed, its mediocre writing. All the sentences are excessively short, as if the author didn't trust herself with longer, more complex ones. There is plethora of cliched metaphors, from locking gazes to flexing jaws, not to mention a whole string of breathless utterances and states. But most irritating of all, it is full of repetitions. No wonder I wasn't disoriented upon picking up the fifth installment! You could almost open and start this book in the middle, and still receive all the information you missed in the first half.
Can you believe this? Not only the same words, the same phrase, but the exact same remark only two lines apart! Interestingly, this short quote could be the object of a study unto itself: note the reference to the "erotic sculpture". Of course my personal question is: what is an "erotic" sculpture? Since everybody will agree that the simple fact of being nude doesn't make something erotic, then what makes it so? The woman is holding a pigeon. What else? Did Ms. Joyce have something specific in mind, and if so, why didn't she write it? "Erotic" here sounds like a conveniently vague qualifier used for the sole purpose of giving us an inkling of what kind of man Hart is―scandalous, conspicuous, shocking.
And we cannot overlook the butler's comment: "up since five, working". Calder Hart is one of these heroes that are not lacking in romance: the self-made millionaire, from rags to riches, who is only entitled to wallow in comfort and pay a perfect courtship to the heroine in so far as he's spent all the previous years of his life before he met her working eighty hours a week. Romance likes workaholics. I guess it makes it that much more meaningful when they finally take the time (or not) to enjoy life with another person. Here, the "(or not)" applies to Rick Bragg, whose wife goes from bitch to legit woman status as we gradually learn why she left him all those years ago: because he did not take the time.
This, awkward as the transition may be, leads me to the reason why, in spite of all its shortcomings, Deadly Caress isn't a total disaster. Through all its cliches, through all its predictable and obvious developments, it ends up reading like the original historical romance. There is simply everything: the dark and dangerous hero (Hart), the fair and upstanding one (Bragg), the nonconformist heroine (Francesca), the flighty gambling brother (Evan), the proper lady (Connie), the wounded woman (Leigh Anne), the calculating widow (Bartolla), the street urchin (Joel), the inconspicuous friend (Sarah)... Surprisingly, it can be easier to get swept into such a museum of romance than in some of the more controversial, more thought-out ones.
I've given up on doing an analysis of Francesca and Hart's relationship. Inconsistency or cleverness? They play, go back and forth, threaten, regret, fear and take offense so much I didn't know if I could believe in it. Especially when, for almost all of the book (which spans only five days), Francesca keeps claiming that she loves Bragg―and only lusts for his brother. It is certainly fun and emotional, but is it a good base for a HEA? The answer is yours!
The crime plot isn't bad, with genuine thriller moments. Only the conclusion dissatisfied me somewhat, for while the intention to surprise the reader is commendable, this one surprise was never fully explained in light of some arguments that were made earlier in the book. I like being surprised, not tricked; and that is a comment for all detective novels out there. If you make it logically impossible for the reader to figure out the culprit, then we will not care for the revelation. You must at least give some clues to make us appreciate your higher plotting intelligence.
At last, despite its cliched dichotomy between womanizing-cheating men and virgin-monogamous women, Deadly Caress is an absolute apologia for sexual desire and the sexual act. Not only can I add it to my personal collection of romances featuring blow jobs, but one of its sex scenes is one of... voyeurism! Apparently some people are meant to be shared, and some others are not... The weird thing about some romance novels is that they don't practice what they preach. So the question must be asked: do they actually, truly preach that?
In this fifth book of the Deadly series, Francesca Cahill, an idle rich young woman and amateur sleuth, has a lot on her plate. Firstly, there is the return to New York of the beautiful, estranged wife of Commissioner Rick Bragg, whom Francesca is in love with. Secondly, she must deal with an unwanted and surprising proposal from Calder Hart, Bragg's rival half-brother and a womanizing businessman. And thirdly, she wants to investigate a murder which leads directly... to her own brother Evan.
I can only imagine what the first four novels were about: obviously each of them featured a crime and investigation; as for the romantic side of things, it seems to have been taken up mostly by Francesca and Bragg's platonic, doomed attraction to each other. The sentimental plot moves slowly enough, interspersed as it is with crime-solving and a bunch of a supporting characters (beyond the Francesca-Bragg-Hart triangle, we follow the love lives of Francesca's siblings Evan and Connie in true soap opera fashion). In any case, it is really easy to pick up the story even at the advanced stage of Deadly Caress, so obvious the whole plot is.
What first struck me about this novel was, indeed, its mediocre writing. All the sentences are excessively short, as if the author didn't trust herself with longer, more complex ones. There is plethora of cliched metaphors, from locking gazes to flexing jaws, not to mention a whole string of breathless utterances and states. But most irritating of all, it is full of repetitions. No wonder I wasn't disoriented upon picking up the fifth installment! You could almost open and start this book in the middle, and still receive all the information you missed in the first half.
In fact, she was beginning to perspire―which was the epitome of unladylike behavior. He led the way past an erotic sculpture of a beautiful young woman holding a pigeon. "He has been up since five, working in the library. Will you be staying for breakfast?"
Francesca was realizing that she was perspiring, a very unladylike action, as Alfred spoke.
Can you believe this? Not only the same words, the same phrase, but the exact same remark only two lines apart! Interestingly, this short quote could be the object of a study unto itself: note the reference to the "erotic sculpture". Of course my personal question is: what is an "erotic" sculpture? Since everybody will agree that the simple fact of being nude doesn't make something erotic, then what makes it so? The woman is holding a pigeon. What else? Did Ms. Joyce have something specific in mind, and if so, why didn't she write it? "Erotic" here sounds like a conveniently vague qualifier used for the sole purpose of giving us an inkling of what kind of man Hart is―scandalous, conspicuous, shocking.
And we cannot overlook the butler's comment: "up since five, working". Calder Hart is one of these heroes that are not lacking in romance: the self-made millionaire, from rags to riches, who is only entitled to wallow in comfort and pay a perfect courtship to the heroine in so far as he's spent all the previous years of his life before he met her working eighty hours a week. Romance likes workaholics. I guess it makes it that much more meaningful when they finally take the time (or not) to enjoy life with another person. Here, the "(or not)" applies to Rick Bragg, whose wife goes from bitch to legit woman status as we gradually learn why she left him all those years ago: because he did not take the time.
This, awkward as the transition may be, leads me to the reason why, in spite of all its shortcomings, Deadly Caress isn't a total disaster. Through all its cliches, through all its predictable and obvious developments, it ends up reading like the original historical romance. There is simply everything: the dark and dangerous hero (Hart), the fair and upstanding one (Bragg), the nonconformist heroine (Francesca), the flighty gambling brother (Evan), the proper lady (Connie), the wounded woman (Leigh Anne), the calculating widow (Bartolla), the street urchin (Joel), the inconspicuous friend (Sarah)... Surprisingly, it can be easier to get swept into such a museum of romance than in some of the more controversial, more thought-out ones.
"Alone at last," Hart said, his tone teasing.
But he had stepped closer to her, and from her perspective, he was always a tower of male strength and virility, and she jumped away, gripping her reticule so tightly that her fingers ached.
His eyes widened. "My dear, you are as nervous as a doe about to be gunned down. I am hardly a hunter with you in my sights. And you did call on me," he added, amused.
"But you are a hunter, even where I am concerned," she said tersely.
His smile faded. "Francesca, if I were preying upon you as I have other women, you'd be on that sofa right now."
I've given up on doing an analysis of Francesca and Hart's relationship. Inconsistency or cleverness? They play, go back and forth, threaten, regret, fear and take offense so much I didn't know if I could believe in it. Especially when, for almost all of the book (which spans only five days), Francesca keeps claiming that she loves Bragg―and only lusts for his brother. It is certainly fun and emotional, but is it a good base for a HEA? The answer is yours!
The crime plot isn't bad, with genuine thriller moments. Only the conclusion dissatisfied me somewhat, for while the intention to surprise the reader is commendable, this one surprise was never fully explained in light of some arguments that were made earlier in the book. I like being surprised, not tricked; and that is a comment for all detective novels out there. If you make it logically impossible for the reader to figure out the culprit, then we will not care for the revelation. You must at least give some clues to make us appreciate your higher plotting intelligence.
At last, despite its cliched dichotomy between womanizing-cheating men and virgin-monogamous women, Deadly Caress is an absolute apologia for sexual desire and the sexual act. Not only can I add it to my personal collection of romances featuring blow jobs, but one of its sex scenes is one of... voyeurism! Apparently some people are meant to be shared, and some others are not... The weird thing about some romance novels is that they don't practice what they preach. So the question must be asked: do they actually, truly preach that?
October 21, 2026
By now, I've become quite fond of Francesca, which is something I wasn't entirely certain would happen after the first book.
She remains capable of spectacularly questionable decisions, but there's a difference between a heroine whose recklessness exists solely to manufacture trouble and one whose flaws genuinely belong to her character. Joyce is increasingly achieving the latter.
And Calder! My preference for him has ceased to be a preference and become something approaching a personal cause. Francesca, please do try to keep up.
January 2, 2011
Once again, we re-acquaint ourselves with Francesca Cahill, an intrepid and intelligent sleuth who stars in the Deadly Series. In Deadly Caress, she finds herself on familiar territory putting her detective solving skills to use in a murder mystery. Only this time the mystery sits too close to home. She is no stranger to scandal, continually involving herself in political reform in order to better the lives of the city's most vulnerable. This, much to the chagrin of her parents, her class, but also to the admiration of the handsome, new police commissioner Rick Bragg, and his rival (and half-brother), the dashing, charismatic Calder Hart.
As the mystery paces itself to a sinister end, the passionate love triangle of Francesca-Rick-Calder heightens and takes a new direction. Although, I haven't read yet read every book in the series, and the ones I have read have been out of order, I still enjoy them. The love triangle theme remains with core characters, but the mysteries differ and we are privy to the development/progress of all the characters's relationships, which all intertwine.
Undoubtedly, Francesca is the most interesting character who earnestly and bravely puts herself in danger in every case, but when it comes to Rick, he is her undoing and with whom her heart is most vulnerable. She is equally as susceptible to Calder, who intrigue and scare her. He is so different from her, but the connection between them is irresistible. Calder's presence is as bold and intruding as ever, and as Rick finds himself distracted with the return of his estranged wife, it is Calder that Francesca turns to. Their relationship is one you want to triumph, but one that can only be savored after much trials.
Despite these new distractions, Francesca finds herself involved in another good and non-obvious mystery that sees her brother Evan as the link. Refusing to believe he is involved, and thus fueled to find the real culprit she does her own sleuthing, placing herself in dangerous moments without Rick at her side. She battles for the truth and her own feelings. She loves Rick but she cannot have him, yet as this realization dawns, she may be slowly falling in love with Calder.
Once again, the love affair continues without a clear conclusion long after the case is solved. Something to look forward to always.
As the mystery paces itself to a sinister end, the passionate love triangle of Francesca-Rick-Calder heightens and takes a new direction. Although, I haven't read yet read every book in the series, and the ones I have read have been out of order, I still enjoy them. The love triangle theme remains with core characters, but the mysteries differ and we are privy to the development/progress of all the characters's relationships, which all intertwine.
Undoubtedly, Francesca is the most interesting character who earnestly and bravely puts herself in danger in every case, but when it comes to Rick, he is her undoing and with whom her heart is most vulnerable. She is equally as susceptible to Calder, who intrigue and scare her. He is so different from her, but the connection between them is irresistible. Calder's presence is as bold and intruding as ever, and as Rick finds himself distracted with the return of his estranged wife, it is Calder that Francesca turns to. Their relationship is one you want to triumph, but one that can only be savored after much trials.
Despite these new distractions, Francesca finds herself involved in another good and non-obvious mystery that sees her brother Evan as the link. Refusing to believe he is involved, and thus fueled to find the real culprit she does her own sleuthing, placing herself in dangerous moments without Rick at her side. She battles for the truth and her own feelings. She loves Rick but she cannot have him, yet as this realization dawns, she may be slowly falling in love with Calder.
Once again, the love affair continues without a clear conclusion long after the case is solved. Something to look forward to always.
September 14, 2012
Francesca Cahill and Rick Bragg are having a few problems. Rick’s wife is back in town a determined to make a go of their marriage. Rick’s brother, the cad Calder Hart, is determined to marry Francesca. There’s also another killer on the loose in the streets of New York City and the Cahill house is in disarray after Evan is almost beaten to death because of his gambling debts. Francesca’s sister, Connie is still trying to come to terms with her husband’s infidelity and in 1902, women did not leave their husbands if they cheated.
There was sex in this one! And it was angry sex. I didn’t like it. I don’t mind a little sex, it’s to be expected in a romance, but I like it to be romantic.
This series must be read in order.
there's more on my blog http://stacybuckeye.wordpress.com/201...
There was sex in this one! And it was angry sex. I didn’t like it. I don’t mind a little sex, it’s to be expected in a romance, but I like it to be romantic.
This series must be read in order.
there's more on my blog http://stacybuckeye.wordpress.com/201...
June 3, 2011
This is my favorite book in this series so far, probably because I've fallen for the character of Hart and he had such a big part in this book. The rest of the ensemble of characters continue to evolve in interesting ways as well, though I continue to be annoyed by Bragg at times. It's a good series for historical mystery and romance that isn't too heavy - I'm on to the next one.
June 4, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I read it failry fast as I just had to know what was going to happen next. I did think I knew who the killer was then I switched it just as the author intended only to be surprised in the end. I am pulling for Calder I like his character not loving the Rick character at this moment. I immediately started reading the 6th book in this series.
September 22, 2009
I think I would have liked this book A LOT better if I had known it was part of an ongoing series. I kind of like the main character, and the story wasn't really bad, but I had no connection with it because I hadn't read the other books.
July 15, 2010
I think that DC is the best of the Deadly series to date. The characters are less conflicted -- though the level of angst, lust, hatred, and love is VERY high -- and the very sense of human-ness (is that a word?) makes this book work.
May 26, 2015
J'ai adoré ! L'intrigue est super, on devine pas le coupable avant la fin. Les différentes histoires des personnages secondaires se croisent parfaitement, j'ai retenu mon souffle pour savoir ce qu'allait faire Francesca (ah Cader !!!! ). Bref, une histoire que j'ai dévorée !!
January 4, 2012
Read my review on my blog: Too Many Books, Not Enough Time. Here is the URL.
http://www.2manybooks-notenoughtime.b...
http://www.2manybooks-notenoughtime.b...
December 30, 2015
I think Leigh Anne is my next best character to Calder Hart, who continues to hold my heart tightly
March 28, 2017
Une intrigue plutôt bien ficelée, j'avoue que j'ai hésité entre plusieurs suspects jusqu'à la fin.
Sur le plan sentimental, on a un gros retour de force soap-opera là, avec une Francesca de plus en plus perdue entre Bragg et Hart. Si cet aspect se veut riche en émotions, je trouve que c'est parfois un peu maladroitement géré, les justifications avancées pour le comportement de la demoiselle étant pour moi plus que foireuses (ça va durer jusqu'à la fin de la saga ?!) Cela dit, ça m'a procuré quelques petits serrements de cœur, donc c'est efficace. Sinon, Bragg, lui, subit un léger changement de personnalité (que je n'ai pas super apprécié), mais Hart est de plus en plus présent et j'aime ça.
Sur le plan sentimental, on a un gros retour de force soap-opera là, avec une Francesca de plus en plus perdue entre Bragg et Hart. Si cet aspect se veut riche en émotions, je trouve que c'est parfois un peu maladroitement géré, les justifications avancées pour le comportement de la demoiselle étant pour moi plus que foireuses (ça va durer jusqu'à la fin de la saga ?!) Cela dit, ça m'a procuré quelques petits serrements de cœur, donc c'est efficace. Sinon, Bragg, lui, subit un léger changement de personnalité (que je n'ai pas super apprécié), mais Hart est de plus en plus présent et j'aime ça.
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